Ever been stalked by the immigration department?

[Guest stickinaround]

I'm in the middle of sponsoring a visa app, so I have been hearing a lot of visa tales lately. An interesting one that I was told about today people being "stalked" by immigration officers in relation to visa applications to verify their situations. Doing stuff like sitting outside peoples houses etc to verify they lived where they claimed. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening?

 

Sounds a bit like BS to me but at the same time not impossible. Especially considering that plenty of people seem to go through without so much as a telephone call (in another thread I found before)

[nik_kershaw]

when I applied for my visa I was sent to Iraq shortly after we sent it in. There were some dodgy looking people on the streets of Basra, but i don't think any of them were people checking up on me.

 

ha ha

[Guest siamsusie]

I'm in the middle of sponsoring a visa app, so I have been hearing a lot of visa tales lately. An interesting one that I was told about today people being "stalked" by immigration officers in relation to visa applications to verify their situations. Doing stuff like sitting outside peoples houses etc to verify they lived where they claimed. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening?

 

Sounds a bit like BS to me but at the same time not impossible. Especially considering that plenty of people seem to go through without so much as a telephone call (in another thread I found before)

There was a post recently where Immigration called around to go through someones home to verify the a bone fide application and in WA (north) I knew of a similar case which involved people from a HR country.

 

Spouse visas are one of the easier visas to obtain I believe and of course I would imagine that they have been subjected to misuse as well, hence on occasions further checks are carried out.

 

Personally I have been treated with common courtesy by the authorities on all occasions as has my Australian husband.

 

Susie

[Guest proud2beaussie]

I wouldn't be surprised at anything really,DIAC are charged with the responsibility of protecting Australias borders and they certainly do conduct investigations into people suspected of worklng here illegally so I would not be at all surprised if they also did some sort of probity checks on visa applicants as well.

I'm not sure what powers the department has under the Migration Act but they may well have quite wide powers to investigate any applicants bona fides.

[kevin jc]

Wow Iraq,

 

How bad were things for you in the uk to want to go there to wait for visa.

I mean i know the uk can be a pain in the ass but IRAQ!!!

jes

:biglaugh:

 

 

 

when I applied for my visa I was sent to Iraq shortly after we sent it in. There were some dodgy looking people on the streets of Basra, but i don't think any of them were people checking up on me.

 

ha ha

[Guest Gollywobbler]

I'm in the middle of sponsoring a visa app, so I have been hearing a lot of visa tales lately. An interesting one that I was told about today people being "stalked" by immigration officers in relation to visa applications to verify their situations. Doing stuff like sitting outside peoples houses etc to verify they lived where they claimed. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening?

 

Sounds a bit like BS to me but at the same time not impossible. Especially considering that plenty of people seem to go through without so much as a telephone call (in another thread I found before)

 

Hi there

 

It is not bs. I've heard of it happening in the UK.

 

In the case that I heard about, the couple had applied for a skilled visa but DIAC weren't convinced that they were a couple, so DIAC in Adelaide had asked DIAC in London to send field officers round to find out.

 

One evening, the couple were just getting home from work when the phone rang. An Aussie voice said that he was from DIAC and would it be convenient for him to visit the couple? The man out of this couple had answered the phone, so he said, "Sure you can come round. When would you like to do that?"

 

He was told that DIAC would be at his front door within 60 seconds, since they were sitting in their car that was parked just round the corner from the house.

 

Two of them turned up and grilled the couple till they were satisfied that they were a genuine couple, apparently.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[onecrankypom]

God i hope they dont visit me any time soon lol No idea what evidence would satisfied the DIAC could imagine them asking the most personal questions you wouldnt want to tell a stranger

[Guest guest36187]

Ive heard of this happening too.

[wrussell]

I'm in the middle of sponsoring a visa app, so I have been hearing a lot of visa tales lately. An interesting one that I was told about today people being "stalked" by immigration officers in relation to visa applications to verify their situations. Doing stuff like sitting outside peoples houses etc to verify they lived where they claimed. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening?

 

Sounds a bit like BS to me but at the same time not impossible. Especially considering that plenty of people seem to go through without so much as a telephone call (in another thread I found before)

 

It happens.