jaguaruk

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know if once you have been approved for a visa on a Skilled Independent visa, you then get a date by which you have to go to Oz to ‘evidence’ the visa, how long after this do you then have to go to Oz to actually live.

In other words how long do you have before the visa could expire?

claire edwards

I recieved my visa on the 17th Sept, I have to validate my visa before the 25.06.05. Is that what you mean?

JAJ

Short answer - your visa is valid for 5 years from date of grant. However unless you clock up enough residence in the first 5 years to get a resident return visa (2 years to do so easily) you'll be making your life complex, so if you do the maths you'll see you really need to be in Australia within three years of grant.

A general pointer - the rules on keeping PR long term are not likely to trouble you seriously if you are *living* in Australia, but if you spend a few years overseas your PR is definitely at risk.

The way to make life really simple is to become an Australian citizen after 2 years in Australia as a PR (British citizens don't lose their citizenship) and then you never need to worry about visas or keeping PR status again.

Jeremy

Jill Robertson

Your visa will have the date on it. Generally 12 months from the
later of when medicals or police checks were done, not submitted.
Sometimes less, particularly if there is a health undertaking.

You are not evidencing the visa by coming to Australia, it is a
condition of the visa that you arrive by that date. The consequences
of not doing so are effectively that you no longer have the right to
enter on the visa, unless you can persuade the DIMIA to allow you to
do health and character checks again.

Regards
Jill
claire edwards <member19187@british_expats.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected] om>...
    > > Hi Everyone,
    > >
    > > Does anyone know if once you have been approved for a visa on a
    > > Skilled Independent visa, you then get a date by which you have to go
    > > to Oz to ?evidence? the visa, how long after this do you then have to
    > > go to Oz to actually live.
    > >
    > > In other words how long do you have before the visa could expire?
    >
    > I recieved my visa on the 17th Sept, I have to validate my visa before
    > the 25.06.05. Is that what you mean?

jaguaruk

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Where I was coming from with this question, is that my daughter is presently in year 9, we would need to apply for visas before my wife turns 40, mid-2006, and I wondered if we could stall long enough to let my daughter finish school, which would be mid-2007

There's never a perfect time to move, but if we applied early 2006 then we could possibly get away with it. I know it seems a long way off, but my daughter is presently dead against the move before she completes year 11.

I suppose the alternative is just to go for it anyway, but I would rather all the family be up for this, rather than dragging my daughter along, I would like her to go with as much enthusiasm as the rest of us.

Thanks to all.....

saraliz

The risk is that the migration rules could have changed by 2006 to your disadvantage, making you ineligible to migrate. If you are currently eligible, it may be best to submit an application NOW rather than waiting and risking a rule change...

As others have said, once you have validated your visa by going to Australia (within 1 year of the date of police checks/meds), the visa is good for entry to Australia for another five years.

You'll need to weigh up the advantages/disadvantages of applying asap & risking the time running out or waiting & risking any changes occurirng...

JAJ

And we've had a lot of changes in the last year that caught out those who put their application off too long.

Like the 120 pass mark that kicked in in April, that's disqualified many from the skilled independent visa. Or the recent Sydney skill shortage list, that's thrown a spanner in the works of many people planning to apply for skilled sponsored.

It's 5 years from date of grant, not validation.

If serious about migrating, I'd suggest you apply now (if you're eligible). If you're not going to be in a position to move until mid 2007 that won't be a problem provided you're prepared to take a family holiday in Australia to validate your visas in due course. Budget for this as part of the exercise.

If your visa is the SIR visa, then things will get more complex and you won't have nearly as much flexibility. Get professional advice in that case.

Jeremy

jaguaruk

Thanks for your point of view, I believe you are right, if we wait and the rules change again, it could then exclude us, and then we would be totally brassed off....

Anyway, we are due to go out to Oz in just over 3 weeks time, after which I am hoping my wife, who is presently 50/50 for going will be convinced its the right move for us. If we are successful with the application, I could then let my daughter finish school in the UK, and then she will be up for the move as well. My lad will be 3 while we are in Oz in few weeks time, so he is not a problem.

So all being well, providing my wife is convinced after our trip, I will start the ball rolling as soon as we get back.

Thanks again for your comments.