Cheap Parent Visas Part I

[barbaitch]

I wish you all well, Chris. Gill has inspired so many people in your position through PIA for some years now. She has my utmost respect and admiration for all the good she does, even when she's been at her lowest personal ebb and I cannot speak too highly of her. The woman is awesome!! bhx

[johnbshepherd]

Unfortunately the 676 visa was killed on March 23 this year. The best bet now is probably the 600 visa under the sponsored family stream. See

http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/visitor/600/.

 

I think that this allows up to 12 months at a time in Australia provided that you then spend at least 6 months back home. As Snifter says they would need full medical cover whilst here -i.e. the RHCA is not enough. Regarding buying property this site may be useful:

http://www.firb.gov.au/content/publications/buying_a_home.pdf.

 

As usual I am not pretending to be an expert on the subject. Please follow the links and find out what you can. The general idea on this thread is to exchange experiences.

 

Regards,

 

JBS

[johnbshepherd]

The number of immigration places in the Family Stream has been increased by 700 in the 2013-14 budget. I don't suppose that any of these extra places will go to the Aged Parent visa but at least the annual number is unlikely to decrease from the current 550.

 

Regards

​JBS

[johnbshepherd]

Has anyone else noticed that the queue for the 804 visa seems to have stopped moving? Usually DIAC announces how much the queue has moved that month around the middle of the month. I check around the 20th of each month to see how many people are in front of me. Up to today(June 6) the number has stayed the same since mid April. Is it just overwork or is something going on?

 

Regards

 

John

[TeeTMI]

Has anyone else noticed that the queue for the 804 visa seems to have stopped moving? Usually DIAC announces how much the queue has moved that month around the middle of the month. I check around the 20th of each month to see how many people are in front of me. Up to today(June 6) the number has stayed the same since mid April. Is it just overwork or is something going on?

 

Regards

 

John

 

Hi John

 

We are approaching the end of the 2012-13 year, it is possible that they have reached or are approaching their quota for the 804 this year?

 

Tee

[TeeTMI]

Hi all

 

apologies for jumping on this thread but I was wondering if someone could advise me. Basically the balance of our family is in the uk so we can't sponsor my parents and they aren't well off enough for a investment visa, so that's them permanently movin here out of the question, they (& we) are gutted.

 

Now could they do 9 months here & 3months in the UK? Can they buy out here if they aren't residents?

 

We are really at a loss

 

Unfortunately the 676 visa was killed on March 23 this year. The best bet now is probably the 600 visa under the sponsored family stream. See

http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/visitor/600/.

 

Hi Paula

 

As John says take a look at the SC 600. All these new visa numbers are part of the "streamlining" to make things easier (read: putting several visas together under the same subclass)

 

Take a at the "tourist" stream - DIAC made changes late last year to consider granting parents longer tourist visas. Parents of Australian citizens or permanent residents can be granted visas of up to 18 months, or 3 or 5 years (depending upon circumstances). These visas will permit a maximum stay of up to 12 months in any 18 month period (please note they come with conditions).

 

Tee

[Guest mildygirl]

Thought it might be of interest to those waiting in the 804 queue who are still in limbo without even having been required to submit medicals and police checks.

<snip>

However, the powers that be decided that they wanted more tests, so five weeks ago she had to report for an echocardiogram. We presume (trust!) that the results were sent straight to DIAC as we've heard nothing.

 

Update to the above - we were wrong to presume anything! Nobody can say where the hiccup occurred but.... somewhere along the line the results got lost. Here we are, almost four months later, and our Agent has just forwarded a letter from DIAC reminding us that she needs to have an echocardiogram. Yep, the one she had back in mid February! Suspect that the results are somewhere in the DIAC offices in Melbourne or Perth - the cardio rooms say they sent them to the GP and the GP says he sent them to the address we gave them. As the patient (or us, on her behalf) is not allowed to handle the results or even know what they may say, all I would suggest is not to trust to luck but to make an appointment to see the doctor once he has the results. At least then you can physically hand the envelope to him, and maybe avoid one potential hiccup (no disrespect to any doctors' receptionists on the forum!). M-i-L's cardio office faxed a copy to the GP and he's sent them off to DIAC - who knows how long we have to wait now! At least we were able to sort that much out without having to alert MiL which would have added even more stress to what she is already suffering in this long drawn out process... it's almost six months now since the letter came instructing her to have her medical. More updates in due course!

[johnbshepherd]

Hi TeeTMI

 

I hadn't thought of that but you are probably right! According to my figures the queue has shrunk by about 620 during the current financial year - i.e. since July 1 2012.. The allocation of visas for the year was 550 but the queue always shrinks by more than the allocated number because of drop-outs. Some people die before they reach the front of the queue, others fail the final medical, switch to the contributory visa or simply give up.

