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

[Tuosist]

Hi Ems4321, my husband has been offered a job too, due to the visa delay he is going on a 457 visa in the meantime. If I had known this at the start of this process we could have done the 457 months ago and be moving now! As it is, we go in February. The 457 visa process seems fairly quick and the medicals and character checks for the spouse visa are used so you don't have to redo them.

[JMP2006]

Hello Everyone, this is my first post on your forum,

 

We came across the 658+ pages of this forum and have been reading with interest, trying to get a feel for current processing times at AH?

 

 

My visa app is a 309/100, vital stats are:

309/100 application sent 06/07. Money taken 11/07, CO assigned 13/7. Medical undertaken 24/07. No further info requested...and advised that "current processing times are at least 6 months..."

Broadly, it looks like all - the May applications have been granted in November (upto 6 months),

- the June apps have been told to expect it to take the full (6 months),

 

Have any of the July applicants been bold enough to poke their CO and check how long they expect the processing [sitting in a pile while the calender ticks over] part to take?

 

At some point in August the processing estimates were upped to 8-9 months, I wonder if that means there will be a period where AH don't issue ANY partner visas? just to keep in check with the revised processing times guidance.

 

My OH feels awful as the application would have been in by the end of June if she have pulled her finger out and written the personal statement part a bit quicker! :embarrassed:

 

JMP2006

[Mum of 5]

Just worked it out - someone had put a filter on - you are back there are some benefits of working with ssheets everyday after all !

 

Thanks LucieS! Great to be connected with people who have know how, I'd have gotten dizzy looking for myself

[Mum of 5]

Hi All,

I sent my application on 16th June. CO (SV) appointed on 21st June and was told 5-6 months. Just passed the 5 months mark.

I just want to ask from you guys, How they granted the visa? I mean whether i have to send the passport to visa office ? or they issue a visa card?

 

Thanks

 

Hi, we are the day before you, and also have SV. As far as I know it's all done electronically, they input your details on their computer and when you go through the passport check it comes up on their screen that you have your visa. All you get is the letter or email saying it's been granted.

[k8bug79]

for those waiting for a grant in dec, i emailed my case officer the other week to check he had everything. we filed on 27th june and he said he hopes to get it granted 'at the end of Dec (before 24th)' so hopefully that means all of June should be done before xmas. nice pressie hey ;-)

[LucieS]

I had contact from our agent and got excited for about 1 minute until I read the email. It was just a courtesy email to say they expect CO to be in touch soon and they will chase up end of this month. She did say she would expect it to be mid December at latest in line with application date etc but didn't want to guarantee anything. Another week of checking emails daily here we come!!

[jimmyay1]

Have been told by case officer i can leave Aus and she'll grant visa, have booked flight to NZ for next Thurs.

 

Timescale then has been just over 5 months. Sent my application off on 13 June and had ackowledgement from Australia House on 18th June, so they've been a bit quicker than i thought!

Edited November 23, 2012 by jimmyay1

[mng75]

Really good to hear that they're hoping to get the June ones done before Christmas. This coming Thursday is the 5 month mark for us. Our daughters' Australian passports arrived today, so they can enter the country properly as well

[littlekitty]

Hoping that because I am amongst the first groups of applicants to be given the 8-9 month timescale (after financial year) that we will be getting our visa in 8 months, not 9. Clutching at some hope here that we dont have much longer to wait. Can't wait til we start hearing from end of June/start of July applicants!!

:yes:

[Bluegum]

Have been told by case officer i can leave Aus and she'll grant visa, have booked flight to NZ for next Thurs.

 

Timescale then has been just over 5 months. Sent my application off on 13 June and had ackowledgement from Australia House on 18th June, so they've been a bit quicker than i thought!

Hi Jimmyay1 how many days must you spend in New Zealand before the visa is activated. Thanks

[Guest GeorgeD]

Hi Jimmyay1 how many days must you spend in New Zealand before the visa is activated. Thanks

 

You just need to be out of Oz (so anywhere else in the world) at the time of grant. If your CO can do it while you are in the air going to NZ, then you can get off the plane, check in and come straight back. You just need to be outside Oz when the button is pressed to grant it...even if it is only for a few hours.

 

In reality, people normally go away for at least a few days...probably don't do it over a weekend as your CO won't be working to approve the visa before you come back! I would allow a few days in case there are any problems like your CO being off sick or DIAC having IT problems for an afternoon, etc. If they have said they would approve it on the 26th and you fly back on the 27th and it hasn't been approved, it's your problem, not theirs.

 

There's no minimum requirement of length of time you need to be out of Oz, just that you are. The actual time you are away will depend on how confident you are that your CO will be able to approve at the time you are away. The longer you are away, the more time they have to do it, or the safer you are if they have any problems in the process of pressing the button.

