NEW THREAD - 143 Contributory Parent (Migrant) Visa - Tips and Other information

[Elna57]

Hi Roomies. Just wanted to tell you about my experience at Home Affairs. We applied and paid on line for our smart id cards and renewal of passports which will expire in 2018 on Thursday.. We submitted the forms and received amails and sms to go to our choice of home affairs office to have phoyos taken and finferprints done within a few minutes of submitting the forms and payments. I stood im a very long queue from early the next morning (Friday)   and when it got close to 16h00 I pleaded with the lady to let us in since we only needed the photos taken and finferprints scanned. She let us in! Then on the follwing Thursday we received sms's informing us that we need to collect our Smart ID cards. I went the next day and while sitting in the queue which was not so long this time , I received another sms informing me that my passport was ready for collection as well. I walked out of there with my brand new passport and Smart ID card 8 days after we applied online. 

Hope this story cheers you all up. There are things that still work here.

Kudos to the Home Affairs ladies who worked overtime for us. Well done!

[Onthemove]

Excellent ! When in 2018 did your old passport expire?  Mine expires on 14 Dec 2018 and had intended on renewing it beginning April this year.  Did Home Affairs want to know why you're renewing so early?  If yes, what was your reply?  Luckily I got my Smart ID card last year (one less thing to update)

 

[Elna57]

Hi MomMuerte. Nobody asked why we wanted to renew our passports. If they did ask we were going to tell them that we will be out of the country when they do expipre next year and that we wanted the biometric passports. The page with one's photo is covered in hard plastic now and it has a smaller photo of oneself sort of like a watermark embedded in the plastic over and above the actual photo. 

It also has a lot more pages than my old one (not that I will need those  )  My passport expiry date was March 2018. 

The new online application process on the Department of Home Affairs webpage is brilliant. One just prints out the page with the barcode and take that with one's ID book to have photos and fingerprints done. Some banks in Johannesburg offer this service as well. I think there is a list of banks that do this on the website of Home Affairs. One is in Cape town if I remember correctly.

 

[Onthemove]

Many thanks Elna, 

Very happy for you    it does give one hope after all.

If by sheer luck I should get a Case Officer assigned around October, I may get the passport renewed in August. I had initially wanted to do this in April given that June is the end of the original 24 month waiting period, however, with the almost 4 month delay now, seems August it'll be.

Great going on your part!

 

[JTN]

Wow Ashmount, you lucky because according the Parents Immigration website they only doing that applied around 20th August 2014. We applied in July 2015 and was told to expect a case officer to be allocated to us around June July 2017 but now it seems it could be later. I thought that they follow the application dates so it seems that some applicants can be sooner than others. Good luck with your move, hope all goes well 

[Ashmount]

31 minutes ago, JTN said:

Wow Ashmount, you lucky because according the Parents Immigration website they only doing that applied around 20th August 2014. We applied in July 2015 and was told to expect a case officer to be allocated to us around June July 2017 but now it seems it could be later. I thought that they follow the application dates so it seems that some applicants can be sooner than others. Good luck with your move, hope all goes well 

Hello JTN,

We are not quite sure how this process works, but just following what our Agent tells us to do. We also received an email from Parents Immigration reflecting that they were attending to applications around 19 August 2014.  We will update the "Waiting Room"  on our progress.

[Onthemove]

Hello Ashmount,

May I ask, as a matter of interest, which migration agency you used?  I've got Hitchcock & Assoc. helping me.

 

[Ashmount]

5 minutes ago, MomMuerte said:

Hello Ashmount,

May I ask, as a matter of interest, which migration agency you used?  I've got Hitchcock & Assoc. helping me.

 

Hello MomMuerte we are also using Hitchcock - they have been amazing. 

[Onthemove]

Thanks Ashmount. It'll be interesting to see how this process pans out. 

