> OK,
> I haven't posted much at all in this forum since I joined in April
> 2005, but NOW I have something useful to contribute - our
> communication with DIMIA that is.
> Might cheer some of you up, they're not all bad...in fact I haven't
> come across a single bad one and I've applied for (and been
> granted)three visas within the last five months - one of them the
> ultimate 136, so RELAX.
> Here's the story (I spare you the other ones, just the 136 one...)
>
> - Applied for 136 in April 2005 (15th, to be concise)
>
> - no agent, just a LOT (did I say it was a lot?) of reading and
> filling in forms (think I'm allergic to them by now)
>
> - as we're already living in Australia, current 418 visa needed
> extension in April as well, so had to do medicals anyway
>
> - hence sent Meds to Adelaide unrequested, so ASPC could assure the
> 418 guys that we were all healthy (making sense?)
>
> - didn't get any indication that Meds were received, just assumed so
> because the 418 was granted
>
> - provided police checks of Australia and Germany for 418 guys in May
>
> - Police checks were requested again by ASPC on August 12 by case
> officer, region 3, received there at August 15
>
> - again no confirmation from ASPC, just know it from Australia post
> delivery confirmation
>
> - then booked a trip to South East Asia and casually informed our case
> officer by email that SHOULD the visa be granted before that trip we
> would LOVE to evidence them in Singapore, while we're there...
> (round August 20)
>
> - (if you're still reading, this is where the good part starts)
>
> - got back an Email the next day, saying "Thanks for letting me know"
>
> - got the pre-grant letter on August 31 by email
>
> - was too excited to read it well enough, so wrote her back a
> completely stupid itinerary for the validation trip
> (wanted to arrive in Singapore on Sunday, go to the embassy on
> Monday and leave for OZ the same night, although in the pre-grant
> letter it says they need 3 days after you left OZ before you can go
> to the embassy and then, after you've been there, they need up to 5
> more days)
>
> - CO has obviously also read our flight itinerary which I also
> attached, because she got back to me the next day (!) pointing out
> that we were cutting it fine
>
> - she also saw from our itinerary that we were in Bangkok for a while
> and hence included all the details of the Bangkok Embassy (is that
> nice or what?), suggesting we could pick Visa up there
>
> - we wrote back something in the way of "thank you, appreciated, saved
> our ..." and had another email, within hours, saying
>
> - "its been a pleasure assessing your application."
>
> Well, I did sure bite some nails NOT contacting them before I had
> something to say, (which I am aware wasn't as long as for many others
> here), but I think the patience has paid back in the end.
> So, hang in there guys, and I hope this one helped to make some of you
> feel better about being in the mercy of some case officer....
>
> M.
How nice is that,
pleasure to read your story, I hope mine goes as smooth-ish lol
hugs Lace x
--
Feels like to infinity and beyond!
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