The Brand New PIO Parents Visa thread

[AMP]

Excellent news Lorraine, so very pleased for you.  Congratulations!

Edited June 12, 2018 by AMP
Didn’t do quote so had to insert name.

[AMP]

Sorry,  I’m now pretty lax in checking this site so often go to the latest entry first, and then I back track!   just to say huge congratulations to EVERYONE who has had positive news over the last week.  It’s great to see things finally moving and to know that the crush within this waiting room is about to ease.   Hopefully, with the start of the new financial year in July, there will be a sudden surge of visa processing and lots more will be having contact to submit documents, pay 2nd VACS etc.  

Maybe I need to start to complete my form 80 in anticipation ........

 

[Alan Collett]

If any of those who have been asked to pay the 2nd VACs (congratulations!) are looking to arrange an AUD bank draft from the UK please feel able to ping a PM to me.

I have contacts at a couple of the specialist forex companies in the UK which can prepare AUD bank drafts; these should cost much less in GBPs than arranging the same through a High Street bank in the UK.

Best regards.

[Alan Collett]

15 hours ago, Merryweather said:

Hi - a question about payment of 2nd Vac:

We are in the U.K. but have the money in an Australian bank.

I thought we'd be able to pay by bank transfer.

Can we get Oz bank to issue a bank cheque and give to daughters ( with ID) to send off?

Has anyone been in this situation?

Hi Merryweather.

Please see my last post - might be of interest.

Best regards.

[ant111]

5 hours ago, Fisher1 said:

Congratulations!   Enjoy New Zealand / Bali/ wherever .. we had a nice six days in Auckland ...

Thanks, did Auckland on a world cruise, quite expensive. Have to be Bali after I've paid the visa. Lol!  Best wishes for your visa

[Bev50Bradley]

14 hours ago, Rosiejaq said:

Congrats to all getting 2nd vac requests.  Busy times for everyone and probably some butterflies!  Has anyone with June/July 15 date had email to start the process ie meds, police Chequers etc? As we’re wondering how soon before they start asking!

No, I am still waiting, nothing requested either.

[Bev50Bradley]

14 minutes ago, Bev50Bradley said:

Congrats to all those leaving the waiting room soon, hopefully things will move on a little quicker in July!

By the way do you all know what POM stands for?

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by Bev50Bradley
Incorrect

[Catlady2014]

7 minutes ago, Bev50Bradley said:

 

POM - might be an urban legend but I have heard it said that it stood for Prisoner of her Majesty.  Or something to do with pomegranates?   Can't remember what that connection was supposed to be though.  

[Amber Snowball]

5 minutes ago, Catlady2014 said:

POM - might be an urban legend but I have heard it said that it stood for Prisoner of her Majesty.  Or something to do with pomegranates?   Can't remember what that connection was supposed to be though.  

Prisoner Of Mother England, I think. Convicts.

[Bev50Bradley]

POM stands for ‘Person of Means’ (so I was informed while on a city tour) it was the first immigrants from England (not prisoners) who were buying land, building houses, but also had to buy acreage outside of the cities to farm, so the population could be fed and sustained.

[Ian Ireland]

POM. Derogatory term referring to the complexion of British people. Pomegranate, I’m told. 

[Quoll]

Pom - all sorts of origins but the best etymology is the most boring - rhyming slang: pomegranate =immigrant. 

[ant111]

2 hours ago, Bev50Bradley said:

POM stands for ‘Person of Means’ (so I was informed while on a city tour) it was the first immigrants from England (not prisoners) who were buying land, building houses, but also had to buy acreage outside of the cities to farm, so the population could be fed and sustained.

Person of Means until youve bought a house in Australia

[LindaH27]

Interesting read! Shows cuts in immigration in general breaking it down to work and family streams.  As family includes partners and children,  who I believe cannot be “capped”, there a definite  decline in parent visas. Some very clear charts etc  

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/13/australias-immigration-rate-to-fall-again-as-work-visa-approvals-drop?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+AUS+v1+-+AUS+morning+mail+callout&utm_term=277888&subid=25730370&CMP=ema_632

[ant111]

49 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Pom - all sorts of origins but the best etymology is the most boring - rhyming slang: pomegranate =immigrant. 

More like  Immigrant   pomegranate need a visa grant

[ant111]

8 minutes ago, LindaH27 said:

Interesting read! Shows cuts in immigration in general breaking it down to work and family streams.  As family includes partners and children,  who I believe cannot be “capped”, there a definite  decline in parent visas. Some very clear charts etc  

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/13/australias-immigration-rate-to-fall-again-as-work-visa-approvals-drop?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+AUS+v1+-+AUS+morning+mail+callout&utm_term=277888&subid=25730370&CMP=ema_632

So immigrants add 1% to GDP and are a positive influence on Australia in general I heard.  So why the reductions, well it may look good for certain politicians but

does that mean they won't be 

able to blame us for their lack of investment in infrastructure. Especially when that mantra could have started the whole  issue and will they learn to stop blaming us or reducing us . Probably not because we are easy targets

[David Leask]

Congrats to all getting 2nd vac requests.  Busy times for everyone and probably some butterflies!  Has anyone with June/July 15 date had email to start the process ie meds, police Chequers etc? As we’re wondering how soon before they start asking! [emoji4]

 

Congratulations to all who have had 2nd vac requests!