[JTN]

Hi All

Thank you Ashmount, so it seems that it could be luck of the draw that an applicant is allocated a case officer sooner or before others that have applied. Does it mean that one cannot plan the date that an officer can be allocated to one's case? It is very unsettling not to know the time frame - so many things to take care of. Glad you got yours. let us know the rest of your move and the best way to get there. Take care and best wishes    

[Elna57]

Hi JTN Ashmount MomMuerte and other roomies. I read on another forum that when a person is requested to submit Police Clearances and Medicals, that it doesn't necessarily mean that a CO had been appointed, but merely that the Parent Visa Team is working on those applpications. How much truth that statement holds, I guess we shall see as Ashmount's case develops. All eyes on Ashmount then it is for now.  I merely added CO on my list because it at least was some sort of communication from Immi. We may need to change that column in the future, but again, all depends on Ashmount's process.

JTN, I am from Durban as well. 

[Dirkz]

Thanks for the info Elna about the passport renewal situation.

We've been thinking about renewing our passports before we go too.

 

Also interesting about the request for PCC, Medicals and AoS for Ashmount. I was under the impression that you get your HAP number once your CO has been assigned. Ashmount is working through an agent, so maybe his CO is corresponding with his agent? 

Once you have your HAP number and completed those last 3 tasks, it would probably still take a few weeks before Parent Centre decide your fate and only then require the 2nd VAC to be paid. So maybe that last decision is the assessment date?

 

We are eagerly waiting for report back from Ashmount to find out precisely how the timeline works, regarding a CO and 2nd VAC. We are now expecting to receive our instructions and HAP number about 5 weeks after Ashmount. Will keep everyone informed when that happens.

[Onthemove]

I had to sign a form appointing my agent as the contact for the Parent Centre. The agent in turn will contact me and assist/advise where and when necessary. My sponsor/assurer had to do likewise. The agent will also liaise on my behalf should there be any problems and/or rejection (if memory serves me right) and until the process is completed. 

It does still leave one in limbo though ?

Hope this helps a little. 

 

[Elna57]

You are absolutely correct Dirkz. Yes I forgot all about the hap number for the medicals. 

 

[Marchhawker]

Congratulations Ashmount!!!  that is super exciting!!

 

that must of been a wonderful feeling receiving that email

[JTN]

On ‎2017‎/‎02‎/‎01 at 3:12 PM, Elna57 said:

Hi JTN Ashmount MomMuerte and other roomies. I read on another forum that when a person is requested to submit Police Clearances and Medicals, that it doesn't necessarily mean that a CO had been appointed, but merely that the Parent Visa Team is working on those applpications. How much truth that statement holds, I guess we shall see as Ashmount's case develops. All eyes on Ashmount then it is for now.  I merely added CO on my list because it at least was some sort of communication from Immi. We may need to change that column in the future, but again, all depends on Ashmount's process.

JTN, I am from Durban as well. 

Hi Elna, thanks for all the info - great help. We live in Glenwood - no longer the area it used to be, so battle to sell house. Our major problem is the timeframe - when will CO be allocated from date of receipt of application by the AU Immigration authorities. If we can just have an indication then that will help. When the website say that they working on those applicants dated 20th August 2014 and then Ashmount who applied in October 2014 has been assigned a CO on 25th January 2017 ( well done ) then the queue by date of application does not make sense, unless there is another reason - which will be great if we knew what reason.

Also does anyone know the cost of Private Med Aid for 2 adults ( 66 / 60 years of age - good health ) 

[Dirkz]

JNT, as we've been realizing, it's difficult to predict the date that a CO will be appointed to handle your case. 

As I see it, the "assessment date" as indicated in the auto email replies from WA Parents, is the date of "final decision" to grant you your visa. 

Let me explain why I make that assumption:

 

From the beginning of the process we were under the impression that we would get our CO a while before we get granted our visa (obviously) requesting us to obtain and supply the last information they needed from us to finalize the visa (which is the PCC, Medical and AoS).

