# Approved!!!



## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I got my passport back today with my visa!

No email telling me it was approved or being sent back (surprise!) and no phone interview!

I'm anticipating being there by the middle of September (my first entry has to happen by the middle of February).

I think I'm still in a bit of shock!


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## Mingo (Mar 20, 2009)

Woohoo! Congratulations stranger.


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

Mingo said:


> Woohoo! Congratulations stranger.



!!!!!!!

Start packing!


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## manish1980 (Nov 8, 2008)

Congrats and all the best for relocation planning.

Do you mind posting your timeline ?

Manish


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Congratulations :cheer2:

I bet the processing went like this:

4:47 PM: Case Opened
4:48-4:52: CO does: TICK, TICK, TICK, TICK for all docs
4:53: Visa granted
4:57: Visa sticker printed
4:58: Visa sticker pasted into passport
4:59: Passport mailed, just in time for 5:00 PM cut off 

OK, really I don't think it went like this, but it's a nice thought isn't it?



Megera said:


> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I got my passport back today with my visa!
> 
> ...


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

manish1980 said:


> Congrats and all the best for relocation planning.
> 
> Do you mind posting your timeline ?
> 
> Manish


It's in the timeline thread but I'll post it here anyway 



*Nationality:* Canadian
*Visa type applied for:* Spouse (de facto) Temporary Visa (Subclass 309) and Permanent Visa (Subclass 100), Offshore application
*Area migrating to:* Melbourne

*Police Check:* Sent with my original application
*Medical Check: *Requested on 08/04/09, completed on 22/04/09, received by Ottawa on 29/04/09


*TIMELINE*
*16/03/09:* Sent application to processing centre in Ottawa
*20/03/09:* Application received by Australian High Commission in Ottawa, case officer assigned.
*08/04/09:* Letter received requesting medical check and passport to be sent to AHC in Ottawa.
*22/04/09:* Medical complete.
*29/04/09:* Medical information received by AHC in Ottawa.
*07/05/09: *Passport sent to AHC in Ottawa.
*12/05/09:* Passport received by AHC in Ottawa.
*20/05/09:* *VISA APPROVED!!*
*25/05/09:* Passport received by me with visa sticker!!!!


* Note: I didn't receive an email notifying me of my visa being approved, I found out today (25/05/09) when my visa arrived back to me by mail.


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## Mingo (Mar 20, 2009)

amaslam said:


> Congratulations :cheer2:
> 
> I bet the processing went like this:
> 
> ...


Wouldn't that be lovely?


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

CONGRATULATIONS :cheer2:

Oh if only other visas were as quick as yours......

Dolly


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi

congratulations..

 start packing


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## aussieland (Oct 14, 2008)

congrats megera....


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## castleofnew (Nov 10, 2008)

well done that sounds brilliant. I'm just about to send mine off just got a few more things to do. How long just out of curiosity was your stat dec about your partner and yours realtionship


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## The Russells (May 22, 2009)

Congratulations


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

castleofnew said:


> well done that sounds brilliant. I'm just about to send mine off just got a few more things to do. How long just out of curiosity was your stat dec about your partner and yours realtionship


My letter was 4 pages and my spouse's was 2 pages


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

Thanks kaz101 - it looked like spam to me.


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## Miss Swan (Apr 24, 2008)

Megera said:


> *07/05/09: *Passport sent to AHC in Ottawa.
> *12/05/09:* Passport received by AHC in Ottawa.
> *20/05/09:* *VISA APPROVED!!*
> *25/05/09:* Passport received by me with visa sticker!!!!


This is to Megera and anyone out there 

I'll be applying for Prospective Marriage Visa very shortly and reading Megera's process, I just thought of something. What if after my application, DIAC gets back to me requesting for my passport and I happen to be out of the country at that time and possibly won't return till couple of months later? 

Because I anticipate that after I apply for this visa, I may be getting an opportunity to try out a short overseas stint for 3-4 months. What happens then?? Since my passport will obviously be with me overseas...?


