Applying for my Subclass 856 Visa

Doc

Hi guys couple of quick couple questions for anyone who has applied for this visa or knows about it. I have checked the government website and am a regular on here but just want to clarify a few things with you guys if anyone knows the answers to my questions.

First of I should say that I have been employed for nearly 2 years (will be 2 years in May) now by a company on a sponsored 457 visa and am now looking to try and get them to sponsor me for permanent residency through a 856 visa. I have checked the Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List (ENSOL) and my job is on it so I should be okay in that regard but I have a couple of question regarding the health and character requirement for permanent entry to Australia.

My first question is do I actually need to go and get the health check / chest x-ray done? I didn’t have to get one for my 457 and http://www.immi.gov.au dose say “Please do not undertake a health check unless requested to do so.” If I do have to get it done should I do this now or wait for them to ask for it?

My second question is regarding the character test. Do I have to get police / Garda certificates or is it possible to fill out a statutory declaration form and have that signed? If I do have to get the certificates can anyone tell me how long it takes to get one from Ireland and to get one from England as I have lived in both countries in the last 10 years.

My third question is the visa cost is a nomination fee of $520 then $3105 if you apply within the country and $2095 if you are outside the country. So can I make my application here and then take a trip to New Zealand when it is due to be granted and save myself $1010?

My final question is how long has it taken people to get this visa?

In all honesty I think I know the answer to most of these questions but I’m looking for reassurance/ clarification as I’m starting to try and get all this sorted so I can send everything in May.

Will be extremely thankful for any help you can give me.

Oh yea dose anyone know if I would be better off waiting untill the new rules come in?

Traq

Hey, I've just been through this fairly recently so will answer what I can.

1. Yep, you'll need to get the medicals done. This is part of the health requirements for all permanent residency visas as far as I know, so you'll just have to make an appointment in one of the Medicare centres and get it sorted.

2. Yep, you'll need police clearance certs from all countries you've lived in over the past ten years - including Australia. The garda clearance cert from home took me maybe about three or four weeks to get, which wasn't too bad considering that includes posting to and from Ireland. (Depending on where you're from you might be able to email a request through but my local station only accepted written requests so I had to send a letter home).

3. Not sure about the costs and the technicalities of lodging onshore vs offshore. I don't see any reason why you couldn't lodge it offshore and then stay here on your 457 til your visa was due to be granted and then take a trip to NZ to activate the residency visa.

4. Took me just under two months to get it all, from when it was lodged to approval.

5. I'm not really sure about the new rules at all and how the 856 will be affected after July. I just wanted to get it all lodged and sorted as I've been here long enough now and was sick of the uncertainty that you have on a 457!


Hope that helps, if you've any other questions just shout and I'll do my best to answer them.

hussey

Doc wrote: »

My first question is do I actually need to go and get the health check / chest x-ray done? I didn’t have to get one for my 457 and http://www.immi.gov.au dose say “Please do not undertake a health check unless requested to do so.” If I do have to get it done should I do this now or wait for them to ask for it?

The reason why they say wait, is because health checks have an expiry date, you can get one now as ENS is pretty fast, but if your visa was gonna take > year (or possibly 6 months)

My second question is regarding the character test. Do I have to get police / Garda certificates or is it possible to fill out a statutory declaration form and have that signed? If I do have to get the certificates can anyone tell me how long it takes to get one from Ireland and to get one from England as I have lived in both countries in the last 10 years.

You need the cert, Ireland - do a search for 'garda' on the thread I have previously posted the exact form you fill out and this will helpful, usually takes 2-3 weeks.

My third question is the visa cost is a nomination fee of $520 then $3105 if you apply within the country and $2095 if you are outside the country. So can I make my application here and then take a trip to New Zealand when it is due to be granted and save myself $1010?

Possibly, but if you apply for outside visa, you may need to 'arrive' again in Australia (like a independent PR) - Liz O'Hagan might know

My final question is how long has it taken people to get this visa?

ENS - anywhere between 2weeks and a year. But usually it's pretty fast as it's high on the list. think it is around 8 weeks at the moment

Oh yea dose anyone know if I would be better off waiting untill the new rules come in?

No apply now. There might be a flood of applications, and to be honest waiting until July 1st when your visa could be granted by then

Mod I am going to move this in a few days to the migration mega thread, as I'm sure all these answers are in there. and if they are not then at least we have a record of it. Liz is an excellent resource to ask, and she might not read all other threads

mandrake04

Doc wrote: »

My first question is do I actually need to go and get the health check / chest x-ray done? I didn’t have to get one for my 457 and http://www.immi.gov.au dose say “Please do not undertake a health check unless requested to do so.” If I do have to get it done should I do this now or wait for them to ask for it?

They usually email you a Form 26 and a Form 160 with your File number already filled in. You then need to bring that form with you to medibank.

I actually front loaded my Meds & X-Rays with my application if you do this remember to bring your passport as you will not have a file number yet, although I am not sure if you can still do this or not.

Doc wrote: »

My second question is regarding the character test. Do I have to get police / Garda certificates or is it possible to fill out a statutory declaration form and have that signed? If I do have to get the certificates can anyone tell me how long it takes to get one from Ireland and to get one from England as I have lived in both countries in the last 10 years.

As Garda has already been explained no need to go over that again, for England you need ARCO POLICE Certificate

Doc wrote: »

My third question is the visa cost is a nomination fee of $520 then $3105 if you apply within the country and $2095 if you are outside the country. So can I make my application here and then take a trip to New Zealand when it is due to be granted and save myself $1010?

Well you would be applying for a ENS 121 which is the offshore version of the ENS 856, you are entitled to do that.

Although its a bit of a false economy as you could easily spend best part of $1000 travelling and staying in NZ for 3-5 days until the visa has been granted. I suppose you are getting a holiday out it rather than it going straight down the tubes.

Doc wrote: »

My final question is how long has it taken people to get this visa?

Mine took less that 3 weeks, I would say 8 weeks would be the norm these days.

jank

All answered already here.

I submitted my ENS 856 nomination and application about 6 weeks ago.
Still waiting

One thing, if you are with a partner then apply now as when the changes come along in July then you will have to pay for both i.e $3105 x 2
Now, as you are the primary applicant you can put her on it as a secondary applicant for no charge. Of course she will have to get health and character checks and the like done as well.

Australia Federal police cert will take about 2 weeks. Garda certs about 4 weeks. Health checks from booking to recieving the report about 3 weeks max.
Start getting all that stuff now, you will also need copies of your degrees, certs etc to prove all your experience and so on.
I started getting my stuff in order about December so that I would be ready for Feb.
Also, make sure you get your HR dept onto it. They can send them the nomination form with your bits filled in ASAP. They will need to gather a load of stuff for your nomination and this is what delayed my submission by a week.
Had the whole thing timed perfectly that I recived my health checks the day before I wanted to submit the nomination and applicaiton. HR of course messed something up so was left waiting a week. Wasnt too bad but sometimes they can leave you wait for months.

Traq

Best of luck with it jank, was waiting 8 weeks myself before it all came through. That was lodged DRC if that helps.

Also, make sure you get your HR dept onto it.

That's a good bit of advice there, my HR dept were a nightmare to deal with, delayed the lodging of the whole thing by two months.

Doc

My "HR department" is one person who works one day a week so I think I'll try and sort as much as possible from my end before going to her. Thanks for the help guys its much appreciated. I hate sorting out all this crappy stuff to stay here but you got to do what you got to do. Thanks again.

Zambia

It will be worth it in the end Doc.

Stay the course.

Any help you need feel free to PM me.