Embassy Letter when your Embassy WON'T give it to you!! How to extend???

[bbi1]

The Aussie Embassy has basically said "<deleted> you" to people on SETV/METV and visa exempt by stating on their website they WILL NOT be issuing these letters to people who are not on "long stay" visas. I believe tourist visas are not classified as "long stay" visas, am I correct? If this is the case, and immigration isn't going to extend for anyone who doesn't have this letter, how in the hell are we able to extend our stay here???

[lopburi3]

Quote

We are unable to support requests to extend short term visa’s and encourage you to return to Australia as soon as possible.  

As said - you are requested/expected to return to home country ASAP as has been the mantra for a month or more by most countries to their traveling nationals.  

[ubonjoe]

If they will not budge I suggest you to contact their bosses in Australia. Not much you can do here it seems.

There is some new info filtering out that if you have applied for a 30 day extension after March 26th your extension will be automatically be done again for 30 days.

[madmen]

So they are giving letters for retirement extensions?

[bbi1]

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If they will not budge I suggest you to contact their bosses in Australia. Not much you can do here it seems.

There is some new info filtering out that if you have applied for a 30 day extension after March 26th your extension will be automatically be done again for 30 days.

Only for people who applied for 30 day extensions after 26th March? I applied probably a week before that date, but my extension is valid until the first week of May. So it looks like I'm stuffed either way at this point of time.

[lopburi3]

6 minutes ago, madmen said:

So they are giving letters for retirement extensions?

You use normal procedures for retirement/marriage/work normal extensions but appears they would provide a letter asking extension if you were planning to leave but no flights for those on such extensions.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

So it looks like I'm stuffed either way at this point of time.

Not sure that the March 26 date is fixed yet. I think it will probably be anybody that is already on a 30 day extension.

Just wait for the final decision comes out since you have time.

[DrJack54]

18 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Only for people who applied for 30 day extensions after 26th March? I applied probably a week before that date, but my extension is valid until the first week of May. So it looks like I'm stuffed either way at this point of time.

Hopefully you will be ok. The point is if not your "stuffed" because the Australian Embassy has done NOTHING to help it's citizens. Oz embassy is a wasted space.

[ba ba]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Hopefully you will be ok. The point is if not your "stuffed" because the Australian Embassy has done NOTHING to help it's citizens. Oz embassy is a wasted space.

aus embassy i am allright jack and stuff all other aussie

[thonglorjimmy]

I witnessed foreigners telling IO’s that their Embassy wouldn’t supply these letters, they were simply told to call their Embassy and advise that they had to supply these letters.

You could of course wonder what is the real point of such a letter, it doesn’t provide the IO with anything that the marooned person couldn’t already supply, just another example of Immigration exerting their authority, because they can.

[evadgib]

4 hours ago, madmen said:

So they are giving letters for retirement extensions?

I'm hoping they're not required but nothing would surprise ????

[wmlc]

The Canadian Embassy finally budged and they were holding out for the longest time. It will happen soon. Don’t worry 

[Cuchulainn]

I would write a stiff, but polite email to the mob in Canberra asking for some leniency with regards to the embassy here.

[Olmate]

5 minutes ago, Cuchulainn said:

I would write a stiff, but polite email to the mob in Canberra asking for some leniency with regards to the embassy here.

I,m thinking not too many Oz expats on here have either bothered to register with ,or contact their Embassy to query their own circumstance.Too busy I guess!

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, thonglorjimmy said:

I witnessed foreigners telling IO’s that their Embassy wouldn’t supply these letters, they were simply told to call their Embassy and advise that they had to supply these letters.

You could of course wonder what is the real point of such a letter, it doesn’t provide the IO with anything that the marooned person couldn’t already supply, just another example of Immigration exerting their authority, because they can.

While this seems absurd, try to see things from the immigration officials' point of view. You are applying for an embassy requested extension. For the officials to grant that without something from the embassy would be a clear breach of the rules they are supposed to follow. Even if (as I believe) most junior officials are as upset by the current rules as we are, what are they supposed to do?

 

If you cannot qualify for one of the other reasons for an extension of stay, and must go the embassy requested extension route, either your embassy helps or you will need to go on overstay and hope for the best. Immigration officials are not going to illegally grant you extensions without the primary required documentation for that extension type.

