| Q |
How long will it take for my visa
to arrive, after I have sent in all the paperwork? |
| A |
It's difficult to say how long the visa application will take to process.
It depends on how many applications they are getting in the same month as yours, and how
many staff members there are at the Australian Embassy or Consulate in your country. It
would be best to contact them in advance and ask for a time estimate. |
| Q |
Will it help if I ring up from time to time and
ask how it's going? |
| A |
No, don't do that. In fact, ringing up to make inquiries can slow things
down. The immigration staff have to go looking for your file. It's taken off the pile of
applications and away from the immigration officer who is dealing with your case, while a
secretary checks through to see how the application procedure is going. When your inquiry
has been answered, the file may be put into another basket. It may take days to get back
onto the desk of the immigration officer dealing with your case. |
| Q |
If my situation changes at home, or at work,
shall I contact the Embassy and tell them about it? |
| A |
You should contact the Australian Embassy or Consulate about any major
changes that could affect your application. Usually you will not have to pay an extra fee,
unless it involves a large change in your qualifications, or you are now applying under a
different section, in which case you would be asked to lodge a fresh application. You pay
an extra fee when you give the Embassy staff a lot of extra work. Major changes that will
affect your application are:
1. Changes to the family, such as a new pregnancy, birth of a baby,
diagnosis of a major disease, or a death.
2. A new job, or promotion. Or a change in qualifications if you or one
of your family members finishes a training course. Or you may have several qualifications
and you decide to start a new career. Any changes at all in this area, to any member of
the family, should be reported to the immigration authorities. It may affect your chances
of finding work and settling down in Australia.
3. If you are applying under one of the sections requiring a sponsor,
then any changes in the sponsor's welfare should also be reported.
4. Any change in who is going to Australia. For example, your
dependent son may leave university and get engaged. He would no longer be able to apply to
migrate as your dependent. Or your mother might change her mind about settling in a new
country, and decide to go and live with your sister down the road instead.
|
| Q |
If I get a letter from the Australian Embassy to
ask for more details about my application, does it mean they are nearly finished? |
| A |
Don't interpret a call or letter from the Australian Embassy or Consulate
as having any other meaning than what it says. It's easy to get excited and think this or
that sign is looking very hopeful. Or surely, if they are asking about my sponsor, they
must be nearly finished? But all it really means is that the Embassy staff are doing their
job and processing your application. Wait until you receive your visa in writing. |
| Q |
How long, after I send in my visa application,
should I wait before I apply for a passport? And what about selling my house and giving up
my job? |
| A |
Wait until you receive your visa in writing. There will be plenty of time
before the visa expires for you to make all your arrangements. |
| Q |
How long, after I get my visa, do I have to
leave my present country? |
| A |
When your visa arrives, make sure you read the expiry date. It will
usually be valid for six months. |
| Q |
Will I be able to take all my furniture with me
to Australia? Some of it is antique and I would hate to leave my mementos
behind. |
| A |
It is nice to bring your own things, and to be able to pass on mementos
from the old country to future generations of Australians. However, furniture and
electrical goods are all available in Australia, and you may find you can save yourself
time and money by buying new things on arrival. If you are thinking about taking furniture
and household items, you should consider the following:
1. The cost. Make inquiries about packaging and freight costs. It can
be expensive to ship heavy furniture. Also if you arrive in Australia without your things,
you may have to wait months for them to arrive. Some people go sightseeing while their
goods are in transit. They take a caravan and tour their new country. Or you can hire
temporary household equipment in Australia.
2. If you are bringing in antiques, make sure they will stand up to
the Australian climate. Some wooden furniture can warp badly in the hot, dry heat. Be
careful of marquetry and inlaid items. Pianos with a wooden bed need frequent tuning.
Antiques and stuffed animals may need fumigation if the port authorities suspect any kind
of infestation or contamination. Also, if your family's wealth is tied to these antiques,
make sure Australian values are the same as they would be in your present country. For
example, you may have a silver teapot. You have kept it for many years, knowing you could
always sell it for good money if times were hard. Antique silver teapots may be worth a
tidy sum in your present country, but you might find in Australia that they have little
value. Make some inquiries first.
3. Electrical goods and appliances may be quite useless in Australia
if they are the wrong voltage (240V in Australia). There may also be other problems with
appliances. For example, if you are coming from a cooler climate, your refrigerator may
not be insulated to a high enough standard. See if your Australian Embassy or Consulate
has a leaflet about bringing household furniture into Australia. Some Embassies even give
lectures to migrants about the differences in lifestyle in Australia, and what to take
with you.
|
| Q |
What about our car? Can we bring that? And what
about my son's boat? My wife's jewellery? |
| A |
You can import cars and boats to Australia (at some expense), but you may
have to pay Import Duty and Sales Tax. Your wife's personal jewellery will be all right,
providing she has had it for more than twelve months. In practice the Customs Officers
assess each case individually, and if they suspect you are importing jewellery for resale,
you may be asked to produce proof that your wife has owned the items for more than twelve
months. This means sales dockets or other documentation. Ask at the Australian Embassy or
Consulate for a leaflet on Australian Customs regulations. |
| Q |
I'm not sure about my clothes. Do girls wear the
same things to the office in Australia as they do here? |
| A |
Clothes in Australia follow much the same fashions as they do in any other
Western country. This is the Southern Hemisphere, so we tend to be six months behind the
fashions in Europe and America. Just bring the things you have, and replace your wardrobe
when you can afford it. There may be larger differences in children's fashions than in
office wear. You should budget for buying new school clothes, as most children in
Australia wear a uniform, especially in the younger grades. As a general rule, the dress
in Australia would be considered casual by most other Western cultures. The main
differences may be in climate, and the appropriate
clothes to wear in your new district. Check with an atlas, or ask at your local library
about summer and winter temperatures, and rainfall figures. |
| Q |
Can we bring our dog with us? And what about
seeds from my garden to plant in Australia? |
| A |
You can bring family pets, but they will have to be quarantined. It is a
long separation for an animal used to living in a family, and the cost is considerable,
both for flying the animal over and for quarantine. You might want to think about finding
the pet a good home in your present country. Plants and seeds are on the list of
prohibited imports. Most plants are already commercially available in Australia through
nurseries or importers of exotic plants. But if you are a really keen gardener, write to
the Department of Agriculture in the State where you plan to live. |
| Q |
Is there anything that I am forbidden to bring? |
| A |
There is quite a list of items you are forbidden to bring into Australia,
and it includes such things as weapons, illegal drugs, contraband and illegal furs and
ivory. Check with the Australian Embassy or Consulate in your present overseas country. Be
very careful not to bring in any illegal objects or substances. The penalties are severe:
people go to prison. |
