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Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Old Feb 25th 2002, 11:30 am
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Default Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Having received the pre-grant letter this morning, I'd like to get excited that we're almost there, but I guess we can't do anything planning-wise until the passports are stamped. There are plenty of sentences in the letter that say "IF the visa is granted" and a big paragraph in bold letters reminding us not to give up the job, sell property etc, until the granting of the visa has been confirmed. Since there have been no material changes in our application, I would like to remain optimistic, surely we won't be turned down now that we've got this far??

So does it make any difference which method we use for getting that all important visa stamp put it? Travelling down to London would be no hassle for us, it's less than one hour away by train, but do you have to make an appointment first, or just turn up? Can just the main applicant go, or does the whole family have to attend? Do the passports get stamped there and then and handed back to you? If we posted them, roughly how long could we expect to wait?

If anyone has experience of going to the Australian High Commission, I'd be grateful to hear from you.
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Old Feb 25th 2002, 12:04 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Hi Jacqui,

I wouldn't worry about delivering your passports personally. Like you, we are also just an hour out of London but sent the passports via registered post. We received them back within the same week !

And yes you may as well start getting excited :-)
Once you've received the pre-grant letter, getting the visas pasted into the passports is a formality (unless there's an obscurity like your passport being expired !).

Pete
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Old Feb 25th 2002, 12:10 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Oops - just noticed that you asked about posting to Adelaide and not to London.

(We were fortunate to have our visa granted in November last year when the applications were still handled in London. )
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Old Feb 25th 2002, 1:03 pm
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Old Feb 25th 2002, 1:37 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Yep, my details are logged at www.webappcabaret.com under "jaxx".

On the form 47sk we did tick the box to attend the nearest Australian mission, but they are asking us again to confirm this. I just wondered if anyone had been there, we were thinking of taking the kids down to London (might be their last chance to see the place!) and make a day of it, unless of course we end up spending the whole day sat waiting at the AHC!
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Old Feb 25th 2002, 8:47 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

might be nice to point my agent at www.webappcabaret.com , i mentioned that some people on here were operinting on a similar timeline to me, and his response was that you were all perhaps being a little economical with the truth regarding your application timescales. Quite why anyone would make that sort of crap up is beyond me, i suppose he has to try and do something to justify his 30 pieces of silver.
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Old Feb 25th 2002, 9:53 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

I'm as honest as they come, guv! Every date I've entered has been taken straight from the appropriate document, what would be the point of lying - I'd hardly be helping out all the others here in the same boat?

On a similar line, I'm concerned that there are a few people on this forum willing to jeopardise their application by openly admitting that they have falsified some of the info given on their RPL/Visa application and encouraging others to do the same. Others are worrying that they will struggle to survive financially, but DIMIA are quite clear that you will not be helped out for the first two years at least, so how anyone could even consider going without the backup of savings, beats me.
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 7:09 am
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Originally posted by Jacqui
I'm as honest as they come, guv! Every date I've entered has been taken straight from the appropriate document, what would be the point of lying - I'd hardly be helping out all the others here in the same boat?

quite. it did baffle me somewhat when he suggested that
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 8:33 am
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Anyway, back to the original question. Given the possibility of postal strikes, and the chance that we might nip over to Paris for a short break over Easter, I think we'll play safe and take our passports down to London.

So has anyone actually visited the High Commission there? We'll have the children with us, is the procedure pretty quick and easy? We're hoping to go off and do a bit of sightseeing after (last chance for the children to see London before we go - why am I starting to feel guilty?)
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 8:58 am
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 12:03 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Christian S

This seemed a very cynical view - why can't the move be good for the children as well. I refuse to feel guilty because one half afternoon every six weeks is supposed to bring about a sense of belonging. A parent protects and nutures but ultimately that child has choices later on. I still want to be with my other half with our choices in the future.

I still think even if I stay here at some point my kids are going to think I amde the worse ever decision for them just by being the parent - teenage angst - is an age not a country!! I might be proved wrong and be making a bad decision for them, but basically I am going to try my best.

Cheers Sandra
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 2:22 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

I agree with Sandra, every good parent agonises over the choices that have to be made in life, that will affect children. Its not easy but after weighing everything up you have to just go with your decision, whether it is schools, MMR jabs or even emigration, thats what being a parent is about.

Myself and my husband will miss our family and friends terribly, when we go. But we look forward to the opportunities that we are opening up for our children, and the opportunity for all our loved ones to come and visit us.

So, Christian S, its ok to feel guilty, just keep in in perspective.

Good luck
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 6:35 pm
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

Originally posted by @boy


I would certainly question your agent very carefully as to why you have had so little movement so far on your application

I gave them a ring today, and they said that they'd recieved the acknowledgement "the other day". when pressed he claimed the letter had arrived 20/02 (card debited 01/02), but didn't bother letting me know because "there was nothing in there i needed to know". I politely requested that all future correspondance from them is forwarded straight to me
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Old Feb 26th 2002, 7:05 pm
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Old Feb 27th 2002, 9:01 am
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Default Re: Take passports to London - or post to Adelaide? Which is better/quicker?

For some, going to Australia may be the best chance of their lives. For me staying here where I earn some 300 AUD/month, (although I am highly skilled and work hard) means silent death. When I think that here I won't be able to offer my kids a proper education and what they need to have a normal life it does not seem so scary to go thousands of miles away. This is the kind of immigrant that Australia seeks, ready to work all his life in order to get what most of Australians already have. Of course those who are highly skilled and come from UK or US will be disappointed by the opportunities from here. I think it is naive to think that one has more chances to make a lot of money here rather then in Europe.
And I agree the guilt never wears of. For me it will never wear off if I won't try to offer my kids the chance for a decent life.
You British moan all the time that is hard to get there and when you get there you can't cope with the situation. Imagine how it is to apply from here when my skill assessment took 1 year and cost some 1,800 AUD.
Well, maybe is not your place to go. I am grateful that Australia gives me the opportunity to have a decent life, my country doesn't.
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