Gothnet Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi all, I'm new here but I've been using these forums as an excellent source of reference and help for some time. After much struggling to pull together paperwork and postal services I got my ACS assessment through a few weeks back, in the right category (and with the right wording) to get me on the MODL and CSL lists. So a little over a week ago now I applied online for an independant GSM 175 visa. There are a couple of things that confused me about the attached documentation - 1. I was confused by the need to attach certified documents electronically. Surely an electronic scan of the original is as trustworthy as a scan of a certified copy? My birth certificate and passport were not certified, should I get them certified and upload new copies? 2. Should I attach a scan of my reference multiple times? It asked for documents proving relevant work experience and proving recent work experience, which were different categories. 3. Is it worth getting the police and health check organised now? 4. I looked at the timeline website and it seems that people with my category and CSL seem to be getting visas in 2-3 months. Is this a realistic expectation? Any help, as I say, is appreciated. I'm a little unsure of it all... and I really want to be there ASAP (I'm sure you all do too). In return I can offer advice and experience on the ACS process if needed. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn75 Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi Dave, I did my app online also and you can scan and upload docs that are not certified as long as its done in colour. Apparently if they are copies in black and white they need to be certified ! So birth certificates etc are fine if in colour. Im not sure about ref, if it suits more than one catergory though then I would attach it for each section. Cant hurt ! If they want anymore info they will ask you anyway. With regards to police and health checks prob best to wait till you get CO assigned and they ask you to have them. Of course you can go ahead and have them now but when the visa is granted you get a yr from medical to validate visa so its fine if there is nothing holding u up going whenever its granted.Also they sometimes change processing order and some poor people had to redo medicals as they expired b4 visa was granted. Im not sure on processing times, you are priority after sponsored visas so may be little longer than 3 months. Good luck ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie2302 Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi all, I'm new here but I've been using these forums as an excellent source of reference and help for some time. After much struggling to pull together paperwork and postal services I got my ACS assessment through a few weeks back, in the right category (and with the right wording) to get me on the MODL and CSL lists. So a little over a week ago now I applied online for an independant GSM 175 visa. There are a couple of things that confused me about the attached documentation - 1. I was confused by the need to attach certified documents electronically. Surely an electronic scan of the original is as trustworthy as a scan of a certified copy? My birth certificate and passport were not certified, should I get them certified and upload new copies? 2. Should I attach a scan of my reference multiple times? It asked for documents proving relevant work experience and proving recent work experience, which were different categories. 3. Is it worth getting the police and health check organised now? 4. I looked at the timeline website and it seems that people with my category and CSL seem to be getting visas in 2-3 months. Is this a realistic expectation? Any help, as I say, is appreciated. I'm a little unsure of it all... and I really want to be there ASAP (I'm sure you all do too). In return I can offer advice and experience on the ACS process if needed. Dave. Hi Dave Sorry cant really help you on the attaching of documents etc as our agent did all this for us, do you have an agent. We too are 175 CSL and my hubby is in IT, we applied over 5 months ago and still not heard anything, so not quite sure where you are getting your info from that visas are being issued in 2-3 months. I would say hold back for now on getting your meds and police checks done, we still havent done ours and are awaiting a CO (well for the time being anyway). Good luck with your application, what area of IT are you in and where you planning on heading. Debbie xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott-Family Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi all, I'm new here but I've been using these forums as an excellent source of reference and help for some time. After much struggling to pull together paperwork and postal services I got my ACS assessment through a few weeks back, in the right category (and with the right wording) to get me on the MODL and CSL lists. So a little over a week ago now I applied online for an independant GSM 175 visa. There are a couple of things that confused me about the attached documentation - 1. I was confused by the need to attach certified documents electronically. Surely an electronic scan of the original is as trustworthy as a scan of a certified copy? My birth certificate and passport were not certified, should I get them certified and upload new copies? 2. Should I attach a scan of my reference multiple times? It asked for documents proving relevant work experience and proving recent work experience, which were different categories. 3. Is it worth getting the police and health check organised now? 4. I looked at the timeline website and it seems that people with my category and CSL seem to be getting visas in 2-3 months. Is this a realistic expectation? Any help, as I say, is appreciated. I'm a little unsure of it all... and I really want to be there ASAP (I'm sure you all do too). In return I can offer advice and experience on the ACS process if needed. Dave. I'm pretty certain that when we applied electronically for our 175visa all the original documents were not certified, it was only copies of documents that were certified (i could be wrong as it was my wife that downloaded everything while i supervised!!). As regards timescales of processing, from initially submitting our application it took about 8months for the visa to be granted. I think thats a fairly average timescale. As a qualified psychi nurse i too was on the csl but it didnt particularly seem to speed up the process. State sponsored visas seems to be alot quicker (the 2-3 months you mentioned) We waited until we had a case officer before we got our medicals done or requested the police check as they are only valid for a year and if for some reason your visa application is held up they may expire which would mean you have to get them done again but saying that some people will frontload everything and