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi Miss Swan:

You could advise your Case Officer about where you are (a good practice in general) and when it comes time for sending out the passport, well you'll need to send it. Or convince the CO that you would like to send it when you are in place XXX. See if you could send it and receive it back from the Australian Consulate in the place where you will be for 3-4 months. 

In all honesty, use a registered post or UPS/FedEx/DHL and things should be OK (you can keep a copy of your passport for the 1-2 weeks Immi has your passport).



Miss Swan said:


> This is to Megera and anyone out there
> 
> I'll be applying for Prospective Marriage Visa very shortly and reading Megera's process, I just thought of something. What if after my application, DIAC gets back to me requesting for my passport and I happen to be out of the country at that time and possibly won't return till couple of months later?
> 
> Because I anticipate that after I apply for this visa, I may be getting an opportunity to try out a short overseas stint for 3-4 months. What happens then?? Since my passport will obviously be with me overseas...?


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

Miss Swan said:


> This is to Megera and anyone out there
> 
> I'll be applying for Prospective Marriage Visa very shortly and reading Megera's process, I just thought of something. What if after my application, DIAC gets back to me requesting for my passport and I happen to be out of the country at that time and possibly won't return till couple of months later?
> 
> Because I anticipate that after I apply for this visa, I may be getting an opportunity to try out a short overseas stint for 3-4 months. What happens then?? Since my passport will obviously be with me overseas...?



Yeah, that's a bit of a problem.

Honestly Miss Swan, I think you're complicating things by travelling to Australia on a tourist visa then applying for your Visa in the country... If you're going to possibly be out of the country anyway, why not just apply where you are? Your visa will probably be approved quicker than you think and then you won't have to mess around with the possibility of your tourist visa stamped "not valid for further stay" or having to send away your passport then wanting/needing to leave the country you're in. 

My passport was asked for so early in the process that I didn't really even have the opportunity to travel if I wanted to. But it was no big deal to me since I wasn't planning on going anywhere. The whole "if you applied outside of Australia you must make sure you are outside when the decision is made" kind of made me chuckle though since they had my passport, I didn't have much of a choice!


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## shez (Dec 2, 2008)

well done and congratulations!!! i want my visa NOW lol!!!


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## Miss Swan (Apr 24, 2008)

Good advice, amaslam!

Megera, ohh maybe I wasn't specific enough. I meant to say I'll be applying for the visa back home in Singapore  My plan is go to to OZ to visit my fiance and spend 3 months with him (I'm missing him like crazy!!) and then return to SG and do the whole offshore application good and proper  Good thing is I found out my biz trip won't be too long after all - 10 days or so 

Probably another issue I have to grapple with later on is that my passport is nearing its expiry (June 2010) so I'll be checking around to see if it's better to apply for this visa with a new passport, or stick to my current passport and get a transfer to the new passport when I have it done.


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

Miss Swan said:


> Good advice, amaslam!
> 
> Megera, ohh maybe I wasn't specific enough. I meant to say I'll be applying for the visa back home in Singapore  My plan is go to to OZ to visit my fiance and spend 3 months with him (I'm missing him like crazy!!) and then return to SG and do the whole offshore application good and proper  Good thing is I found out my biz trip won't be too long after all - 10 days or so
> 
> Probably another issue I have to grapple with later on is that my passport is nearing its expiry (June 2010) so I'll be checking around to see if it's better to apply for this visa with a new passport, or stick to my current passport and get a transfer to the new passport when I have it done.




Ohh ok  Well that sounds like it's not such a huge problem then 
To be honest I'm a little relieved to hear that you'll be applying "properly". It sounded like there were a lot of things that could possibly go wrong! I was nervous for you!

Good question about the passport! Hmmm well if it's not much hassle then you could apply for a new one... How long would a new one be valid for? (in Canada it's 5 years in Australia they're good for 10!)


