Medicals lost by DIAC. No response from department.

[Guest FlemingOz]

Hi,

 

My wife and I both did our medicals at the Medibank centre in Sydney and provided DIAC with the booking reference. Once we received the letters, our migration agent forwarded them to DIAC without opening them.

4 weeks ago, a DRC list was sent to DIAC, but a week later we received a response that the DRC was not accepted because they hadn't received the medicals from the 2nd applicant. :mad:

Our agent tried to resolve the problem by contacting the department. DIAC's initial response was that a computer error was the cause and that they would sort it out, but we haven't had any feedback since. It's over 2 weeks now and our agent has tried to contact them multiple times since but seems to hit a wall; no response from DIAC at all.

 

Our agent is reluctant to push DIAC too hard on this issue because it might negatively affect his relationship with them. Is this true? :err:

Now he is going to try to send a new DRC in the hope to get a response.

 

Can anyone please advise if there is anything else we can do?

[Guest MOTO]

Hi.

 

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. To be absolutely honest with you I don't understand why do we even need to submit our medical results ourselves (I did my medicals in Melbourne last month) . From what i understand Medibank has all results in their system . Thus, could send it to DIAC directly without burdening us with the whole process. I suggest you contact Medibank and explain the whole situation and very nicely ask them to either send you another copy to you or DIAC.

Alternatively, find out the contact details of the MOC (Medical Officer of Commonwealth) who processed your medical results and ask him/her to talk to the DIAC.

 

PS.

 

I used registered mail to send my medicals to avoid the situation that you find yourselves in.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thomas

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi,

 

My wife and I both did our medicals at the Medibank centre in Sydney and provided DIAC with the booking reference. Once we received the letters, our migration agent forwarded them to DIAC without opening them.

4 weeks ago, a DRC list was sent to DIAC, but a week later we received a response that the DRC was not accepted because they hadn't received the medicals from the 2nd applicant. :mad:

Our agent tried to resolve the problem by contacting the department. DIAC's initial response was that a computer error was the cause and that they would sort it out, but we haven't had any feedback since. It's over 2 weeks now and our agent has tried to contact them multiple times since but seems to hit a wall; no response from DIAC at all.

 

Our agent is reluctant to push DIAC too hard on this issue because it might negatively affect his relationship with them. Is this true? :err:

Now he is going to try to send a new DRC in the hope to get a response.

 

Can anyone please advise if there is anything else we can do?

 

Hi there

 

Welcome to Poms in Oz.

 

A Registered Migration Agent is not entitled to put his own, selfish wish for a cordial future with DIAC up against his duty - personal, ethical and part of what you paid your fees for - towards a client who is in strife. I would chew the ears right off this agent of yours for his selfish and wholly unprofessional attitude, bluntly. I would also threaten a formal complaint to the Office of the MARA about his attitude and his conduct unless he starts looking after YOU, without any thought for himself or his future cordiality with DIAC. How dare he take your money and then tell you that he considers that his desire to preserve his cordial relationship with DIAC is more important than his contractual and legal obligation to look after you and to put your best interests a million miles ahead of his own? :mad:

 

I will send you a private message explaining how to sort the problem out. I suggest that you sort it out and then don't tell your agent how you have done it. Don't give the bloke free information, I suggest. He does not sound to me as if he deserves any.

 

Please could you confirm which visa you have applied for? I assume that it is an onshore GSM visa which is being processed by the Brisbane Skilled Processing Centre?

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest Susan Wareham McGrath]

Hi,

 

My wife and I both did our medicals at the Medibank centre in Sydney and provided DIAC with the booking reference. Once we received the letters, our migration agent forwarded them to DIAC without opening them.

4 weeks ago, a DRC list was sent to DIAC, but a week later we received a response that the DRC was not accepted because they hadn't received the medicals from the 2nd applicant. :mad:

Our agent tried to resolve the problem by contacting the department. DIAC's initial response was that a computer error was the cause and that they would sort it out, but we haven't had any feedback since. It's over 2 weeks now and our agent has tried to contact them multiple times since but seems to hit a wall; no response from DIAC at all.

