The visa process

The process of applying for a visa differs quite a lot depending on the country, where you are applying from, and which type of visa you're applying for.

When we applied for my spouse visa here in the UK we needed to provide some joint bank statements and bills, our marriage certificate and proof of address. We went to Solihull and sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours. At the end of the day I had a stamp in my passport and that was that. 

To get my permanent residency I needed to sit the citizenship test. This involved answering 24 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes after studying the "Life in the UK" guide book which contained such vital information as what you should do if you knock someone's pint over in the pub and which benefits immigrants are eligible for. Four minutes after starting the test I put up my hand to indicate I was finished. I'd even had time to double check my answers. I scored 23 out of 24. With the result in hand we headed up to Liverpool where we spent 3 of the most depressing hours ever waiting for them to decide that our relationship was indeed genuine and I would be allowed to stay in the country indefinitely. I got a lovely coloured insert in my passport and the ability to come and go at will.

Applying for a spouse visa for Australia is a little different. After filling in around 15 pages of forms each, we then had to write a personal statement explaining how our relationship works, how we support each other financially and emotionally, how we divide up household responsibilities, etc. We also had to include evidence of joint financial arrangements, evidence that we are considered a couple by others (invitations addressed to both of us, Christmas and anniversary cards, etc), photos and other proofs of our relationship. We also had to account for any time we have been apart in the relationship. In addition to all of this we needed at least two Australian citizens to write stat decs asserting that our relationship was genuine and ongoing. Fortunately, I had two Australian friends here in the UK who'd spent a bit of time with us over the years, so they obliged.

After getting a giant post bag to fit everything in, we sent all this evidence off to the Consulate. Once he was assigned to a case officer, The Husband then had to get medical and police checks done. Several weeks later we heard that everything had come back ok and they didn't need any more information from us and we could expect to wait 5 - 6 months from the application date for the visa to be granted.

So now we wait. The waiting is long and boring and frustrating, but apparently necessary. I don't really understand why visas that are not allowed to be capped can be held up for so long once everything is in place, but that's bureaucracy for you.

At least we have it better than those applying for Canada. A friend has recently gone back there with her husband and she told me that not only are you not given any details for your case officer, if you do send an email to the embassy you're told that your application is taken out of the processing queue while they deal with your email, so any correspondence could hold your application up for a month each time.

We also have it better than those who applied just a few days after us. At the start of July the estimate for visa grants increased from 5-6 months to 6-8, and then 8-9.

Fingers crossed that we're at the short end of the estimate. We do have flights booked, after all...