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Marisawright

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Everything posted by Marisawright

  1. Marisawright
    Where are you living? Don't you watch the news? The coronavirus pandemic is not going to disappear, even with the lockdowns we're having. Governments are not trying to stop it now, they are just trying to slow down the infection so the hospitals can cope. The government has said the travel ban will be in place for at least six months, probably more. We will not have a vaccine for at least another year and probably 12-18 months, so coronavirus will still be a risk until then, unless it disappears naturally (which is unlikely, although we can hope).
  2. Marisawright
    Yes, they made a mess of the procedure but people do make mistakes, you know. Especially in a brand new situation like this. Charging the officials won't achieve anything, and authorities have far more important things to do than waste time on silly blame games.
  3. Marisawright
    Why do you say that? The Australian govt is saying this will last for at least six months
  4. Marisawright
    Considering the government's own analysis showing that Parent visa holders eventually cost the country far more than the visa fee, I very much doubt it. The government must already be very worried about the future burden on our welfare systems, because our unemployment rate is forecast to at least double, so they won't want more people arriving to make it worse. A lot of smaller companies will go broke during this shutdown and won't be able to restart. The economy is going to be in a real mess once this is eventually over (as it will be everywhere).
  5. Marisawright
    Is her pediatrician an asthma specialist, because that doesn't sound right. When I was her age - 60 years ago - doctors thought that asthmatics got wheezy mostly in summer, whereas if you got "chesty" in winter, you weren't asthmatic - you were susceptible to chest infections triggered by colds or flu. For the last twenty years, we've known this is bunkum, but there are some doctors (especially in the UK, where asthma isn't as common) who haven't caught up. They're all asthmatics, it's just that people who get wheezier in winter are more allergic to indoor things, like house dust, whereas asthmatics who wheeze in winter are more allergic to outdoor things like pollens. There's a very good chance she will grow out of her asthma, but not until she's somewhere in her teens.
  6. Marisawright
    It's as nice as many other cities. I wouldn't choose to live there, but then everybody is different. I'm sure Paul would hate to live in Sydney or Melbourne.
  7. Marisawright