 

In 2011-12 the queue shrunk by about 680 compared with an allocation of 500 so there were about 180 dropouts. This year there have only been 70 dropouts so far but the financial requirements for the final medical were relaxed a bit this year so possibly less people are failing the final medical. This should all look a bit clearer by the end of June when this financial year ends.

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

Hi John

 

We are approaching the end of the 2012-13 year, it is possible that they have reached or are approaching their quota for the 804 this year?

 

Tee

Edited June 9, 2013 by johnbshepherd
typo

[johnbshepherd]

The queue has now turned really weird. With a queue date of 30 May 2007 I checked the 804 queue on April 16 this year and there were 1010 in front of me. Today, June 23, the number has increased to 1300 which will increase my waiting time by nearly a year. Has anything similar happened to anyone else and can anyone explain it?

 

Cheers

 

John

 

Added June 24

 

The queue has corrected itself. It now says that there are 880 in front of me. Unless they have given out 420 visas in the past week the 1300 must have been an error. With that correction the queue has shrunk by about 750 in the 2012-13 immigration year compared with a visa allocation of 550.

Edited June 24, 2013 by johnbshepherd

[johnbshepherd]

For those interested the number of 804 visas allocated for 2013-2014 has remained at 550. This quote is from the website

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/parent-visa-processing-priorities.htm

 

"In the 2013–14 Migration Program year:

 

• 2250 places have been allocated to Parent (non-contributory) visas, including approximately 1700 places for Parent (subclass 103) visas and approximately 550 places for Aged Parent (subclass 804) visas."
  

[TeeTMI]

Hi Guys

 

I hate popping into your thread with what is likely to be bad news for some, but I just thought I would mention the visa application fees will be increasing 1st September - by about 15% by the looks of things. If you are close to submitting and can do so by the 1st it is probably worth lloking into this a bit more and trying to avoid the increases if you can do.

 

http://www.comlaw.go...ils/F2013L01534

 

Tee

[Alan Collett]

We have two new factsheets which might be of interest to those who are contemplating applying onshore for a subclass 804 visa:

 

* Contributory Parent (subclass 143) visas versus Aged Parent (subclass 804) visas

 

* Going onshore to apply for a visa - What you need to know

 

If anyone reading this is interested in receiving them please feel able to send a PM or an email to me (click on my name to the left of this post) with your name and email address.

 

Best regards.

[Guest mildygirl]

Hello Gill and JohnB S

 

I'm just updating the situation re my 90 yo Mother in Law's 804 visa application, hoping it might provide an idea of time frames for anyone who is in the same boat as us.

 

August 2010, Applied for 804

December 2012, Instructed to attend medical and obtain police checks etc

Jan 4, 2013, All documents sent

Feb 2013, early Feb requested to attend echocardiogram as chest X Ray showed small issues. (Doctor says it's nothing)

Feb 14 2013, results sent to DIAC

June 2013, DIAC repeats request for echocardiogram, transpires original results have been lost.

June 6 2013, repeat results sent to DIAC

 

We are now almost in September and nearly 9 months since she was initially instructed to obtain medicals etc. We are not rocking the boat - not calling DIAC, just sitting tight. We kind of expect that she will next be sent to a cardiologist, though the issues thrown up by the X Ray are apparently very insignificant, and the result of untreated hypertension, and old age. Her BP issues are minor, just require one mild drug and no other medication. Nothing is treatable either by medication or surgery, other than the mild BP it's all an indicator of her grand old age. She won't be costing the country anything approaching $35,000 over the next three years.

 

Healthwise, otherwise, she is fit as a fiddle but over the last six months she has become increasingly frail. She now spends all day in her room in front of the tv and just pottering to the bathroom and back. Who knows what DIAC will ask next.. will they be satisfied with the echocardiogram or will they require her to see a specialist? Hypothetical question. Since she was widowed four years ago after 65 years of marriage, she has prayed each day to 'be taken,' as she calls it. Without her soulmate, she doesn't want to go on. There is a little bit of us which hopes that one of these nights she will just slip away, and this whole long drawn out saga won't matter anymore.

Edited August 23, 2013 by mildygirl

[johnbshepherd]

Hi Mildygirl

 

I am sorry to hear about the delays. If it is any consolation I had a very similar experience. I originally applied in September 2006. I got as far as the medicals in March 2007 and was sent back for further checks after the initial medical. I then did not receive any official communication until February 2009 when I was allocated a queue date of May 30 2007 - i.e. backdated to the time they must have originally received the medical results. In the intervening period I managed to phone my case officer and he told me not to worry but there was nothing in writing.

 

A second factor which may be relevant right now is that the section of immigration which deals with the 804 visa seems to be in suspended animation. I check how many people are in front of me in the queue every month, since they are supposed to update it around the middle of the month. The number in front of me has been stuck at 880 since mid-June although they should have updated twice since then. Perhaps they are waiting for the election to see if a new government changes the rules.

