Fly Away

No agent. (Thankfully!) I have already phoned and emailed etc. They told us 6 weeks ago that our case is a priority as we have sold the house and are ready to go, but still no CO as of last week. As of Monday we are having to take a rental house as we will be homeless! Last night my Oh filled in the complaint form - very nicely - asking for an idea of definate timescale. Let's see if that works because nothing else has.

Poor Kaitlin applied online in December and is already in QLD. Her OH has a job lined up and they need to put their kids into school but after nagging for months they still haven't got the visa!

Thanks for your support - I'm sorry to whinge but it is very unfair. They seem to just pick cases at random. Either that or they have one or two efficient staff.

maroonedNZ

It is terrible. I am going to PM you something just now in case you don't hear anything by the middle of next week following your complaint form.

jane BK

Know how you feel - we are still waiting. House on market (in vain hope we may know something by the time we get a CO), everything is on hold - applying for 6th form for eldest, just in case, secondary school for third, just in case, work is a nightmare because of uncertainty. AND we're paper based so think I may have retired by the time we hear!

Fly Away

Thanks for the PM.

It makes you feel wanted doesn't it? I don't know how you are coping with it all. ((((())))))

If they hadn't promised a 4-7 month processing time, I wouldn't be half so bothered. It's because of that promise that we did the meds and PCCs in Feb and now we will have to validate by the 20th Feb which means we may only get a few weeks between grant and validation date. This visa has enough restrictive conditions as it is. It is almost as if they are trying to make it even more difficult.

jane BK

Did our meds in April, by coincidence PCCs came the day before so we have to validate by 9 April by my calculations. Waited til April as I thought that would be 4 months into the process and with a "75% within 7 months" remark thought that would be good timing. Now I've spent £1k on meds (there are 6 of us) and with the current rate of progress face the prospect of doing them again (a validation trip for 6, four of whom count as adults on flights is an expensive option, although tempting!). Sent the email gently enquiring and even tried to ring last week but at a £1/minute I couldn't keep waiting whilst the nice lady told about Australian citizenship (if only!) until I got put through to a person. Literally every waking thought is on this (and many non waking). I am seriously going nuts with impatience!

Fly Away

I ring Adelaide because it is cheaper! If you don't have the number I can PM it to you. The best time to ring is about 7am UK time. you still have to wait on hold for a bit, but it is at normal rates. Mind you they only told me the standard spiel from the email.

You are in a similar boat to us - by doing the meds early we may have doomed ourselves to either redoing them or validating. Neither of which is a cheap option. If only they had been upfront and said it would be a year or more, none of us would have done the meds.:curse:

I completely sympathise, I wish I could suggest something which might work.

jane BK

It was the Adelaide office I rang I thought. But please PM me so I can check the number is the right one! My email enquiry will have been 5 days old early next week so I shall ring then as it says on my ack to email that they aim to respond in 5 days. At least I haven't had straight back the standard response but it is what I am anticipating. Just cleaned house from top to bottom with only breaks to look at BE as EA is coming to discuss terms (ie we want to barter down the commission!) tomorrow morning. Only hope we can all keep it tidy in the meantime. Keep posting as it is what keeps me going knowing that there are other people out there who really do understand how it feels. Friends are supportive but don't know how gut wrenching it is and my mum won't even discuss it (don't go there!). Otherwise the cats are fed up with me talking to them about it!!!!

Liz F

I agree this site is the only thing keeping me sane at the mo am always on here it feels like home coz home isn't home any more

Wishwewerethere

Yet another day gone....and....nothing
Composed a complaint letter will refine over weekend to e-mail, don't know how to attach the fiver though.
We have been spending a bit on tarting the house up especially on units and boxes for all the kids toys.Like you say Jane if we don't get to go in the end the house will look spotless.
Fingers crossed for all of us next week, hope you all enjoy the weekend and keep the alchohol going, it does numb the feeling and after a while you just don't care!!

jane BK

Oh yes, my youngest daughter's toys are now banished to under our bed so that the house looks less cluttered. She's not amused. Just had son tidying up lego, but instead he's got out his Mr Potato Head Darth Tata and Spud trooper - which means he's opened one of the new boxes upstairs. Ooh I dream about a rumpus room......

memewest

I have been following this thread and feel for every single one of you.....

