Who else is waiting for visa approval?

[frosty]

I would also be a bit uncomfortable if that was the situation I was in. I guess it is their unofficial way of giving you an extension seeing as it is such a short period from grant to initial entry date?

 

Any idea when you plan on making the official move? 

[Lienno]

7 minutes ago, frosty said:

I would also be a bit uncomfortable if that was the situation I was in. I guess it is their unofficial way of giving you an extension seeing as it is such a short period from grant to initial entry date?

 

Any idea when you plan on making the official move? 

We would like to move during December 2019 between school years, our kids are 6 and 8.

 

I have a business to sell, which would be in my best interest to not do in a rush as it has an impact on a few families and I would not want to negotiate a price while being under time constraints.

 

We are also considering visiting friends in Auckland, as far as I know we only have to pass through an Australian border to activate the VISA even if it is while we are on our way to New Zealand? 

 

*confused*

[frosty]

We looking at going once we receive visa grant (around April). Most of what I have read from other posts is it is better to go sooner than later. Unfortunately if there is a business to sell I guess it makes life a bit more complicated.

 

I am not sure how the activation works, I would assume it depends if you remain in transit or actually enter Australia?

Edited December 1, 2018 by frosty

[Tntaglia]

@Lienno Congrats on the visa grant! I'm with you on the risk aversion - I would rather also spend money and know the visa is activated and nothing will go wrong, than go later and risk it. Those last few weeks are stressful enough, the last thing you want is to have this cloud hanging over you that there's a chance you get turned around at the border!

 

In terms of where to go: I strongly suggest trying to find someone to house-sit for for a few days in whichever city you can, maybe someone from the site going back to SA or similar. That way you save on the costs of accommodation if you're not otherwise fussed about which location you end up in. Advertise here and also on the various Facebook groups: Aussiekaners, South Africans living in Sydney (and equivalent groups for other cities), you may get lucky!

[Lienno]

10 hours ago, Tntaglia said:

@Lienno Congrats on the visa grant! I'm with you on the risk aversion - I would rather also spend money and know the visa is activated and nothing will go wrong, than go later and risk it. Those last few weeks are stressful enough, the last thing you want is to have this cloud hanging over you that there's a chance you get turned around at the border!

 

In terms of where to go: I strongly suggest trying to find someone to house-sit for for a few days in whichever city you can, maybe someone from the site going back to SA or similar. That way you save on the costs of accommodation if you're not otherwise fussed about which location you end up in. Advertise here and also on the various Facebook groups: Aussiekaners, South Africans living in Sydney (and equivalent groups for other cities), you may get lucky!

Thank you! Flights booked, eBucks discount made it possible to get better prices through Emirates

 

[March2]

Congrats on your visa grant @Lienno.

Sign up for the Emirates Skywards program and earn points on your flights.  If you fly Emirates again, you will accumulate points that can assist with discounts and perhaps enough points for a free ticket or an upgrade on your flight 

[Lienno]

On 12/2/2018 at 9:06 PM, March2 said:

Congrats on your visa grant @Lienno.

Sign up for the Emirates Skywards program and earn points on your flights.  If you fly Emirates again, you will accumulate points that can assist with discounts and perhaps enough points for a free ticket or an upgrade on your flight 

Thank you @March2!

 

We've booked our flights and got decent accommodation via Airbnb, so it is game on :)

 

The last concern I have is the documents that I need to take when going over for the trip. I've read that we only have to take our passports as the VISA will be linked electronically using the passport number, but that they suggest we also take printed copies just for in case. We will also take the unabridged birth certificates for the children as we've previously been asked to produce these at a border post. Any other documents that you might suggest we take with us? O, I've also already received my International Driving Permit, so that will also be packed.

 

Thank you for all the advise!

[March2]

Hi @Lienno no worries mate.

You definitely need the printout of your visa grant letters.  They ask these before you leave at passport control.  They will also take a copy of it.  With the rest of the documents you mentioned, I think you are good to go.  

All the best!

 

[JuanitaP]

Hi all,

 

Congrats Lienno!

