Is there any reason i should not drag my feet

[Guest skellysgirl]

Over the last few month's we have had to re-assess our plans to emigrate. We have changed our plans drastically, but i am cautious, as there may be aspects i have not considered.

 

We hoped to be hopefully moving over for end of 2009, visa pending

 

Our first strike, was being refused SA sponsorship, first of all i sulked and went into my little corner for a whilst, i got over it but it did make me question our timing in addition to our research. Straight afterwards i stopped to take a look at the chances of reaching our targets. We decided that due to the housing market we would stand to lose quite a lot of our capital, and decided to ride it out for the next 2 yr and we would do the visa slowly.

 

We also decided as we had a bit more time in UK to have a very longed for baby, and luckily got pregnant quickly baby due in Sept. I have looked at the implications of pregnancy during visa. It goes in our favor time wise

 

But me being me....could not resist the urge to challenge the decision by SA government....and they changed their decision... and we got SA sponsorship. It was due to a misunderstanding on my CV.

 

So i now have around 40 days to start my visa. sooner than my new plans counted on.

 

We plan to try and drag the visa process out as long as possible, i am hoping to try and stretch it to 12m. that will then give us another 12m to validate.

Allowing us 2 yr roughly space to get out there, and hopefully the housing market may have started showing signs of recovery or stablising.

 

Are there any complications i may hit, ie if my profession is knocked of list, or do they get annoyed if you act upon requests slowly.

[Pesty650]

Hi there,

 

I can't answer your question for you, but I can share our experience which might help.

 

We decided to go the 475 route in July(ish) 2008 & worked out that it would probably be end of 2009 before we got our visa.

After getting qualifications assessed & sitting IELTS exam, we were ready to do the SA sponsorship application. Then without warning our chosen occupation was removed from the list by SA. Initially we were devastated, but then realised there was another one we could use. We were so lucky. This meant having qualifications reassessed & an anxious few weeks hoping nothing else would change. Luckily it didn't & we applied & got SA sponsorship. We put the visa app into DIAC straight away on 29 November 2008 as we knew changes were going to be made, but we didn't know what. We still expected the app to take 12 months, maybe more, based on other peoples time lines. We weren't going to pre load meds & police checks.

Changes were announced 1 Jan which put 475 visas to the head of the queue. Today, just 2 months after submitting our application, we have been allocated a case officer & asked for meds/police checks. It's quite possible now that we will (fingers crossed) be issued a visa by April/May/June. We will have to go to SA by March 2009 latest, or at least validate by then (validation has to be 12 months from date of police checks or finalised meds, whichever is soonest). That's a full 9 months quicker than we were expecting, but in the grand scheme of things, it's neither here nor there. Our house is now on the market. Not an ideal time to try & sell, but that's life!

I would say do it while the door is open - better to have to bring things forward a few months than risk losing the opportunity all together.

[Guest skellysgirl]

Thank you for the reply, typically that would have been great 6 month ago, now not so great, as we are hoping to go on the 475.

 

Can you validate and still return within 5 yrs to fulfill the visa, we are really considering it as an option.

 

I am just trying to weigh up the options, i am thinking do it now because all the circumstances for the visa are perfect, and can quickly change. I can also put off the meds due to pregnancy

But i also think am i rushing in and in a way wasting money. Is it more sensible to let the SA sponsorship slide and do it again in 12 month time?

 

Half of me is saying do it, you have everything in place visa wise quick do it before things change. But the other half is saying hold your nerve and wait and do it when the time is right and everything should slot in place.

[Guest Lulujim]

Hiya - sorry to but in just wanted to put your mind at rest about meds. They can't do your chest x-ray while you are preggers (I had to wait until I had my daughter) - and this is a good reason to wait.. so if you get a CO quickly and they request meds, they would wait for you to have the baby, get the appointment etc...this may buy you some time?

[Pesty650]

Thank you for the reply, typically that would have been great 6 month ago, now not so great, as we are hoping to go on the 475.

 

Can you validate and still return within 5 yrs to fulfill the visa, we are really considering it as an option.

 

 

Not sure where you have got the validate & return within 5 years from. The 475 is a 3 year provisional/temp visa. Once you have validated, the clock starts ticking & your 3 years starts to count down. Provided you are resident in SA for a minimum of 2 years AND work full time for at least 1 year during the 3 year period, you can then apply for a permanent residence visa. If I am wrong I'm sure someone will correct me.

 

Only you can decide whats right for you. We aren't expecting to get what we paid for our house, but if we don't sell, we can't afford to go. There's no telling where the house prices will be either here or in SA over the next few years.

 

I would use the time you have to get as many facts together as you can so you can make an informed decision. There's loads of information to read on the forum and I have found everyone very helpful Looks like you can drag the meds out though!!