So it seems that the CO will contact you about 5 to 6 weeks before the "assessment date", because that's about as long as it takes to finalize and grant your visa after receiving that last information from you. That's about the time you'll take to get an appointment with your Australian representing doctor in your area, X-Rays taken and medical completed; and Assurance of Support organized by your Assurer with Commonwealth Bank and Centrelink, etc, (physical documents have to be posted to Centrelink and personal information has to be checked regarding the assurer whether he/she/they qualify, which involves documents like personal detail and employer/bank/tax statements). So as you see, before the final decision can be made to grant you your visa a few things must still happen, which takes a few weeks.

 

This is just a personal assumption I make after following the latest developments. We are doing this on our own and not through an agent.

[Elna57]

Hi JTN, Dirkz and roomies. My thoughts exactly. We should actually get two dates... a "processing" date and an "assessment" date if we do understand correctly. 

All I know for sure is that I can not wait for our turn. 

JTN, we live in Amanzimtoti and are battling to sell as well at a good fair market related price. Sure, I wish that we could sell soon but in the meanwhile I am happy to hang on a bit longer. Also I do wish that it was not such a guessing game but hopefully our new timeline stats will help us understand and interpret the whole new process a little bit better. Good luck to all and sit tight.

PS: JTN, would you like me to add you to our timeline list?  

 

[Elna57]

Good morning roomies. Just want to share some info I read on Facebook to help us understand the timeframe a little better. 

" For those waiting for a offshore contrinutory parent visa 173/143, my mothers visa has just been granted and for info the timeline was: Lodged July 2014, requested additional documents December 2016, requested payment 31 January 2017, visa issued 2 February 2017. As you can see, total time some 29 months, far exceeding the usual 12-24 month processing time due to usually high level of applications around mid 2014 ......................"

Have a great week all!!!  Hope to hear from you soon Ashmount. Once you have been for your medicals, please share with us your experience.

 

 

[Ashmount]

3 hours ago, Elna57 said:

Good morning roomies. Just want to share some info I read on Facebook to help us understand the timeframe a little better. 

" For those waiting for a offshore contrinutory parent visa 173/143, my mothers visa has just been granted and for info the timeline was: Lodged July 2014, requested additional documents December 2016, requested payment 31 January 2017, visa issued 2 February 2017. As you can see, total time some 29 months, far exceeding the usual 12-24 month processing time due to usually high level of applications around mid 2014 ......................"

Have a great week all!!!  Hope to hear from you soon Ashmount. Once you have been for your medicals, please share with us your experience.

 

 

Good morning Elna57,

Thanks for the information supplied.  Our medicals are done!!  We went on Thursday, (relatively painless except sitting waiting for the doctor in a room full of sick patients!)  The Doc does not advise you whether your health is good or not, you have to sit on tender hooks waiting to see whether all is clear, which we will not know until we are accepted by Immigration or not!  Police clearances have been sent to Pretoria, and I believe those take approximately 1 month.  The next step the AoS Support which my daughter is attending too.

[Dirkz]

4 hours ago, Ashmount said:

Good morning Elna57,

Thanks for the information supplied.  Our medicals are done!!  We went on Thursday, (relatively painless except sitting waiting for the doctor in a room full of sick patients!)  The Doc does not advise you whether your health is good or not, you have to sit on tender hooks waiting to see whether all is clear, which we will not know until we are accepted by Immigration or not!  Police clearances have been sent to Pretoria, and I believe those take approximately 1 month.  The next step the AoS Support which my daughter is attending too.

 

Thanks for the update, Ashmount. It helps a lot to have first hand experience from someone going through the process now. 

Did your agent request you to email the police clearance to them once you get it? Or do you have to post them the original copies?

[Lucky007]

On 24/08/2014 at 1:13 AM, Orphan said:

#2. WHAT ABOUT THE VISA MONEY?

For most emigre's, the decision on whether to move to Australia is probibly the most difficult and traumatic. For us it was simple - with both our children and all of our grandchildren living there, there isn't too much keeping us here in South Africa.

Equally simple was our decision to go for the Contributory Parent Visa - we couldn't wait 23 years for a visa (which was the official delay back in early 2012, before they allocated more visas to this category). The only problem here was that we certainly didn't have a spare million rand lying around to pay for our 143 visas! (But if you do, then you can stop reading now!)

