Guest dobber Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Can anyone help me with this question regarding a 176 visa. We have been given state sponsorship by queensland and are currently just waiting for a case officer, my question is once you receive your visa do you have to actually move to oz and stay for 2 years ( as i have seen somewhere on hear ) or is it purely a case of getting your visa stamped. We are in the same boat as quite afew others on here, unable to sell the:unsure: house at the moment but because of my age need to get the visa stamped, any help appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris_mac Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Can anyone help me with this question regarding a 176 visa. We have been given state sponsorship by queensland and are currently just waiting for a case officer, my question is once you receive your visa do you have to actually move to oz and stay for 2 years ( as i have seen somewhere on hear ) or is it purely a case of getting your visa stamped. We are in the same boat as quite afew others on here, unable to sell the:unsure: house at the moment but because of my age need to get the visa stamped, any help appreciated. Hi Dobber - Permanent visas granted offshore normally have a 'first entry date'. ALL family members must enter Australia by this date. - The main applicant must enter Australia first (or at the same time as the rest of the family). The others must enter Australia after the main applicant and before the 'first entry date'. This is known as 'validating' the visa. - The 'first entry date' is normally around 12 months from the earliest date of police checks and medicals. Some people get less than that if medicals have a lesser validity - 6 months is not unknown. - 'First entry date' cannot be changed after your visa is granted. If there is a problem meeting this date after visa has been granted, you must seek urgent professional advice to liaise with DIMIA so they do not cancel your visas. Only in exceptional circumstances will you be able to keep your visa if you do not respect the 'first entry date'. - It is quite acceptable to validate a visa with a holiday in Australia. How long to make the 'proper' move? - The visa is valid for 5 years from the date of grant (NOT the date the visa is stamped or validated) - You are expected to be in Australia for a total of 2 years (730 days) in this 5 year period. - This is so that you easily qualify for a Resident Return Visa (RRV) after the 5 years is up. You will need an RRV to re-enter Australia as a PR if you are not an Australian citizen. - If you do not meet this requirement but are inside Australia on the expiry date of the visa (5 years hence) the visa does not expire until the moment you set foot outside Australia for any reason. - Hence if you are living in Australia at the end of the 5 year period you will probably not lose your PR but you will face hassle in getting an RRV. - In order to keep life simple, make sure you move to Australia no later than 3 years from visa grant. This ensures you will have the 2 years in Australia required to get an RRV 'no questions asked' at the end of the 5 year period. Best wishes Chris General Electrician Applied TRA Aug 07 TRA Retuned Oct (Skill path D removed) Re-applied Vetassess 01.01.08 Vetassess Paper Assess Passed 10.04.08 House up for sale 28.03.08 sold 14.04.08 (3 weeks, crikey) Vetassess Practical 15.07.08 Practical Passed 11.08.08 176 Visa Application submitted 11.09.08 DIAC Acknowledgement 24.09.08 Sent Police checks 27.08.08 - Recieved 06.09.08 Medicals done 12.01.09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dobber Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Thanks for the info mate and from a fellow sparky aswell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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