    RRV

    Marisawright replied to emmadallas's topic in Visa Chat

    The RRV is a Resident's Return Visa - it's intended for people who have already settled in Australia, who need to travel. A returning resident would be able to show that they'd kept their home in Australia, or they had friends or close relatives, or a job waiting. You've got none of those things, and that means you might struggle to get one. Have you had a WHV (Working Holiday Visa) already? If not, then it might be worth applying for one. It would let you travel to Australia, rent a flat and get a job - and then you would have ties. However - and this is very important! - you need to make sure that the WHV wouldn't cancel your PR. I know you can't hold two visas at the same time, so it's possible it would. I'd say you need a consultation with an expert, like Westly Russel (who replied to your post).
  8. Marisawright
    They've got to be joking, surely!
  9. Marisawright
    That is strictly true - however I'd say any migrant who doesn't keep their RRV current is a fool, unless they've got no family left in their home country. You never know when you might need to travel for a family occasion or emergency, and RRV's don't get granted in five minutes these days.
  10. Marisawright
    In that case, the first thing you need to do is check the exact conditions on the visa. They can stay as long as the visa allows them to, obviously.
  11. Marisawright
    An agent posted elsewhere that once you've got the visa, you count as PR for the purposes of being allowed to travel. Your difficulty might be finding a flight, as the travel ban is in place for "six months and possibly longer" according to the government. The way our experts are talking, it sounds more and more likely that the ban will be extended. As a permanent resident, you are exempt from the ban - but while the ban is in place, there are very few planes flying, because it's no economical for the airlines to fly planes that are three-quarters empty.
  12. Marisawright
    What visa do they hold and when does it expire?
  13. Marisawright
    It's playing with words really. The 190 is a permanent visa BUT your "travel facility" only lasts for 5 years. When it runs out, you lose your right to enter Australia - so although you still have a visa in theory, it's useless in practice. You can apply for a Resident Return Visa (RRV) to let you enter the country, but it's not automatic. It's intended for people who have already settled in Australia and haven't got around to getting their citizenship yet. To get a renewal, you have to prove you already have "strong ties to Australia". If you've got no relatives and no home in Australia, that sounds daunting - but a job offer counts as a tie, so that's an option. The RRV is normally for another 5 years, and you have to keep renewing it every 5 years forever (unless you get citizenship). However if you aren't already settled in Australia, they'll probably give you one year maximum - just enough time for you to make the move. In the current situation, they might be lenient about arrival deadlines, but we don't really know yet.
  14. Marisawright
    There's not much point in hassling them anyway. The Prime Minister is saying the emergency measures will be in place for at least six months and possibly longer. So even if your parent visa gets approved, you will not be able to get a flight to enter Australia for several months.
  15. Marisawright
    What's the point? If you can't get a ceremony then there's no point in having the approval.
  16. Marisawright
    Once you get the grant, you are the spouse of an Australian citizen and you're allowed to enter the country. Your only issue will be getting a flight.
  17. Marisawright
    It's impossible to judge from the posts on this forum, because there are people here from all over the world, and applications are not processed in order of receipt. Straightforward applications from "low risk" countries are processed fastest. All applications from "high risk" countries have significant delays because of extra security checks. Any application which isn't straightforward is put aside and it's not clear how long they take to be looked at.
  18. Marisawright
    In that case, you just need to show your Seniors Card on entry to the supermarket.
  19. Marisawright
    Were you not aware of this before you decided to apply onshore for the visa? The reason the Contributory Parents' Visa is so expensive is to compensate for the high medical costs associated with old age. I came to Australia in the 1980's and I've contributed 35 years of taxes into the system. A British parent arriving on a Parent Visa hasn't contributed a cent to the system, but will be entitled to all the same benefits as me - so it's only fair they put some money in the pot (in the form of the visa fees). By making the choice to apply onshore, you were able to avoid that contribution - but having done so, it's not reasonable to expect to get the benefits. You are lucky that as a British person, you can access most of Medicare at the same level as Australians - and frankly, I think you're very lucky that you're going to get a concession card eventually, considering you have bypassed the aforesaid contribution. Applying onshore for a parent visa is perfectly legal, but it has its disadvantages. I'm sorry if you weren't fully informed about what those were before you moved, but you've been here long enough now to discover all the downsides.
  20. Marisawright
    You are right, but people on temporary or bridging visas aren't entitled to a Senior's Card either. In Melbourne, perhaps because numbers are larger, we had to show our cards on entry.
  21. Marisawright
    It's very unlikely they will offer any alternative, since they're cutting all "non-essential' services, and citizenship isn't really essential. The reason people need citizenship is so they can travel freely, and no one can travel at the moment anyway. Also, permanent residents always have the option of renewing their RRV. I know it's frustrating for people who want to get their citizenship so they can go back to their home country permanently while keeping their options open - but Immigration takes a dim view of that type of thing anyway.
  22. Marisawright
    Even if your visa comes through, your partner will not be allowed to enter Australia until the travel ban is lifted, which is likely to be another 6 months at least. So there is no urgency.
  23. Marisawright
    I looked into this once. I agree there is too much that can go wrong. I would say you'd be much better off to either (a) lower your expectations and buy a smaller place in a cheaper area to get into the market, or (b) rent where you want to live, and buy an investment property somewhere cheaper. Properties in regional areas are much cheaper so you stand a good chance of finding something you could afford. The capital gain won't be as good - however country properties can often command high rents, and you can get some great tax breaks if you choose wisely. When I owned an investment property, not only did I pay no tax on the rent, I got a big tax refund on my PAYE tax as well.
  24. Marisawright
    The information is that if you have a PR visa (i.e. 189 or 190) you can enter the country, even if it's not activated already. However they don't want you to visit just to activate - write to apply for an extension instead, when you're ready to travel. Like I said, under normal circumstances, the 489 and 491 visas are not regarded as temporary, they are "provisional". However there's been no information on provisional visas at all.
  25. Marisawright
    @paulhand, but they're not temporary either, they're provisional. The advice on the Immi page is that people who can't travel on temporary visas will need to apply for a new one when the emergency is over, which would seem a bit harsh on 491 holders, who have to jump through the same hoops as a PR visa applicant.
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