Applying for a 189 visa

[Kilburt]

Hi all I am about to apply for a 189 visa. I am doing it myself and I am terrified that I am going to get it wrong as I am about to pay a lot of money.  I am a special education needs teacher which is on the SOL list.  I have done IELTS and I have a postive skills assessment. I am claiming 25 points for age (39), 20 for superior English, and 15 points for my degree and positive skills assessment = 60 points. I submitted an EOI and got an invite.  My question is, once I have paid do I have to print out the 1221 and 80 form, fill them in and then scan and and upload them or do you fill them in online? I have not claimed any points for work experience so do I have to submit bank statements, tax forms and payslips? I am so worried that I am going to do something wrong and lose all my money. Thanks for your help. 

[HJL]

I'm not going to be of much help, as I am also doing the visa application myself, but thought I'd just wish you all the best. I'll be following your thread as I am also a special needs teacher and as soon as my skills assessment arrives(Hoping Friday),  I'll be putting my expression of interest in too. It was sent back via registered mail so I'm a little concerned when it reaches SA that it doesn't get lost in the system. Just trusting it gets to us. Gathered all the other documents already. It looks like we are claiming the same amount of points for each section. You will probably be applying a week or two ahead of us, so please keep updating your post! I'm sure there will be someone on the forum who will give you the right advice with your above question. All the best!

HJL

[Deezo]

Hi @Kilburt

 

I wont be able to answer your questions directly but my wife is an Early Childhood Teacher but currently works as a Remedial Teacher so im sure the process is somewhat similar.

 

We are however doing a 190 Visa as my wife couldnt get Superior English and we didnt want to keep spending money etc but i am doing the application myself and i have submitted my online application and paid for the Visa fees.

 

What happens then is you are taken to a screen where you select your reference number and then attach your documents and organise your medicals etc.

From what i have read you have "recommended", "required" and "received" documents and on our initial screen we only had the orange recommended colour of documents required and you select each category and attache the relevant documents.

 

Once a CO (case officer) is appointed then they will request specific documents from you but you only have an initial maximum of 60 documents that can be uploaded so we selected what we felt was most relevant and have uploaded them while we wait for our medicals and once those are done on Thursday and our results are sent through to them then we just have to wait for a CO to be appointed and advise us if they need anything further.

 

So from what i have been told is upload as much as you can now so you application can be "decision ready" and then you may not even get a CO which is what we are hoping for  

 

Will keep you posted once we hear more  

 

All the best!

[wonderer]

On 8/28/2016 at 8:45 AM, Kilburt said:

I have not claimed any points for work experience so do I have to submit bank statements, tax forms and payslips? 

Hi,

I also submitted an EOI (29/08/2016) with the same points as you and have similar questions.

May I ask how long it was between your EOI and invite?

Also - I was a bit worried in the EOI - if you don't claim points for work experience, did you just leave the work experience bit open? (the declaration one agrees to says all info is true and complete - or something like that) so is it ok just to leave it open? It is what I ended up doing..

 

I did read somewhere that you can fill form 80 in pdf - not sure if by online you mean: on their site. The one I downloaded do have the fill fields, so I'm filling in the pdf.

 

[Kilburt]

Hi all thanks for your responses.  I finally paid for the visa today and feel sick to my stomach as it is so much money. I also feel sick about leaving family especially my parents as they get older. I really pray that we have made the right decision. Wonderer- we only waited 6 days from the time we lodged our EOI to be invited. I didn't fill in anything for work experience as I didn't want to claim any points for it. I will fill in form 80 when I feel as though I can face it. To be honest part of me is so terrified  at the enormity of what we have just done that I need time to process it all before proceeding. 

[Kevin]

@Kilburt I know what you mean.  The idea of leaving family behind weighs heavily on me too.  If you have recently lodged your visa application, please join the thread for those of us who lodged in August.

 

With regard to your questions about uploading evidence, I think it best to just provide as detailed information as you can.  Form 80 is a good place to start.

