greentreefrog

Hello!

I just lodged my spouse visa application (17/4/2007) in Sydney and was told they are working on the applications from last october at the moment. So I could expect a waiting period of 6-9 months.
I came over with a prospective marriage and my medicals and police check will be older than a year by then. Do I have to take new medicals and get a new police check again?
Is that the average waiting period because it seems such a long time to me?

Thank you
GTF

Pollyana

Thats the waiting period they always quote, you almost certainly won't have to wait that long. Most seem to come through in a couple of months.
And if your meds and police check were within a year at the time the application was filed, you will almost certainly be OK (as long as there were no issues on the original medical).

greentreefrog

Sounds great!
Thank you very much, Pollyana.
But I have 1 more question:
Do they get back to me in 2 years time from day of application or day of grant?? I was pretty sure day of app but that lady who took my app said day of grant which really confused me and I didn´t wanna quite believe her.

JAJ

2 years from date of application for spouse visa (not fiance visa). In fact they should be getting back to you a month or two before that - if they don't, then contact them.

Advice from front-line DIAC officials is often wrong, don't worry about it.

greentreefrog

Thank you very much, JAJ!

Greetings
GTF

greentreefrog

Is the letter from DIAC recognizable by the envelope?
My husband and me are planning on travelling around Aus for about 4 weeks in June and therefor I have no new address to present just in case I get contacted during this time.
So I am wondering if my friend who will get our mail while we are gone could recognize the letter, open it and read it to me.
Will the letter be addressed to my or my husbands (sponsor) name?

Thanks for any advice
GTF

Pollyana

Its YOUR visa, so the paperwork will be addressed to you. Probably (but not definitely) will be in one of those yellow/orange coloured envelopes that the govt use a lot, and will almost certainly have a return address of the Immigration Dept.

greentreefrog

Exactly after 5 months waiting for my temp spouse visa I contacted the department on Monday wondering if they had forgotten about me.
And it looks like they had because the lady on the phone said that this long time is kind of unusual and a CO had to be assigned by now.
I was told they would get back to me and this morning they did.
Now I have a case number and a CO who requests now an Australian Police Check.
Looks like everything else should be fine if they only request the Check from AFP?
I always thought the police checks only necessary for stage 2 permanent and not temp.


GTF

greentreefrog

It took almost exactly 6 months to get my spouse visa.
I applied 17/4 and it was granted 5/10.
They requested AFP check which came back within 1 week and the visa was granted the same day they received the AFP check.

GTF

greentreefrog

Thanks Pollyana!
I am happy not to be bothered with that kind of paper work for a while now.

GTF

JAJ

Congratulations. One thing you should be aware of is that under the new citizenship rules, you can apply once you have 4 years in Australia, provided at least 1 year has elapsed since you have PR.

In other words, up to 3 years temporary residence now counts.

greentreefrog

Fantastic JAJ, thanks for that.

I take it that my time with prospective marriage visa counts as well?

GTF

JAJ

Yes.

Any kind of legal temporary residence counts, up to a maximum of 3 years.