get them done sooner. Good luck Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothnet Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 I got my 2-3 months thing from looking up other folks with the 2231-79 category at the timelines site linked from one of the sticky posts in this forum. Guess I missed that they were state sponsored though.... S'pose I could have gone for that as I'm pretty sure I know where I want to end up (WA), but we're here now. Thanks for the advice on colour copies, everything I've submitted has been in colour so hopefully all is ok there. I may as well add a second copy of my work reference, payslip etc for the recent work experience. Looks like I'm not doing anything in particular wrong, yet. Other than that I guess I just ought to be patient. I had been hoping for a little more acknowledgement from them than "Thanks for paying, go here to check progress". And I had been hoping to get out this year. Still, all good things etc. I might give it a few weeks before I get the police and health checks sorted, just to string it out a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothnet Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Ah, even worse, I'm reading the timeline site wrong! It looks like an average of a couple of months between getting a case officer and getting a visa granted, 6+ from applying. OK, expectation officially revised, I'm probably not going anywhere until about march. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommysteve Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi, I did RPL 2231-79 Back in Feb, applied for 175 in May so maybe I can help? 1. You only need to certified docs that are not in colour so no worries there. I got the solicitor to certify my visa app docs at the same time as my ACS RPL App docs. 2. Relevant work experience means "relevant to you ACS assesment category". You could just use your assesmnet as evidence of this. Recent work experience is more about proof of the work you've been doing and who for - a reference from your employer would be suitable here if possible. 3. Don't do your police checks until your CO(case officer) asks for them, they only take a short time to process (1 month i think) and are only valid for 1 year from date of issue. You can't be sure of visa prossesing times - they're constantly changing. 4. Timelines... State Sponsership (176 visa)offers prosessing times around 6-9 months faster than 175 generally. You can move from 175 to 175 if you're not concerned about the restrictions. I wish you all the luck but ned to warn you that WA is not great for IT industry mate, although it's a really lovely part of Oz! Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide offer far better prospects for IT workers - but as I'm not there I can't vouch for this! I guess if you land a job then it's not a problem, eh? Hope the above is helpful? If you land a Job in Perth make sure you remember "pommysteve" if they need more staff! Good luck. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothnet Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Cheers for that, I might take a look at the state sponsorship thing then, if you can change. I was trying to be as unrestricted as possible, which is why I'm not getting my employer to sponsor me. Currently my plan is to continue employment with them when I get over there (after a leave of absence for a few months), in fact doing the same job for the same team, from the city of my choice. I wanted the independent visa because the sponsored one ties you to a job. I have friends in WA who are doing ok in the database game. I guess I'll find out when I get there whether there's much C programming going around. I'm pretty picky about who I work for (and what they pay and nothing's set in stone. I think it all boils down to just being prepared to wait it out. Must stop being impatient.... What are the restrictions on 176? Must work/be resident within that state for a number of years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommysteve Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi, You've got a sposer!?!? You know there are other routes to Oz if you're in a hurry? Look into doing the employee sponsership and follow it up with onshore residence visa application! I think employees have to pay a huge fine and your air fare home if they end your employment wiythin your contract so you'd be pretty safe with that route! You could be there really quick! Ask gollywobbler on here. 176 Restrictions: You need skills on the states SOL. You must live in the state that sponsered you for at least 2 years although there seems to be no way of enforcing this? I've also heard but can't confirm that you need to have enough cash to support yourself for 2 years and there may be medicare/insurance issues? I'm an IT manager with 12 Years experience as a Network/Systems Admin and support guy. if you know of any contacts I could make either here or there, PM Me. Likewise if you need more specific help. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothnet Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Not so much a sponsor as a company I've told I'm leaving the UK and who wish to keep me when I get to Oz. I didn't go the sponsor route because I read (on the immi site) that if you lose the job you have 28 days to find a new one or leave. Didn't seem like a good plan, epecially given past record of a few workmates having gone out and been ditched after a couple of months. I don't want to rely on them basically, and up until now thought that CSL was enough to get a processed pretty quickly. 'fraid I don't really know much other than a friend who's DBA, and a few folks that do crypto software in Gold Coast, but even I can't get in there until I have the visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommysteve Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 In that case I'd probably go for SS. Looks like programming is on there heavily so you'll be alright. http://www.migration.wa.gov.au/media/documents/WAOIDL_24_Aug_2009.pdf Then frontload polic & meds. You could be be there in 4 Months. Take the job offer and you've still got some protection if it doesn't work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothnet Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 Hmm, you might be on to something there. I'm fairly sure that WA is where I want to end up and it might make the whole process quite a bit faster. So what's your story? Are you trying for a 176? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pommysteve Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Nah, not in a hurry. 175 underway since May, should get it around January all being well. If I can find a good job then we'll probably go, if not then we'll probbaly stay put for the time being... a lot hinges on the work situation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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