[Deezo]

8 hours ago, wonderer said:

 

Also - I was a bit worried in the EOI - if you don't claim points for work experience, did you just leave the work experience bit open? (the declaration one agrees to says all info is true and complete - or something like that) so is it ok just to leave it open? It is what I ended up doing..

 

I did read somewhere that you can fill form 80 in pdf - not sure if by online you mean: on their site. The one I downloaded do have the fill fields, so I'm filling in the pdf.

 

Hi @wonderer i think that your work experience is not compulsory to add unless you are claiming the points to if you have sufficient points without it then just ignore.

 

@Kilburt hang in there! Its a huge amount of money and not easy to leave family or friends behind but try remember why you are doing this or why you have chosen then route and that its for you  

Your family will always be your family and you can always visit and do a lot more from Aus for them and possibly get them over to Aus in the near future too   

 

Form 80 is a nightmare as its so detailed and lengthy but needs to be done so when you ready then work through it in stages  

[Kevin]

Hi @wonderer.  I'm not sure whether all work history was requested on the EOI, but I thought that was the case.  We provided details of all major periods of employment, including any employment for which we were not intending to claim points.  For example, we are not claiming any points based on my wife's employment history, but the form still requested that information.

 

@Kilburt, I have been thinking about your question.  I don't think it is necessary to provide evidence of the work experience for which you are not claiming points.  However, you should still declare all of the requested information.  If you have a look at Part F of Form 80, you can see that they are quite specific.  You must list all employment and unemployment from birth (yes from birth) to the present date.  We completed the form in reverse chronological order, but we only uploaded evidence that actually mattered for the application -- specifically we uploaded evidence of my work history, but not that of my wife's experience.

 

If you did anything differently, I wouldn't worry too much.  Your case officer will request any additional evidence that is needed.

[wonderer]

Thanks guys

[ChrisH]

15 hours ago, Kilburt said:

I finally paid for the visa today and feel sick to my stomach as it is so much money.

 

Its a lot of money in one go, but just consider that medical aid for you and your family for 4 years (in South Africa) will be more than the visa fee alone.  The 189 visa gives you Medicare which a temp work visa wouldn't so you will actually see the benefits of that fee immediately when you get there. 

[Kevin]

1 hour ago, ChrisH said:

 

Its a lot of money in one go, but just consider that medical aid for you and your family for 4 years (in South Africa) will be more than the visa fee alone.  The 189 visa gives you Medicare which a temp work visa wouldn't so you will actually see the benefits of that fee immediately when you get there. 

 

That actually quite a good point, @ChrisH.  Although, we would all probably be advised to take out private health insurance for the first 10 years of residence.  The reason is that Australia allows health insurers to charge a "loading" percentage when people take out health insurance late in life.  This only applies to persons who have not previous had health insurance for a continuous period of 10 years.

 

Consider the following scenario: you reach 70 years of age, and want to take out health insurance for the first time after living most of your life in Australia.  You are then horrified to find that you are charged 80% more than other 70 year olds.  The loading is an extra 2% for every year of age over 30 -- in this example, (70-30)x2 = 80 percent extra.  It applies to citizens and residents alike.  There are only two ways to avoid the loading penalty:

• you currently have health insurance AND either
  • your cover was started before turning 31 (citizens and permanent residents), or
  • your cover was started before the first anniversary of your Medicare registration (permanent residents); or
• you have previously maintained health insurance for a continuous period of 10 years

You can find out more about this issue here: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-privatehealth-lhc-providers-general.htm

 

Health insurance is also cheapest when you are young, so we intend to take out health insurance soon after arrival.  The cost of health insurance relative to the disposable income is still quite favourable.

[Deezo]

So @Kevin are you saying that the health insurance you get as a citizen in Australia is not adequate as you get older?

Why couldn't you remain on that?

[Kilburt]

Hi all after paying for my application what happens next? How do I start uploading documents? Will immi send me a link to do it or can I find it when I log on to my immi account.  I have logged on and can't see what I need to do next.

[Kevin]

@Deezo, I think that depends on each individual.  Australia has excellent public health care.  Private health care is only supplementary to the public health care system, so even if you get cover, you still rely on the free public care that exists.
 

