Aussie Partner Processing Wait times

[cnpossum]

Hello everyone, just to keep this topic active, let me share my timeline with you:

16-02-2016 applied through VFS Bangkok

11-03-2016 visitors visa granted (single entry 3 month only with 8503)

21-07-2016 Medical and additional docs required by case officer

22-07-2016 Medical done in Melbourne

25-07-2016 Medical uploaded

29-07-2016 submitted additional docs through VFS Bangkok

No update yet

I've been following different forums, didn't see any updates for Thailand recently. I'm Chinese, so I also follow Chinese forums, for some reason, the process in China is fast this year, many people got their 309 granted within 6 months, and we are also the high risk country. I don't know why, maybe we have big population, more people are applying and more staff involved.

Anyway, good luck everyone, lets keep in touch.

[Yamba]

If you apply online do you not still need to go to VFS in Bkk for the biometric data?

[steve0367]

Yes this is correct you must submit biometrics at Vfs 

[steve0367]

Hi all just a non update and gripe 

 

My wife just returned to Los and is due to come back to Aus early November. Her visa application will have been is the system for a bit over 10 months by then. I was thinking about delaying her return to Aus if I could get any sort of advice from her case officer as to when a decision would be made. I don't want her to return in November only to be told a few weeks later to go home as a decision is due to be made. As expected I got the standard response from her case officer.

Thank you for your email. I regret to inform you that I cannot advise you other than the outcome of the application can be expected around December 2016 – January 2017." 

This is information that I already know,  I am lucky that my wife can come and go to Aus on her tourist visa until may 2017 but I am just trying to get her daughter into a English speaking environment as soon as possible before the new school year. 

[SaintLouisBlues]

24 minutes ago, steve0367 said:

As expected I got the standard response from her case officer.

Thank you for your email. I regret to inform you that I cannot advise you other than the outcome of the application can be expected around December 2016 – January 2017." 

Frankly that's as good as it gets these days with Aussie Immigration. They're woefully understaffed. A friend of mine had his wife's initial application approved, they lived together in Australia for required 2 years and then applied for residence for her. That was over a year ago, and still waiting. From time to time they're asked by Immigration for evidence that they're still living together, but no final decision

[machans88]

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 8:10 AM, cnpossum said:

Hello everyone, just to keep this topic active, let me share my timeline with you:

16-02-2016 applied through VFS Bangkok

11-03-2016 visitors visa granted (single entry 3 month only with 8503)

21-07-2016 Medical and additional docs required by case officer

22-07-2016 Medical done in Melbourne

25-07-2016 Medical uploaded

29-07-2016 submitted additional docs through VFS Bangkok

No update yet

I've been following different forums, didn't see any updates for Thailand recently. I'm Chinese, so I also follow Chinese forums, for some reason, the process in China is fast this year, many people got their 309 granted within 6 months, and we are also the high risk country. I don't know why, maybe we have big population, more people are applying and more staff involved.

Anyway, good luck everyone, lets keep in touch.

 

Our timeline is one month different we applied vfs 16/01/2016 one month earlier than you, everything else is a mirror image of our timeline, medicals, police checks and extra docs sent off,

except we didn't apply for visitor visa and we are both in thailand,

coming up to 9 months and still no approval yet.

[steve0367]

Hmm just saw on another forum 309/100 visa granted within six months from India. I am sure they have a lot more Applications to get through than the embassy in Thailand. 

[steve0367]

Just keeping this forum alive. Got another request for more information last night. They require a Australian PCC for my wife. She must have ticked over 12 months on her last visit. Any way I have applied for it and will get it posted direct to the embassy in Bangkok 

[sipidan]

Hello everyone, just to keep this topic active, let me share my timeline with you:

My partner & Daughter applied via immiaccount for BC100 Partner - First stage UF309 on 06.06.2016

Biometrics & medical requested the next day 07.06.2016

Both completed within 3 days.

First contact since was on 25.10.2016 requesting 3 further pieces of evidence.

Which was my partner and daughter Thai birth certificates certified and a UK police clearance, even though I have not lived there for 12 months or more in the last 10 year. I only supplied Thai & Aussie police certs. These will all be uploaded to the immiacount next week probably Wednesday.

One dilemma we have now is that before this contact (Thought it would be 8/10 months not 4) we'd done all the paperwork for their Visitor Visa's and were going to submit this week at VFS then book 2 return flights to Aussie for around the end of November until early Jan so we can all spend Xmas together, just changed my work location.

Now we don't know whether to delay applying for Visitor Visa and wait for decision or just do it.

But then they would need to be outside of Australia to get PR granted.

Would Immigration tell the girls to get out before granting PR visa as that would be another costly pain and potential hinder our Xmas & NY or would Immigration wait to grant visa until they are back in Thailand in January?

Anyone had similar experiences?

