# How do you handle delays in your visa application?



## Editor

Even though the Australian visa system is said to be one of the most efficient in the world, there is no doubt that problems do happen and delays can be very stressful for individuals and partners. A number of members of the Australian forum have been discussing the fact that their visa applications have been [...]

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## louiseb

crate of wine, a packet of ciggs, box of tissues and a sad movie, all with my hubby,s shoulder to cry on. Oh i do recall spending hours at the airport watching the emirates flight coming and going, one flight per day but i was there 6/7 days watching in silence, praying for the day i,d be boarding that beautiful plane, and when the day arrived i bawled my eyes out lol.


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## Dexter

When my wife's visa was delayed due to incorrect advice from Immigration I yelled at them and complained... As a result after submitting correct application it only took 2 months instead of 6 to get it processed


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## louiseb

Dexter you yelled at some one lol NEVER........ lol at least it did the job, ( trying to keep this on top lol)


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## jmcd16

I have great difficulty "dealing"with it. How can I? I can't make any long term decisions or commitments. I can't even get a bloody update from DIAC unless you count "it's processing" as an update. I feel like the moment the application left my hands, it entered a big black hole. I feel helpless and listless and powerless. I feel confused... Why are some of these apps being processed in weeks? Someone tell me the secret, I'll send an update, I swear, I'll fix whatever it is... I'll go get magic fairy dust and sprinkle it on there - you just have to explain the magic ingredient... All I want to do is be with the man I love. We have made so many sacrifices to be together... Only to be stuck apart so much of the time... I just want to start my new life. And I get that I have to wait while they process, but really, can't they tell me if its even been LOOKED at yet? Some indication would be helpful. This black box crap makes dealing REALLY hard.

And sorry if the angst seems out of whack with the time we've been waiting... But we had a lot of waiting before we could apply too. We've been together for over 2 years, but between visa issues (working holiday ran out, then tourist visa runs started to look weird, plus i couldnt work) and living on a boat (therefore no proof of cohabitation, just a PO Box), we had to wait it out to give ourselves a better shot. He got a FIFO job, so we moved to NZ where I could work and we could get a lease together. But that left me all alone in a new country for 5 weeks out of every 8. He isn't working FIFO anymore and I just want to go home, have a real home, and have him with me every night. 

I want to stop living my life for this damn visa. I want to take a picture without thinking, "we can add this to the file". I want to stop saving every receipt, every letter, every email. I want to get a real job again, knowing I can commit to stay. Because really, at the moment... I could get a call tomorrow saying its ok to go home. Or, it could be another 9 months! How do you plan a life?


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## louiseb

jmcd oh honey your feelings are so common with so many people waiting for there visa,s. Unfortunatly there is no fairy dust if there was im sure it would have being sold by now lol.
Were are you both living right now are you in Australia, NZ ?


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## jmcd16

I'm in the US; he is in Oz. We chose offshore processing because we were unaware that bridging visas now come standard with work rights (or they may have changed it right after we applied or whatever). We agreed that our chances of getting working rights based on the hardship claims were nil based on his income at the time. I'd already done 6 months in Oz on a tourist visa unable to work, and with him working long swing shifts at the time... Well, I couldn't imagine not working for a year while waiting for the visa... It's hard to keep your head up with nothing to keep you busy while he's gone for a month at a time. And we thought offshore processing would be 5 months or less through DC... Since 5 months is the posted time. We planned a visit to break it up and thought we'd be doing two 2 month stints apart. We figured we could muddle our way through that, and if not i could always come in on my ETA.
Since we applied, circumstances have changed drastically. My partner was laid off just 2 weeks after we applied offshore - when his company lost a bid to extend their contract. He came to visit me here for 6 weeks since he wasnt working, but now I've had to go back to work. On a happy note, I was able to get a contract job in the field of my actual career... A nice change from the apple picking and data entry temp jobs I worked in NZ... But sadly, I had to guarantee them a minimum of 3-4 months on site. It was a decision I struggled with... For all I know, my visa could come on Monday, but now I'm stuck here for another 3+ months... Unfortunately, we had no choice in the matter financially. 
I now wish we had applied onshore. Then we could at least be together through this mess... Hindsight, eh?
It's so hard not knowing. Because we have spent so much time apart (with him working in Australia for 5 weeks and then flying back on his offswing to me in NZ), I worry constantly that we will get denied... That they will not see how much we rely on each other, how much we have sacrificed to be together, how much we support one another. I just need to know that once I finish this stupid contract, everything is going to be all right and we are going to be together. For good. By the time the contract is finished, it will be almost 5 months since we've seen each other. That's the second time in our relationship we've had to do that much time apart. It kills us every day. But I had to take the damn job. We are over 4 months waiting now and they won't give me any indication of where we are for processing. They say 5-12 months. That's all the info I get. Then I look at the others on this forum who have our case officer and he still has August 2012 cases to process... So I can't rely on them to process within the 5 months the client service charter states. I had to make the best decision I could with the limited information I had.
I hate making uninformed decisions. I just want to know that our future is secure.


