Costs for visa

A brief summary of the costs involved in getting our visa (189 skill select):

• ACS skills assesment: 350 EUR
• IELTS language test (2x): 390 EUR
• Medicals (2 grownups, 2 kids): 370 EUR
• Visa application (189): 2400 EUR
• Birth/marriage certificates, declaration of good conduct,  and other legal documents: 210 EUR
• Translation costs employer reference (1x): 50 EUR
• Travel costs various: 100 EUR
• Legitimization of copies documents by a notary: 20 EUR

So, all in all, just short of 4000 EUR.

Of course, after the visa come the movement costs (plane tickets and shipping of furniture etc). Will post about those once we have moved.

Visa for Australia

Yeah! We have received our visa to enter Australia!

A visa 189, for skilled migrants: a permanent visa allowing us to travel to Australia per direct and to stay there forever....

Australia, here we come!

Visa timeline

Here is a brief timeline of the milestones marking the road to our visa.

----------- 2011 -----------

End of 2011

We first start seriously considering moving to Australia.

----------- 2012 -----------

09/02/2012

I send skill assesment request to Australian Compurt Society (ACS) for Software Engineer

09/03/2012

I receive the ACS skills assesment (positive)

10/03/2012

I take IELTS (General): Band score 7.5

July 2012:  

Holiday in Australia with the family. We decide to really go!

13/08/2012:

We submit EOI for visa 189, 75 points, vis SkillSelect website

01/09/2012:

We are invited to apply

02/09/2012:

We apply for visa via SkillSelect (no immigration agent)

04/09/2012:

We receive request for health examination. X-ray/medicals for me and my wife, medicals for our son and daughter.

19/09/2012:

A case officer is assigned

21/09/2012:

Disaster! 

I have incorrectly indicated that I meet "Australian study requirement" on EOI! I cannot prove the points I claimed and on the basis of which I was invited to apply. Our case officer requests that I wait pending decision from Canberra.

09/10/2012:

We submit a new (correct) EOI pending decision with 65 points.

13/10/2012:

My wife takes IELTS (Academic): Band score 7

14/10/2012:

We are invited to apply for visa a second time! We cannot complete (yet) due to pending application.

22/10/2012:

We receive x-ray request for my son who is about to turn 12 (duh, why was this not requested the first time?)

04/11/2012:

Case Officer advises that a (negative) decision is emminent.

04/11/2012:

We withdraw our application and request a refund (honest mistake). Chances of refund seem slim.

12/11/2012:

We apply for visa 189 again.

05/12/2012:

The refund for first visa application is approved (yeah)

05/12/2012:

We are assigned a new case officer

20/12/2012:

My son's x-rays are sent by post as health request not in eHealth system. The x-rays are lost in the mail (in this time and day?)

----------- 2013 -----------

30/01/2013:

 My son's x-ray is sent digitally and finalised (last required documentation)

10/02/2013:

Party! 

The visa application is finalised. We receive the grant notification (yeah again)

17/02/2013:

We receive the refund for the first withdrawn visa (triple yeah)