Here are some interesting statistics.  While, 100% of Australians take benefit from the public health system, 56% of the population also have supplementary private cover.  The percentage is slightly lower for the elderly.

 

The main benefits of private health care are priority treatment for non-life threatening issues, private hospital rooms (as opposed to sharing with one person), and certain elective treatments.  I expect that for many of us, the public health care is all we need.  The trouble is that I don't know what my needs will be when I am old.  Spending the money on cover now may mean that we can afford more comfort when we are elderly -- a time when a little extra comfort may go a long way in giving quality of life.

 

It is a complex issue, with many unknowns.  How do you all feel about it?

[Kevin]

@Kilburt, if I recall correctly, the sequence of events is something like this:

1. Completed application, without opportunity to submit evidence.
2. Made payment.
3. Possible delay -- not long
4. Payment confirmed -- acknowledgement of application received in email.  Email provided instructions to upload evidence on ImmiAccount.
5. ImmiAccount application status changed to "Received".
6. Clicking on the application now gives an additional page per applicant: "Attach documents".
7. I attached all relevant evidence.
8. Another delay -- in my case 10 days.
9. Received "Assessment Commence" email (aka "GSM.allocated") telling me which processing centre would be processing my application.
10. Another delay -- duration uncertain.

 

Edited September 1, 2016 by Kevin
Minor grammar correction

[AFreshStart]

2 hours ago, Deezo said:

So @Kevin are you saying that the health insurance you get as a citizen in Australia is not adequate as you get older?

Why couldn't you remain on that?

 

@Deezo,

 

Kevin gave a great assessment of things above. Public health is GREAT, but not all that responsive when it comes to non life threatening ailments. We have private for this reason, to cover things not covered by Medicare, this is including Dental & Optical cover.

 

We've not seen a bill in the almost 2-years we've been here for visits to the Dr. and two hospital trips, but of late my son needed an assessment done by an OT, which isn't covered by Medicare, so Private helps here. My daughter now needs a surgical procedure on her ear, it's not life threatening and as such the wait list for the procedure is currently 7 months, the op is done in a general hospital by a registrar, we can chose our specialist, but no guarantee she will do the operation, she might only oversee it.

 

Private medical allows us to pick the hospital and we can have it done anytime we want and done by the Dr. of our choice, we have to pay the shortfall out of our own pocket, but it will sure make her life happier than having to wait 7-12 months to have the procedure done.

 

The same goes for your later years, you could need a hip replacement and be in excruciating pain, but it's not life threatening, so you could wait for well over a year before having the operation done, not a great quality of life to have to ensure that. This is why many chose to have private cover.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2016 by AFreshStart

[Deezo]

Thanks for the info @Kevin  

 

So its a very similar situation to the NHS in the UK where services are good for the general public needs but with more complex procedures that have a waiting list then Pvt Healthcare is optimal as you can fast-track the queues and have your hip replacement etc done a lot faster.

 

Im 30 now and would like to allocate funds to our new life in Aus first like finding a property etc but i see from the age of 30 (its 35 in SA) you start getting loadings on joining late which is such a hack because this could create an issue on our finances...

 

Any idea what the cost would be for a basic healthcare options in Aus that covers the basics (so a cheaper option just to get you on the system like a hospital plan in SA for example)?

 

@AFreshStart i completely see your point in having some supplementary cover in place as its a good-to-have should something serious happen where you are your family require a more urgent procedure but my question is if you require a hip replacement (for example) then what would the Aus government rather prefer - someone who cannot work because of their condition or pay for their procedure so that can get back to work?

 

@Kilburt i agree with @Kevin on his timeline and process except we haven't been given a CO or been notified of anything as yet, however we only completed our medicals yesterday so we are probably going to have someone appointment once that has been uploaded as we have already uploaded all other documents we felt were relevant  

[ChrisH]

2 hours ago, Deezo said:

however we only completed our medicals yesterday

 

How long does it take more or less?

[Deezo]

@ChrisH the Dr said it would be uploaded by them to eMedicals website by next week Wednesday (due to yesterday being Friday) but 2 to 3 business days i would say and then he advised it would take a further 3 days or so for DIPB to do anything from there...

