frizzy1

I am also doing dull spreadsheets and get far too distracted by this site! I do take your point thought........ how did you know they were called Reg and Ron

phyllis71

Hi Kirsty, We did not have our old passports, we just gave details of our current passport, and we added that we had always held a brittish passport.
This must have been ok as we have just paid our 2nd VAC. Good luck Kirsty with your parents visa. Phyllis

Barbaran

Hello newbies,

It doesn't seem that long ago we were in that exact same position NOW we are almost a year in waiting and looking forward to getting our Case Officer soon. Enjoy this very helpful and friendly thread it helps pass the time.

Chris and Barbara

yomvard

We are in the same position, waiting for a case officer. We are just above you on the timeline I think, exciting and scary isn't it !!!

miscellaneous

Welcome JTCT, this is a very helpful and friendly thread, makes the waiting bearable, and as you can see excited frenzy breaks out, when CO's are allocated.
Congratulations John & Marge and Kirsti, it must be a nice feeling to start rolling again.
Also wishing all those close to RED STARS a speedy outcome.

Best Wishes
Elaine.

Barbaran

Hello there,

I am keeping my eye on your progress and boy is it getting exciting and scarily real at the same time. I wish the £ would rally against the dollar in anticipation of the payments we will have to make. I noticed that you had your meds last year will you have to do them again? I understand they only last for a year. We have been for ours last Wednesday 19th and haven't got a clue how long before we know whether all was ok. Keeping our fingers crossed for ourselves and especially those above us for some CO action in the near future.

Chris and Barbara

sandch

Looks like you get your wish today as the mining companies rebel against the new tax and consumer confidence weakens. However it's an Aussie Dollar issue rather than a stronger sterling. Let's see how far this goes!

Cheers

Steve

jtct

We were advised NOT to get meds/police checks done before CO appointed

yomvard

Yes, we had the meds done last year as I have MS and had been told we wouldn't get a visa because of it, but hey we tried and they cleared me within two weeks. It was peace of mind as there is no point waiting 15months if there was no chance of success, so thanks to Gill (Gollywobbler) we frontloaded. Yes we have to do them again and looking to book at the beginning of June maybe. Where did you go for your meds and was it okay. We went to Southampton last year, but of course things have changed. Like you I wish the exchange rate would improve in our favour, but hey hopefully we have a few months before we have to stump up the 2nd Vac, well if we pass our meds of course. Where are you hoping to go?

sandch

That's the standard - and sound - advice. However if one can reasonably estimate the date a CO might be appointed, getting them done earlier reduces the processing time after one gets a CO and also deals with any insecurity that is associated with health issues. It is risky though as sometimes visa allocations have run out and the expected CO doesn't materialise when expected! And apart from the expense, you don't want to have to go through it twice.

The other (and main) reason for not doing them too early is that when your visa is granted, it's only valid for first travel for 12 months from the date of the medical.

Best wishes

Steve

Barbaran

Yes, like us you want to deal with any issues should they arise so not to hold up any progress. We live in Kent near the M25 so chose Brentwood, Essex Spire Hospital and I have to say within an hour we had had blood test,sight test, blood pressure all questions ticked on the forms plus Chest Xray. 300 squidlets tho. We had the choices of Heathrow, Brentwood or Central London. They said they had just been awarded the contract and were very careful to follow the rules including cling filming the sink in the Loo. Did they write and confirm everything was ok? I wondered what would happen as we do not have a case officer. We were told that it goes off to Sydney.

It seems there is an improvement in the rate Sandch explained why and we wonder if it will improve even more?

We will be going to Perth a we have both daughters and their partners there plus our granddogs and can't wait as we miss them all so much. Where are you off to?

Chris and Barbara

Les Avalook

Must be the delux service as the Bridge Clinic offers the same for £193 How much cling film did they use?

Even though Brentwood is down the road from us I think we will pass.

http://www.bridge-clinic.com/immigrtn.htm

Barbaran

Hi,

It was cheaper to go to Brentwood which only took 2 hours all in, than take unpaid time off to go to Maidenhead which is quite a way from us in Kent. Time is money when you are self employed Les. Swings and roundabouts.

By the look of it a whole roll of cling film was used evidently to prevent us taking someone elses sample and passing (excuse the pun) it off as our own. Evidently that sometimes happens. They did tell us that all was well with that anyway!

Chris and Barbara

jmm100uk

[ Did they write and confirm everything was ok? I wondered what would happen as we do not have a case officer. We were told that it goes off to Sydney.


Chris and Barbara[/QUOTE]

My medical test results were sent to Sydney by DHL and I was given the tracker reference so that I could check that they had arrived and when, even who had signed for the package.
Jean

home alone

Hi! Everyone Hope you are ok and still collecting those RED STARS (It says I last visited here Apr 6th, can't believe it)

Maybe, I can join you more often now, OH has just started a new job He got very depressed, thought no one wanted him, last week he was accepted by 2 companies, 1st was Bunnings, (B & Q), demonstrating, how to change blades on mowers, chain saws etc; 2nd was with Mitsubishi, he started the 2nd option, Monday. (We felt that being from a high management position in the UK, didn't do him any favours, trying to 'take a lower position job', even though we tried to explain to companies, that was all he wanted, now at our 'age' less hours etc It helps, as we found out, to know someone, in the know, companies appear to like local/personal references!?

I've worked for 2 months now, just 2 days a week, very good pay, my employment is called, casual, with no sick or holiday pay, for a Community health Care Co. A lot of companies start you off on this, then give you the option of going 'part-time/full time'.

OH INR has been all over the scale, due to the flight etc; etc; etc; so he has visited our new Dr.'s several times for tests, they are fantastic, also, they use, one of the new testing hand sets, where you get the results within minutes.

Still waiting on our container/shipment, we were told, at the begining, to expect it approx. 15th May, then 20th, now the 26th? (A hidden cost, the customs, over here, add on an extra payment, %, to be paid before release of goods?)

Yes! We are still enjoying it, and am very happy being here, so are our dogs!

It is worth it, keep believing and soon it will be your turn, even though at times, you wonder, tomorrow ............?

Oh! by the way, a dongle, is a key, you plug into the computer, ours is from a company called 'Blink', we pay $29 a month, which connects us to broadband. Although our rental is fairly new, broadband missed this road, when being installed, on viewing the 'house' we didn't think to ask?

Regards Lin