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

[Guest Sdavis654]

I think i am getting addicted to this thread to see if anymore grants have been made!! I've been coming on here over the weekend to just realise now that the offices are closed!!! I'm getting tired of waiting now.....i'll hit the 8 months mark on the 13th Feb and hope it won't be too much longer......i miss my OH

[Shellysmax]

Here's to the start of a new week and let's hope there's some good news!

[gottagetoutahere]

Into month nine, no news, tired of waiting................

[BizLarker]

Into month nine, no news, tired of waiting................

 

 

Did you apply end of May? Be sure to let us know if you get news this week!

[Guest Sdavis654]

Into month nine, no news, tired of waiting................

 

Did your CO give you a time frame? Mine said 9 months but if I don't hear anything after this date then I can ask them what is happening with it

[gottagetoutahere]

Did your CO give you a time frame? Mine said 9 months but if I don't hear anything after this date then I can ask them what is happening with it

 

They said my visa "will be finalised between the end of Jan and end of Feb" which would be nine months at the end of Feb but I was rather hoping that it would be closer to this end :smile:

Edited February 3, 2014 by gottagetoutahere

[rattykatty]

My partner just got his 309/100 granted however we applied from Austria. Sent everything in end of September, did medicals in November. Visa 100 granted last Friday!! We were going to email the CO today to see what was going on and there it was. So stoked Perth here we come..

[Cookerr]

Random question for those who have been granted, does the email just come through from your CO or is from a general email address?

[rattykatty]

From the CO it had her name on it and said those magic words in the title "Visa granted"

[MovingtoTasmania]

My partner just got his 309/100 granted however we applied from Austria. Sent everything in end of September, did medicals in November. Visa 100 granted last Friday!! We were going to email the CO today to see what was going on and there it was. So stoked Perth here we come..

 

WOW, congratulations :biggrin:. In five months - when you say from Austria, presumably it was at the offices in Austria, not in London? I'm just assuming with this as London are saying 8-9 months. Maybe there are less applicants in Austria............

 

Just out of interest, if it was London, who was your CO? Not WP by any chance lol

[TheEscapePlan]

We had our first contact from our CO last week (submitted 5 Dec) and they quoted the waiting time for London submissions 'at least (in italics) eight to nine months'.

 

I assume this means it could be longer. The wait seems to grow regularly.

 

One thing I don't understand is that married partner visas aren't supposed to be capped, and yet I hear lots of talk about COs 'waiting to grant'? Anyone know what that's about?

[MovingtoTasmania]

I think that this is to do with the official "rubber-stamping" of the visa by the Chief Immigration Officer but I'm not 100% sure.

[rattykatty]

To moving to Tasmania: yes it was from the embassy in Austria ( unfortunately) we were very surprised as we had seen people's stats on here and thought it must be really quick applying from Austria since not many people do it from here. But then we had a email for our CO telling us to stop emailing and that the processing time was 9-12 months and not to contact her until February 2014( this was in November 2013) so we were just about to email her today and there it was, the LONG awaited email. NOw the planning starts..

[wynster]

Hi all, we applied on the 11th June and are still waiting. We moved across to sydney in December and I have landed my dream role but they will only keep the job open for 2 weeks which would be exactly 8 months. I spoke in immigration and they have told me that they are still working on the applications for May. Has anyone been granted for June yet? Thanks Lou x

[wynster]

We have WP as our case manager, is that a bad thing? X

[MovingtoTasmania]

I hope not Lou, because she's ours too! But comparing how quickly some CO's seem to push things through, she "appears" to be one of the slower ones but time will tell! Ours is "relatively" straightforward...married for years, children, grandchildren, mortgage, wills etc etc, so one would think that it's a case of rubber stamping.....we will see!

[MovingtoTasmania]

Just to add to that, considering that you've been living in Sydney since December and apprised her of the situation, you would think, wouldn't you, that she might pull her finger out to get you your grant??

[Guest]

Just to add to that, considering that you've been living in Sydney since December and apprised her of the situation, you would think, wouldn't you, that she might pull her finger out to get you your grant??

 

On the flip side, you have to remember they do state quite clearly to not plan big events like sell your house, quit yout job etc till visa is granted. No one is making people travel to Aus ahead of a grant on a tourist visa or apply for jobs in Aus etc before grant. The CO's have a timeframe and conditions to work to and if they all keep granting visas because people continue on doing these things they advise not to and going to Aus early on tourist visas and all that, it doesn't really work, at least not from where I am sitting.

 

My thinking has always been if you apply off shore, expect the timeframe to grant to be what your CO states and work to that. If it comes early its a bonus but don't plan on it or expect it, work to it and with it, not against it. If you choose to head to Aus before the partner visa is granted, fair enough but you have to accept that it could still take the full 9 months or whatever it was they stated and so don't seek work etc in the hope it might come through early or ask if they would consider granting sooner for you. They can't make exceptions as this is unfair to others waiting IMHO. Its not easy but we all have to go through it when we apply.

