VETASSESS - what takes so long?

[mistermoose]

I've only just started the 12/16-week wait. My documents arrived at VETASSESS via courier on Thursday last week. They were signed for by an official. Yet, two and a half working days later and they haven't even marked my documents as 'received' on the system yet. I mailed them and the reply was: "we'll notify you when the documents have been marked as received, but please mail us again if you haven't heard from us in seven working days".

While I understand that there are many more applications in the queue, surely it shouldn't take this many working days just to tick a box to confirm receipt of documents? Not to mention the 12-16 weeks it takes to complete an assessment.

AIM (the Australian Institute of Management) takes just 4 weeks to complete an assessment:

http://www.aim.com.au/migration/faq.html#2

What takes VETASSESS so long? Perhaps they need to staff up? It's not as if we aren't paying substantial sums for the service.

Edited April 16, 2013 by mistermoose

[claudiodr]

I feel you MrM, it's crazy...not to mention ANNOYING!

If I were you I'd focus on other aspects of the app in the meantime, there's a hellava lot of paperwork to fill out , copy, scan, certify etc

Hopefully it'll keep you busy so you don't drive yourself insane:-)

[AndreaL]

I once spoke to someone at TRA here in Australia and was told the following, not sure if it applies to VETASSESS too.

When an application is received it is first lands on the desk of someone other than an assessor, this person goes through a tick and flick sheet to confirm that you have filled the documentation in completely and attached supporting documentation, if not it is returned to you as incomplete.

From then the application will find itself on the desk of an assessor. I suppose much depends on their workload, number of applications received, length of applications ( ours was two pages) but I know of people who send 30 or 40 pages. The length of time it takes to check references etc. I would imagine that some applications take far longer than others.

I think South Africans make up around 1.5 % of visa applicants, there could be anywhere between 200 000 and half a million people at some stage of the visa process, i.e. at the skills assessments stage...at any event the numbers are mind boggling and VETASSESS do a large number of different occupations skills assessments.

Maybe they are short staffed, maybe they are sticklers for only receipting your application on the 7th day.......sorry I can't make you feel any less frustrated.

I'm sure everyone pays the same amount and thus assessors just work from the top of their pile down, like any other job.

Hang in there, you somehow need to find a way to be more patient or you will go crazy........Apparently patience is a virtue, which shows that I must be lacking in virtue as it is not my strong point either.

[Kapoen]

Sorry to hijack the thread mistermoose, did they also require originals from you? My son's agent requested his original certificates?

[mistermoose]

I feel you MrM, it's crazy...not to mention ANNOYING!

If I were you I'd focus on other aspects of the app in the meantime, there's a hellava lot of paperwork to fill out , copy, scan, certify etc

Hopefully it'll keep you busy so you don't drive yourself insane:-)

Annoying with a capital A, N, N, O, Y, I, N and G! You're right about shifting focus. I could start on the ACT letter so long. What other paperwork is going to be required? Isn't it all online from here, using the same documentation I put together for VETASSESS? I can't do any of the PCC/medicals/other stuff until I have a CO anyway, right?

I once spoke to someone at TRA here in Australia and was told the following, not sure if it applies to VETASSESS too.

When an application is received it is first lands on the desk of someone other than an assessor, this person goes through a tick and flick sheet to confirm that you have filled the documentation in completely and attached supporting documentation, if not it is returned to you as incomplete.

From then the application will find itself on the desk of an assessor. I suppose much depends on their workload, number of applications received, length of applications ( ours was two pages) but I know of people who send 30 or 40 pages. The length of time it takes to check references etc. I would imagine that some applications take far longer than others.

I think South Africans make up around 1.5 % of visa applicants, there could be anywhere between 200 000 and half a million people at some stage of the visa process, i.e. at the skills assessments stage...at any event the numbers are mind boggling and VETASSESS do a large number of different occupations skills assessments.

