The Brand New PIO Parents Visa thread

[Rosiejaq]

Still waiting at 51 months and a week for Aos bond to be sorted....others worries at the mo though...mother in law about to lose her house to the bush fires has moved in with our daughter...smoke and fire everywhere

Edited November 11, 2019 by Rosiejaq

[Jellybean T]

2 hours ago, Andree' said:

This morning I came to Centrelink. The centrelink officer said the error system so no email or notice come through mygov email about interview or anything. Then i checked my phone dial, i missed a call from ID caller 3 days ago. Then 1 hour later, i got an email with a reject letter. I and my friend are asurers with joint application,( I sponsor my dad, mom, and my friend asure my brother), but they give me that reason,still confusing.

This letter states that you are already sponsoring 2 adults.... if you are not already sponsoring anybody else you need to tell them and ask who they think you are sponsoring. If you already sponsor someone you will need to find another person to sponsor your parents. I hope you manage to sort it all out soon as you’ve had a long wait to get to this stage.

[ramot]

1 hour ago, Rosiejaq said:

Still waiting at 51 months and a week for Aos bond to be sorted....others worries at the mo though...mother in law about to lose her house to the bush fires has moved in with our daughter...smoke and fire everywhere

Hope you are all ok keep in touch xM

[Andree']

I haven't sponsored anyone else, just my parents and my brother, so I need a help from my friend to cover him, I don't know why this trouble come to me.:( so sad. I will ring centrelink tmr again to sort it out, maybe the centrelink did a wrong decision I hope

[Kathss56]

Feeling very weary and absolutely fed up!!!

When I log into here it automatically takes me to April 17 posts. Some then were getting their visas in 2 1/2yrs without too many Aos fiascos!  Can’t believe processing time has nearly doubled. 
It’s just a complete farce the length of time and AoS mistakes being made etc., !!
Some of you are really going through hell and back. Dreading my turn , my anxiety levels are sky high now!

Good luck and best wishes to those who have it in sight albeit with problems! We are all praying for you I suspect! 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Kathss56

[Rosiejaq]

2 hours ago, Kathss56 said:

Feeling very weary and absolutely fed up!!!

When I log into here it automatically takes me to April 17 posts. Some then were getting their visas in 2 1/2yrs without too many Aos fiascos!  Can’t believe processing time has nearly doubled. 
It’s just a complete farce the length of time and AoS mistakes being made etc., !!
Some of you are really going through hell and back. Dreading my turn , my anxiety levels are sky high now!

Good luck and best wishes to those who have it in sight albeit with problems! We are all praying for you I suspect! 

Dear @Kathss56 I really hope your journey isn’t as stressful as ours! And hopefully a little shorter as they may have smoothed the bumps!  We’re just waiting for news of bush fires in Batak Creek and Port Macquarie at the mo....it’s all we can focus on

[Peter2]

12 hours ago, Andree' said:

1 asurer 2 people is max so I lodged by myself for my parents, and my friend lodged by himself for my brother. We used the joint application reference number that mygov sent to me earlier. I come to centrelink afternoon again and they said they can't do anything, go home and make a call on hotline number. So stressful

You seem to have lodged a joint application because you are using the same application number. I think you need to lodge 2 separate applications. I could be wrong; please confirm with Centrelink.

[Kathss56]

36 minutes ago, Rosiejaq said:

Dear @Kathss56 I really hope your journey isn’t as stressful as ours! And hopefully a little shorter as they may have smoothed the bumps!  We’re just waiting for news of bush fires in Batak Creek and Port Macquarie at the mo....it’s all we can focus on

Thank you. Thinking of you all and praying it will all be ok.  Awful to think of our loved ones so far away and being in danger. You feel helpless.  Feeling torn, on my 6months back in the UK, my Mum passed away the day after I saw her,  seeing all the problems and delays, beginning to think is it worth it?
But, at the same time really missing my Oz family. Let’s hope we all get there very soon and be with our families safe and well 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Kathss56

[Sadge]

Sending very best wishes for the safety of everybody caught up in these awful fires, and to those family members waiting for news.  