So ultimately, the most difficult decision we had to take was WHEN to sell our house to raise the money needed for the visas?

We decided to do so immediately upon submitting our application, for two reasons:

Firstly, at the time of submitting our application, the official delay in processing 143 visas, was "less than 12 months". Coupled to this, was the presence of a very clear, and quite threatening instruction appearing on the immi.gov.au website:

"If you are applying for Contributory Parent visa, you should note that processing times can vary. It is important that you ensure you have funds available for the second visa application charge at all times during the application process, as payment may be required at an earlier date than was anticipated at the time of visa application lodgement." Not knowing when you may be called upon to fork over a million rand is a recipe for sleepless nights.

Secondly, the local house market was, according to our estate agent, going through a "slump" (don't they all say that?!) and we had no idea how long it would actually take to sell it. As it was, it took precisely 10 days, (and for cash nogal!) which then meant that we had to rent something in the interim.

The wrong decision? Not at all - I would do the same again! Firstly, for the reason that we sleep better at night knowing that the money is in the bank. And secondly, because we sleep better at night knowing that the money is now sitting in an Australian bank!

Using our foreign exchange allowances (R1,0 million per person per annum, renewed 01 January each year) we have been able to (legitimately) move most of our money out of the country over the past two years by transferring this to our children. More importantly, we have been able to spread these transfers across a range of exchange rates, starting at below R9.00 to the AU$, and amortising at around R9.40. As the exchange (buy) rate is now over R10.20 to the AU$, this has proven to be a pretty good investment in its own right. With the deteriorating state of the Rand, and your limited allowances, the sooner you can start this process, the better.

And the great news is that not having a house to live in and look after, is not a bad thing at all! All of our stuff is sitting in storage (more about this aspect later) and we are now living out of suitcases (good training for when we arrive in Australia), and travelling around the country saying goodbye to friends. We are currently in Ramsgate, on a seriously extended 4 month holiday - how tough is that?

That's all for now. Thanks for the positive responses above, and feel free to ask questions.

i All ,
As my mom have applied 143 visa for my her and my younger brother as dependent on her she submitted all documents to case officer when he asked and now case officer want satisfactory evidence of financial dependency of my brother on her
what are those evidence
but my mother give all money to my brother by cash and there is no bank transaction record she have even tho my brother have not a bank account .
any one can please help ......

[Jordy]

3 hours ago, Lucky007 said:

i All ,
As my mom have applied 143 visa for my her and my younger brother as dependent on her she submitted all documents to case officer when he asked and now case officer want satisfactory evidence of financial dependency of my brother on her
what are those evidence
but my mother give all money to my brother by cash and there is no bank transaction record she have even tho my brother have not a bank account .
any one can please help ......

 

Proving dependency is a challenge and you would be advised to seek advice from a professional migration agent as getting it wrong will be disastrous. It is more of challenge if your brother is an adult, not disabled, and capable of working. 

[Elna57]

Good morning Everybody!

I have just had a good look at Form 47 PA just double checking again. I noticed that P15 PART H on the latest form reads differently to the form which was available when we first applied, It reads as follows now :'  Part H – Members of the family unit aged 18 years or over Q 55 Give details of ALL your and/or your partner’s family unit members aged 18 years or over. Only include passport details for those family unit members migrating with you. Each member of the family unit aged 18 years or over listed below, whether they are migrating or not, must also complete a form 47A Details of child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over. Form 47A is available from the department’s website www.border.gov.au/allforms/ "

Previously, on the form that we completed, it asked only for DEPENDENT family details.

I am so confused! 

My question is : do we just wait to see whether we will be asked to supply additional information? Orphan. Dirkz. Jordy. ?

Edited February 7, 2017 by Elna57
Inserted emoticon.

[Elna57]

1 hour ago, Jordy said:

 

Proving dependency is a challenge and you would be advised to seek advice from a professional migration agent as getting it wrong will be disastrous. It is more of challenge if your brother is an adult, not disabled, and capable of working. 

Lucky007. I totally agree with Jordy there. Contact one of the MARA registered agents. Good luck.