The Visa Arrives!

Today we received the news we have wanted since we arrived...my visa is in the process of being granted! The only thing we need to do now is leave Australia. For some reason, to grant the visa you must be out of the country. On the plus side though, you can go to any country you wish- so we’re going to Bali!

Here it is in all its (edited) glory...

Dear Mrs M,

I refer to your current migrant visa application.

The processing of your application has reached the stage where I am in a position to grant your visa.  If your application is granted, you will be required to make an initial entry to Australia before 15 July 2012.  This “initial entry date” is linked to the expiry of your health and character checks and cannot be altered or extended after visa grant.

However, one of the criteria for the grant of this subclass of visa is that you must be outside Australia at the time of grant of visa.

Departmental records show that you are currently in Australia.  Therefore, you will need to leave Australia before I can grant your visa.

Please advise me by email or by facsimile of your intended date of departure from Australia, flight number and country of destination.  It is important that you receive confirmation from me that I have received this information before you travel. If you do not receive confirmation from me, there may have been a problem with the email transmission and you should try to contact me again.

  

In order to ensure that your travel plans have not changed, could you also please reconfirm your travel details - by email or facsimile - the day before you depart Australia.

   

It is important that you provide this office with the requested information within 28 days of the date of this letter. If you do not respond within the given time frame, a decision on your application will be made based on the information contained on your file at that time.

Yours sincerely

Case Officer

After reading this exciting news, Nabeela perched on my knee looking up at me, I began to screech happily, much to Nabeela’s bemusement.

Sadly the next thing I read (on facebook) was the tragic news of my ex-teacher, Mike’s death. I will mention this as my way of thanking him for being a wonderful and interesting teacher and for all the long chats we had after lessons. Thanks Mike for injecting a small amount of your enthusiasm of photography into me and for your kindness.

So with this mixture of wonderful and tragic news I rushed over to Ryan, simultaneously crying and smiling. He was suitably confounded.

Later in the day we stopped in at the travel agents to enquire about the price of a holiday to Bali. We left the shop a couple of grand lighter in the wallet (or more specifically on the credit card) and with wide grins spread across our faces. We’re going to Bali in ten days!