clemon

Okay, we are being faced with difficult decisions and are quite confused...

We could potentially be transferred to Angola (Africa) in the next few months through our work but over the last two years we have been preparing ourselves for a move to Oz (without our company's assistance - just do it on our own).

So, what are the implications of moving to Angola while we are waiting for the 175/176 visa to be processed? Do we get thrown over into the HR country bucket and then are waiting longer for visa? We are currently residing in a LR country.

I'm an Accountant (CSL and MODL and State lists) so we think it would/should be within one year to process our visa. I am 42 years old (today) so we have only a few years left to be qualified for these visas.

How much time do we need to be in Oz on a 175/176 visa to qualify for citizenship, is it 24 months out of the 48?

Also, if we start the 176 visa process (which should have quicker processing time - yet to be proven but) and then switch to the 175 afterwards - how do we do that? Is this an option for us to receive our visa before we even move to Angola....

Sorry to sound so confused but we are being faced with some big decisions and want to make the best informed decision! And we don't want to jeopardize our chances to getting and staying in Oz once there.

Do we need professional help? I'm thinking migration agent not psychologist...

eurosyl

To my knowledge:

1. You carry a passport from an LR country, that sets the bucket for processing.
   
   
2. If you already applied for your visa you need to inform DIAC of change in circumstances as your residential adress will change.
   
   
3. If you stay in any country over 12 months a PPC for that country is required. Not sure how that works for an application that is in progress already, maybe an agent can comment on that?
   
   
4. Requirements for citizenship have changed for those that became PR after 1 July 2007 - from the DIAC website:
   People who became permanent residents on or after 1 July 2007 must have been lawfully resident in Australia for four years immediately before applying including:
   
   • 12 months as a permanent resident
     and
   • absences from Australia of no more than 12 months, including no more than three months in the 12 months before applying.
   
   Are you confused with the requirements for getting a RVV? More information about that can be found here: Visa Validation (or at the appropriate page at the DIAC website)
   • The visa is valid for 5 years from the date of grant (NOT the date the visa is stamped or validated)
     
   • You are expected to be in Australia for a total of 2 years (730 days) in this 5 year period.
     
   • This is so that you easily qualify for a Resident Return Visa (RRV) after the 5 years is up. You will need an RRV to re-enter Australia as a PR if you are not an Australian citizen.
   
   
5. A visa application WILL automatically be assessed against the criteria for each visa subclass that belongs to the specific class of visa you have applied for. As subclass 175 and 176 are of the same Visa Class, any application for a Skilled - Sponsored Independent (Class VE, subclass 176) will also be assessed under a Skilled - Independent (Class VE, subclass 175).
   
   As mentioned in an earlier post on BE, obtaining state sponsorship and adding the evidence to an existing VE175 application is possible. But also mentioned earlier, it may not result in boosting priorities, see this post.

All information in this post is found by reading and crunching information from various sources (DIAC website mainly), I am by no means an agent or able to give legal advice. Asking further advise from an migration agent is always an option, there are a few that roam these boards too.

JAJ

Bear in mind that if you spend 12 months or more overseas after being granted your permanent residence, they will look for new police checks (for citizenship) ... would you be able to get one from Angola and if not, would that cause a delay in processing your citizenship application?

Also, moving to a country like Angola, even as an expatriate, is not for the faint-hearted.