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

[Melibios]

Have a question regarding tourist visas...

 

We're moving back to Oz at the start of December this year, which is likely to be before my hubby gets his 309/100 visa granted, so he will be going out on a tourist visa. The intention is that we will spend time with my family and in January I'll go back to work while he looks after our son until his visa is granted and can start looking for work himself.

The question I have is do we go for a tourist visa (subclass 600) for 3 months and then extend from Oz if we need to?

Or does he go on the family sponsored visa (subclass 679)?

What have people done in similar situations??

He has a brother in NZ he plans to visit when the 309/100 gets granted to activate it.

Thanks everyone!!

[Eifster]

Have a question regarding tourist visas...

 

We're moving back to Oz at the start of December this year, which is likely to be before my hubby gets his 309/100 visa granted, so he will be going out on a tourist visa. The intention is that we will spend time with my family and in January I'll go back to work while he looks after our son until his visa is granted and can start looking for work himself.

The question I have is do we go for a tourist visa (subclass 600) for 3 months and then extend from Oz if we need to?

Or does he go on the family sponsored visa (subclass 679)?

What have people done in similar situations??

He has a brother in NZ he plans to visit when the 309/100 gets granted to activate it.

Thanks everyone!!

 

 

I'm only going to give a partial answer. I don't know anything about the 679 visa, but I do know the etourist one is free, you get it after a few days, and it's really straightforward, so unless there's something special about the 679, the etourist visa is great.

[Eifster]

Long time reader and lurker, but have followed you all religiously!!

 

Wanted to share the good news that my husband has been awarded his 309 visa today, exactly nine months since application! Applied on 29th Dec 2014, had LC and have to enter by 31st July 2016 (one year after police check which was earlier than medicals).

 

Beyond excited right now, but it's not really sunk in. When we watch Masterchef Australia tonight I can say - 'We're going to live there!'. Finally going home!!

 

Good luck to everyone still waiting, hoping it comes super quickly for you all!!!

 

 

Oh my god, 9 months - that's great. You must have been surprised. Congrats!

And you applied a whole week after me! (excited)

 

So many lurkers pop up ...

[KirstenofOz]

Oh my god, 9 months - that's great. You must have been surprised. Congrats!

And you applied a whole week after me! (excited)

 

So many lurkers pop up ...

 

So surprised! We genuinely didn't think we would hear anything until at least November!

 

I hope you get yours very very soon - it's good that the December applicants are starting to get their grants

[Laura Smith]

Hi all,

 

my my visa came through today! Am so happy! Good luck to you all.

 

 

thanks

[Melibios]

I'm only going to give a partial answer. I don't know anything about the 679 visa, but I do know the etourist one is free, you get it after a few days, and it's really straightforward, so unless there's something special about the 679, the etourist visa is great.

 

Thanks Eifster! Is it okay that he won't have any return flights booked tho? Is that the eTourist visa that you can apply for online?

[Eifster]

Thanks Eifster! Is it okay that he won't have any return flights booked tho? Is that the eTourist visa that you can apply for online?

 

 

Yes, the online etourist. I used it and had no problems, but I am back in Ireland now waiting for my visa still, so it's a little different.

 

It's very unlikely he will be stopped in the airport, but if he is, other people have said they just told the truth 100% about their plans, and they had no problems. It sounds like immigration have a lot of people coming in on tourist visas while waiting for these visas.

 

As long as he makes it clear he is visiting family/partner and won't be working, and that he will be leaving the country to get the 309/100, I haven't heard of any problems.

[Eifster]

Hi all,

 

my my visa came through today! Am so happy! Good luck to you all.

 

 

thanks

 

Ah brilliant, congrats ....

 

I'M NEXT ON THE LIST with @Wan2go .... we're coming towards the finish line!

[Guest]

Thanks Eifster! Is it okay that he won't have any return flights booked tho? Is that the eTourist visa that you can apply for online?

 

Yes, easy to apply online. Looking at your timeline you may get a grant around then or soon after.

 

Email to let your CO know you are applying for it and when you plan to depart for Aus (after the tourist visa grant) .

