The Brand New PIO Parents Visa thread

[Andrew from Vista Financial]

12 hours ago, The Pom Queen said:

@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 ️ 

Thanks so much for this Kate, really appreciate you saying that

[Suzy123]

Hi All,

Got a rejected letter for AOS today. How frustrated, i uploaded the BG with the letter which has a code on centrelink website. The letter says "we have not received verification that a BG of $14,000 has been lodged with CBA". !!!?????

Now i guess i will have to wait a long time on the phone to speak to Centrelink!!!!! :((((((

 

[Suzy123]

On 21/10/2019 at 09:11, florafilan said:

I am having the same issue. Received a rejection letter although bond was paid and paperwork was uploaded on time.  Called centrelink twice about this.  First time they promised I would hear back within 3 days and of course I did not and that was 2 weeks ago.  They have requested to have someone on AOS team to call me back the second time I called last week but still nothing.  They did say the application is reopen ed to be reassessed.   What a pain.

Hi Florafilan,

 

how long did they get back to you? what did you do to make them get back to you?

 

I have the same issue. I rang centrelink and the girl said they have forwarded my document to the AOS team and i should hear back from them but she doesn't know how long it will take. 

[5000/1]

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

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.

Many thanks, I think the government pension will just be paid into a Uk account when I reach that grand old age .

The company / private pensions will need a bit of sorting am sure.

i was also unaware that there were additional costs involved purchasing a house on a 173 visa - would anybody know what the % is ? 

 

 

 

[5000/1]

6 hours ago, Andrew from Vista Financial said:

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

 

 

Thanks Andrew I will be at an age to transfer any pensions I have . I will drop you a mail over the next couple of days if that’s ok ? 

[kevvo]

On 08/11/2019 at 16:52, David Leask said:

 

Hi Kevvo,

The next step will be your daughter (assuming she is your assurer) receiving the AoS acceptance letter from Centrelink. Once you get this you must scan it and email it to the PVC. My guess is the acceptance letter will take a week or so to come. There’s no need to contact your case officer until the acceptance letter arrives.

Good luck!

David

 

 

[kevvo]

Hello all

just a bit info needed from the forums users that have already been granted the 143 visa

received the acceptance letter from centrelink today it stated on the letter that they have notified department of home affairs 

just wondering after the second vac is paid what is the process as regards leaving the country or is this nessary 

regards to all

[Biggsy]

2 hours ago, 5000/1 said:

i was also unaware that there were additional costs involved purchasing a house on a 173 visa - would anybody know what the % is ?  

I considered this at one point a while back then quickly gave up the idea when I realised you are essentially a foreign investor. You have to go through a lot of red tape and pay for the privilege. I think if you buy a property you also pay a much higher rate of the Australian equivalent of stamp duty.  The information out there on the web but can't remember where I saw it. If you're going to see a financial advisor in the near future then it's likely they could help you with that.

[Kathss56]

6 hours ago, Suzy123 said:

Hi All,

Got a rejected letter for AOS today. How frustrated, i uploaded the BG with the letter which has a code on centrelink website. The letter says "we have not received verification that a BG of $14,000 has been lodged with CBA". !!!?????

Now i guess i will have to wait a long time on the phone to speak to Centrelink!!!!! :((((((

 

Feel for you. What a disgrace the system is. Looks like you did everything correct. You did it in within the timeframe allowed I suppose. 

[florafilan]

6 hours ago, Suzy123 said:

Hi Florafilan,

 

how long did they get back to you? what did you do to make them get back to you?

 

I have the same issue. I rang centrelink and the girl said they have forwarded my document to the AOS team and i should hear back from them but she doesn't know how long it will take. 

Of course they did not get back to me after 3 days.  I called them twice a week later following it up and i was assured that my request for review had been forwarded to AOS team.  I did realise that I did not upload the BG request letter.  So a couple of days later I uploaded the BG documents again together with a "request for review of a decision" form SS351 quoting lodgement ref # through MyGov.  The approval letter came through a few hours later on the same day.  Not sure if that helped but I thought at the time that at least I could provide that request for review form to the immi case officer to prove that Centrelink's last decision was not final.  