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## Miss Swan (Apr 24, 2008)

Like Canada, Singapore passports are valid for 5 years...


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi Miss Swan:

With the passport if it's only 1 yr validity left it would be good for you to get a new one so you can have your AU sticker in there for a longer period. Or if you want to wait you can always carry your expired PP and new one back and forth. Or get a new sticker put in when you get your new passport by visiting the Immi office.

It's not too big a deal to get a new passport now or wait. Really what you think is convenient. 



Miss Swan said:


> Good advice, amaslam!
> 
> Megera, ohh maybe I wasn't specific enough. I meant to say I'll be applying for the visa back home in Singapore  My plan is go to to OZ to visit my fiance and spend 3 months with him (I'm missing him like crazy!!) and then return to SG and do the whole offshore application good and proper  Good thing is I found out my biz trip won't be too long after all - 10 days or so
> 
> Probably another issue I have to grapple with later on is that my passport is nearing its expiry (June 2010) so I'll be checking around to see if it's better to apply for this visa with a new passport, or stick to my current passport and get a transfer to the new passport when I have it done.


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## mohit2903 (Jan 24, 2009)

Congratulations on Visa Approval....


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## bebby (May 29, 2009)

"Congratulations"
I have a question in re: to your visa, though....
Is their a limited time once you have been approved to when you have to be in Australia? Why do I ask? cos I am an Aussie and moving back in November, however my Husband will stay in Germany for about 12 months (has to tie up the loose ends) before he will join us in Oz.... I would like to get the visa application processed and approved (being positive) before I leave Germany! Thanks in advance and hoping you are still online.....​


Megera said:


> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I got my passport back today with my visa!
> 
> ...


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

bebby said:


> "Congratulations"
> I have a question in re: to your visa, though....
> Is their a limited time once you have been approved to when you have to be in Australia? Why do I ask? cos I am an Aussie and moving back in November, however my Husband will stay in Germany for about 12 months (has to tie up the loose ends) before he will join us in Oz.... I would like to get the visa application processed and approved (being positive) before I leave Germany! Thanks in advance and hoping you are still online.....​




Hey there,

My visa was approved "officially" on May 20th, 2009 (I say "officially" because I didn't get notice until the 25th). I now have until February 16th, 2010 to make my first entry to Australia. After my initial entry I can come and go as I wish.
The date of my initial entry date is linked to the date of my criminal records check. This is probably the reason that immi advises people to wait until asked for their criminal records check and their medical (your initial entry date is linked to whichever of those documents is the oldest).

If your entry date is approaching and your spouse still has some time to be in Germany, what you could always do is have your spouse go to Australia to validate his visa and then return to Germany to settle his affairs before moving to Australia permanently. This is a slightly expensive option but it might be necessary if your spouse isn't ready to make the permanent move within the year. 

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

Best of luck!


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## bebby (May 29, 2009)

Thanks for your reply, but maybe I am having a dumb day and still confused!
So would you advise -
Applying for the residency visa for my hubby first
November - I go back home (let ya in on more here... I had a nervous breakdown and have had numerous things (miscarriages, deaths etc) happened since I have lived in Germany...my parents are not in the best of health, they live in OZ), my drivers license runs out forever in December...
This is why I am going back in November!
My hubby needs to finish paying off a credit that he has in Germany and organise the "motorbike - which is turning out to be an extra hiccup for us...
So getting....:focus:
My husband would fly to Australia after (hopefully) being granted his spouse residency visa and then this would activate his residency visa??? (did I understand this correctly - it needs to be activated within a certain time frame)
Then he would fly back to Germany - to complete the final plans????
I know what I mean to say and hopefully I haven´t confused the situation more!
We are not financially stable enough to pay for an agency as the saving of dollars alone for the living costs and fares for myself and my 2 children is alot...
My next hiccup is the "Sponsor Responsibilities" - I need to have employment before I can be a responsible and acceptable Sponsor for my Husband - right!
When I cannot get employment asap - when I arrive back in Australia...then I will need the AOS? My dad is on a pension and my Mum is casually employed!
WOW - what a problem I am going to have and this with 2 children aswell!
Looking on the sunny side - wouldn´t it be nice to win "Lotto" ....
I understand when my questions cannot be answered all at once and maybe there will be other members who will tune in with some great solutions aswell! ​ Sorry for hijacking your thread... maybe I should put mine up under a new thread!​