 

Apply for it sooner rather than later so it doesnt risk crossing over and stuffing up the partner visa grant. I applied for mine once I had let my CO know. My visa was due to be granted 5 months later at earliest. As it was it came through a good 2 months early.

[Major Tom]

Had my medical today, so looking by the spread sheet, we are looking at December for ours I think?

[Wan2go]

[quote=Eifster;

 

I'M NEXT ON THE LIST with @Wan2go .... we're coming towards the finish line!

 

Scared now.....................:frown:

[Major Tom]

Has anyone done an up to date list with the new people on it?

[Pingpongpom2]

Hi all,

My daughter would like to know how they get in touch with their CO. Her partner applied for his visa 3 months ago and they have looked on the immi site, but can't find an email address they can use. Any ideas would be helpful. Also they are going to come onshore before the visa is granted. My daughter is a PR, but her husband and children we think will need evisitors. When they came to get married in Aus her husband needed a special visa because he has a police record, but had no convictions. The visa he had is no longer available, so can he go on an evisitor or does he need to apply for a different visa because of his record? Any help appreciated. Thanks

[Annaleis]

Have a question regarding tourist visas...

 

We're moving back to Oz at the start of December this year, which is likely to be before my hubby gets his 309/100 visa granted, so he will be going out on a tourist visa. The intention is that we will spend time with my family and in January I'll go back to work while he looks after our son until his visa is granted and can start looking for work himself.

The question I have is do we go for a tourist visa (subclass 600) for 3 months and then extend from Oz if we need to?

Or does he go on the family sponsored visa (subclass 679)?

What have people done in similar situations??

He has a brother in NZ he plans to visit when the 309/100 gets granted to activate it.

Thanks everyone!!

 

Hey hon

 

We applied a weekish after you (25/3/15) and if the ten month mark is the same for everyone, on average it would be end of Jan for both of us. I wanted to get my youngest daughter and my sdaughter in school a couple of weeks before crimbo so they could make friends for over the hols and also coz my youngest is now year 11 in the UK so needs to be there asap to do options etc.

 

I got my hub and sdaughter tourist visa's a month or so ago seeing that other people on here are doing that, then panicked as hadn't asked CO first, but emailed and explained what I had done with dates, said I knew hub can't work but sdaughter can school for a bit and asked if that was acceptable and the answer was yes (phew!).

 

So we have four working week left and five weeks tonight we will be at Heathrow ready to board in the morning......to say I am counting down is an under statement....even have an app on phone that does countdown on days/hours/minutes/seconds/heartbeats etc etc etc.......starting to REALLY bore people now :-)))

[Guest]

Hi all,

My daughter would like to know how they get in touch with their CO. Her partner applied for his visa 3 months ago and they have looked on the immi site, but can't find an email address they can use. Any ideas would be helpful. Also they are going to come onshore before the visa is granted. My daughter is a PR, but her husband and children we think will need evisitors. When they came to get married in Aus her husband needed a special visa because he has a police record, but had no convictions. The visa he had is no longer available, so can he go on an evisitor or does he need to apply for a different visa because of his record? Any help appreciated. Thanks

 

You don't email your CO direct. There is a general email that all correspondence is sent to and then it gets assessed and if need be passed on to the CO in question. If its a general 'Did our medicals come back ok?' or 'is our application in the queue?' are not urgent or reason to trouble a CO. Its quite normal to hear nothing until the CO needs more information or lets you know to undertake medical and police check etc. No news is not a reason to worry. In fact, I'd say it was preferable and good to have it stay quiet. Application is lodged, in the queue and will proceed as it needs.

 

If you wish to let the CO know the plans to enter Aus on a tourist visa, just email the general email. Your CO will not be able to give any indication a tourist visa would be granted or not, that is not their place to nor their concern or department. Just apply, see if its granted and go from there. Ensure applying for the tourist visa is done in plenty of time and not closer to departure (ie before you book flights and well before you depart the UK) to ensure it cannot cross over with the visa grant for the partner visa. Else it may cancel it out. If its granted and flights are booked, I'd email and just let them know the flight date and arrival date in Aus as a matter of courtesy.

 

With regard to the record. He should be asked to declare convictions iirc. The info for this is on the website and quite clear from what I can see.

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/651-

 

and

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Lega/Lega/Form/Immi-FAQs/are-there-any-other-reasons-i-might-not-meet-the-character-requirement

[GooseRenders]

Has anyone done an up to date list with the new people on it?

 

Hi, check a few pages back, Aussie Girl has kept it up!

 

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Edited October 2, 2015 by GooseRenders
add text

[Jen44]

Hi all,

 

my my visa came through today! Am so happy! Good luck to you all.

 

 

thanks

Soz for delay but congratulations on getting yr visa, best of luck x

[snowy5100]

Hey all ... well its getting exciting now with more and more people who applied in December getting their grants through ;-)

 

Wanted to ask i have noticed a lot of people apply for a pmv 300 visa rather than going for a 309/100, is their any particular reason for you doing it this way ?

[Guest]

 

 

Wanted to ask i have noticed a lot of people apply for a pmv 300 visa rather than going for a 309/100, is their ay particular reason for you doing it this way ?

 

 

Usually couples who don't meet the de facto visa requirement but who want to marry will apply for this. You then lodge a partner visa on shore after getting married. On the PMV you have 9 months to marry after you arrive in Aus.

 

The requirements for this visa are not as numerous but of course then there is the extra costs for partner visa etc once in Aus and married.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Guest
added a bit

[Jen44]

PMV is cos we're not married yet, my other half is in Oz & I'm here. We've never lived together so that's the visa we had to apply for!

[snowy5100]

Usually couples who don't meet the de facto visa requirement but who want to marry will apply for this. You then lodge a partner visa on shore after getting married. On the PMV you have 9 months to marry after you arrive in Aus.

 

The requirements for this visa are not as numerous but of course then there is the extra costs for partner visa etc once in Aus and married.

 

With thanks for explanation i thought it was something like that ;-)

[snowy5100]

Has anyone got Case Officer " RN"? Don't see that many on the list.

Edited October 2, 2015 by snifter
removed CO name

[Guest]

Has anyone got Case Officer " RN"? Don't see that many on the list.

 

Please do not use CO names on the forum. Initials only in posts and sigs. I've removed the name from your post.

 

RN is IMO a good CO.

[Wan2go]

PMV is cos we're not married yet, my other half is in Oz & I'm here. We've never lived together so that's the visa we had to apply for!

Same for us, other than a couple of blissful 6 month stints it's mainly just holidays. But it doesn't stop us being as good as defacto, probably communicate more than your average married couple....

[Pingpongpom2]

You don't email your CO direct. There is a general email that all correspondence is sent to and then it gets assessed and if need be passed on to the CO in question. If its a general 'Did our medicals come back ok?' or 'is our application in the queue?' are not urgent or reason to trouble a CO. Its quite normal to hear nothing until the CO needs more information or lets you know to undertake medical and police check etc. No news is not a reason to worry. In fact, I'd say it was preferable and good to have it stay quiet. Application is lodged, in the queue and will proceed as it needs.

 

If you wish to let the CO know the plans to enter Aus on a tourist visa, just email the general email. Your CO will not be able to give any indication a tourist visa would be granted or not, that is not their place to nor their concern or department. Just apply, see if its granted and go from there. Ensure applying for the tourist visa is done in plenty of time and not closer to departure (ie before you book flights and well before you depart the UK) to ensure it cannot cross over with the visa grant for the partner visa. Else it may cancel it out. If its granted and flights are booked, I'd email and just let them know the flight date and arrival date in Aus as a matter of courtesy.

 

With regard to the record. He should be asked to declare convictions iirc. The info for this is on the website and quite clear from what I can see.

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/651-

 

and

 

https://www.border.gov.au/Lega/Lega/Form/Immi-FAQs/are-there-any-other-reasons-i-might-not-meet-the-character-requirement

Thanks snifter for all of the info you posted! Really helpful and much appreciated. Where do they find the general email?

 

With thanks for explanation i thought it was something like that ;-)