 

An update on the Visas table:

 

Miscellaneous visas:

USERNAME	MISC. VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
TamTam	101 Child	---	30-Jun-17	24-Jan-18	Medical	208	07-Mar-18	250	42
Tntaglia	457	---	30-Nov-17	12-Feb-18	More info on nomination	74	21-Feb-18	83	9
CatchingStars	PMV 300		28-Feb-18

 

489 visas:

USERNAME	489 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
Nikes	489 TAS	---	15-Nov-17	15-Jan-18	Additional docs	61	14-Apr-18	150	89
anusha	489	22-Nov-18	02-Jan-18	26-Mar-18	5 years bank statements	83	07-Jun-18	156	73
Purple Ferri	489 SA	18-Dec-17	14-Jan-18	---	---	---	11-Apr-18	87	---
Tynamite	489 SA	29/03	16/3/18	14/08/18	Additional PCC for name in Portuguese passport	151

 

190 visas:

USERNAME	190 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
renebo	190 VIC	28-Nov-18	04-Dec-17	---	---	---	15-Feb-18	73	---
RenVilo	190 VIC	06-Dec-17	09-Dec-17	---	---	---	23-Feb-18	76	---
Lidan	190 NSW	19-Dec-17	28-Dec-17	---	---	---	26-Mar-18	88	---
laurie26	190	13-Nov-18	04-Jan-18	---	---	---	04-Apr-18	90	---
Tntaglia	190 NSW	17-Jan-18	19-Jan-18	---	---	---	24-Apr-18	94	---
02-Mar	190 TAS	24-Jan-18	30-Jan-18	---	---	---	30-Apr-18	90	---
JayAySon	190 NSW	12-Feb-18	14-Feb-18	24-May-18	Requested PCC	99	25-May-18	100	1
MaraJade	190 NSW	14-Mar-18	28-Mar-18	---	---	---	07-Jul-18	101	---
Duggen	190 (Tas)	20-Jun-18	22-Jun-18	---	---	---	15-Oct-18	115	---
ChareenC	190 (SA)	25-Jul-18	05-Aug-18

 

189 visas:

USERNAME	189 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
AdriaanSanta	189	07-Jun-17	21-Jun-17	07-Aug-17	---	47	01-Mar-18	253	206
miles	189		23-Aug-17	---	---		16-Feb-18	177	---
iambrettstar	189	23-Aug-17	14-Oct-17	06-Dec-17	Assessment commence email	53	13-Apr-18	181	128
Piet1234	189		06-Dec-17	---	---	---	25-May-18	170	---
MaryAnne86	189	22-Nov-17	16-Dec-17	---	---	---	21/05/2018	156	---
Ta2Bryan	189/190	08-Nov-18	21-Dec-18	---	---	---	24/05/2018	154	---
Lienno	189	20-Dec-17	02-Feb-18	27-Jun-18 12-Sep-18	Salary Information  Tax documents and Payslips	145  222	29/11/2018	301	156
TamLovesRic	189	21-Feb-18	27-Feb-18	17-Jul-18 26-Jul-18 08-Aug-18	Form 80 Employment reference / evidence/ Form 80 again	140 149 162	09-Aug-18	163	23
Rossen	189	21-Feb-18	01-Mar-18	---	---	---	17-Jul-18	138	---
Libra	189	20-Mar-18	30-Mar-18	---	---	---	06-Aug-18	129	---
speechless	189	07-Mar-18	10-Apr-18	24-Jul-18	Employment evidence	106	18-Oct-18	191	67
Ty11	189	08-May-18	17-May-18	03-Sep-18	Form 80   Police clearance for wife with maiden name Further evidence of English for wife	109
JuanitaP	189	11-Aug-18	22-Aug-18	07-Nov-18	Secondary applicant's English test date more than 12 months since the file was picked up for processing (New Pearson's results submitted on the 15th of November)	77
MJ2	189	11-Aug-18	12-Sept-18

 

 I wish I had known that the English score date should not be older than 12 months from the date of commencement of processing. 

 

But I'll remain positive. We're doing this!