 

[steve0367]

Hi Sipidan,

I have a similar problem, my wife is due to fly back to Aus on the 5th of November her visa will most likely come through in December or January at the latest. I asked if I should delay her return pending her visa decision,  but I couldn't get a reply other than the standard 12 month quote. I would be surprised if you got a decision before January or February as there have been no quick visas from Thailand that I have seen on any forums this year. Do what I am doing bring them over enjoy Xmas and if you are really lucky their visa's come through 

[Gopro]

On 10/29/2016 at 0:29 PM, sipidan said:

 

Would Immigration tell the girls to get out before granting PR visa as that would be another costly pain and potential hinder our Xmas & NY or would Immigration wait to grant visa until they are back in Thailand in January?

Anyone had similar experiences?

 

 

If they are going to make a decision and your in OZ, they will let you know...You can then leave.

 

I had a mate who's wifes visa was granted 2 hours after she left Sydney airport.

[machans88]

My wife just got a phone call from immigration saying her partner visa approved!!

Lodged on the 16/01/2016 at vfs bangkok, approved melbourne cup day 01/ 11/2016.... 9 and half months wow.!!

[steve0367]

Congrats machans I think mine would have gone through as well had she not stayed here the last 3 months


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[steve0367]

Machans was your case officer P.O? Just using initials as I don't think you can use names on here


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[machans88]

56 minutes ago, steve0367 said:

Machans was your case officer P.O? Just using initials as I don't think you can use names on here


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

ours started with a "J"

[cnpossum]

2 hours ago, machans88 said:

My wife just got a phone call from immigration saying her partner visa approved!!

Lodged on the 16/01/2016 at vfs bangkok, approved melbourne cup day 01/ 11/2016.... 9 and half months wow.!!

Hi Machans,

 

Congratulations! May I ask you:

Were you granted 100 or 309?

How long it took since you last submitted the additional documents?

 

Thanks!

[machans88]

19 hours ago, cnpossum said:

Hi Machans,

 

Congratulations! May I ask you:

Were you granted 100 or 309?

How long it took since you last submitted the additional documents?

 

Thanks!

We were granted sub class 100, i think it was may when we completed the police check, medical and some extra info required from immigration.

[Northpoint]

Hi all, I am a newbie on this thread and I just finished reading all of it.

 

Last Wednesday 2.July I submitted an application for a temporary 309 partner visa application with my de facto wife at the VFS Trendy office in Bangkok. We were at the VFS office on the 28th floor at 8.30 am and it was only a few minutes before we were attended to. We handed our completed application with the SP47, SP40, two 888 forms and all other documents to the nice young man behind  the counter. He told us to sit down and wait to enable him to peruse through the application, which took about 25 to 30 minutes. He then called us back and we paid the application fee of THB 192150 and the VFS service fee of THB 883 in cash.

We got a receipt for the payment with a File No. and the VLN No. AUV-TH-01-......-X and my partner then did the biometric check on the opposite side of the premises. We were all done by 10.30 am and then made our way back by BTS, Cityline and bus from the airport to our condominium in Jomtien, Pattaya.

 

Now here is my first question, which with hindsight I should have asked before we left the VFS Trendy building. How soon can I expect to get a notification from the Australian Embassy and a letter from them for my partner's medical check and will it be sent by letter or email?

 

According to some of the mail on this thread it should only take a couple of days before my application will be given to a case officer at the Oz Embassy, who will then contact us about the notification and the partner's health check. She has already done the police check at theThai police headquarters, which was submitted with the application.

 

Thanks for any reply in advance.

 

 

Edited November 7, 2016 by Northpoint

[flash77]

My wife applied on 9 Feb at VFS and within a day received both an email from VFS with the visa application reference number AUX-TH-... and an email from Immigration saying they had received a valid application with an attached PDF with file number.

After that the next contact was an email on 28 June (4.5 months later) asking for the health checkup. Like you, we had already submitted the police check with the initial application (which may prove to be a mistake - lets see ...). After completing the health checkup there has been no contact since. Its 9 months since she initially applied.

Also, 3 weeks ago she applied for a Visitor Visa online - still waiting for the outcome on that as well.

[Chao Lao Beach]

In Thailand online visitor applications are deliberately delayed 30 days to encourage you to use VFS.  (Not talking PR)

[Northpoint]

5 hours ago, flash77 said:

My wife applied on 9 Feb at VFS and within a day received both an email from VFS with the visa application reference number AUX-TH-... and an email from Immigration saying they had received a valid application with an attached PDF with file number.

After that the next contact was an email on 28 June (4.5 months later) asking for the health checkup. Like you, we had already submitted the police check with the initial application (which may prove to be a mistake - lets see ...). After completing the health checkup there has been no contact since. Its 9 months since she initially applied.

Also, 3 weeks ago she applied for a Visitor Visa online - still waiting for the outcome on that as well.

