175 online - questions and answers

[Avatar]

My wife and I want to apply before year end, but the first date I can write IELTS is 17 Jan. DO you think I could book the test and apply NOW ????

Hi,

You must have IELTS results before you apply, or risk having your visa declined. There are a few previous threads about this if you do a search on the forum - a few visas have been declined for not having IELTS results when lodging, and the people concerned had to reapply, and pay again, but got priority processing.

[luv2go]

Hi,

I've been reading this thread and have found it very interesting indeed!

My question is this: My hubby and I are umming & ahing on applying for the PR visa now from SA and then getting a sponsored work visa in the mean time or getting a sponsored work visa now and then applying for PR once we're in OZ. So, any input would be appreciated as we can't make our minds up about it!!!

But, saying all that, if it's true that the process has speeded up as much as this then maybe it's worth applying now from SA?

Thing is, we sent our 4 year old daughter to Oz with her grandparents so long and would really like to get there sooner rather than later!

[Avida]

Hi Stef, this is all quite new to me. I do you know if you have to have the IELTS results before you can apply ?? I have just received a positive assessment for my Skills and now have enough points to apply. My wife and I want to apply before year end, but the first date I can write IELTS is 17 Jan. DO you think I could book the test and apply NOW ????

Hi Justadi

Legally you need to have passed you IELTS and Skills assessment before you may lodge a 175 application. Failure to do so will cause the application to be refused, and you will have to reapply (and pay the fees again) once you have passed these.

A

[jolandaw]

How long does it take between your e application has been receipted and when you get an email acknowledgement? It has been 3 working days since I lodged and received the payment receipt, and I have still not had an acknowlegement - I assume it is per email? I would like to do the final upload, but when I log into the e-status website, I get

Unable to provide further processing details at this time as the link to the application processing system is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.

I have also posted an enquiry on this site, but so far, no luck.............

[sasher]

Hi jolandaw,

We received our email the same day but their system does seem to be down a lot lately. Make sure to check your junk mail folder as often their communication ends up there. Did you receive a TRN number with your application and did you enter a password. If so you can add your final documents here: attaching documents for visa

Regards, S

[jolandaw]

Hi Sasher,

You're a star! I have managed to login and can see the docs that I have uploaded. I will followup wrt the acknowledgment letter directly with DIAC.

Thanks

Jo

[miran]

Please don't think it's a stupid question: If you are the main applicant on a 175, do you have to get a job within a certain time? My scenario: I'm the main applicant, but would prefer to stay at home for the first 2 years, just untill my daughter is old enough to go to Prep. Then I want to start working again.

My Teaching Skills are being assessed and I know I have to register as a teacher within 2 years, but do I have to work? I just assumed hubby would work.

I've read that the online 175 application is faster (how much faster?) Has anybody sent an online and paper application? What if you have your medicals done before you apply? Will they keep your results somewhere untill they receive your full application? We've already postponed our medicals.

[ChristineC]

Please don't think it's a stupid question: If you are the main applicant on a 175, do you have to get a job within a certain time? My scenario: I'm the main applicant, but would prefer to stay at home for the first 2 years, just untill my daughter is old enough to go to Prep. Then I want to start working again.

My Teaching Skills are being assessed and I know I have to register as a teacher within 2 years, but do I have to work? I just assumed hubby would work.

I've read that the online 175 application is faster (how much faster?) Has anybody sent an online and paper application? What if you have your medicals done before you apply? Will they keep your results somewhere untill they receive your full application? We've already postponed our medicals.

The main applicant and accompanying people can start work any time under normal circumstances, but like you say requirements of your profession may apply.

Online applications are often faster, but sometimes not. See SAAustralia Timelines. The most recent visa cancels any existing ones, so I certainly wouldn't recommend sending one after the other - It may cause problems. You can only do your medicals once you've submitted your application and received an instruction (and the forms) to get your medicals done. But be careful about doing them too early as you generally have to enter Australia on your PR within 1 year from the date of your medicals. We did our medicals soon after we lodged our application, and are now unsure if our visa will be issued before they expire.

Hope that helps

- Daniel

[miran]

Thanx, yes it helps. I was actually trying to fasttrack everything by having ALL the documents with the application. Thought that maybe if they don't have to wait for me to send more documents, I'll win a month or two. We've even asked for PCC.... Fortunately the PCC isn't too expensive. (I think I should postpone the medicals though, that is too expensive to redo!) I've already downloaded all the Medical and Radiology forms and the doctor said we can do the medicals without instruction from a CO. We really hope to be in OZ by Christmas 2009.

I think I'll take the "offline" paper option. Hopefully we can lodge end of January.

Just pray and wait for Teaching Assessment..... :

[jolandaw]

This is a warning to all e-lodgers to make sure that you get your acknowledgement letter that is emailed to you after submission. After I lodged, I received my receipt of payment, TRN and was able to upload all my documentation. I did however not receive an acknowledgement letter. I waited for a week and then phoned DIAC. They could not trace my application at first. It seems that when you lodge, your application is transferred from one server to another. The second server generates the acknowledgement letter. There was a problem with my application in the transfer process. DIAC is now going to print my application from the first server and lodge it as a paper application with e-lodge priority. So, make sure that you get that acknowledgement letter. The friendly lady at DIAC has admitted that this happens every now and again.

[Biker]

You mean a physical letter or an email?

