MichKen Posted May 15, 2018 Report Share Posted May 15, 2018 Hi everyone, It’s been a while, hope you all doing well? i would like to bring my mom to Australia for a visit for about 4 months and was wondering if anyone can assist with some advise on the docs we need for her 600 Visa app. Most of it is pretty clear, just one or two points I’m not too clear on. Yes I’m probably overthinking this thing but want to be sure we get it right. some background info: - we are on a 489 Visa, been here 6 months - Mom is 81, and generally healthy; but she’s never travelled internationally before- her passport is empty! - 4 siblings in ZA still, I’m the only one here out of 5 - Being retired she won’t be able to show she has the financial means - but I will write the letter and submit bank statements. - it would be the normal tourist visa, not the family sponsored visitors visa My questions: - when does she go do the Medical? Before we do the Visa app or do we wait for it to be requested? (Biometrics I understand is automatically required) - most NB - what evidence of “genuine temporary entrant” can we provide - she has no property, assets, job, rental agreements, etc. but she has my siblings (immediate family) - so how do we provide evidence of that? Would an affidavit work? - I have seen some indications that 3 months is the max stay? How can we make it 4 to 6 months? thanks in advance! M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springmielie Posted May 15, 2018 Report Share Posted May 15, 2018 Hi Michken I submitted my Visitors Visa on 4 May. They immediately sent me a letter confirming that I had to go for biometrics to the nearest TLScontact centre within 14 day of receiving the letter.(R828) You first create an account online and can then choose the time and date for your appointment. They will also notify her if it's necessary to go for medicals. I think if you're older than 75 and plan to stay longer than 4 months it's required. On one of the pages you can choose your visa stay 3/6 or 12 months. I chose 3 months as my medical aid only covers me for 90 days (after that you need extra travellers medical aid and it's quite expensive) I submitted the following documents: Recent passport photo Copy of passport Itinerary (Stating where and when I'm staying and when I'm planning to leave) and a Copy of an estimated plane ticket Family Composition ( i don't know if its the same as "genuine temporary entrant"?) ( they talk about a "family book" or proof of family ) I downloaded Form54 where I could list my siblings and children, Proof of Financial Means, copies of bank statements and credit card ( I'm retired, and receive an income from fixed deposit) Invitation letter I certified everything except my passport photo and the invitation letter from my daughter. Hope this helps and please feel free to contact me , maybe I can help in some way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted May 15, 2018 Report Share Posted May 15, 2018 Good luck. Remember the VISA system here in Australia is always high on the political agenda. The immigration Minister has arguably the toughest job of all ministers in Australia. Right now, the mining boom is over. The country needs a lot of money to build infrastructure it hasn't been building over the years. The lack of infrastructure is leading to record personal debt levels as people scramble to buy houses and it leaves the poorest Australians homeless. I appreciate it's not South Africa, but it is a tough time by Australian standards. The government is cracking down on Centrelink (government assistance) to recoup money. They are reviewing VISAs to focus on the ones that make the most financial sense for the economy. So, all I can say is just go with the flow and follow the rules. It will be worth it in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeItOnTheChin Posted May 15, 2018 Report Share Posted May 15, 2018 36 minutes ago, monsta said: Good luck. Remember the VISA system here in Australia is always high on the political agenda. The immigration Minister has arguably the toughest job of all ministers in Australia. Right now, the mining boom is over. The country needs a lot of money to build infrastructure it hasn't been building over the years. The lack of infrastructure is leading to record personal debt levels as people scramble to buy houses and it leaves the poorest Australians homeless. I appreciate it's not South Africa, but it is a tough time by Australian standards. The government is cracking down on Centrelink (government assistance) to recoup money. They are reviewing VISAs to focus on the ones that make the most financial sense for the economy. So, all I can say is just go with the flow and follow the rules. It will be worth it in the end. You response may have been meant for another post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tntaglia Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 Evidence of return - the most important bit is to convince the government that she's genuinely going to go back. The lack of other international travel may be a bit of a concern for this one - I've heard it's easier to get a visa if you've previously travelled to other first world countries and returned to SA. The easiest way to prove it is to buy her flights back before applying for the visa, but of course then you're worried that the visa doesn't get approved, or they don't approve for the timeframe that you're asking for. An affidavit about the other kids still in South Africa would help, maybe with specific reference about what she's going back for ("I want to visit for 4 months and go back to SA in time for my youngest granddaughter's 5th birthday"). I don't know about the 4 month period - is there a specific reason why you're not willing to stick to 3 months? The most typical version of the 600 visa is valid for a year but for a stay of no more than 3 months at a time. You can definitely apply for longer but it is not guaranteed at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichKen Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 Thank you for the responses! Really helpful as always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 We got the mom in law here and she had similar circumstances, we did it while i was on a 457 (Not PR) visa so no problem on the visa, a few notes from our experience Why dont you want to do a family visa? Basically if she comes on a regular tourist visa she will be expected to show that she can support herself personally, if you want to support her you need to be sponsoring the visa, we had them pay close attention to the proof that it was my wife's mom With the above notes on her not having assets to show she will head back to RSA once she is here, it is probably even more important that you put yourselves up as sponsors (And therefore take responsibility that she will get on the plan after her holiday) It is a lot easier to get a less than 3 month visa compared to a longer visa, with that said, once she has been here once getting a longer visa is a lot easier We did a 2.5 month visa, then the next time round a 6 month visa, and the second one was easy & fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichKen Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 3 minutes ago, Nev said: Why dont you want to do a family visa? @Nev its purely a financial thing as I have heard we may be required to put down a deposit, which we can't do right now as we are still in the settling in phase of our migration journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 We didnt need a deposit for ours, but i am sure the mom in law would have been refused a visa if she applied directly because she does not qualify. If they ask you for a deposit it is because they would have refused the visa without it, they dont just ask because it is sponsored and they can, and if she doesnt qualify sponsored there is no hope she will qualify without sponsorship, especially for a greater than 3 month visa If you apply and they ask for a deposit you can always just say no and cancel the application, it means that she wouldn't have qualified any other way and at least this way she wont be refused a visa and have to mark that on any application she does in future 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichKen Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 6 hours ago, Nev said: we had them pay close attention to the proof that it was my wife's mom @Nev Did you submit your wife's unabridged birth certificate when you applied? How did you emphasize this fact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 yep, birth certificate which we still had from the visa application, the sponsorship was also in my wife's name as it was her mother, and we created the application on my immigration account and i handled the entire process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springmielie Posted May 24, 2018 Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 My visitors visa was granted yesterday. 3 month multiple entries valid for three years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichKen Posted May 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 Ah! Great news @springmielie! Enjoy your visit 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichKen Posted June 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2018 My mother’s 600 visitor Visa was granted!!! 3 month, multiple entry, valid for 1 year. So happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springmielie Posted June 21, 2018 Report Share Posted June 21, 2018 Congratulations, enjoy her visit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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