 

Our agent is reluctant to push DIAC too hard on this issue because it might negatively affect his relationship with them. Is this true? :err:

Now he is going to try to send a new DRC in the hope to get a response.

 

Can anyone please advise if there is anything else we can do?

 

Hi Fleming

 

An agent's relationship with DIAC has nothing to do with their obligation to act in their client's best interests.

 

An agent's obligation to their client is paramount. That's what a client pays them for and clients are entitled to be treated with respect and professionalism.

 

Best regards

Susan

[wrussell]

Hi,

 

My wife and I both did our medicals at the Medibank centre in Sydney and provided DIAC with the booking reference. Once we received the letters, our migration agent forwarded them to DIAC without opening them.

4 weeks ago, a DRC list was sent to DIAC, but a week later we received a response that the DRC was not accepted because they hadn't received the medicals from the 2nd applicant. :mad:

Our agent tried to resolve the problem by contacting the department. DIAC's initial response was that a computer error was the cause and that they would sort it out, but we haven't had any feedback since. It's over 2 weeks now and our agent has tried to contact them multiple times since but seems to hit a wall; no response from DIAC at all.

 

Our agent is reluctant to push DIAC too hard on this issue because it might negatively affect his relationship with them. Is this true? :err:

Now he is going to try to send a new DRC in the hope to get a response.

 

Can anyone please advise if there is anything else we can do?

 

Instruct your agent to lodge a formal complaint with the DIAC client services. This usually pulls the DIAC into gear fairly quickly.

[Les Mighalls]

Our agent is reluctant to push DIAC too hard on this issue because it might negatively affect his relationship with them. Is this true?

 

Did the agent actually give this as a reason? Or was it your interpretation?

 

I have, at times, had to tell a client that I will not email/call DIAC every two days to see how their visa application is progressing.

 

I have also had to tell one client to stop harassing the Local Employees from his ethnic grouping who work for DFAT in the Australian Embassy in his own country and asking them to find out what is happening.

 

I don't know of any RMAs who put DIAC above their client, but maybe I don't mix in those circles.

 

You do have to remember though that the RMA has to handle the individual case officers with a degree of finesse because they are, after all, just people like you and I.

 

On the other hand, the Principal Migration Officer at one overseas posting eventually started ignoring my calls and emails after I rightly took him to task on behalf of one client.

 

Fortunately he took a week's holiday and the visa was approved while he was away.

[Guest guest36187]

Fleming, you have had some good advice. Let us know how you go x

[Guest FlemingOz]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

First thing we'll need to next week is find out how the meds were sent to DIAC; hopefully by traceable post. Then see if we can get in touch with DIAC.

 

We will also have to make it very clear to our RMA that his first and foremost concern should be the handling of our application.

Thanks for making that clear; as we have no first hand experience in dealing with DIAC ourselves we were wondering if this was a valid excuse (no interpretation but literally communicated).

 

And if all else fails we will ask our agent to lodge a complaint with DIAC and see if Medibank is willing to resend the results either to us or DIAC directly.

[Guest Jane1991]

I remember doing meds for my student visa extension. I was shown by the examining doctor that they store results electronically and they can be accessed by DIAC by using the case number mentioned on the invoice. The same number is then stamped across the pages of the report. I know this because I opened the envelope after my visa was granted and I never sent the results .

 

Do they know your case number ... and the date of examination

[Guest Speedy Hobbit]

Hi FlemingOz, Sorry to hear about your issue. Hopefully, you'll be able to sort it out quickly. Is it necessary to frontload your medicals for a DRC to be accepted? I was told that they only need to be send to immigration once you have a CO? I was wondering as I've only just completed my medicals.

[Guest Jane1991]

I checked the DRC for 886 released in October 09 ... it says that clients must retain their medicals.

 

http://mia.org.au/media/File/Checklist_886_CSL_Oct09.pdf