BostonHouse

Hi!

We are just about all set to post our De-facto Visa Application and would appreciate a few tips!

Can anyone suggest presentation style? I have heard some stories about items being lost as they were sent just with a clip and was thinking about sending the info well sorted in a ring binder. What do people think?

Thanks for your potential help.

Shelly & Howell

bondipom

No binders or staples because that will piss off the officer who has to unbind it. Plain A4 is the best as they probably scan it all. I think they state this in the booklet somewhere.

A bull clip is probably the best way of holding it together and quickly allowing DIMIA to do what they do.

WBB

i just sent mine and used plain A4 with one staple in the top left corner of each section.

if it pisses them off who cares your paying them the best part of £600.

bondipom

It does seem petty but maybe it has taken them since last November to remove your staple.

The advice is no staples. It is in there somewhere.

WBB

i printed all the forms out at home and they obviously have to be stuck together somehow, how otherwise could you seperate the different sections.

i'm pretty confident they would not fail an application because of a staple.

bondipom

Of course they will not fail an application on a staple I am just repeating advice previously handed out by DIMIA. These are public servants and I can see them putting the stapled application aside and dealing with the applications put together as requested first.

WBB

did you print your forms out, if so how did you arrange them so they did not fall apart as soon as the envelope was opened?

BTW i did not see that advice anywhere on the forms.

BostonHouse

It concerns me just supplying information with a bull clip. Surely it begs to be lost!

We are also still searching the form to see where it says no staples!

bondipom

It was in the guidelines I was supplied. Imagine photocopying or scanning a pile of papers that was stapled.

WBB

oh yes, imagine that.

not exactly hard labour is it?

bondipom

http://www.australia.org.uk/vti/FORM..._checklist.pdf

Finally, we ask that when you lodge your front-end loaded
visa application, please simply provide the application
form, the Visa Application Charge, your passport/s and
the supporting documentation in one envelope. Please do
NOT "compile" this information into a ring-binder folder
with plastic sleeves or similar, as this information needs to
be placed on a Departmental file and the time it takes to
re-organise your paperwork on file unnecessarily delays
the processing of all applications.

WBB

no mention of staples there then!

Bix

So WBB.
Now you know why yours is delayed.
Far more serious than the old criminal conviction.
Oh yes, yes, yes, it was a bloody staple.

WBB

it's laughable init.

bondipom

It is government bureaucracy for you. No staples mentioned there but time wasting point is there. I have had the misfortune of working for an Australian government department and you really do not want to add any hassle to them.

All I am saying is the staple is a potential hassle that could mean the officer puts the app aside for a day.