Cannot understand the logic of ASPC and who/how they allocate visa's....

Thought i would spread some positive thoughts and vibes so have sent k's to you all.....(you never know )

Forget about it all this weekend, chill out and come back refreshed and ready to carry on those complaints on monday!! Easier said than done, i know, but certain levels of alcohol definately helps!!

Have a good one!

ps. sorry if i've missed anyone out....xx

Damson

I think one of the problems also is that one of the reasons that many of us are leaving the UK is because there is now a completely couldn't give a monkeys, manyana, not bovvered attitude and we are now faced with what is perceived to be the same attitude in the country we are trying to get to. I don't know the ins and outs of their 'system' (I use the term loosely!) and am sure it's not cut and dried and not the guy/girl on the end of the phone's fault (it can't be much fun working in an office with 13,000 files on the floor - not to mention a serious health and safety issue!) but at the end of it, somebody is responsible. I get pretty angry when I read the regular 'Australia has a skills shortage' articles. Here's a tip Mr Rudd - if it's that big a bloody problem, refocus your attentions and employ more staff! I do think their economy isn't looking quite so rosy at the moment (there seem to be a sharp increase in redundancies from the articles I'm reading) and I wonder if it's a deliberate tactic to keep people out as they don't have the jobs for them?

maroonedNZ

I believe DIAC is just a poorly run, understaffed department still coping with a tidal wave (one years worth) of applications arriving last August, plus an online system which didn't initially work well. We have heard from various DIAC sources that the system is also slowed down by the huge number of badly completed paper applications which require more intensive manpower to wade through them all.

In their defence, they quote 12 months turnaround for these visas. There are only one or two people I've seen on here who are actually over that mark. Agents put these other time frames out there of 4 months or whatever and it gives people false expectations. Yes there are visas being granted faster, and when they are from applications which went in after yours it SUCKS. But individual circumstance can affect this as well: I am onshore, which means my target processing time for DIAC is 6 months, which it pretty much was. I am also single, low risk and I front loaded.

There are complaint forms being fired off all over the place right now - I think it is a good thing to highlight the huge lag between paper and online applications, and also the fact that date order processing seems to have gone out of the window (May visa grants when 2007 applicants are waiting is appalling) but the client charter is there in black and white tells you not to expect a visa until 12 months are up.

I've lived here on and off for 5 years and I do get a bit annoyed with people trying to paint a negative picture of the culture or the economy from all the way over there in England. Do you know there is even a thread on here b*tching about the fact that there's no Waitrose or Topshop? :curse: It's a wonderful place, a true land of opportunity. Plenty of people disagree with me and you know what - they can stay in England! Yes, the economy faces challenges, the same as any country in the world. Rudd has bigger fish to fry right now but immigration is on the agenda, unfortunately for us not at the top right now.

This is a hideous process and the waiting is unbearable but please don't turn your frustration into b*tching about Australia. Let me tell you when you first get off that plane after that looong journey and step out into the sunshine you will feel the most enormous sense of euphoria that will make it all worthwhile

Ok I am going back to bed now

ripcantrell

On subject of meds and validation, the date to use for validation date is NOT the date the meds were done in the UK but the date it was processed in AU eg our meds done in th UK on 15/1/08 and front loaded for same reason. Absolutely bricking it 'cos didn't want to have to pay out £960 again for 4 meds but was told it was the proessing date that is used for validation which in my case is 15/2/08. This date is on your staus screen +12 months if online or the equivalent on paperbased.

Bit of a reprieve I think if you don't know this already but apologise in advance if you do, hope it helps anyway.

abcn

My hubby said is because i am too ugly so they don't want to pocess our application