Big Ears

My visa grant letter was straightforward as well "Initial entry by 4th January 2009. This date cannot be extended".

However after corresponding with them this has now changed, unless of course you don't believe me !! As we are intending to validate the adult visas by the IED, they are allowing us a 6 month extension to the childrens visa validations, believe or don't i don't really care what you think.

As for a further validation trip for us and the kids, who said anything about a further validation trip. If all goes well with the house sale we will simply move out as soon as it is sold, that is why I have to go back to them if we are not going to meet the new IED date for the kids.

Have you actually asked for an extension or are you just talking from ignorance, this is the content of the email from the facilitation dept :-

Given the scenario that you have outlined in the email, I am happy to facilitate your children in the middle of next year. I have noted your file so that if I am not the cancellation officer, the new person will see what
we have discussed.

The very last thing that I want to do is cause problems and subsequent
visa applications. I do however have an obligation to review the case, and
I am satisfied that facilitation is the appropriate path. Keep me posted
with your travel details ( only the travel after the IED) and good luck
with the house selling ! At least when you get to Australia you are
buying a house and on the easier side of the process !

Quite easy to understand, even for you !!

Big Ears.

Pollyana

The only reason that people have been posting "negatively" is because in all my time on BE you are the first poster that I have seen be granted an extension n these circumstances. People have asked before and been refused.
You are very lucky, and I'm pleased for you, but please remember that the information has all been well-meaning, we have never seen a response like this from DIAC before.

Big Ears

You are right I am very lucky, i fully understand just how lucky i am.

I have no idea whether other people have been refused an extension or not but whether they have or not doesn't mean that i am misleading people. I am simply stating what i said to them and the response i received.

As for all the information being well meaning, if you read through the posts you will see that this is not strictly true, in most cases it is but not in all cases.

Comments like i'm sucking people in are out of order and simply untrue. Hopefully people won't be scared to ask for an extension in the future, knowing now that it is possible... and hopefully they will be as lucky as me.

Big Ears

comet555

I am geniunly happy that you got an extension on the kids validation date. However..... what will you do if/when your house doesn't sell in the 6 month time frame that they've given you?

I would not even think for a second that they would extend the validation date again. They may look accomadating in your email but in the event the house doesn't sell I would be prepared to make yet another validation trip this time for 4 people. I hope you're prepared for that in case it happens.

I truly wish you all the best of luck with the house and all that.

I do however caution anyone else reading this that they do not assume that they will be able to get an extension as well. I have not seen an extension granted yet, and I would wager that most case officers go strictly by the guidelines and do not let emotion play into it. So count yourself lucky

Big Ears

The scenario I put to them was house sale by July 2009, so by my reckoning i've now got 9 months to sell my house, who knows whether this will be enough, only time will tell.

Obviously you do not think that they will extend the IED further but then again you probably didn't think I would get it extended in the first place. Again only time will tell. If the house sale process has not even started by July then obviously we are looking at a trip out to Oz, that's the chance you take. However if we do sell then the kids can move straight out to Oz, no need for a validation trip, which will save us 2 flights overall.

I fully appreciate how lucky we have been with the way our case has been handled and now it is down to us to ensure that everything is in place so that we can move within the new timeframe they have allowed us.

As for your comment that 'I have not seen an extension granted yet', well you have now and if I have been granted an extension why will they not allow anyone else in the future.

I have been accused of misleading people but in my view others are now doing the misleading by saying an extension is not possible, because clearly it is. I'm not saying it's not difficult to obtain, however it is clearly possible.

Big Ears

hitchcock71

true i have never read anywhere on here about someone getting an extention granted


you have been very lucky and co must have been having a good day

Big Ears

Yeah that may have been true in the past but certainly isn't true anymore.

Surely this is good news for other people looking for an extension, if I can get one why can't anyone else. Maybe the Australian authorities are aware of the problems in the UK housing market and are giving people a bit of help.

I can't explain why this has happened, all I know is it has happened for me. This is the first time I have approached them for an extension and the answer was 'YES'.

Obviously the fact that both my wife and I are going to validate helped our cause and it's just our 8 & 5 year old who have been granted an extension. I think if either my wife or I were not going to validate by the original IED then the answer would have been 'NO'.

This may help other people in the same position and they may find if the parents offer to validate by the IED, they can spare there kids a horrible flight for a short stay and obviously save some money in the process.

Maybe people can be a bit more positive in future when approaching the facilitation dept and can expect a bit more help. There is no point them awarding visas and then cancelling a whole heap of them because people simply can't sell their properties or afford validation trips.

Big Ears.

sniffydog

WIth the greatest respect big ears you have edited my post and misquoted. The original post is here:


Having said I wuldn post on here again as it was getting so boring - I think I said something like "when will the OP get the message - validate!" I;ve reconsidered...

Without wishing to offend, the very idea that someone wold validate with spouse then try to validate later (in just six months!!!!)(which will involve 4 flights on top of the two already done) if house sells (credit crunch anyone?) then hope to get an extension .....

Do I need to say barking bloody mad (I know now Ive offended but... this is important)

Big Ears - I dont care what you do - your call your life.... your cash...etc etc

What I do care about is those people getting sucked in and thinking they can extend and it will be alright....

I have one message - read what it says on your visa grant letter. Mine is starightforward "Initial entry by 3 May 2009. This date cannot be extended".


Don't get sucked into maybe....

(Last post on here - Sorry Big Ears dont mean to offend but please dont suck others in)


It should be quite obvious that I'm not talking about you "sucking people" in - simply pointing out the obvious that people shouldnt believe they too will get extension etc etc ... nor was I talking to you when I talked of read the visa grant letter - again obvious from the post I was talking to others ....