It is so daunting calling Centrelink. Sorry that you have to go through that too.  Hope they could sort out your application soon.  

[Linda Brown]

Hi, Suzy, my son received a rejection letter today for the same reason as you no verification of bg at cba. He took all the documents into Centrelink with the bank receipts and handed them in personally! He is going in tomorrow to clarify things, hopefully. 

Very frustrating for all of us having problems with Centrelink after such a long wait.

Will keep the forum updated. Good luck everyone.

[Linda Brown]

Just a little postscript, he took the docs into Centrelink originally as the system would not let him upload them. He also says you have to pay if you appeal, surely not if it's their error.

Anyway after tomorrow hopefully we'll know a bit more. Very frustrating for people whose sponsors cannot get into Centrelink during the day I would think .

The most frustrating part of the process up to now,apart from the 4 year wait.

[SusieRoo]

3 hours ago, 5000/1 said:

i was also unaware that there were additional costs involved purchasing a house on a 173 visa - would anybody know what the % is ? 

 

 

 

We were also surprised to discover this extra cost for 173 visa holders. As temporary resident you need to apply for an ‘exemption certificate’ which I think costs $5700 for homes up to $1m in value.

[Marisawright]

31 minutes ago, SusieRoo said:

We were also surprised to discover this extra cost for 173 visa holders. As temporary resident you need to apply for an ‘exemption certificate’ which I think costs $5700 for homes up to $1m in value.

On top of that, you will also pay up to three times the usual amount of stamp duty on the house purchase.   The actual amount varies from state to state. 

https://reiwa.com.au/advice/calculator-tools/stamp-duty-calculator-wa/

You'll see from that example that an Australian would pay about $10,000 in stamp duty on a $350,000 property, whereas a foreign investor would pay over $30,000

Edited November 13, 2019 by Marisawright

[5000/1]

1 hour ago, Biggsy said:

I considered this at one point a while back then quickly gave up the idea when I realised you are essentially a foreign investor. You have to go through a lot of red tape and pay for the privilege. I think if you buy a property you also pay a much higher rate of the Australian equivalent of stamp duty.  The information out there on the web but can't remember where I saw it. If you're going to see a financial advisor in the near future then it's likely they could help you with that.

Think we will be renting or staying with my daughter until 143 then.

thank you for the info much appreciated 

[5000/1]

1 hour ago, SusieRoo said:

We were also surprised to discover this extra cost for 173 visa holders. As temporary resident you need to apply for an ‘exemption certificate’ which I think costs $5700 for homes up to $1m in value.

Thank you for the information.

wish we had plumped for 143 but was expecting waiting list to be around 2 years so wanted xtra time.

i imagine it could be around 4 years or so now. 

[Jellybean T]

1 hour ago, Linda Brown said:

Just a little postscript, he took the docs into Centrelink originally as the system would not let him upload them. He also says you have to pay if you appeal, surely not if it's their error.

Anyway after tomorrow hopefully we'll know a bit more. Very frustrating for people whose sponsors cannot get into Centrelink during the day I would think .

The most frustrating part of the process up to now,apart from the 4 year wait.

So sorry to hear you’re having problems.... although your son took all the paperwork to Centerlink did he give them the barcoded request to pay the bond letter he received via Mygov account. My daughter in law was told that without that letter the bond won’t show as being paid. I hope you get it sorted quickly... it’s so annoying and stressful. Shelagh 

[theballies]

Anyone had this half way through AOS application on myGov centrelink site??

 

[AlwaysVet]

12 minutes ago, theballies said:

Anyone had this half way through AOS application on myGov centrelink site??

 

Yes, the system is down. We couldn’t get in either.

[theballies]

Just now, AlwaysVet said:

Yes, the system is down. We couldn’t get in either.

