CDM

About a week ago, I sent off our passports to Victoria House in London, having recently receivef our visa grant letter. I included in the package only our 4 passports, a copy of our visa grant letter and a stamped, self-addressed, return envelope - no cover letter or anything else. I did initially want to call them to verify that I was doing the right thing but the £1/minute premium line number put me off that idea.

The passports arrived back safely today and all of them now how the visa stamp in place. It's a yellow/red/orange'ish sticky lable that occupies a whole page in each of the passports. It details the visa type and class, when it was granted, when we need to initially enter by (1 year from now) and the date until which we can enter (5 years from now). It also states multiple travel & holder(s) permitted to remain in Australia indefinitely.

It also states CONDITIONS MIG.REGS.SCHED.8, which I gather relates to the rules by which the visa grant conditions are goverened or some such thing.

Our childrens' passports are due to expire by the end of next year. I'm now wondering if it's worth us getting those renewed before we leave or not. We could be off within a matter of weeks.

- CDM

Dorothy

You can get them done easily enough here. It would save you travelling with both passports for the kids. On the other hand it's more expensive to get them done here. It's a kind of 6 of one/half dozen of the other scenario.

JAJ

Also a lot more hassle dealing with British High Commission, documentation, countersignature problems, premium rate phone lines etc.

It's much simpler in the United Kingdom.

CDM

How does it work now that we have the visa stamps in the passports? If we get new passports, do we have to send them off to Australia House again to get them stamped too or do we just a take the old passports with their stamps in them too along with us?

- CDM

ozhappy981

You'll need to take both passports with you when you travel. The old passport number is "married" to the visa number - and you need the new passport to travel.

Once you are in Oz, you can go to your local DIAC office and get the visa transferred to the new passports.

moneypenny20

Either work. I personally would get the new passports and send them off to Aus House for the visa stickers rather than carry two extra passports. It 'can' delay things at the airport if you get a numpty official who can't work out why the visa sticker is in the old passport but there are relatively few of them around these days (still numpties but they get the two passport thing a bit better )

The other benefit of getting them before you leave is that you will know someone who can countersign who's known you for the couple of years. If you wait till you're here, it's harder but still possible with the help of JPs.

ozhappy981

Aus House cannot put new visa stickers into the new passports (for the type of visa that CDM has got). That's why people who get new passports before they move to Oz have to travel with both passports initially. (Once in Aus you can get local DIAC office to put new visa label into new passport.)

Agree that it's definitely easier to get a new passport while you are still in the UK. Then, as said before, travel with both passports and allow extra time at check-in.

joeyb

Hiya
We hold PR visa (Family sponsored 139 visa). We are still in the UK and I am just in the process of renewing my daughter's passport. Am I able to send hers down to Aus house and have a sticker put in the new passport? I am not sure on which visa types you can do this.

Thanks
Jo

soulrebel

Hi
Yeah we will be travelling next year and our daughter will need a new passport before we travel so can we send her new passport to Aus house to get new sticker. We have PR175 visa. There seems to be two conflicting stories on here on what to do. Any agents know?

Janna and Nick

If you look on the Autralian High Commission website, they advise that if you have your visa stamped in a passport and that passport then expires, you have to carry both passports with you until you get to Australia at which point you will then be able to have the visa put into your new passports.

The High Commission here, only put first time visa's into passports or those that have lost their passports can go to London to get them restamped.