Megera said:


> Hey there,
> 
> My visa was approved "officially" on May 20th, 2009 (I say "officially" because I didn't get notice until the 25th). I now have until February 16th, 2010 to make my first entry to Australia. After my initial entry I can come and go as I wish.
> The date of my initial entry date is linked to the date of my criminal records check. This is probably the reason that immi advises people to wait until asked for their criminal records check and their medical (your initial entry date is linked to whichever of those documents is the oldest).
> ...


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi Bebby:

It would be good to have your questions in a new thread. But just to start you off:

Your PR Visa is a residency visa as well. 
Activation simply means for your husband to enter Australia on his PR visa and go through immigration. Once he gets his passport stamped the entered by xxx date part of the visa is fulfilled (i.e. in Megeras case it is Feb, 2010).

After that initial entry your husband has a 5 yrs Resident Return Visa (RRV). This is part of the PR when you get PR for the first time. This RRV lets him leave Australia and enter as a AU PR as many times as he likes.

So as your husband needs 12 months to settle affairs a recommended path would be:

1. Apply for Spouse visa
2. Your husbands gets visa sticker on his passport
3. He enters by the date on the sticker
4. He returns back to Germany to settle affairs. This can be on the return flight on the day he enters if things are urgent.
5. He re-enters Australia within 5 yrs at a convenient time.

As for AoS and having sufficient funds it is key that you have some income level to support that portion of his spouse application. While the visa itself is processed by DIAC the AoS portion of it is processed by Centrelink, call them before you start applying so you can find out the requirements.

Good luck 




bebby said:


> Thanks for your reply, but maybe I am having a dumb day and still confused!
> So would you advise -
> Applying for the residency visa for my hubby first
> November - I go back home (let ya in on more here... I had a nervous breakdown and have had numerous things (miscarriages, deaths etc) happened since I have lived in Germany...my parents are not in the best of health, they live in OZ), my drivers license runs out forever in December...
> ...


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

Hi,

Don't worry about hijacking my thread  Sorry about all your troubles. I know how hard it is to be away from home -- and actually I spent some time in Germany 6½ years ago and really struggled to adjust - I loved it there but the circumstances were difficult. I'm hoping my move to Australia won't be so hard since I'll have a great support network.

So what would basically happen is you apply for the visa in Germany and depending on your personal situation your spouse will either be granted a Temporary Residence Permit or a Permanent Residence Permit. I've heard of PRs being granted before TRs but I haven't seen evidence of this on any ex pat forums. Because of this I'll give you the break-down of how my TR works.

1. Granted TR. Must enter before February 2010.

2. I enter before Feb/2010 and validate my visa.

3. In 22 months (January 2011) I will receive information with regards to processing my PR.

4. March 2011 I have my PR (hopefully)

5. March 2013 get citizenship (hopefully)


The dates of these could change depending on my situation - like getting married or having children. This could speed up my PR (from what I've read). BUT since we're living de facto right now and I have my TR we don't see a big rush to getting married.


Once your spouse has his visa and arrives in Australia, his visa will be validated and he can come and go as he wishes --- which may include flying back to Germany to settle affairs. And yes, it does need to be activated within a certain time. Normally you have approx. 1 year (that is if your criminal records check and medical check have been completed very recently) I for example have 9 months because that is when my criminal records check "expires". 


