hi

my wife is on my 457 visa, she is going to apply for permanent residency (i will be staying on my 457 due to receiving LAFHA), she will be applying through the labour agreement.

• how long does the process take?
• we came to OZ in Nov 07 - does she need to have another medical - if so how much is this?
• how long does it take to receive the police certificate from the uk

cheers

Graham

If she is applying for a totally new visa she will have to go through the whole process again. This would include all the paperwork medicals costs etc. We looked in to the same because 8 months after we arrived they put my occupation on the modl list. You would also have to leave the country to get the visa so from our point of view with all the expense it just wasnt worth it for the sake of 12 months.
Regards Raven

You might want to check that you can stay on the 457 visa as I thought (but could very well be wrong) that you have to include your whole family on the PR visa.

You don't have to. A person holding a 457 in their own right may keep that status even if the spouse becomes a PR or citizen.

But it is foolish not to take up the chance of permanent residence.

Tax benefits might be under threat once spouse is a permanent resident.