 

Our lodgement date is 15 July 2015. We’ve heard nothing as yet [emoji45].

[Merryweather]

6 hours ago, Alan Collett said:

Hi Merryweather.

Please see my last post - might be of interest.

Best regards.

Thanks, Alan - but I have an Aus bank account. Just wondering best way to arrange bank cheque from U.K. Thinking of transferring to daughters who live there and they can get cheque and send it.

(or disappear to Bali . . )

[Alan Collett]

31 minutes ago, Merryweather said:

Thanks, Alan - but I have an Aus bank account. Just wondering best way to arrange bank cheque from U.K. Thinking of transferring to daughters who live there and they can get cheque and send it.

(or disappear to Bali . . )

Yes, probably easiest to transfer funds to your daughter/s so a bank cheque can be arranged locally, for posting to the PVC.

Best regards.

[Fisher1]

On ‎08‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 18:57, Ferrets said:

The politics of the UK state pension are a mess, and the politicians duck and weave to avoid proper discussion on the topic.

But language aside the mechanics are clearly a benefit; contribution is measured in years and not value and therefore you can get much more or indeed much less than is contributed - it's worth bearing in mind that NI is also supposed to fund the NHS; 

1. The UK average salary is £27,600 which means NI of approximately £2,200 p.a. to fund pension & NHS,
2. 35 years of contributions (under new state pension rules) = £77,000. 
3. At a full payment of £164.35 per week that means an annual pension of £8,546.20
4. Assuming no contribution to the NHS this means that on average the NI contributions over a working life will pay for 9 years pension.

The maths of this show clearly this is a benefit as on average the payments in are being topped up in a manner that significantly outperforms the market.

You make the point that it is a legal right - and in fact that highlights it is a benefit as you are wrong - whilst it is a right at the moment it could be withdrawn by the government or slashed / ages moved by act of Parliament and has no permanent guarantee.  You can see the move for auto enrolment is the first step to the abolition of the state pension, which will be gone before I retire.  They can't do that to a defined contribution pension (at least not anything that has been paid in up to any point of change).

It's been deceitful of governments of all colour for the way that they have approached this, and I think the issue of unfunded liabilities for the UK is a trainwreck that is still unfolding (Pensions, PFI, etc.) and will be a true blight on future generations in the UK.

Not everyone will get the full (new) pension … there's already a scandal brewing about the public being mislead on that score. 

All the UK citizens beginning their pension before 2016 who are receiving a full pension (i.e. the vast majority) get around 6,400  per year. So your points above are inaccurate. Ignoring the facts doesn't make them go away. 

[Merryweather]

1 hour ago, Alan Collett said:

Yes, probably easiest to transfer funds to your daughter/s so a bank cheque can be arranged locally, for posting to the PVC.

Best regards.

Thanks, Alan

[Kathss56]

13 hours ago, Rosiejaq said:

On that timescale we should’ve heard something in April.  I wonder if all the AoS kerfuffle has delayed things somewhat?

Seems to be they ask SOME in advance to prepare docs nowadays but NOT everyone! Again no logic!

[Ferrets]

1 hour ago, Fisher1 said:

Not everyone will get the full (new) pension … there's already a scandal brewing about the public being mislead on that score. 

All the UK citizens beginning their pension before 2016 who are receiving a full pension (i.e. the vast majority) get around 6,400  per year. So your points above are inaccurate. Ignoring the facts doesn't make them go away. 

My numbers were a bit simplistic, and were admittedly based only on the new pension.  For those retiring before 2016 the contributions made would typically have been at a different average salary - but will park that one.

Certainly agree that there is trouble brewing though!

 

 

[Tulip1]

3 hours ago, Fisher1 said:

Not everyone will get the full (new) pension … there's already a scandal brewing about the public being mislead on that score. 

All the UK citizens beginning their pension before 2016 who are receiving a full pension (i.e. the vast majority) get around 6,400  per year. So your points above are inaccurate. Ignoring the facts doesn't make them go away. 

Figure is wrong, it's about £8500pa (£164pw)

 

The full new State Pension is £164.35 per week. The actual amount you get depends on your National Insurance record. The only reasons the amount can be higher are if: you have over a certain amount of Additional State Pension.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Tulip1

[LindaH27]

Pre 2016 new pension changes the maximum you could get was a lot less. Many if not all  of the pensioners on here with pensions paid before 2016 would, I suspect, getting a much lower figure  than 164 p.w even after adding on what used to be called SERPS. This was state earnings related pension which would give you an increased amount if you earned more than a limit  and therefore paid more but this was means tested in that if you also paid into a private works pension this would be taken into account in the SERPS calculation. 

Pre 2016 category A full state pension was £125.95

Even with the new state pension very few people will actually receive the full amount. This is what’s causing the big outcry - see a good explanation here  

https://www.ft.com/content/6564a2c4-6cd5-11e5-aca9-d87542bf8673

sorry link doesn’t appear to be working - will try to copy and paste 

Edited June 13, 2018 by LindaH27