Originally Posted by laura250blue

I was mega nervous about the medical too - but afterwards you feel great.

You will most probably need xray yes - thats the easiest part, you just pop on a gown, stand in front of a white screen and 5 seconds later she says "ok your done" - totally easy and painless

Has your C/O asked for your medical yet? They will tell you exactley what you need to get done but its usually blood test, xray, medical.

You also need to print off and fill in a couple forms to give to the docs, including some passport pics. Again, this will be in an email from your C/O when she requests your medical in full detial

Originally Posted by laura250blue

So you must be "frontloading" your application - wherby you send everything in one lump including medical, police check, application etc etc?
Thats probably the best way and how i wish we`d have done it!

Just check all the forms on the immi.gov.au website, its long and tedious reading ALL the information but vital for submitting a complete application!

You will be fine! Good luck xx

Originally Posted by Kamie26

I dont think that you do have to have a certain amount of savings but if you dont have a lot, I think that it may be looked upon favourably if you did have a job when she applied. There is less chance of being asked to provide an AOS then.

My husband and I haven't really got a great deal in the way of savings but we do have other assets such as a house and a car. The car we are selling and the house we are looking to rent out until the market improves (rent will cover bills that we still owe in the UK so its win win for us). So in realistic terms I am going with nothing more that a few k.

From a purely personal perspective, we decided it would be a good idea for him to go ahead and get a job so that I was settled from the moment I stepped off the plane and there were no job issues to worry about for the immediate future (there are plenty of other things to stress about so why not take one of the big ones off the table). If this looks better to the DIAC that its just a bonus really.

My hubby went in January and has secured a really good job, he is on far more over there than in the UK and although you shouldn't really compare that, he is sending money back to me and we have been able to put things in place a lot quicker than if he was still here, so its another bonus.

All that said, it does have its draw backs. I miss him like crazy and my date to go over there on a tourist visa has been put back yet again because of his stupid shifts. I'm now going to miss spending my mums first anniversary with him and also my birthday, as I'm not going now till 30th March. Kinda sucks really. You win some you lose some I guess.

Originally Posted by Green Grass

Thanks. I won't be selling my house either due to our depressed market, but will be selling car and should have between £10k and £15k. If my partner applies while I'm over there in a job, it could be 6 months before she can come over and that is too much. I can understand why you're finding that difficult as I would too. Have I missed something. Why are you going on a tourist visa and not a spouse visa? Have you applied for PR?

Originally Posted by Mazza12

Thanks Voyager - I'm delighted! Yes I'm heading to Sydney as soon as my house sells. So you're going to Sydney too?

Originally Posted by Voyager 3

Yeah-my partner is from Hornsby but we're hoping to live near the CBD. We have been looking at Crows Nest/Wollstonecraft near Milsons Point. We lived there 2008 and it was really nice and only a 20 minute jog to the harbour area.
Hopefully I will heading for some Thursday night drinks in the CBD as arranged regularly on the Meet Ups thread.

Good Luck to all those still waiting to hear!

Originally Posted by Kamie26

I'm putting in my spouse visa application this week and then once I have a CO, I'm following my husband to Australia on a tourist visa to while I wait for my PR to come through. You just have to let your CO know your plans. There is no way that we could be apart the whole time, the two months that he has already been away has just been horrible.

I'm not sure if you can ride out the whole six months on a tourist visa as I have to come back at the end of May for a work placement for my degree. I have a feeling that you can if need be.

Originally Posted by Mazza12

Sounds good! Would be great to live only 20 min jog from the harbour! My partner is from Gladesville - we'd love to live around there but probably too expensive. We've been looking at areas further out from the city centre like Sutherlandshire.
I'm up for Thursday night CBD drinks - hope to see you there!

Originally Posted by Green Grass

So could my partner apply for a 6-12 month tourist visa (she is from Romania and can't get an ETA) and once approved, apply for a spouse visa before coming with me to Australia? I think you have to be in the UK when the spouse visa (hers would be a 309 off shore de facto visa) is granted.

Originally Posted by Pollyana

She would be best advised to apply for the Spouse Visa first. Then she can tell her case officer she wishes to VISIT Australia and is applying for a tourist visa.
She doesn't have to return to the UK for visa grant, just needs to go offshore - ie outside of Australia. But bearing in mind she is not from the UK her Spouse Visa may take longer than the usual 5-6 months they are taking at present, she needs to remember if the Spouse Visa isn't granted in time she MUST leave Aus before her tourist visa expires.

Originally Posted by Voyager 3

We'll be renting- there's no way we could buy there but having a look recently there seems to be some decent one bedroom places that are affordable to rent. Whats the commute time from Sutherlandshire? have you got work lined up?