SUMMARY: Spouse Visa Processing times OFFSHORE-UK. Please add your Stats.

[Guest wardie77]

It's all on here in previous posts. I just spoke to my case officer. It wasn't 'early' really, just the date I was told and had planned for in the first place.

 

Thanks bazinga! I'll look through your previous posts.

[Playghirl]

I had never been told a specific date so unfortunately I can't do as you did BAzinga. Unfortunately!

[Guest Bazinga]

Thanks, wardie its a bit of a saga!

[Guest wardie77]

Thanks, wardie its a bit of a saga!

 

I cna only imagine! I am living in hope that mine is all ok. They have at least said I am going straight onto the subclass100 PR visa which at least means it is going to be granted, just a matter of being patient, which is difficult when planning such a big move.

[maisem]

Welcome to the wait maisem. have they asked you for your medical and police checks yet? That is the next stage...

Good luck!!!

 

Hi Wardie77. I sent my police check with my application, havn't been asked for anything else yet, but I guess they only recieved my application yesterday. I've read on here about some people applying for their visa in the UK but then going out to Australia, living there while they wait for the visa to be granted and then taking a trip to NZ or somewhere so they are offshore when the visa is actually granted. Is that actually allowed? If anyone knows, please let me know. We'd like to get there ASAP really. Who have you gone to for shipping quotes? How do you get to go sraight onto the 100 visa class and how do you find out? Sorry so many questions

[Guest wardie77]

Hi Wardie77. I sent my police check with my application, havn't been asked for anything else yet, but I guess they only recieved my application yesterday. I've read on here about some people applying for their visa in the UK but then going out to Australia, living there while they wait for the visa to be granted and then taking a trip to NZ or somewhere so they are offshore when the visa is actually granted. Is that actually allowed? If anyone knows, please let me know. We'd like to get there ASAP really. Who have you gone to for shipping quotes? How do you get to go sraight onto the 100 visa class and how do you find out? Sorry so many questions

 

Hi maisem, Your CO will contact you shortly and ask you to go for your medical, they may or may not ask for additional information if req'd at this stage too. They will let you know if you ask but basically if you can easlily prove you have been married/ de facto for 3 years plus there is the chance you may go directly onto the subclass 100. The CO's are generally very helpful and friendly and are happy to anser any questions you have over email, as long as you don't send too many! :-)

You should get an email in a cpl of days so don't worry, they do get back to you pretty quickly.

You can travel back to Aus on a visitor visa, which can be sorted online, but remember this is only valid for 3 months. You should talk to your CO about this though before you head out just to ensure they are likely to grant your partner visa. There are loads of people on the forum who have done this so just wait and I am sure one of them will reply. Just remember you cannot work or anything on the visitor visa.

 

I got shipping quotes from All Freight International, Pickfords, Excess Baggage and John Masons. It looks like we are going to go with John Masons. They have been SOOOO helpful and their prices are very competitive. We only have the contents of a 1 bed flat to ship though.

 

I am sure you will have many more questions and we are all happy to share our experiences on this forum. So don;t forget to help others out once you go through your process.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest Bazinga]

I've just done it. However they will tell you you need to be out for 3 days. On a tourist visa you cannot work or look for work and if you have kids you have to pay for school. The trip to NZ set us back close to $1000 including childcare for the one i didn't need to take over. And that is staying in a youth hostel.

[Guest wardie77]

I've just done it. However they will tell you you need to be out for 3 days. On a tourist visa you cannot work or look for work and if you have kids you have to pay for school. The trip to NZ set us back close to $1000 including childcare for the one i didn't need to take over. And that is staying in a youth hostel.

 

Great, thanks for letting me know. What did you say to your CO before you departed the UK?

I am lucky in that it would be just me heading to NZ and I have friends in Auckland that I can stay with so it would just be the flight which looking at Virgin Blue at the moment is about $600 return. Congrats on the VISA by the way. Did they give you the 309 or straight to the 100?

[Guest Bazinga]

Thanks Wardie. I don't think many others have bothered to congratulate us.

 

I told the CO when we left the UK and when we arrived in Oz. Made sure he had the new address. Then finally when he said we could leave to validate, I told him the dates we would be away for. As I landed in NZ, checked email and there it was APPROVED!

[Guest wardie77]

Thanks Wardie. I don't think many others have bothered to congratulate us.

 

I told the CO when we left the UK and when we arrived in Oz. Made sure he had the new address. Then finally when he said we could leave to validate, I told him the dates we would be away for. As I landed in NZ, checked email and there it was APPROVED!

 

That is awesome!!! I am so happy to hear that someone has been approved! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS. I can imagine after all the stress of applying and relocating it must be a huge relief!!!

[Guest wardie77]

For anyone getting their visa's approved, dont forget to post on here and also post to the new thread craeted by playgirl -

[h=1]Visa granted today thread![/h]

[Guest charleysmum74]

Hi Wardie77. I sent my police check with my application, havn't been asked for anything else yet, but I guess they only recieved my application yesterday. I've read on here about some people applying for their visa in the UK but then going out to Australia, living there while they wait for the visa to be granted and then taking a trip to NZ or somewhere so they are offshore when the visa is actually granted. Is that actually allowed? If anyone knows, please let me know. We'd like to get there ASAP really. Who have you gone to for shipping quotes? How do you get to go sraight onto the 100 visa class and how do you find out? Sorry so many questions

 

Hello there,

 

I applied at the end of April so my visa isn't going to be granted until September, however my husband has got a job and we are leaving in July. I spoke to a CO and she told me it was fine to enter on a visitor's visa and that I won't get any hassle from immgration as all my details will be on the system. I will just need to leave the country for 3 days when my visa is granted, so that's my excuse for a few days in Fiji!