We are in a similar situation with the "Sponsor Responsibilities". My spouse is here in Canada on a tourist visa because we couldn't get his work visa renewed. So he has been out of employment since 2007. In our letters we explained that we chose to sacrifice income rather than sacrifice being together. We also included bank balances and pay slips to show my income and his savings. As the case was, we didn't need an AoS. 
With an AoS it can be anyone - friend or family - that qualifies. So you don't have to worry about it needing to be one of your parents. 
So don't worry too much about not currently having employment just explain your situation in your letters (as the sponsor you will need to write two - one about your relationship and one about how you will support your spouse financially until he is eligible for social security payments).

I agree about winning the lotto... I had all of my debt paid off until this whole application process... 

If you have a straight forward case I'd say it would be fine to save the money and do the application yourself - especially since you've found a forum like this before you applied! 


Best of luck!


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## bebby (May 29, 2009)

Thank God -
there is a wonderful forum , 
with such wonderful people -
to help people like me!
I only joined up here yesterday - 
already I am overwhelmed with the kindness and the support I have become!
Megera - thanks so very much - this explained so much for me ...good luck to you
amaslan - a big thanks to you too for your assistance and for your understanding!
I am just going to love it here! ​


Megera said:


> Hi,
> 
> Don't worry about hijacking my thread  Sorry about all your troubles. I know how hard it is to be away from home -- and actually I spent some time in Germany 6½ years ago and really struggled to adjust - I loved it there but the circumstances were difficult. I'm hoping my move to Australia won't be so hard since I'll have a great support network.
> 
> ...


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## mcginr (Jul 29, 2009)

Hi Megera

Firstly congratulations! I am having difficulty finding anyone with practical experience in being granted a de facto visa. Do you mind if I ask about the documents you were able to provide? I am living with my girlfriend but my name is not on the lease. We do have bills in our names and other proofs that we live there, but we share the house with other flatmates. I cannot see from the immigration website any mention of living in a flatshare. 

Were you able to provide solid proof that you live with your partner? Do you think that is the most important thing to provide?

Many thanks

Ronan


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## Megera (Mar 20, 2009)

mcginr said:


> Hi Megera
> 
> Firstly congratulations! I am having difficulty finding anyone with practical experience in being granted a de facto visa. Do you mind if I ask about the documents you were able to provide? I am living with my girlfriend but my name is not on the lease. We do have bills in our names and other proofs that we live there, but we share the house with other flatmates. I cannot see from the immigration website any mention of living in a flatshare.
> 
> ...



We live on our own so yes, we were able to provide solid proof. When you write the letter about your relationship, you should include something about your accommodations. 

Include all the proof you can (bills etc) and that's the best you can do.

We included a letter from our landlord's, a letter from the bank showing our joint account, photos, statutory declarations from his father and brother-in-law, screen shots of our email folders and probably some other things. Basically go through and find any proof that you have that you are a couple.


With all that being said, my tickets are booked and I'll land in Australia on September 22nd!


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

Congrats :clap2:

Come join the party :juggle:


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## twinkle-toes (Mar 29, 2008)

congratulations!! wee~~~


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## expatforum25 (Sep 14, 2009)

Megera said:


> We are in a similar situation with the "Sponsor Responsibilities". My spouse is here in Canada on a tourist visa because we couldn't get his work visa renewed. So he has been out of employment since 2007. In our letters we explained that we chose to sacrifice income rather than sacrifice being together. We also included bank balances and pay slips to show my income and his savings. As the case was, we didn't need an AoS.
> With an AoS it can be anyone - friend or family - that qualifies. So you don't have to worry about it needing to be one of your parents.
> So don't worry too much about not currently having employment just explain your situation in your letters (as the sponsor you will need to write two - one about your relationship and one about how you will support your spouse financially until he is eligible for social security payments).
> 
> Best of luck!


Thank you. This is what I was worried as my spouse has the PR but she is in US on dependent visa, Thus not working.
Now I see a way around. can you share any more details regarding this if you are still around.


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## Ozaspirant (Jun 27, 2009)

Congratulations ... ...


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## andreaz (Sep 24, 2009)

that's so great!!! more of this, im so inspired by you guys


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