 

 

 

 

[Lienno]

20 minutes ago, JuanitaP said:

Hi all,

 

Congrats Lienno!

 

An update on the Visas table:

 

Miscellaneous visas:

USERNAME	MISC. VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
TamTam	101 Child	---	30-Jun-17	24-Jan-18	Medical	208	07-Mar-18	250	42
Tntaglia	457	---	30-Nov-17	12-Feb-18	More info on nomination	74	21-Feb-18	83	9
CatchingStars	PMV 300		28-Feb-18

 

489 visas:

USERNAME	489 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
Nikes	489 TAS	---	15-Nov-17	15-Jan-18	Additional docs	61	14-Apr-18	150	89
anusha	489	22-Nov-18	02-Jan-18	26-Mar-18	5 years bank statements	83	07-Jun-18	156	73
Purple Ferri	489 SA	18-Dec-17	14-Jan-18	---	---	---	11-Apr-18	87	---
Tynamite	489 SA	29/03	16/3/18	14/08/18	Additional PCC for name in Portuguese passport	151

 

190 visas:

USERNAME	190 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
renebo	190 VIC	28-Nov-18	04-Dec-17	---	---	---	15-Feb-18	73	---
RenVilo	190 VIC	06-Dec-17	09-Dec-17	---	---	---	23-Feb-18	76	---
Lidan	190 NSW	19-Dec-17	28-Dec-17	---	---	---	26-Mar-18	88	---
laurie26	190	13-Nov-18	04-Jan-18	---	---	---	04-Apr-18	90	---
Tntaglia	190 NSW	17-Jan-18	19-Jan-18	---	---	---	24-Apr-18	94	---
02-Mar	190 TAS	24-Jan-18	30-Jan-18	---	---	---	30-Apr-18	90	---
JayAySon	190 NSW	12-Feb-18	14-Feb-18	24-May-18	Requested PCC	99	25-May-18	100	1
MaraJade	190 NSW	14-Mar-18	28-Mar-18	---	---	---	07-Jul-18	101	---
Duggen	190 (Tas)	20-Jun-18	22-Jun-18	---	---	---	15-Oct-18	115	---
ChareenC	190 (SA)	25-Jul-18	05-Aug-18

 

189 visas:

USERNAME	189 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
AdriaanSanta	189	07-Jun-17	21-Jun-17	07-Aug-17	---	47	01-Mar-18	253	206
miles	189		23-Aug-17	---	---		16-Feb-18	177	---
iambrettstar	189	23-Aug-17	14-Oct-17	06-Dec-17	Assessment commence email	53	13-Apr-18	181	128
Piet1234	189		06-Dec-17	---	---	---	25-May-18	170	---
MaryAnne86	189	22-Nov-17	16-Dec-17	---	---	---	21/05/2018	156	---
Ta2Bryan	189/190	08-Nov-18	21-Dec-18	---	---	---	24/05/2018	154	---
Lienno	189	20-Dec-17	02-Feb-18	27-Jun-18 12-Sep-18	Salary Information  Tax documents and Payslips	145  222	29/11/2018	301	156
TamLovesRic	189	21-Feb-18	27-Feb-18	17-Jul-18 26-Jul-18 08-Aug-18	Form 80 Employment reference / evidence/ Form 80 again	140 149 162	09-Aug-18	163	23
Rossen	189	21-Feb-18	01-Mar-18	---	---	---	17-Jul-18	138	---
Libra	189	20-Mar-18	30-Mar-18	---	---	---	06-Aug-18	129	---
speechless	189	07-Mar-18	10-Apr-18	24-Jul-18	Employment evidence	106	18-Oct-18	191	67
Ty11	189	08-May-18	17-May-18	03-Sep-18	Form 80   Police clearance for wife with maiden name Further evidence of English for wife	109
JuanitaP	189	11-Aug-18	22-Aug-18	07-Nov-18	Secondary applicant's English test date more than 12 months since the file was picked up for processing (New Pearson's results submitted on the 15th of November)	77
MJ2	189	11-Aug-18	12-Sept-18

 

 I wish I had known that the English score date should not be older than 12 months from the date of commencement of processing. 