[Andree']

I applied AOS for 3 people ( mom, dad, brother) they are all adults, so How many asures do I need to cover them? Anyone know about it

[Michael S]

46 minutes ago, Andree' said:

I applied AOS for 3 people ( mom, dad, brother) they are all adults, so How many asures do I need to cover them? Anyone know about it

you need 2 assurers for 3 people.

[Kush99]

57 minutes ago, Andree' said:

I applied AOS for 3 people ( mom, dad, brother) they are all adults, so How many asures do I need to cover them? Anyone know about it

Hi @Andree', you need two assures for your application and they both need to lodge separate AOS. And provide the same reference number in both the application.

Edited November 12, 2019 by Kush99

[Andree']

Thanks Michael and Kush. Me and my friend did it correctly, but something is wrong with centrelink. I got a reject letter. Now I call Centrelink again to investigate their decision about my aos. 

[Michael S]

16 minutes ago, Andree' said:

Thanks Michael and Kush. Me and my friend did it correctly, but something is wrong with centrelink. I got a reject letter. Now I call Centrelink again to investigate their decision about my aos. 

Did they care to explain to you what exactly went wrong?

[AMP]

Also hoping that everyone will be safe with the Bush fires raging.  It must be such a worry, particularly if you are far away, and is certainly very stressful for those who are in the thick of it. 

On a more positive note, particularly given the problems which so many people have been experiencing with the AOS, I can report that the one my son lodged for me seems to have gone through totally smoothly.  For those who want to know the detail of how it works, here it is : Back in August I received the request from Immi by email to ask my assurer to do the application.  He did it straight away on line via the My Gov account and said it was straightforward and quick to do.  He had to go into Centre Link to verify his identity and fully lodge the application.  He was given a numbered receipt identifying it had been successfully lodged and with an estimated completion date of 26th September.  Thankfully  this forum had  already warned me that it would take much longer and to take no notice of the date!  Then on 6th Nov he received a message from Centre Link saying he would receive a call from them that afternoon, that it would be an unrecognised number and he needed to answer it!  When he did they explained that everything was going through OK and that he would receive a letter confirming the acceptance of his AOS within the week, again via his My Gov account.  They explained what he would then need to do in terms of paying the bond.  He had a message yesterday saying there was a letter in his My Gov account, which there was, and he now has to go into the Commonwealth Bank to lodge the £10000 for the bond which acts as a guarantee. 

So far so good, thankfully.  I was beginning to think that all AOS applications were proving to be problematic.

[Jellybean T]

So pleased to hear it’s going so smoothly for you. I’m sure your son will but just make sure he uploads the letter he received with the barcode on it along with the docs he will receive from CommBank. I think not up loading that letter is causing a lot of the problems. Good luck Angela.

[5000/1]

Still a way to go for us yet but need to start thinking about tax and pensions I guess - gulp !

Is it better to just leave any pensions you have until retirement age and then take them or transfer across when you emigrate ?

Are there companies that advise on all financial implications with a reasonable cost as this emigration malarkey is quite expensive:) 

thanks in advance folks

[Andree']

No explain anything. Centrelink officer kick me out with a hotline number everyone can get it from the web. Now I am waiting for some good news from them

[AMP]

1 hour ago, Jellybean T said:

So pleased to hear it’s going so smoothly for you. I’m sure your son will but just make sure he uploads the letter he received with the barcode on it along with the docs he will receive from CommBank. I think not up loading that letter is causing a lot of the problems. Good luck Angela.

Many thanks, both for the good luck wishes and the advice.  This forum really is great for that.  It’s sad when the content seems to deteriorate and become personal, but I suspect that is a reflection of people’s stress and I know some people are finding it really hard,

[Guest The Pom Queen]

2 hours ago, 5000/1 said:

Still a way to go for us yet but need to start thinking about tax and pensions I guess - gulp !