Ok good thanks, glad its not just me!  Damn, I wanted to get this done asap.  Guess I will have to wait till tomorrow now.  Hopefully it is working again then.  Good luck for your application.

[Linda Brown]

2 hours ago, Jellybean T said:

So sorry to hear you’re having problems.... although your son took all the paperwork to Centerlink did he give them the barcoded request to pay the bond letter he received via Mygov account. My daughter in law was told that without that letter the bond won’t show as being paid. I hope you get it sorted quickly... it’s so annoying and stressful. Shelagh 

Hi Shelagh, yes he took everything with him, he couldn't get into the system so he went to Centrelink twice. The first time they told him he should send them online and try again. So he went hone and tried again with still no joy! Down to Centrelink again where he gave all the documents he had to someone there. 

He's going in again tomorrow to try and sort things out, luckily he has copies of everything on usb. But his temper isnt great at the moment so he'll have to keep calm and polite. Luckily this week he's at home as he travels a lot so hopefully he can sort it.

It could be a lot worse I suppose , it's just a nuisance, when he's working as well. More pressure for us. I 'll be glad when this journey is finished. Hope it all goes well with you.

 

Linda 

 

[Jellybean T]

4 hours ago, Jellybean T said:

So sorry to hear you’re having problems.... although your son took all the paperwork to Centerlink did he give them the barcoded request to pay the bond letter he received via Mygov account. My daughter in law was told that without that letter the bond won’t show as being paid. I hope you get it sorted quickly... it’s so annoying and stressful. Shelagh 

Hi Linda, Just heard from my son.... we have exactly the same problem, he phoned centerlink this morning and they said all the paperwork was in order and they would refer it to Aos team. Daughter in law said they won’t apologize.... they will just say there was a glitch on the system. I’m sure it will get sorted soon.

[Linda Brown]

4 hours ago, Jellybean T said:

4 hours ago, Jellybean T said:

Hi Linda, Just heard from my son.... we have exactly the same problem, he phoned centerlink this morning and they said all the paperwork was in order and they would refer it to Aos team. Daughter in law said they won’t apologize.... they will just say there was a glitch on the system. I’m sure it will get sorted soon.

Hi Shelagh, we seem to be in the same boat!  as Alan Collett said in a previous post Centrelink doesn't seem to be fit for purpose!

I'm sorry you're going through this too, it's so frustrating. I'll see what happens when my son goes into Centrelink tomorrow.  He says he's staying till he gets an answer! Good luck with that I think! Will post tomorrow. 

Is anyone else having problems with Centrelink, or is that a silly question?

 

[David Leask]

Hello all
just a bit info needed from the forums users that have already been granted the 143 visa
received the acceptance letter from centrelink today it stated on the letter that they have notified department of home affairs 
just wondering after the second vac is paid what is the process as regards leaving the country or is this nessary 
regards to all

Hi Kevvo,

Congratulations on getting to this stage. Although your acceptance letter states that Centrelink have notified Immi you still need to scan and upload the letter to the PVC. Once this is done you will receive the request to pay the second vac. We received our request on a Thursday. On the Friday we booked a 10 day trip to Bali. We paid our second vac by BPay on the Sunday and uploaded our travel itinerary. We flew to Bali at 7am on the Monday. By the time we landed and checked into our hotel our visas were granted.

I do believe you have to leave the country to receive the visa grant. Some on the forum have said that Immi request a travel itinerary before they grant the visa but we ‘took the bull by the horns’ and arranged our trip before they asked us to.

Good luck!

David

[Suzy123]

48 minutes ago, Linda Brown said:

 

Hi Linda, i rang the Centrelink yesterday, they could find my document and everything was in order. They have forwarded my request to the AOS team. That's all they can do. It is very frustrating!!!

I rang them again this morning. The girl on the phone said that the request has been sent to AOS team yesterday. if i don't hear back from them next week, pls ring back and they will send another request!!!

OMG!!!!!