I don't believe I've insulted you, but from your general attitude and approach on here I am not the least bit surprised by the continuing insulting nature of your posts.

As I say (not to you B.Ears but to others) don't use this case as law for yours.

Big Ears

The last line of your previous post was (Last post on here - Sorry Big Ears dont mean to offend but please dont suck others in)

Contrary to what you are now saying, it's pretty obvious from this statement that you believe i am sucking people into a false belief because that is exactly what you have said.

The simple fact is I asked for an extension and was granted one, therefore it is fair to assume that it is possible for other people to be awarded the same. What happened months or years ago is totally irrelevant to what is happening today and now, maybe just maybe the Australian authorities are being more helpful due to the problems people are facing with credit crunch\housing market. As I said previously there is no point them granting visas and having to cancel a large percentage of them because people didn't validate in time.

As for me being offensive or agressive, if you send offensive or aggressive posts then surely you must expect the same back. I have no problem people having a different view or opinion that is part of the reason for a forum but the nature of your posts to me are no different to what I have given back.

Every post you have put on this thread has been negative or insulting and as it turns out completely wrong. If you've got nothing worthwhile to say then silence is a good option.

Big Ears

sniffydog

Directly to you big ears this time:

1. apologies - the last line does indeed say as you quote. this was not my intention
2. i dont believe I'm the only one who has taken offence/can't believe waht they're reading (NOT doubting your individual case I hasten to add...) - but live and let live
3. the forum is designed to help people as you suggest
4. Didn't intend to offend. I've said enough. Other will make up their own mind, which is, as you say the purpose of this forum.
5. Good luck with your plans

S.Dog

Big Ears

I don't post on here that often and i've just been a little suprised by some comments, I get the feeling now that some people don't really believe me but there is not a lot I can do about that. I just think it's quite sad that some people are so suspicious of others just because they received something that no-one expected. I thought this information would be well received as it could be good news for others in the same position.

To be honest I am as surprised as anyone as to how this has turned out, the initial response I received from the authorities was a lot less encouraging but with each passing email their attitude seemed to become ever more helpful.

I hope that those who do believe me will realise that they can approach the facilitation dept and if they discuss there case in an open and honest way they may be lucky enough to be treated in the way I have.

I'm not being dishonest or trying to mislead people, what would I gain from that. As someone pointed out a while back I've been a member of this forum for 5 years or so, if I was going to start lying I would have done it a long time ago not waited 5 years.

Anyway good luck with your own plans, at the end of the day we are all after the same thing.


Big Ears

hitchcock71

sorry but did you or did you not send your pcc and your medicals in early and not when your co asked for them?????

because if thats the case then its your fault that there is a short time between granting and validating not the co and if that is the case then you should not be granted an extention because its your fault

just because you have not sold your house you cant come over to validate ? sorry there are many expats who have just swallowed the money and come over for a holiday when they were never planning to so why are you any different ?

just for the record - i sold my house 7 months after i left the uk

my lossess are as follows

just to sell it and when the exchange rate was at its lowest because of this i personally lost $100,000 ! and i swallowed that because

A i want shot of uk house
B wanted to buy au house

i am not the only expat who has lost money this year and i wont be the last

allankate

Wow didn't this thread get all bitter and twisted sour grapes in my opinion.

It reminds me of the threads that developed after the first Sept 07 online visa applicant got their visa after just over a month, upsetting all those March to August paper applicants who hadn't even got a CO yet.

I'd like to say well done Big Ears for not listening to opinion and finding out your options, and an even bigger well done for getting the result you were after and showing others that the system may not be as ridged as they'd like us to believe.

As I said once before I did consider what you have successfully achieved and and posted a thread about it too, but everyone was the same as the posts on here.... Just validate... can't believe you're even thinking about it etc.

Well in the end I decided to do just that, but had I been in your position I'd like to think I would've tried to get the same result as you.

As for hitchcock71s comment about "did you or did you not send your pcc and your medicals in early and not when your co asked for them" if you applied on-line then you're asked for this information from day one via the online status pages. Nowhere on the information you receive after applying does it tell you to hold back sending this information until asked for it personally.

I think you did a good thing Big Ears, and I can't understand why you got so much grief about it...... other than jealousy

I hope everything works out well for you.


Allan

snoo

Hello Hitchcock71................when we got an ack of visa submission, there was also a request with it to say 'requesting meds and p/c's. So we booked them for 4 wks later (also since our agent was informed of our booking and didn't advise otherwise we thought we were doing as asked!)...now we find out that our 176 'tends' (word used by agent!) to take up to 12months!! I feel that we have done the meds/checks WAY too soon...but I think it's no fault of our own, we were just doing as asked! If that 176 DOES take 12months (hope not!) then we'll have 4WEEKS to validate!! So am I at fault for following requests? I'm very angry....more so at our agents to be honest...but I will be following Big Ears in asking for more time...as I say 'you can only ask!!'
Lisa,x

Big Ears

I am genuinely sorry to hear you had such financial losses but because you had problems doesn't mean no-one else is entitled to ask for something you didn't ask for or wasn't granted.

Did you not consider validating and holding out for the rate of exchange or housing market to improve. Au$ 100,000 is a massive hit to take and not one I could afford.

As for your comment about it being my own fault, I think you'll find that in one of my earlier posts I admitted that it was my own fault but again just because I made a mistake does this mean that I am not entitled to what I have now been given.

Again I have to say, surely it's a good thing for people if the Australian authorities are being a bit less rigid, I know it's too late for you but surely you wouldn't want everyone else to suffer the same problems and losses you encountered.

Big Ears.