silverfish

Hi all you lucky folks. This is my first post on this site and like most of you my wife brand new baby and I will hopefully be joining you in April 2010 now that the job application side of things is complete. I am trying to help re the defacto partnership question. I have done a fair amount of research regarding the visas we will be going out on subject to clearance. Like the boss said at the seminar it is a good visa and would seem that immigration are processing them in quick time. Subject to SAPOL staff confirming everything in the near future, so I could be completely wrong so please dont take my word on this! we are being sponsored by SAPOL under the RSMS scheme. It would seem that a single application is raised and you are to apply for immigration as a family unit on the one application. I think the form is visa number 47ES from the Australia Immigration web site. You are applying as a family and details of all persons intending to migrate with you on this sponsor should be fully documented within the same application. This would include a defacto partner as well as wives husbands same sex or not and all children. It is strongly suggested however that no such application is lodged until we are sure that the sponsorship has been agreed by DIAC and Immigration so i will be waiting until this is confirmed and I am given a reference number by SAPOL prior to submitting any visa application to Immigration. Take a look at the form and perhaps understand the documents that you will require at some point including birth certificates for all and recent advanced police checks for all those over 16 covering countries lived in over the last 10 years. Current cost is £870 for the whole family.
Like I said I only think this to be correct. The web site is quite deep and there are a number of visas available but to me this form seems to fit the bill in our circumstances.

Take care good luck with those house sales and I so look forward to meeting the rest of the ladies and gents on the course and the family they will be coming out with.
Kind Regards
Dan

sunworshipper

Hi Dan

Welcome!!! well done on getting through!!!

Although ive met lots of lovely people already, i am looking forward to meeting more!

Kind regards Lisa

michelle6266

Hi Dan,
Yes all seems to be there but dont forget you need form 80 for all applicants over 16 years . See you the other end.

sunworshipper

Hi Michelle

How long did it take you to get the results of your medicals through???

michelle6266

Hi lisa,
It was around a two weeks , we went to bristol it was much cheaper than cardiff, its worth you getting quotes as there was quite a difference in price.
Where did you say you lived? when are you having your medicals?.
I read earlier that your not going in march with your husband your joining him in june, is that because of school exams ?, we were also going to do that as my daughter is sitting her GCSE exams a year early, But after speaking to the education examiners, they advised to get her into school in oz asap, as she was sitting them a year early.
Hey you are so lucky to have sold your property that quickly, we've rented ours out, a good income at the moment as i probably wont have work immediately, we are living in our second house at the moment prob sell that.

sunworshipper

Hi Michelle

We live in Manchester. We have not booked any medicals yet, i am ringing round on Monday. People who we have met already seem to be going to Manchester.

With regards to schools, i have e mailed some schools but not had any responses. I know of someone who's daughter stayed in the uk to finish her GCSE'S and then the school she went to in oz went off her results and they earned her points towards her SACE.

We would love to go earlier but i thought the best option would be to wait until he had finished his GCSE'S but maybe i am wrong?

Did the examiners ask you to get her into school in oz earlier because she is younger?? any advise that you have Michelle will be gratefully received!

What do you think we should do?

love Lisa xxx

Getmedownunder

With regards to the Medical costs; (this will only be of value if you live in the North West/North Wales region BTW)

We have received a few quotes from the approved panel of doctors in our area;

Unfortunately due to work commitments (partner a teacher) we've tried to fit it in during the half term holidays. Which has restricted us somewhat with some doctors, who are either on holiday or fully booked.

With regards to the doctor in Wrexham we were quoted £238 + Hep B and Hep C test if required (no indication on costs for these sorry). No appointments being taken during half term week though.

With regards to the other's, Liverpool and Salford. I dont know but my OH tells me that they do not do the medicals in the same building. Thus the need to go to other locations to obtain radiology examinations etc.

The only other medical centre suitably near to us was St John Street, Manchester. The breakdown of costs were as follows;

Examination £95 (£50 for 10yrs and under)
Chest X-Ray £70
HIV blood test £25
Hep B test £29 (may need?)
Hep C test £39 (may need?)
Courier £14 per case or £47 per family whichever is less.

2.5% surcharge for credit cards.

We've booked with these because they would see us during half term week.