 

But I'll remain positive. We're doing this!

 

 

 

 

Jikes! 

 

Good luck it will happen sooner than you think! 

[TeeTMI]

6 hours ago, JuanitaP said:

Hi all,

 

I wish I had known that the English score date should not be older than 12 months from the date of commencement of processing. 

 

But I'll remain positive. We're doing this!

 

 

 

The 12 month validity of English results (at the Time of Decision i.e. when deciding whether to grant the visa) is a legislated requirement for Secondary applicants aged over 18.  However, is not always requested.  

Edited December 5, 2018 by TeeTMI

[ChrisH]

10 hours ago, Lienno said:

We will also take the unabridged birth certificates for the children as we've previously been asked to produce these at a border post

New legislation has just been published around this: 

 

 

10 hours ago, Lienno said:

I've also already received my International Driving Permit

 You can drive with your South African license in Australia for up to 3 months from date of arrival in Australia.  The AA international license is only for driving in countries that aren't English speaking.

 

We only had our passports on us, no visa grant letters or anything.

[Tntaglia]

@Lienno Have you arranged your drivers license letter yet? It's a pain to do from this side and really quick while you're still in SA.

[Lienno]

19 hours ago, Tntaglia said:

@Lienno Have you arranged your drivers license letter yet? It's a pain to do from this side and really quick while you're still in SA.

I got it from the AA, but according to @ChrisHit is  not necessarily a requirement. Think we have all the documents we require.

 

Thank you all for the advise and support throughout the process. I'll check back to the forum once we return from the trip, it might be useful for someone. We took the long road by doing everything ourselves and not using a migration agent and it worked out quite well thus far, for which we are thankful. 

 

Thanks to forums like this one there is plenty of information available to always make informed decisions, so we'll share our journey in the hope that it might make a difference for someone with similar challenges. 

 

Big thumbs up to all the contributors! 

[TamLovesRic]

Hi there @Lienno

 

Gosh - what a curveball life has thrown you!

 

We have been here for just under two months, and after a six week road trip, we have settled in Springfield, Ipswich, just outside of Brisbane. We really like it here so far, having only been in our rental for one week. 

 

All I can say is, the one thing that really helped us was having some sort of address. We were lucky enough to have a friend on the Gold Coast, who was happy for us to use his address till we got one of our own. Having this address, meant that we could apply for Medicare (Such a simple process) - and a medicare card seems to be GOLD here. 

It also gave us a proof of address necessary to buy a car, and somewhere to send our tax number. So - what I am saying is, if you know someone here - or even a region you want to settle in, it wouldn't hurt to apply for medicare, just for that proof of address later. It is possible to do it yourself, but I cannot explain how nice it was to have someone help us out. 

 

Dont worry - all is going to be fine - Ride with the wave. 

 

 

[Lienno]

54 minutes ago, TamLovesRic said:

Hi there @Lienno

 

Gosh - what a curveball life has thrown you!

 

We have been here for just under two months, and after a six week road trip, we have settled in Springfield, Ipswich, just outside of Brisbane. We really like it here so far, having only been in our rental for one week. 

 

All I can say is, the one thing that really helped us was having some sort of address. We were lucky enough to have a friend on the Gold Coast, who was happy for us to use his address till we got one of our own. Having this address, meant that we could apply for Medicare (Such a simple process) - and a medicare card seems to be GOLD here. 

It also gave us a proof of address necessary to buy a car, and somewhere to send our tax number. So - what I am saying is, if you know someone here - or even a region you want to settle in, it wouldn't hurt to apply for medicare, just for that proof of address later. It is possible to do it yourself, but I cannot explain how nice it was to have someone help us out. 

 

Dont worry - all is going to be fine - Ride with the wave. 

 

 

Awesome, glad you settled and that you like it. Where have you been on your roadtrip? Did you decide in Brisbane from the start, or was it during your roadtrip that you decided? 

 

We are going to Hervey Bay and Beachmere from 22 December to 31 December for our trip. 

