benlast

Well, I can't find any other thread with this name, and someone's got to start it...

Visa application filed on Sunday 13/04/08: a ceremonial Clicking Of The Button took place, with all family members holding the mouse. And a few glasses of wine helped!

We're heading to Perth, currently trying to deal with selling/letting houses as well as organizing medicals and police checks. Ah, the sweet smell of stress...

Cheers
b

De Mange

Sent online app on Monday 14 April.

Will upload docs supporting application on Tuesday 15/4.

Guessing the next step is to hang around for 3 months or so til assigned a case officer who will request medicals and police checks?

Looking to leave UK later in 08 but will not manage to get to Melbourne til JUly 09. Am I right in assuming that any medicals should be taken in July 08 at the earliest as they will expire if I do them any earlier?

benlast

Not sure about expiration times, but my agent explained in a recent email that the initial entry date by which one must enter Oz to validate a visa is "generally 12 months from the date of issue of your police clearance or medical/xray exam, whichever is earlier". So if I've understood that correctly, it's worth bearing in mind that the later you take them, the more grace time you have after grant until you have to travel to Oz to get yer stamp.

Cheers
b

tiger222

Benlast -

Congratulations! It's a great feeling to "press the button" to lodge that Visa.

I noticed that you lodged before your IELTS exam. Do you need the exam for points? Did you lodge due to age?

Thanks for launching this thread!

tiger222

As for our timeline. We sent the RPL to ACS on Feb 22. Acknowledgment on February 28. In Process on March 3. Passed in category 2231-79 Java on March 27. Received letter on April 1 (US date). E-Lodged VISA immediately upon receipt - which was 02/04/08. Uploaded all the forms on April 3. OH is the main applicant.

Medicals are scheduled for May 3, but I think we'll be changing that date to better accommodate the children's school break. (June) Planning to request PCCs this week.

Debating about selling the house or renting it out. I waffle on this point almost daily. Cleaning/painting like we're selling.

We're in the US - so our dates are backwards!:

steveandtina

KNow must of you have done it but put your details on here to help others and don't forget to update it.

http://www.beupdate.co.uk/visa.php?month=Apr&year=08

Good luck

Tina x

nja

I'm also in the US (Tampa, FL). Passed my ACS (2231-79 C++) June last year but didn't submit my visa until 4/4/2008. Getting used to reversing the dates again after 20 years in the US is going to be a challenge.

Passed my IELTS in March, 2nd attempt, the reading part tripped me up the first time. Needed the extra 10 points.

Hope to be in Australia early next year... can't decide between QLD or Perth.

I was advised by my agent not to do my meds or PCC until requested. Seems like some people don't wait. Do you know the pros and cons of doing them in advance....

Selling the house is going to be a challenge, the housing market in FL is terrible....

benlast

I'm sitting the IELTS this Saturday, the 19th: as long as I can pass it within two or three attempts I'll have time to provide the results as part of the application. Whilst I'm not a million years away from the age limit (I'm 43) it was more a case of "let's get the damn thing lodged and the clock ticking" than anything else!

Cheers
Ben

De Mange

Sounds like you are a native English speaker, Ben. You should have no probs - I sat mine the other week and, although parts of it is quite tricky, I still managed to get an overall score of 9.

Bshootz

Hi guys, just like to say this is my first time on here, i sent my paper application on the 1st April and got a full reciept and acknowledgement on the 8th April, now i guess its the long long wait for the co.
We are heading to Fremantle and have a job at the hospital waiting for me when we arrive, myself(becky), husband(lee) jordan 10yrs and luke 7yrs.
Good luck to everyone,
beckyx

tiger222

NJA -

Glad to "meet" you. I don't think I've run into any other US citizens on this site. I agree with you that the Florida housing Market is very soft. I have a friend that tried to sell her house in Florida. She ended up leasing it to a person that wanted to do a lease to purchase option. She used an agent for this but ended up finding the buyer/leaser on Craigslist.

You could wait to do the meds and PCCs because once they are done, you'll need to validate your visa before 12 months on the date of the earliest. (does that make sense). You also won't get a CO assigned very quickly as the file will have all that is necessary for Visa to be issued. Pro - you'll receive the Visa sooner. I read a thread where it takes about 5 weeks from the time the CO asks for PCCS and Meds to receive Visa. Does the ACS "expire"? Where were you previously that the dates were "reversed" from the US?

We're hoping to be in QLD in September 2008. We really don't want to go through another winter here. If we rent the house, we'll have to use the University's dates - and the tenant will want to begin the lease in August. So we have our work cut out for us either way.

OH will sit IELTS this saturday. He's confident he'll pass on the first try. We need 5 of those 10 points.

tiger222

Welcome BShootz

tiger222

Ben -

OH is sitting the IELTS on Sat too. Good luck to you both!

benlast

I'm hoping so... been doing practice tests to reduce the unknowns. I reckon that being a native speaker (and brought up by a father who was a bit of a grammar-and-correct-English pedant) helps a lot, but when 33% of the marks of the second writing tasks are dependent on how you can structure an argument, it's still easy to lose marks

Thanks - let's hope neither of us need it!

Cheers
Ben

kevncarlz

hi all

We did ours through an agent and past the skills assessment about 6 months ago and we just had to send all the information that they needed off in one go (alot of paper work) then they check its all ok then they sort it all out for us so it all got logded on the 10th so hoping to hear from them soon