Hope this helps

S & L

michelle6266

Hi Lisa, I cant really advise you about the exams, I think as my daughter was sitting them a year early that was why we were advised just to go, for your son its different as he is the right age, but the examiners told me they dont know if they would be reconised in oz, you need to contact the examiners in your area i would say ?.
I think also as my daughter had another year, they told me it would be a little different in oz so get her into the system quikly.
This probally dont help you much but i really dont know, if we were in your position we would probally stay espeically if your son is doing well, I believe in oz they are in primary school untill year 7, then they go to comp in year 8? it might be worth you phoning australia goverment www.sagov.co.uk? and asking their advise.
Speak to you soon.

sunworshipper

Hi Michelle

Thanks for your reply. What happens with GCSE'S is that when the results come through, the schools in SA turn the grades into points towards the SACE. The better the grades the more points towards the SACE.

I am just worried that Tom may have a lot to fit into in 1 year at SA school. We rang the education dept in SA last night and they said either start Jan 2010 or let him do GCSE'S and start Jan 2011. He could start Sept 2010 and just do the last 3 months of the year as well.

I am trying to work out if the SACE exam stands for anything here in the UK in case he ever wanted to come back, but as yet finding it hard to be put through to the right department.

Getmedownunder, thanks for the quotes re; meds

Andy is ringing round as i type and i don't think there is much dirrerence in the price in the north west region

Thanks for the replys guys.. will keep posting any news


Getmedownunder........how's the beard????????

michelle6266

Hi Lisa,
I can understand your worries, its not easy is it, we were going to do the same , but as we have a little more time we thought just go, but hey, we are going to see the school soon they may change our minds again.
When you were at the imformation day, when did they say they were nominating us to immigration?, we think its end of this month is that right ?.
For you guys so little time and so much to do.

sunworshipper

Hi Michelle

Yes it's surposed to be at the end of October.

We are having our medicals next week Friday in Manchester, costing just under £1000.00!!!! not cheap this emigrating is it????

Yes your right about so much to think about!!!

But i would not have it any other way!! we feel so lucky!

sunworshipper

Hi Michelle

Have you filled in your visa forms yet?? RE; Birth certificates and marriage certificates, did you just supply photo copies of the ones you already have?? or did you obtain new copys from the register office??
Also which office do you lodge the application with???

Thanks Michelle

p.s we are still trying to decide what to do regarding Tom and his gcse's!!!
Waiting for a school to e mail me back

Hope you are ok. Have you booked your flights yet? what month are you looking at going out?

Getmedownunder

Does anyone know of any 'blackstone' type books for SA Police? Is there such a thing in Oz for General Police Duties and alike? Anyone with any info much appreciated?

michelle6266

Hi Lisa,
Yes we just photocopied ours, but they have to be the full certificates, i.e birth certificates they have to be the full ones with your parents full names etc, there is a shorter version but make sure its the full one.
We're havent sent them yet as we have to wait for sapols , I guess we'll have alot of info then, so much to do isnt there.
Its difficult to make decisions for tom i guess, we spoke to our daughters school this week and they confirmed that we should just get her into school in oz asap, and weve arranged a handover file for the school, they said in that file they will give a expected grade for her early gcse's as she was sitting them early, our school could'nt help with saying what good they are out there, but said the oz qualifications would be recognised back here as we have a load of overseas graduates.
We are going to be arriving hopefully early march, the time difference takes a while to adjust, also we want to give the children a little holiday before they start school, they've never been to oz so we thought we'de show them the fun things to do so they are not thrown straight into school and feeling very home sick, so give them some fun, Darren and myself went in may just to check it all out, I got to be honest glad we did cant see me moving to a country we'd never been to, but fell in love with the laid back lifestyle.
We havent booked our flights yet, want to make sure theres no problem with the visas.
Great to hear from you again, let me know when you hear something from sapol.

sunworshipper

Hi Michelle

Thanks for your advice regarding the certificates!

This morning our estate agents rang to say our buyer was pulling out as they had put an offer on another house!! cheek!
So if we don't get a buyer soon then we will be staying until Tom finishes his Gcse's. Maybe that is meant to be?

We had an e mail from a private school we e mailed who said it would be best for Tom to start year 11 in Oz and not do his Gcse's. Although they did say that his Gcse's would count as part 1 of the Sace. It was Emmanuel college, although they did have a waiting list!

We have not heard from Sapol yet but when we do i will post on here!!

I would love to be able to go out to Adelaide but short of winning the lottery we just don't have the funds!! It does look lovely though

Stay in touch and speak soon!!

Hi posh and becks!!