Edited November 26, 2012 by GeorgeD

[Bluegum]

Thanks GeorgeD.

[Quinkla]

You just need to be out of Oz (so anywhere else in the world) at the time of grant. If your CO can do it while you are in the air going to NZ, then you can get off the plane, check in and come straight back. You just need to be outside Oz when the button is pressed to grant it...even if it is only for a few hours.

Do you even have to leave the Australian airport? Once you are the other side of the passport booths you are recorded as having left Australia. If your visa is then granted, couldn't you then just talk to security to let you through to the arrivals side and go through the immigration booths? If that's the case, you could buy a business class refundable ticket and get your money back for the untaken flight. Obviously it would be naughty to go to the business lounge and drink champagne whilst waiting for the visa grant if you didn't intend to take the flight.

[Guest GeorgeD]

Do you even have to leave the Australian airport? Once you are the other side of the passport booths you are recorded as having left Australia. If your visa is then granted, couldn't you then just talk to security to let you through to the arrivals side and go through the immigration booths? If that's the case, you could buy a business class refundable ticket and get your money back for the untaken flight. Obviously it would be naughty to go to the business lounge and drink champagne whilst waiting for the visa grant if you didn't intend to take the flight.

 

Interesting possibility. I'd love to see someone try it. And yes, you may as well get stuck in to the champagne. Your visa is something to celebrate after all!

 

In reality...you are still on Australian soil, even if you have gone through passport control. It could all go horribly, horribly wrong. It's not something I'd take the chance with, champers or no champers.

[Guest jubjub87]

Emailed my case officer AB In Friday to update him of my travel plans to Fiji on the 11th of December. My visitor visa also runs out the next day and it will also be 6 months to the day of me applying for my pmv 300 visa. So just emailed him letting him know I am to leave for a holiday with my partner then and he emailed back to say that as I was leaving on the 11th, he is pleased to tell me that he will grant my visa while I am out of the country!!!! Yaaaay! I applied on the 11th/6 and heard back on the 12/6 ( very quick!) so it will be 6 months to the day that it's granted, but technically with alittle nudge I got the confirmation about 3 weeks earlier! So happy! good luck to everyone still waiting! NOw time to plan a wedding and get looking for a job...finally!!

 

By the way, anyone looking to go on a visitor visa a little earlier...just do it! I couldn't have imagined not being with my partner forLonger/ the last 3 months . We'd already spent 6 months apart. Also anyone who gets AB as a case officer is lucky...he has never taken any more than 20 minutes to reply back to me!

[wikileats]

So I received my notice of grant today! :biggrin:

 

I sent my app on the 20th of June, money was taken on the 21st and I received confirmation on the 26th so that's about 5 months and 1 week.

 

Now to try and get an affordable flight to NZ to validate!

[LauraF]

Aha it's looking good for us June'ers now! I applied on the 13th June and got my visa granted today - that was a 5 and a half months wait. If you've passed the 5 month mark I think it's worth phoning your case officer to check, as my fiance called ours today to check progress and it was granted within minutes of the phone call.

 

9 months of being apart and I'm just so nervous now it's finally happened! It kind of felt like a distant dream that whole time but now it's real, eek!

[LucieS]

Congrats to everyone granted today, the rest of us June applicants can't be too far off now looking at timescales

[Donnab03]

Congratulations to everyone getting there visa granted, good luck to you all. Hopefully not too long for the rest of us Juners :jimlad:

[mng75]

Ooh, these June grants are really exciting! Hopefully they're trying to get through them all before Christmas. It's 5 months for us on Thursday, and we'll email or call next week.

[LucieS]

so just got the call, visa GRANTED!!!!! wohooooooooooooooooooooooooo !!! :biggrin:

 

So that was about 5 months and 2 weeks, happy days. Now just have to book flights, pack, find somewhere to live, jobs...nothing much really! It all feels a bit real now.

[kieranvouchers]

hi, can anyone give me a rough time it will take to attain a spousal visa for oz from the UK? we are using an immigration agent and lodging this week

 

Thaaaanks

[SkippyChick11]

Hi Kieran,

 

Applications from July-ish onwards this year have all been quoted 8-9months processing time as far as I'm aware.

 

Good luck!!!

[kieranvouchers]

oh! thats a little longer than expected. ill just have to see how i get on

 

thanks

[mng75]

hi, can anyone give me a rough time it will take to attain a spousal visa for oz from the UK? we are using an immigration agent and lodging this week

 

Thaaaanks

 

As said, it's 8-9 months now. Any particular reason for using an immigration agent? Doing it direct is quite easy and you could save yourself some money (and time).