 

Good luck anyway

 

John B

Edited August 25, 2013 by johnbshepherd

[Guest mildygirl]

Hello John

 

Thank you very much for your reply - sorry that you had the same long drawn out saga, but glad you finally got your queue date. We were just hoping (a little pessimistically, if you'll pardon the oxymoron) that they won't want anything else from her, but in light of your evidence about the queue having ground to a halt, we'll obviously have to keep waiting. How frustrating for you, though! Very much appreciate your information, as always.

 

Cheers

 

Mildygirl

[johnbshepherd]

So much for the the queue-date calculator!!. It still says that there are 880 in front of me, but last week I got an e-mail saying that I have reached the front of the queue and I have to supply all sorts of information within thirty days. Of course the message caught me in England where we have come for a holiday so I can't possibly make the deadline. I have asked for an extension and will see what happens. If anyone is interested I will keep the board posted about what information they ask for so that others can be prepared. My queue date is 30 May 2007 and I first applied in September 2006 so that the total time since first application has been almost exactly seven years.

 

Cheers

 

John

[freesia]

Thanks for updating John & how typical, when you've just gone on holiday! however it sounds like it won't be long now. There are several of us who have just joined the 103 queue, or rather just applied- queueing will be some time off! I won't be holding my breath for that length of time- but its going to be a bit of a trial knowing there aren't any up-to-date trackers to follow to get an idea of how processing goes. They seem thoroughly unreliable & a bit pointless really. All the best for your grant.

[barbaitch]

What a shocker! You've waited so long and I'm so sorry it's come right now, when you're in England. Fingers crossed they'll give you an extension of time to provide the information they want after you return to Oz. One day you'll look back and laugh ..... I hope. Good luck, John. I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end - and what a great story to tell your grandkids about your struggle to get to Oz!

[Guest mildygirl]

That's great, John! You must be very relieved. I am sure they won't have a problem issuing an extension under the circumstances. I'd be very interested in what documents you are required to produce - and a medical, I guess?

 

How very frustrating that the tracker doesn't work. I've found them very unreliable - my daughter was watching the updates for onshore skilled migration and their update "processing applications lodged up to the end of August 2009" was complete rubbish - hers came through at that time and hers was lodged in December 2009.

[johnbshepherd]

Thanks all for the encouragement. So far the Parent Centre people have been very helpful and cooperative. There was no problem in getting an extension of the deadline until 30 days after I get back to Oz. Also I managed to get clarification of the following request

 

“Provide Police certificates from any country where an applicant over 16 years of

 

age (including spouse/dependent who is not migrating) has spent 60 days or more

 

(in total) in the last 10 years visiting or living in that country"

 

Anyone who has been in the queue for less than 10 years probably spent several years in some other country within the past 10 years (probably the UK for most people on this thread). As it stands that request means that you must get new police certificates even if you provided them when you first applied. At my request, the parent centre agreed that we don't have to provide new certificates if we provided satisfactory ones when we first applied and haven't spent 60 days in the other country since then. A trivial point for most people but important in my case since I was working in an obscure part of the world immediately before I came to Oz and police certificates take for ever to get. Back to Sydney this weekend and down to the serious stuff.

 

Cheers

 

John

[Guest mildygirl]

Back to Sydney this weekend and down to the serious stuff.John

 

Welcome back, John. It must be great to know that this whole drama will soon be over for you! I know I, and I think most of us on here, have followed your posts with great interest and we shall be sorry to lose you, but glad of course for you.

 

As for the figures and updates coming out of DIAC, it seems that a lot of us are finding that they aren't necessarily a true reflection of what is happening to the visa queues. I'm presuming that one must be actually in the queue before getting access to the update situation, unreliable though it may be. Do you or anyone else (Alan, Gill?) happen to know the answer to that, and whether there is any new information this early in the new administration? We are still keeping mil's head well below the parapet, not a whisper from her CO for some months now, which for us, in our/her situation, is great news.

[Guest mildygirl]

Well, would you believe it? Minutes after I made the above posting, an email arrived from our agent saying that Mother in Law has been granted her queue date! It's a MASSIVE relief to us to know that her medical results were evidently satisfactory and the worry we've had over the last 10 months were groundless. Obviously we have to wait another 8 years or so before the final step, but bless her heart, at her grand old age we aren't going to worry about that. Thank you so much to Alan Collett and his team for their help thus far.

[Guest happydays]

Hi, I have been trying to work out how to send a private message. Is it not possible or am I just being really dumb?

[Diane]

Hi, it takes a short while for your PM-ing facility to be activated for new members. You can speed this up by upping your post count (replying to other threads around the site, posting an introduction etc) or just wait a while and then try again later. HTH

[Guest happydays]

Ahh thank you Diane