 

[ChareenC]

Hi all!

Our 190 visas were granted on 5 December this week! Best Christmas present ever! I cannot update the table as I'm travelling without my laptop at the moment. Have a great week all! 😁

[Lienno]

9 hours ago, ChareenC said:

Hi all!

Our 190 visas were granted on 5 December this week! Best Christmas present ever! I cannot update the table as I'm travelling without my laptop at the moment. Have a great week all! 😁

Awesome news! Congratulations! 

[TamLovesRic]

@Lienno ah we stopped so many places, Hervey bay being one of them. Its one of the many quaint little towns all along the coast... Its not cosmopolitan or anything of the sort.  I think you'll get a good idea of how nice it is to be in aus there. Free things to do, but i wont take away your honeymoon by telling you everything!!!

 

We always had a good feeling about Brisbane, so Hubby arranged for some interviews for along the road and got a job. We really like it so far... But to be honest, if we could live on the Gold Coast, up near the hinterland... Oh man that would good. 

[ChrisH]

On 12/7/2018 at 5:56 AM, Lienno said:

I got it from the AA, but according to @ChrisHit is  not necessarily a requirement.

 

An AA International drivers license and a letter from the South African traffic department stating when and where you got your license is not the same thing. 

 

You don't need an International Drivers License because South African and Australian licenses are both in English.  If you plan on living in NSW, then you will definitely need a license letter from the South African traffic department.

[Rossen]

2 hours ago, ChrisH said:

If you plan on living in NSW, then you will definitely need a license letter from the South African traffic department.

 

My wife and I just had (1 and 2 months ago respectively) our RSA drivers licences converted to AU ones in Newcastle and we were not asked for the letters which we went through the trouble of obtaining. It's been mentioned in previous threads that some Service NSW branches do not ask for these letters and that was the case with us. I believe that only the main centers ask for the letter.

 

Also, how useless are these letters?! There's no mention of your ID number or your drivers licence number. I had to ask the RTMC officer to reprint the letter with our ID and drivers licence numbers just to be safe.

 

In any case, my apologies for derailing this thread. 😊

[ChrisH]

10 hours ago, Rossen said:

Also, how useless are these letters?!

 

LOL, yeah its one of those things where the people who come prepared don't get asked and the ones who took a chance get told they have to have it.

[TamLovesRic]

Hello all,

 

Hubby and I just went yesterday to do our drivers licenses. We are in Brisbane. 

 

We needed:

Passport

Proof of address

SA drivers

2 x cards (We used bank card and medicare card)

$177 for a 5 year license. (Cash or card)

We did not  need a letter - but this is Queensland....

 

And can I just say, how lovely it was. To be greeted with a smile, we waited for 5 minutes, and the entire process took 10 minutes. PLUS - they are going to post them to us? In two weeks? What? This is too convenient!!!! 

 

 

[ChrisH]

31 minutes ago, TamLovesRic said:

Hello all,

 

Hubby and I just went yesterday to do our drivers licenses. We are in Brisbane. 

 

We needed:

Passport

Proof of address

SA drivers

2 x cards (We used bank card and medicare card)

$177 for a 5 year license. (Cash or card)

We did not  need a letter - but this is Queensland....

 

And can I just say, how lovely it was. To be greeted with a smile, we waited for 5 minutes, and the entire process took 10 minutes. PLUS - they are going to post them to us? In two weeks? What? This is too convenient!!!! 

 

 

 

Yeah its such a brilliant system!

[Hunts]

On 12/5/2018 at 7:23 PM, JuanitaP said:

Hi all,

 

Congrats Lienno!