 

So will keep you posted once we know  

[AFreshStart]

7 hours ago, Deezo said:

 

@AFreshStart i completely see your point in having some supplementary cover in place as its a good-to-have should something serious happen where you are your family require a more urgent procedure but my question is if you require a hip replacement (for example) then what would the Aus government rather prefer - someone who cannot work because of their condition or pay for their procedure so that can get back to work?

 

 

@Deezo

 

Mate, you're welcome to test the system and see, I just know people that have had to wait a year in agonizing pain while they "wait their turn". NSW had over 74,351 people waiting for elective surgery in June, 19,056 of which were for orthopedic operations. At Nepean the median time for knee replacement was 369 days and 355 days for a hip replacement, it's INCREASED year on year, it's not getting any shorter...

 

There is talk here of loading, but also bare in mind that in addition to insurance premium loading there is also an additional tax the government charges you if you don't have private medical aid over a certain threshold, currently 0-1.5% of your income, it's means tested and is called MLS, Medicare Levy Surcharge.

 

Remember you can choose your level of cover as well, you can, much like in South Africa, just have a hospital plan, or tailor it to including things like dental and optical etc. It's hard to tell you what it's going to cost because you need to shop around for your needs, but estimates can be obtained from the big guys like MediBank, Bupa & HCF.

 

I'd also add ambulance cover into the mix, that service isn't FREE either, a short 15min ride cost a family member $400 (edited from $800 I said it was, still!) after being stung by a sting ray... double whammy!

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Edited September 2, 2016 by AFreshStart

[ChrisH]

5 hours ago, Deezo said:

@ChrisH the Dr said it would be uploaded by them to eMedicals website by next week Wednesday (due to yesterday being Friday) but 2 to 3 business days i would say and then he advised it would take a further 3 days or so for DIPB to do anything from there...

 

So will keep you posted once we know  

 

Thanks for the feedback, but I meant how long did the physical medicals take from start to finish.

[Deezo]

Thanks for all the info @AFreshStart  

 

It all makes sense, but i will have to explore more once we are over in Aus, earning an income etc but still good to know  

In the end there is no price for your health so always good to have something i say...

 

@ChrisH my apologies 

 

There were some other people there but i would say in total about 30mins each but it would have been quicker is we didn't have to wait for other people etc.

Then the x-rays were very quick but again we also had to wait for our turn so about another 30mins or so.

 

Also i went on this afternoon and some have already said completed!

I was shocked but i see my standard medical says "awaiting grading" so i hope thats not anything serious as i know they grade you an A (health) or B (unhealthy) and if you have a B grade then your medical is referred.

 

My wife on the other hand has got all hers as completed except for Hepatitis C which says "incomplete" so guess we will just wait until next week Tuesday or Wednesday for more info and  if no clarity then i will call the panel Dr.

[JonathanR]

@AFreshStart, regarding the loading for private medical, do you know if they accept the membership certificate from Discovery in South Africa? Or don't they load new immigrants?

[AFreshStart]

3 hours ago, JonathanR said:

@AFreshStart, regarding the loading for private medical, do you know if they accept the membership certificate from Discovery in South Africa? Or don't they load new immigrants?

 

@JonathanR,

 

If you are a new migrant to Australia, then you have until the later of 1st July following your 31st birthday OR the first anniversary of your full Medicare registration to take out private hospital cover without incurring a Lifetime Health Cover loading. So you have a bit of grace.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

 

[Guest]

The Australian Government will most likely send you a letter around 6 months before your one year anniversary in Australia. They basically explain in the letter the penalties for not taking out private health insurance I.e. Loading. This is what happened to us and gave us enough time to do our research and decide if and when we wanted private medical. We took our private medical 2 month's ago. When applying you may be entitled to a rebate. Also we contacted Medicare for a certificate of movement, this proves that you have been in Australia less than a year, it states the date you originally applied for Medicare. This movement certificate needs to be forwarded onto your private health insurer and this will decrease your premiums. Without this certificate they will charge you a premium with the loading added on.