sandch

Hi all. Charlie, one consolation is that you do have your medicals and police checks done; so it would just be the AOS. But we fully understand your frustration at the lack of communication. No evidence yet of surplus visas from this year, sadly. We've set up our meds for mid-March. For police checks, a nice chap in the Dominica CID told me I'd need to buy a local postage $50 stamp ("The Fee") and get someone to bring the forms in. Good job we have a few months to spare, maybe some airmiles lying around. We've also set the AOS ball rolling - with the R word floating around Oz, we'd like to get that one put safely away!
Good luck all.

sirmatt101

Thats a question I often ask myself after having spent a considerable sum with them?? Matt

donovandenese

Mums sponsor (my sister) had her Centrelink AoS interview at lunchtime today. All was approved. She now has to take the Centrelink approval letter into Commonwealth Bank and open an account (at a cost of $150), transfer $10,000 into it, wait for the bank to write to her to confirm it has been opened, and take that letter back into Centrelink. She has 14 days to complete this. Unfortunately Centrelink weren't able to print the approval letter for her to take to the bank - apparently all their systems are down today - so she has to wait for them to post it out to her (hopefully soon given she only has 14 days!!) before she can go into the bank.

Once the bank process is done and she has returned the bank letter to Centrelink, Immigration will write to confirm it has all been processed. My sister was told visa issue is usually approx 10 weeks from then. Obviously if CPV visas have run out for 2008/09 this will be different and I assume its at this point Mum would be "queued" pending visa issue in July 2009.

BullyBoy

Hi All. Mum has also received this letter requesting police checks, medicals and AoS and the wording is exactly the same as Jean58 (above). Mum has her medicals booked for 11th March and is filling in the form for police checks. We may be slightly delayed with the AoS as it is my brother who is providing the AoS and he is working in Qatar on a medium-term contract at the moment. I will provide updates as and when. Good luck to all those still waiting - I'm sure they'll come through soon. BullyBoy

DerekM

**************************************
Why has she got to pay $150 to open an account? Why cant she just pay it into the Centrelink account at Commonwealth by cheque, cash or credit card? Unless there is something I am missing!
Derek

donovandenese

Centrelink told her today there is a fee of $150 for opening the account. I don't think there is one central "Centrelink" account you pay into - you actually open a special bank account at Commonwealth Bank to hold your $10,000 for 10 years.

Also worth mentioning, when she rang Commonwealth Bank to arrange a time to go in she was told that the account can only be opened if you have the $10,000 with you in the form of a cheque or cash (like you would carry $10,000 in cash!) - they advised they won't open the account and let you pay the funds by bank transfer or credit card. My sister had hoped to use bank transfer as she doesn't have a cheque book, she is now in the process of arranging a bank cheque instead.

DerekM

***********************************************
Oh well, just shows how out of touch I am! I just left it to the family to sort out a couple of years ago, sent them the money and asked them get on with it.
Best wishes with your process.

sandch

Hello

This is very useful info; having done no research, like others I assumed it was going into a big pot administered somewhere in an anonymous government office cubicle. If possible can you let us know who the cheque is made payable to please? We may be able to save a bit of time later.
Many thanks
Steve

donovandenese

we thought the same - I can imagine my sisters face today when they told her she had to pay to open an account of course it may end up in a big pot administered by someone in an anonymous government cubicle - but we now know it doesn't start there...

they certainly make you jump through hoops to get these visas...thats why I thought I's post what we've learned so far today!

I'll double check who the cheque is made payable to and keep you posted.

sandch

Many thanks. I've now found details of the $150 charge in a CB factsheet and the interest rate is shown as 3.9% (23 Feb) paid 6-monthly. Right; back to police checks form...

donovandenese

I just found various bits of info confirming all this too. I think none of us had read up on this stage in any detail before as we are still in shock that we actually have case officers and are being asked to do things!!

Alan Collett

Just a quick note to say that my understanding is that the CBA provides a formal bank guarantee to Centrelink - and in order to do this the CBA requires funds to be lodged on deposit.

I'm happy to be corrected on this though ...

Best regards.

donovandenese

seems to be run as if you are making a term deposit of $10,000 for 10 years with CB - they may you interest every 6mths and you get your money back at the end of 10 years (assuming you havent claimed any benefits in the meantime). Once you have opened this "term deposit" CB provide you with a bank guarantee to give to Centrelink. Thats just my understanding of it though.

sandch

Hi Alan
That does seem to stack up with what we're now learning. Thanks!

sandch

True!
I'm also avoiding thinking of the 22+ hour flights; even after having been cleaned out financially, we still have that to look forward to...
But we know it's worth it.