Is it better to just leave any pensions you have until retirement age and then take them or transfer across when you emigrate ?

Are there companies that advise on all financial implications with a reasonable cost as this emigration malarkey is quite expensive:) 

thanks in advance folks

@Andrew from Vista Financial is the best person to talk to about moving your pensions over, he has helped the majority of our members and is our pensions expert and our financial advisor guru. We used him ourselves after numerous recommendations from other members and have to say we give him 5 stars ️ 

[Biggsy]

35 minutes ago, 5000/1 said:

Still a way to go for us yet but need to start thinking about tax and pensions I guess - gulp !

Is it better to just leave any pensions you have until retirement age and then take them or transfer across when you emigrate ?

Are there companies that advise on all financial implications with a reasonable cost as this emigration malarkey is quite expensive:) 

thanks in advance folks

I took advice on this while on holiday in Australia from a financial advisor who specialised in this field.
It's quite a complicated process, there are lots of rules and regulations which are regularly changing.  You should definately seek the advice of a specialist in this field.

 

[5000/1]

Thanks for the tips guys , am out there for Xmas  so will look into it and will have a look into Vista financial.

much appreciated:) 

[Marisawright]

8 hours ago, 5000/1 said:

Thanks for the tips guys , am out there for Xmas  so will look into it and will have a look into Vista financial.

much appreciated:) 

If you decide not to use Vista, make sure you use a company that has experience in both Australia and the UK.  Moving pensions is an absolute minefield.  There can be huge taxes to pay if you get it wrong!    Not all pensions can be transferred, and for some people, it will make more sense to leave the pension in the UK and just transfer the money when you need it.   So good professional advice is critical. 

For the UK govt pension, you just let them know your new address, and your new bank account if you decide to have it paid in Australia.   You might prefer to have it paid into your UK bank account and transfer it as you need it, to give you more control over the exchange rate.

[Mily]

On 11/11/2019 at 21:25, Andree' said:

1 asurer 2 people is max so I lodged by myself for my parents, and my friend lodged by himself for my brother. We used the joint application reference number that mygov sent to me earlier. I come to centrelink afternoon again and they said they can't do anything, go home and make a call on hotline number. So stressful

Hi,

 

our case r the same with yours.

im the assurer for my parents and my friend is the assurer for my sister

 

in the form apply for aos question 59 did you tick yes and skip question 60 ? Because it is seperate application for parents - sibling so u dont need to state detail of you friend. 
 

if u did then it might b misunderstanding for centerlink i think

Anw gluck with urs process. Hope things go well soon

[Andrew from Vista Financial]

15 hours ago, 5000/1 said:

Still a way to go for us yet but need to start thinking about tax and pensions I guess - gulp !

Is it better to just leave any pensions you have until retirement age and then take them or transfer across when you emigrate ?

Are there companies that advise on all financial implications with a reasonable cost as this emigration malarkey is quite expensive:) 

thanks in advance folks

Hi there

That question on pensions is not a black and white answer as it will depend on a huge range of things mostly to do with your current position and future goals and objectives (predominantly around retirement).

Just some background though, a UK pension cannot be transferred to an Australian QROPS Super Fund (since 2005) until a person reaches age 55. 

From that point it may be possible to transfer a pension (depending on the type) as some cannot be transferred (government defined benefit unfunded schemes) however whether it is the right thing to do or not is a different matter and if the balance is quite large then usually a straight transfer is not possible due to Australian contribution limits therefore phased/staggered transfers would be required.

See here for a bit more info https://vistafs.com.au/main/page_uk_pensions_age_55.html.

There may also be options for people under age 55 to consider around transferring their pension, again though this would need to analysed at an individual level but moving say to an SIPP could be a consideration given then the ability to invest in currency and funds that are Aus Dollar denominated.

See more here https://vistafs.com.au/main/page_uk_pensions__age_55.html.

Happy for you to reach out via PM or email ( andrew@vistafs.com.au ) to create initial contact and then possibly move to advice if necessary and at an appropriate time.

Regards

Andy