Thanks for your reply, flash77. Reading all of this good thread makes me think that partner visa applications are processed in many different ways, depending on the applicants circumstances, the case officer one is allocated and the number of applications the Australian Embassy has to deal with.

In my case our file number was written on top of the receipt by the VFS employee after payment. The receipt also had the VLN: AUV-TH-... number on it, which I used to verify online that our application was sent to the embassy the following day.

I was a bit confused about how long it would take to get the notification for my partner's health check-up, as it was mentioned that some people had received a letter for it within a couple of days. I am not worried about that any longer, as it took you 4.5 months to get an email for the check-up.

I would not worry about the submitted police check either. My partner got hers when she applied for a tourist visa for Australia last July, when we mentioned to VFS that we might apply for an onshore partner visa when in Australia. When in Australia we changed our mind and decided to apply back here in Thailand, as we had insufficient time to do so in Australia. We included her police check in the partner visa application at the VFS office last week. She might have to do another one in due course, as her police check was done on 08.July this year and I believe will expire after 12 months.

When we submitted our application last week, the VFS employee said the whole process would take about 12 months and that we could visit Australia with a tourist visa in the meantime, but had to tell the Australian Embassy about our itinerary. My de facto was granted a 12 months multiple entry visa last July, with a last date of entry 30. June 2017. She has now been in Australia 6 times on tourist visas for a total of 517 days. I have no idea, if her time spent in Australia will shorten the lenght of the temporary partner visa, should she be successful with her application near the end of next year.

It took a bit over 3 weeks to get the her last tourist visa, so there shouldn't be any problems with yours. Cheers

[steve0367]

Today my wife had a few missed calls on her phone from a 02 number, so she checked her email and her grant notice was sitting in her inbox.????

after ten months the long wait is finally over. 

Granted subclass 309 

[steve0367]

1 hour ago, Northpoint said:

She has now been in Australia 6 times on tourist visas for a total of 517 days. I have no idea, if her time spent in Australia will shorten the lenght of the temporary partner visa, should she be successful with her application near the end of next year.

It took a bit over 3 weeks to get the her last tourist visa, so there shouldn't be any problems with yours. Cheers

 

 

Now you will need to get an Australian police check for her as well as she has spent 12months here. This was the last thing I had to get for my wife's visa. I suggest you get it done after you have been waiting a few more months as it must be valid before your visa entry date

[flash77]

40 minutes ago, steve0367 said:

Today my wife had a few missed calls on her phone from a 02 number, so she checked her email and her grant notice was sitting in her inbox.????

after ten months the long wait is finally over. 

Granted subclass 309 

Congrats!

 

Scrolled through your earlier posts and noticed about drivers license for Thais. Did you get an answer? At least in Qld, they can drive for 3 months a tourist, and then must sit written exam and practical exam. Not sure about other states.

[Northpoint]

1 hour ago, steve0367 said:

Today my wife had a few missed calls on her phone from a 02 number, so she checked her email and her grant notice was sitting in her inbox.????

after ten months the long wait is finally over. 

Granted subclass 309 .

Congratulations. Getting a 309 after only ten months sounds good. Does the visa grant notice say by which date she has to arrive in Australia?

[Northpoint]

1 hour ago, steve0367 said:

 

 

Now you will need to get an Australian police check for her as well as she has spent 12months here. This was the last thing I had to get for my wife's visa. I suggest you get it done after you have been waiting a few more months as it must be valid before your visa entry date

Thanks for that. I knew a bloke who had to get an Australian Federal Police check for his wife, as she had spent more than a year in total in Australia with tourist visas. Will I have to do a Thai Police check or an Australian Federal Police check as well? The SP 40 form only mentions police checks for sponsors of children under the age of 18 years of age. I am only sponsoring my de facto wife and she is much older than that.

[steve0367]

Hi  Northpoint,

the  7 th of February is her last date of arrival and I don't think you need to get a police check

[Northpoint]

13 minutes ago, steve0367 said:

Hi  Northpoint,

the  7 th of February is her last date of arrival and I don't think you need to get a police check

Thanks mate, good and useful information.

[steve0367]

2 hours ago, flash77 said:

Congrats!

 

Scrolled through your earlier posts and noticed about drivers license for Thais. Did you get an answer? At least in Qld, they can drive for 3 months a tourist, and then must sit written exam and practical exam. Not sure about other states.

Thanks flash77,

 

it it is pretty much the same here but I think she can only drive if she is on a tourist visa. I will have to recheck Vic roads web site now as she will not be on a tourist visa.

 

[machans88]

20 hours ago, steve0367 said:

Today my wife had a few missed calls on her phone from a 02 number, so she checked her email and her grant notice was sitting in her inbox.????

after ten months the long wait is finally over. 

Granted subclass 309 

Congrats steve, it looks like the partner visas are being processed quicker now, 9months for me, 10months for you, compared to the 12months processs last year...maybe less applications...or dare do i say it, they have become more efficient in their jobs!!