[MovingtoTasmania]

On the flip side, you have to remember they do state quite clearly to not plan big events like sell your house, quit yout job etc till visa is granted. No one is making people travel to Aus ahead of a grant on a tourist visa or apply for jobs in Aus etc before grant. The CO's have a timeframe and conditions to work to and if they all keep granting visas because people continue on doing these things they advise not to and going to Aus early on tourist visas and all that, it doesn't really work, at least not from where I am sitting.

 

My thinking has always been if you apply off shore, expect the timeframe to grant to be what your CO states and work to that. If it comes early its a bonus but don't plan on it or expect it, work to it and with it, not against it. If you choose to head to Aus before the partner visa is granted, fair enough but you have to accept that it could still take the full 9 months or whatever it was they stated and so don't seek work etc in the hope it might come through early or ask if they would consider granting sooner for you. They can't make exceptions as this is unfair to others waiting IMHO. Its not easy but we all have to go through it when we apply.

 

I can see your point and I suppose I would be peeved if someone "jumped" the queue ahead of me but then there doesn't seem any rhyme or reason to how they are granting these visas as I've noticed that some people seem to get them really quickly.

[Guest]

I can see your point and I suppose I would be peeved if someone "jumped" the queue ahead of me but then there doesn't seem any rhyme or reason to how they are granting these visas as I've noticed that some people seem to get them really quickly.

 

There is no rhyme or reason I can ever see so I don't try to figure it out lol. There is no cap on the partner visa so its not like they only grant 1000 per year or some such (the PMV is subject to capping IIRC). However, if they state its going to be 8-9 months, what is so hard about working to that is my thought. If you decide to apply but want to go sooner, look at an on shore application. That way you can have work rights and all that while the visa is applied for. If you apply off shore, you just have to go with what they do as crummy as it is sometimes. They did have a spate of granting a bit sooner for a while but that seems to have eased off now.

 

Of course, if you apply off shore and then go over on a tourist visa, fine, its allowed, nothing wrong in that. But just work with what they have told you and then there can be no massive upset if its not granted earlier or takes the full 9 months or having to miss out on a job you've applied for and stuff. Its hard I know and not all of us can sit and wait as well as others but we can't make them change or expect to get a grant sooner because we are not prepared to wait as we've been instructed.

[BritChickx]

I'll ask again....do case officers always reply to emails? I emailed the temp partner visa email with my case details and just said they sent their last email to the wrong email and that this is the one right but i never got a confirmation email back to say they've got the right email. Or am I expecting too much? Don't want them requesting my medicals then not knowing because they've got the wrong email still...

[MovingtoTasmania]

There is no rhyme or reason I can ever see so I don't try to figure it out lol. There is no cap on the partner visa so its not like they only grant 1000 per year or some such (the PMV is subject to capping IIRC). However, if they state its going to be 8-9 months, what is so hard about working to that is my thought. If you decide to apply but want to go sooner, look at an on shore application. That way you can have work rights and all that while the visa is applied for. If you apply off shore, you just have to go with what they do as crummy as it is sometimes. They did have a spate of granting a bit sooner for a while but that seems to have eased off now.

 

Of course, if you apply off shore and then go over on a tourist visa, fine, its allowed, nothing wrong in that. But just work with what they have told you and then there can be no massive upset if its not granted earlier or takes the full 9 months or having to miss out on a job you've applied for and stuff. Its hard I know and not all of us can sit and wait as well as others but we can't make them change or expect to get a grant sooner because we are not prepared to wait as we've been instructed.

 

Yes, I know what you mean as if you're on a tourist visa, why would you even be applying for jobs and for that matter why would the prospective employer offer you a job knowing that you have no work rights. For myself, I suppose the worst for me is not knowing IF my hubby is going to even be given a visa. I need to go back and read your reassurance!

[Guest]

I'll ask again....do case officers always reply to emails? I emailed the temp partner visa email with my case details and just said they sent their last email to the wrong email and that this is the one right but i never got a confirmation email back to say they've got the right email. Or am I expecting too much? Don't want them requesting my medicals then not knowing because they've got the wrong email still...

 

No, not always. If in real doubt, send another email with a read request that will ping up perhaps? Or email again and ask them to confirm its updated as you are concerned they may not have the correct address.

[Guest]

Yes, I know what you mean as if you're on a tourist visa, why would you even be applying for jobs and for that matter why would the prospective employer offer you a job knowing that you have no work rights. For myself, I suppose the worst for me is not knowing IF my hubby is going to even be given a visa. I need to go back and read your reassurance!

 

From everything you've said about your hubbys application I can't see why it would fail. You well and truly meet the timeframe, have proved this and provided all the supporting evidence etc. Police check and medical were fine, nothing further was requested. I think its natural to be nervous but honestly, if you are genuine and the meds and police are ok, try not to worry.

[MovingtoTasmania]

From everything you've said about your hubbys application I can't see why it would fail. You well and truly meet the timeframe, have proved this and provided all the supporting evidence etc. Police check and medical were fine, nothing further was requested. I think its natural to be nervous but honestly, if you are genuine and the meds and police are ok, try not to worry.

 

Thanks Snifter :hug:. Just a bit down tonight cos the buyers backed out after being all over the Estate Agent and dead keen :frown: