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

[fleabo]

Like others, I used Special Delivery. But with hindsight, I'm not really sure why. Special Delivery just means you can find out when something is delivered (also available with Signed For) and gets things delivered half a day quicker if you're lucky. But since the Embassy acknowledges receipt quicker than Royal Mail's confirmation goes on line; and since the Embassy only receives stuff once a day there is little to be gained from Special Delivery. The documents are important and it would be deeply annoying (at best) if they went missing. But they don't have much financial value, so no point insuring them. If I had my time again, I'd use regular first class post.

 

I think Special Delivery post gets treated seperately to first class and is therefore probably less likely to go missing. But I agree with what you say. It keeps Royal Mail ticking over though.

[Peach]

But since the Embassy acknowledges receipt quicker than Royal Mail's confirmation goes on line;

 

In my case there was usually several days delay between Royal Mail saying they'd delivered something and my CO acknowledging that she had it..

[emmaroo]

thanks everyone for your help!

x

[Guest JayCook77]

Like others, I used Special Delivery. But with hindsight, I'm not really sure why. Special Delivery just means you can find out when something is delivered (also available with Signed For) and gets things delivered half a day quicker if you're lucky. But since the Embassy acknowledges receipt quicker than Royal Mail's confirmation goes on line; and since the Embassy only receives stuff once a day there is little to be gained from Special Delivery. The documents are important and it would be deeply annoying (at best) if they went missing. But they don't have much financial value, so no point insuring them. If I had my time again, I'd use regular first class post.

 

My last peices of information I sent in were lost at the embassy for a couple of weeks because of internal change arounds when my CO quit, If I had not sent it tracked special delivery I would not have had proof of delivery. I would recomend sending it Special Delivery EVERY time.

[Guest somsy77]

Hi Emma,

 

Aus house doesn't 'like' courier deliveries... They say so on their website.

 

Better to send via special delivery... (Next day 9 am or 1 pm guaranteed delivery) I did the same.

 

 

Hi

 

What would people advice is the best way to send application just by recorded post or by courier?

 

Cheers

Emma

[Guest moroney]

just let everyone know i got my email today from my co saying got visa so happy now i just need to send her my passport SO HAPPY XXXX

[emmaroo]

just let everyone know i got my email today from my co saying got visa so happy now i just need to send her my passport SO HAPPY XXXX

 

Excellent news

 

Congratulations!

 

:jiggy:

[londonluci]

congrats!

[Peach]

just let everyone know i got my email today from my co saying got visa so happy now i just need to send her my passport SO HAPPY XXXX

 

Thank you for your massive contribution to the forum. Both posts. :wub:

[Guest Paul in UK]

Thank you for your massive contribution to the forum. Both posts. :wub:

 

Meeeowwww :wink: .... but agreed.

[Peach]

I know: saucer of milk to table three. With extra lemons :biggrin:

[Guest FedUp]

In my case there was usually several days delay between Royal Mail saying they'd delivered something and my CO acknowledging that she had it..

 

The same here. My application was delivered a week ago according to the royal mail and payment was taken but I haven't heard anything yet from the embassy.:unsure:

[Guest sophie1108]

just let everyone know i got my email today from my co saying got visa so happy now i just need to send her my passport SO HAPPY XXXX

Moroney - Congrats! When did you send off your application?

[Peach]

She handed it in 6th Feb: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/58449-summary-spouse-visa-processing-times-offshore-uk-please-add-your-stats-23.html#post765355

 

Sincere congratulations Moroney. I'm just bitter and twisted. Ignore me. :wub:

[Guest sophie1108]

Peach - have tried to call my Case Officer left message on answer phone.

Is it worth emailing my query or just leaving it until/if she calls me back?

[Guest tino]

Way off topic - but about to reach 100 pages in this thread! :0)

[fleabo]

just let everyone know i got my email today from my co saying got visa so happy now i just need to send her my passport SO HAPPY XXXX

 

That is great news - congratulations. As someone who likes precise and concise posts, I love yours! :wubclub: Enjoy your celebrations and whatever planning you have to do!

[fleabo]

Way off topic - but about to reach 100 pages in this thread! :0)

 

Not if you view it 20 posts to the page - then it is close to fifty.:biggrin:

 

That is about as off-topic as you can get.

 

Sorry everyone!

 

I was about to moan about how off-topic this thread gets (special delivery queries, couriers, fly fishing etc. etc.) but I will just have to bite my tongue and relax!!:yes:

[emmaroo]

Not if you view it 20 posts to the page - then it is close to fifty.:biggrin:

 

That is about as off-topic as you can get.

 

Sorry everyone!

 

I was about to moan about how off-topic this thread gets (special delivery queries, couriers, fly fishing etc. etc.) but I will just have to bite my tongue and relax!!:yes:

 

Take a chill pill!

:cool:

[Guest GeorgeD]

I'm running the risk of bringing this back on topic...

 

Here's the start of my timescales...

 

Application received at Australia House 18th May 2010 (with PCC and Form 80, no meds)

Fee charged to Credit Card 18th May 2010

Medical carried out 19th May 2010

Case Officer emailed me to acknowledge application and request additional evidence 24th May 2010.

 

My wife and I got married at the start of April in the UK. She is an Australian Permanent Resident and has lived in Brisbane for the last 2.5 years. We were together in the UK for 1.5 years before that. After she went to Oz, being honest, sometimes we were sporadic in keeping in touch. She told me she was coming back to visit in Jan 2010 and wanted to see if we could make a go of things in Australia...and we both agreed we could, so we got engaged in Jan and were married in April.

 

We explained all of this in our statements we submitted. We also explained that never having lived together, we did not have any bills, statements, correspondence at the same address, etc. We had never combined our finances because we never needed to, we both owned houses when we met and didn't make any significant purchases while she was in the UK. Once she went to Australia there was no way we could do that as I was resident in the UK and it wouldn't make sense to do that. I did send her £5,000 in March for flights for her and her daughter to come back to the Uk at Easter for the wedding...but other than that we have no documents, correspondence, etc showing we had ever lived together...nor had we ever claimed we did! A week after our wedding, she went back to Australia and we are desperate for me to be granted a visa to come and live with her.

 

So what information was requested by the CO? Yup...

 

You are required to provide evidence to show that you and your

partner have been in a genuine and continuing relationship. If you

are married provide recent evidence of your relationship.

 

Documents that are often provided to substantiate a person’s claim

that they are in a genuine relationship include but are not limited

to;

 

· Joint financial or legal documents (mortgage, bank account, utility

bills, will, etc)

· Individual financial or legal documents showing the same address

 

Pretty much all the info that we told them in the statements we didn't have, and explained why we didn't have it! I included my will as I had time to make a new one just before the wedding and sign it just after...she is hopefully seeing a lawyer this week to create one as she has never had one (although she should have!) Other than this we have no bills, documents, correspondence in joint names or the same address. Once I send a copy of her will, do we just politely say we don't have any further evidence??

 

We did of course send lots of photos over the last 4 years, our wedding certificate, wedding photos, a copy of the service and dinner menu(!) plus 6 stat declarations by family and friends from both sides (inc 2 Australians) saying they knew us as a couple and believed in our relationship, but other than this we really don't have a trail of evidence.

 

Although we have known each other for 4 years, what do people who have fallen in love in a "whirlwind romance" do once they are married?

[Peach]

Although we have known each other for 4 years, what do people who have fallen in love in a "whirlwind romance" do once they are married?

 

If it were me? Before I got married: I'd be speaking to a migration agent, researching the different visa options available to me, maybe opening a joint account or two, adding her to my car insurance, maybe open a joint credit card. Getting my ducks in a row, rather than apologising for not meeting the conditions and asking for the visa anyway.

[Guest]

just let everyone know i got my email today from my co saying got visa so happy now i just need to send her my passport SO HAPPY XXXX

 

Congrats :jiggy:Good luck with planning and the move.

[Guest GeorgeD]

Once we decided we wanted to get married, we really didn't want to wait. We had already been in different countries for over 2 years, so we wanted to be together ASAP. We didn't get married so I could get a visa to enter Australia. We were only thinking about our commitment to each other. Equally, we didn't want to put off getting married so we could create a paper trail (even though it would clearly have been a paper exercise as DIAC would know she had been in Australia and I was in the UK during allt his time)

 

My wife used an agent for her 457 application originally and she felt it was a complete waste of money as she was constantly chasing the agent and didn't get much help or advice. She didn't want to spend another £2,500 to do exactly the same thing...and we had a wedding to pay for! That said, we possibly wouldn't have listened to an agent who suggested delaying getting married...after all, who would think the best way to prove you are a genuine married couple is to not get married and live on opposite sides of the world for a while!

 

If we were both resident in the same country after we got married then clearly we would be living together and currently have 2 months worth of joint correspondence...but we're not, so we don't!

[Peach]

Agents charge around 700 quid for partner visas. It is probably worth you speaking to one to understand what your options are. The decent ones won't charge you for a consulatation.

 

I think you need to set your principles aside and realise that your going to have to jump through the hoops that Australian immigration are going to put in front of you - if you want to be together in Australia - and part of that is the paper trail...

[Guest GeorgeD]

Right now I frankly couldn't care about my principles, and hoop jumping is my favourite pastime! We just can't magic up gas bills from 6 months ago to both our names when they have never existed!

 

Fact is we are now married and don't want to live on opposite sides of the world. She has a daughter at school in Australia who is really settled, so it isn't really an option for her to come back to the UK. I have 49 days to reply with this evidence. Clearly we don't want to wait 49 days to reply to the question, and even if we did add each other to things like car insurance we would only get 1 letter each and it would be really obvious we are only doing it to get that letter. I was told by a bank (Westpac I think) that I couldn't have an Australian bank account as I didn't have a visa grant and/or wasn't a resident.

 

She does get me to log into her online banking to pay bills for her as she is hopeless at organising money...so I've got a print out of the last 20 logins which show my IP address and hers. It's easy enough to check where in the world they are so we can show I have access to her account. We have thought long and hard about the evidence, and that plus the receipt for the recent money transfer, my will and my wife's once it's complete are about the lot in terms of financial information.

 

Has anyone else been in this situation, and how did it pan out? We're not claiming we've ever lived together, but we fully intend to be a genuine and ongoing couple...that's one reason we got married!