Maybe they are short staffed, maybe they are sticklers for only receipting your application on the 7th day.......sorry I can't make you feel any less frustrated.

I'm sure everyone pays the same amount and thus assessors just work from the top of their pile down, like any other job.

Hang in there, you somehow need to find a way to be more patient or you will go crazy........Apparently patience is a virtue, which shows that I must be lacking in virtue as it is not my strong point either.

Thanks Andrea, this actually makes sense. I just don't understand why it takes so long between each step. But I guess they're either swamped with applications or just do it the way they've always done and they're not going to move at a different pace just because I'm waiting

And yes, I should give this patience thing a whirl. At least I have a time frame to work with, so I don't need to be getting my hopes up until the 12/13/14/15/16 week stage.

Sorry to hijack the thread mistermoose, did they also require originals from you? My son's agent requested his original certificates?

I submitted what I had available, which were originals from SARS, originals from my accountant, one original reference, one non-original reference (printed, as I received it by email and never had the original so couldn't certify it), and an original transcript letter from UNISA. Having said that, this is what VETASSESS stipulates on their site:

http://www.vetassess.com.au/migrate_to_australia/qa2_faq.cfm#39

It is preferred that you submit original documents relating to your employment and certified copies of documents relating to your personal information, training/qualifications and other documentation. Please note that neither certified copies nor original documents will be returned. Refer to required documents for further information.

[AlBrough]

Has anyone done an AITSL Assessment (Teachers)? I have some questions. Sorry for being a bit

[MandyW]

Ah, Mistermoose, I feel your pain. We lodged our VETASSESS application on Fri 12/4/2013, and are in the waiting phase now too Can't imagine how I'm going to feel by the time 12, 13, 14 weeks arrives!

But in the mean time, we gather or compile more documents...

[sianvz]

I think as with every stage in this process, you are one in a queue. It's like our state sponsorship application where we didn't hear a word for 5 weeks, then just suddenly got a case officer and then a day later our sponsorship was granted. Only because it was an online application did we get some form of confirmation they've actually received the application, other than that, until you get to the top of the queue you don't hear a word. So with your documents, it's probably just a matter of it being in a queue to be marked as received.

I think with all stages, the time frame is completely dependent on luck of timing, like some people who get there state sponsorship granted in 2 weeks, they just applied at a time where there was not a big queue. My skills assessment with Vetassess only took 7 weeks from the day they confirmed they had received my documents, whereas some wait over 12 weeks for a result.

[MrsvW]

Tomorrow will be week 14 of waiting. I'm sure we are in the final stretch before getting an answer, but I feel you, and I feel for you.

But you know what, let that question go...I started driving myself NUTS with that question. I am an individual that needs to know that this is step 1, followed by 2 AS WELL as when will step 2 happen, how long will it take and how is it shifted to step 3. Then my thinking shifted to a new ponder avenue...why is it taking so long? I followed the guidelines to the tee. I even wrote them a bloody academic bibliography and index sheet, and OH, not to mention that I even inserted section dividers. WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG!!??

But seeing as we don't work there, we won't know.

[21yearsoutofrsa]

Don't know if it is of any relevance, but applications from South Africa are marked as having a higher probability of been fraudulent by DICA, so it probably flows through to other aspects of the immigration process.

[mistermoose]

Really? I wouldn't have imagined that from SA in general. Weird.

Anyway, after mailing VETASSESS last night again, they've now come back to confirm receipt of my documentation and have updated my application status. Hooray. Let the real wait begin

[HadEnoughofJuju]

One thing I have learnt about Australia in the short time we have been here is the fact that everyone is treated fairly and queues are respected, whether it be a queue you are standing in or a queue that you have documents waiting to be assessed in. They WILL process them in the order in which they received them and the will do it at a reasonable speed, the people here actually do their jobs. Its a long wait and can get frustrating but if they say 16 weeks then 16 weeks it will be.