 

An update on the Visas table:

 

Miscellaneous visas:

USERNAME	MISC. VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
TamTam	101 Child	---	30-Jun-17	24-Jan-18	Medical	208	07-Mar-18	250	42
Tntaglia	457	---	30-Nov-17	12-Feb-18	More info on nomination	74	21-Feb-18	83	9
CatchingStars	PMV 300		28-Feb-18

 

489 visas:

USERNAME	489 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
Nikes	489 TAS	---	15-Nov-17	15-Jan-18	Additional docs	61	14-Apr-18	150	89
anusha	489	22-Nov-18	02-Jan-18	26-Mar-18	5 years bank statements	83	07-Jun-18	156	73
Purple Ferri	489 SA	18-Dec-17	14-Jan-18	---	---	---	11-Apr-18	87	---
Tynamite	489 SA	29/03	16/3/18	14/08/18	Additional PCC for name in Portuguese passport	151

 

190 visas:

USERNAME	190 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
renebo	190 VIC	28-Nov-18	04-Dec-17	---	---	---	15-Feb-18	73	---
RenVilo	190 VIC	06-Dec-17	09-Dec-17	---	---	---	23-Feb-18	76	---
Lidan	190 NSW	19-Dec-17	28-Dec-17	---	---	---	26-Mar-18	88	---
laurie26	190	13-Nov-18	04-Jan-18	---	---	---	04-Apr-18	90	---
Tntaglia	190 NSW	17-Jan-18	19-Jan-18	---	---	---	24-Apr-18	94	---
02-Mar	190 TAS	24-Jan-18	30-Jan-18	---	---	---	30-Apr-18	90	---
JayAySon	190 NSW	12-Feb-18	14-Feb-18	24-May-18	Requested PCC	99	25-May-18	100	1
MaraJade	190 NSW	14-Mar-18	28-Mar-18	---	---	---	07-Jul-18	101	---
Duggen	190 (Tas)	20-Jun-18	22-Jun-18	---	---	---	15-Oct-18	115	---
ChareenC	190 (SA)	25-Jul-18	05-Aug-18

 

189 visas:

USERNAME	189 VISAS	INVITE	LODGEMENT	CO CONTACT	CO REQUEST	Days to CO Contact	GRANT	DAYS TO GRANT	CO Contact > Grant
AdriaanSanta	189	07-Jun-17	21-Jun-17	07-Aug-17	---	47	01-Mar-18	253	206
miles	189		23-Aug-17	---	---		16-Feb-18	177	---
iambrettstar	189	23-Aug-17	14-Oct-17	06-Dec-17	Assessment commence email	53	13-Apr-18	181	128
Piet1234	189		06-Dec-17	---	---	---	25-May-18	170	---
MaryAnne86	189	22-Nov-17	16-Dec-17	---	---	---	21/05/2018	156	---
Ta2Bryan	189/190	08-Nov-18	21-Dec-18	---	---	---	24/05/2018	154	---
Lienno	189	20-Dec-17	02-Feb-18	27-Jun-18 12-Sep-18	Salary Information  Tax documents and Payslips	145  222	29/11/2018	301	156
TamLovesRic	189	21-Feb-18	27-Feb-18	17-Jul-18 26-Jul-18 08-Aug-18	Form 80 Employment reference / evidence/ Form 80 again	140 149 162	09-Aug-18	163	23
Rossen	189	21-Feb-18	01-Mar-18	---	---	---	17-Jul-18	138	---
Libra	189	20-Mar-18	30-Mar-18	---	---	---	06-Aug-18	129	---
speechless	189	07-Mar-18	10-Apr-18	24-Jul-18	Employment evidence	106	18-Oct-18	191	67
Ty11	189	08-May-18	17-May-18	03-Sep-18	Form 80   Police clearance for wife with maiden name Further evidence of English for wife	109
JuanitaP	189	11-Aug-18	22-Aug-18	07-Nov-18	Secondary applicant's English test date more than 12 months since the file was picked up for processing (New Pearson's results submitted on the 15th of November)	77
MJ2	189	11-Aug-18	12-Sept-18

 

 I wish I had known that the English score date should not be older than 12 months from the date of commencement of processing. 

 

But I'll remain positive. We're doing this!

 

 

 

 

 

We received our son's 101 child visa grant on 16 October. We submitted the application offshore in Dubai on 12 September 2018, the medical was requested on 18 September and it was carried out on 19 September so the whole process took just over a month. Only have to activate by next year September by which time we plan to have already moved there permanently.