I got 2 emails:

one

AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION FOR MIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA UNDER THE GENERAL SKILLED MIGRATION PROGRAM - REQUEST

and another cause I submitted also on Skills Matching Database (which is a separate thing)

[lyall]

';The most recent visa cancels any existing ones, ..;

Have been advied by DIAC that

if this happens we can withdraw

the one that we no longer require..we are here on a 457, awaiting 176, and want to change sponsors..

has anyone heard of this being done??

[Sakunatsa]

My question is on the newly introduced Critical Skills List (CSL). It seems professions on this list will now be given 'processing priority' as of 1 Jan 2009.

1) Assuming everything on the applicant's file is in order how long then will it take for a Visa to be issued since they are now being given priority?

2) For Accountants there will only be given priority if they have scored 7 on IELTS on each of the four competencies- 'Proficient'. What if one has scored an

average of 7 or over but had 6.5 on Listening (Reading-8, Speaking-7, Writing-8 for example will that person's application be considered on the 'priority

list'?

3) It currently takes about 8-14 months for a 175 Visa to be issued. Will the time span for those on MODL but not on Critical Skills List be longer than one year

due to the introduction of the CSL? Are we looking at a period of 2 years here for a Visa (175) to be issued?

[Overberger]

Yippee!

I am on the CSL list!!!!

Only saw this now!

[CTFamily]

A CSL list - I didn't even know it existed!!!

And I'm on it :-) :-)

[buzzbee]

hi there everyone

we are wanting to do our 175 online and i am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it. we started it tonight and made a little bit of headway. i have read all 21 pages of this topic and still am a bit hazy about certain things, so some questions: (apologies if they sound a bit dense - i feel like a need a step-by-step list at this point!):

1. Is there a separate document checklist for the online 175, or should we use the one that is provided for the paper 175 application?

2. For those of you that have gone through all of this, did you gather together all your documents beforehand and then start the process or did you just provide documents as you needed to?

3. Do I understand correctly that once we have answered all the online questions, we submit the application and pay, and then after that we have 28 days to attach all our documents? Or do some documents have to be attached with the initial submission?

4. Has anyone had their saved application deleted if it wasn't submitted within 28 days? (my husband is doing his IELTS on 17 Jan and we may not have the results before 28 days are up).

5. Anything else crucial that we should know before embarking on the online application? (paper is more my comfort zone but we want to maximise our chances of it getting processed as quickly as possible - my husband's profession is on the MODL but not on the new CSL).

Thanks in anticipation for all the advice!

[buzzbee]

One more questions I forgot to ask:

6. Should we scan in the originals of the documents, or do we scan certified copies of the originals?

THank you!

[Overberger]

Hi Buzzbee,

Not 100% certain but pretty confident, so here it goes:

1. The paper one covers most/all of it.

2. I gathered all of the documentation before hand but was very keen on lodging before but waited. You don't want your application to be thrown out due to not uploading docs within 28 days.

3. You are correct, you don't have to upload any docs immediately.

4. I would be careful with this one, I think I saw somewhere on the forum that somebody was turned down because of late uploading of IELTS and had to re-apply. Lots of money down the drain!

5. Not that I can think of.

6. You can scan the originals in if it is in colour and if it is black and white than you need to scan the certified copies (which would have some colour on due to certification).

Good luck and if you got more questions your welcome!

The only other issue is the long wait, I had to go redo my PCC today and if I am not going to get a CO soon would have to go redo my Medicals also!

So I would wait a bit with those two documents!

Good luck,

Pieter

[psxkim]

2> The compulsory items are the Skills Assessment and IELTS results when lodging, others, you can email them and inform them of the date that you have applied for such documents (Meds, PCC, etc)

[Rover]

Complete your Skills Assesment and IELTS, only when you have both and meet the minimum requirements, apply.

Then wait untill you have a CO, then do your PCC and Medicals.

[Stranded]

Hello

Me again, Say you apply for a 175, in order to qualify you use Husband as principle, but for extra points you need wifes degree aswell.

Do you only send skills to ACS for Principle or do you have to send Wifes as well?

Yip, that's as simple as I can try to explain this..

Thanks for being there!!

Stranded

[buzzbee]

Thx, Overberger and others.

Ya, we both have our skills assessments and we definitely won't submit without IELTS result - that's why I was concerned about being wiped off the system within the 28 days. From what I have read on this forum and the brit expat forum, that doesn't seem to have happened to anyone yet, so I am not worrying about it.

Am rather nervous about all the scanning and uploading, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it (I am pretty computer literate, but feel quite out of my depth).

Am also a bit confused about the whole medicals etc. thing, but I get that we shouldn't supply them straight away and should hold off on getting them.

This forum continues to amaze me, so thanks to all for your generosity!

[buzzbee]

hi all

another question re the online application. the DIAC instructions say that no document can be more than 1000KB. I have scanned in all our docs as PDF files, but some of them are too big. I read the DIAC instructions about how to reduce a PDF file, but I don't understand them. I can convert the files to txt, but they look a total mess then and not very official! Am I being dense or is there an easy way to do this? In the experience of those of you that have gone through the process, does it matter if the file size is too big?

thanks

[psxkim]

Hi,

Use a product called primopdf (it is free)

select the option eBook when creating your files......it should reduce it.

[JacquesV]

So tomorrow is the big day for us Going to be lodging with our agent. What a (pleasant?) journey it's been to get to this point.