 

You qualify for a 100 class visa if you have been together more than 5 yers, or 3 years and you have child(ren) as far as I know. I think I read something in the guidance when I was putting the application together (it is ringing bells, and I'm sure I didn't make it up!!). If you ask your CO if you have been considered for a 100 they should be able to tell you.

 

We have had shipping quotes from 5 companies, just waiting for 2 of them to come back to us then we are going to make a decision. So far we have been most impressed by Doree Bonner, Pickfords and Sterling's representative Pearsons. Anglo pacific seem good but haven't got the best reputation so I'm wavering with them. The 3 quotes we have had back have varied from £2300 to £2800. We are going to pick one and haggle. I intend to use Leeton Percival for the insurance as they quote 1.5% and the shipping companies have all basically quoted between 2.5 and 3%.

 

Good luck with everything, it's a long process but I have found that baby steps has been the best way to approach it for me, ticking things off the list as we go! We cleaned all our camping stuff with Jeyes fluid at the weekend, so that was a big tick off the list!

 

Good luck with everyting! C

[Guest Bazinga]

Unless the queue speeds up it will be more like Oct/Nov.

[DaveS]

@Bazinga End of September fits with recent grants

@CharleysMum74 Cleaning the camping gear has peaked my interest! We aren't shipping much - so have ended up using Seven Seas with a few tea chests. We are shipping a bike though - I guess I should clean it up with the same stuff you have used? Good luck with the visa

[maisem]

Thanks guys! I've never used forums before but I have to say they are really good if this one is anything to go by. I got an email today requesting I go for a medical exam! I'm really excited now, but I have to remember its still going to take ages! lol.

 

Congratultions Bazinga on getting your visa, bet youre mega happy!!!

 

I must say i'm really tempted to go out 3 months early. Currently me ad my aussie partner are in the UK but living seperately, we have a 5 month old son who lives with me. We are both living in tiny rooms in shared houses so we want to get over to Oz ASAP so we can live as a family. I wouldn't want to work yet as i'd like to stay at home with baby until he's a bit older. So i'm thinking going over earlier would be fine. it also means we could be sorted ready for xmas, whereas if we wait it'll be end of November when the visa is granted. I can't wait!! Where is everyone looking to move to? We are looking at Hervey Bay.

[Guest Bazinga]

But there's now a delay, all the Jan lot are looking at end of June / July

[DaveS]

If any of you are interested I thought it might be nice to collate dates from the forum...

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aopvk3Y5mD7HdGp5V2hESFluN3V0QWNBTDg2TWJoLVE

 

Feel free to add/remove/amend your details from the spreadsheet I made it world editable.

 

Dave

[Guest wardie77]

If any of you are interested I thought it might be nice to collate dates from the forum...

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aopvk3Y5mD7HdGp5V2hESFluN3V0QWNBTDg2TWJoLVE

 

Feel free to add/remove/amend your details from the spreadsheet I made it world editable.

 

Dave

 

Nice one DaveS -Very organised!

[DaveS]

Nice one DaveS -Very organised!

 

Thanks Wardie.

 

Feel free to make yours green to show its accurate

[Guest wardie77]

But there's now a delay, all the Jan lot are looking at end of June / July

 

Perhaps a backlog from the Christmas applicants... lets hope they catch up!

[Guest wardie77]

Thanks Wardie.

 

Feel free to make yours green to show its accurate

 

Done - I added the case officer header - can you update the formulea?

[Guest brucey]

Great idea, DaveS! Your spreadsheet has predicted me end of Oct, which would be great!

 

Bazinga - congrats on the grant! Must be such a relief.

 

Am just awaiting my police cert now. Once submitted I'm hoping VF's going to give me some kind of verbal thumbs up, so I can relax for the next few months. Only planning to go in Dec, so hoping we have more than ample times (factoring in delays).

[DaveS]

Great idea, DaveS! Your spreadsheet has predicted me end of Oct, which would be great!

 

Bazinga - congrats on the grant! Must be such a relief.

 

Am just awaiting my police cert now. Once submitted I'm hoping VF's going to give me some kind of verbal thumbs up, so I can relax for the next few months. Only planning to go in Dec, so hoping we have more than ample times (factoring in delays).

 

Hey Brucey - the guess my grant date is a work in progress. Just using the most recent confirmed person (who is currently still a while ago at Marmitegirl in April!)

What we need is a few more recent grants...

 

I'd suspect at the moment this is a worst case scenario. Marmitegirl's application went over Xmas & NYE.

[Guest wardie77]

But there's now a delay, all the Jan lot are looking at end of June / July

 

Bazinga - please can you give us your submission date and also the day you got the good news?

[Onmywayhome]

But there's now a delay, all the Jan lot are looking at end of June / July

 

I think June's out of the question: our CO has told us the quota for this year has been used up, so no more visas will be approved until July :-(

 

 

We applied in December so we were expecting something any day now and this news has really upset us, not to mention thrown off our plans.

 

So much for 5 - 6 months!