[evadgib]

30 minutes ago, BritTim said:

While this seems absurd, try to see things from the immigration officials' point of view. You are applying for an embassy requested extension. For the officials to grant that without something from the embassy would be a clear breach of the rules they are supposed to follow. Even if (as I believe) most junior officials are as upset by the current rules as we are, what are they supposed to do?

 

If you cannot qualify for one of the other reasons for an extension of stay, and must go the embassy requested extension route, either your embassy helps or you will need to go on overstay and hope for the best. Immigration officials are not going to illegally grant you extensions without the primary required documentation for that extension type.

How can a global shutdown in any way be deemed 'Embassy requested'? This 'letter from the headmaster' lark strikes me as utterly ridiculous!

[tomazbodner]

7 hours ago, bbi1 said:

If this is the case, and immigration isn't going to extend for anyone who doesn't have this letter, how in the hell are we able to extend our stay here???

What was your plan that you wrote in visa application before you came here?

[madmen]

From my embassy oz email last week

 

If you require a letter from us to support your visa extension for Thailand, we will happily do so if you can prove to us that you are a long term resident. If that’s the case, 

[lee b]

I dont know, in CM it clearly stated this was needed, and when peoples forms were being checked those who were missing the document were turned away.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

How can a global shutdown in any way be deemed 'Embassy requested'? This 'letter from the headmaster' lark strikes me as utterly ridiculous!

I understand your frustration. However, expecting a junior immigration official to declare a national emergency, and invent new rules for issuing an extension of stay is ridiculous. Officials issue extensions based on the rules as they exist, not those that logic dictates should exist. By all means, check the Police Order (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwNib_gx9zYEYkFjMUNHV1pXdWs/view) under which officials are obliged to operate. If you can find a "Reason of Necessity" that lists "global shutdown" as a reason for extension of your permission to stay, that would be great. I have looked through this Order several times, and can find nothing that remotely applies. Blame the top brass, but the junior officials (probably as upset by the situation as you are) have no control over this.

[erinsf]

I guess they want you to go home?

[CharlieH]

posts removed.

 

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[RJRS1301]

Email the Foreign Minister, cc the PM, and Secretary, Frances Adamson, Deputy Secretary, Penny Williams PSM

 

Outside Australia: +61 2 6261 3305 (DFAT)

Senator Payne’s western Sydney office, located at Level 3 North Wing, 2-12 Macquarie Street, Parramatta NSW 2150, can be reached on (02) 9687 8755.

[email protected]

[TigerandDog]

If enough people go to the Dept of Foreign Affairs web site and lodge complaints about embassy personnel refusing to issue the required letters, somebody will have to get off their backsides and direct embassy personnel to do so. I have lodged a complaint within the last 5 minutes, so come on aussies hammer Canberra over this.

[jesimps]

I know this thread's about the Aussie embassy, but as an ex member of the British foreign service, I hope the good Lord grants that I never have an emergency situation that requires the help of the British Embassy. Sounds like your lot are as helpful as our lot.

[TigerandDog]

1 hour ago, lee b said:

I dont know, in CM it clearly stated this was needed, and when peoples forms were being checked those who were missing the document were turned away.

was that for 30 day extensions or ALL extensions?

[TigerandDog]

15 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Email the Foreign Minister, cc the PM, and Secretary, Frances Adamson, Deputy Secretary, Penny Williams PSM

 

Outside Australia: +61 2 6261 3305 (DFAT)

Senator Payne’s western Sydney office, located at Level 3 North Wing, 2-12 Macquarie Street, Parramatta NSW 2150, can be reached on (02) 9687 8755.

[email protected]

I've also just fired off an email to Senator Payne making her aware of this dispicable behaviour by the aussie embassy. Hopefully she will act on it.

[PremiumLane]

28 minutes ago, jesimps said:

I know this thread's about the Aussie embassy, but as an ex member of the British foreign service, I hope the good Lord grants that I never have an emergency situation that requires the help of the British Embassy. Sounds like your lot are as helpful as our lot.

Pretty sure the British embassy are doing the letters for tourists 

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

Pretty sure the British embassy are doing the letters for tourists 

As far as I know only Oz embassy has done a runner. The normal countries have supported their citizens, at least on this issue. 

[tomazbodner]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

As far as I know only Oz embassy has done a runner. The normal countries have supported their citizens, at least on this issue. 

They did, indeed. By sending evacuation planes to pick them up and take them home.