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## cjka

I've had to let go a job I really wanted because of possible visa grant/application. I regret it to this day. That job had better future career prospect than the Aussie job I had. 

Like someone said, hindsight.....


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## Dexter

> Dexter you yelled at some one lol NEVER


Don't worry, it was reasonable yelling (only raised my voice a bit but did not swear or anything like that). The woman on the other side was very understanding and absolutely agreed with me. I think she really pushed that application after that conversation (which was actually the usual interview for spouse visa and then turned into a massive complaint).


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## queliwantstogo

The short answer: not well; I don't handle it well, especially because I am not able to be with my partner during processing. I am only in the first week or so of my visa being processed, but I have had months of delays in collecting all of the paperwork (since October 2012). 

I pretty much do everything I can to keep busy: from pet sitting during the day, to working evenings, to spending time with friends and chatting with my SO via Skype whenever possible. I make lists; lists help a lot - everything from to-do lists to building my packing list for when I (hopefully) move to Australia. I also stay up into the wee hours of the morning watching Netflix on my iPad and sleep in late to keep my mind off of things.

In terms of directly handling delays in pulling paperwork together and in processing, I try to keep calm. I have already been assigned a CO and contacted her a few times for clarifications, which I am now learning is probably not for the best. But thanks to these forums, I've been feeling less alone in hearing similar stories from others and getting/giving advice


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## Ozz777

I am fortunately able to spend every day with my wife and baby son, but it is still stressful not knowing what is happening or why it is taking sooo long. It is a strange feeling having my life and future plans held at the mercy of some nameless bureaucrats whim. I have never been in quite this position before, and I must say I'm not a fan. 

But, no matter what is finally decided, we will be together, either here, there or somewhere. That is all that matters.


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## queliwantstogo

Ozz777 said:


> It is a strange feeling having my life and future plans held at the mercy of some nameless bureaucrats whim.


Exactly. You feel as if your entire life has been put on hold, even more so if you are the partner waiting outside of Australia. I am currently living with my parents and working a less-than-ideal job simply because I want to be able to pick up and go as soon as (if) my visa is granted.

And while I understand the reasoning of reviewing partner visa applications so thoroughly, I am often overwhelmed by the thought, "Who the hell are you to decide whether or not I can be with my partner?" It's scary to think that our entire future together could essentially be deemed invalid by a faceless legislator.


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## jmcd16

queliwantstogo said:


> I pretty much do everything I can to keep busy: from pet sitting during the day, to working evenings, to spending time with friends and chatting with my SO via Skype whenever possible. I make lists; lists help a lot - everything from to-do lists to building my packing list for when I (hopefully) move to Australia. I also stay up into the wee hours of the morning watching Netflix on my iPad and sleep in late to keep my mind off of things.


I used to do that back when he was working a month at a time. I've come up with a new strategy this time, and it's working a little better. Routine and goals. I get up, go to work, go to gym or yoga, make dinner, do laundry, make breaky and lunch, talk to SO, go to bed. The goals are to get healthy (juicing and healthy food) and get fit so his eyes bug out of his head (extra) when I get off the plane.

The routine gives me no time to mope and the little wins at the gym/in the mirror give me little pick me ups. I've been doing this for a month now and it's definitely helping me some. Don't know if it will help anyone else... But just in case, I thought I'd mention it. It's still tough. I still feel down. But I think controlling my life in these ways helps me make up for the totally out of control/helpless feeling that the immigration black box leaves me with.


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