Australia Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Beware of Form Changes! - April, July, November

57K views 198 replies 99 participants last post by  JandJ 
#1 ·
I'm applying for a 309/100 de facto partner visa - and I got caught by form changes.

The website is very careful to tell you that forms are updated in November, April and July. Since I was applying in April of this year, I was very careful. On April 2nd or 3rd, I checked the website for the crucial forms, and they had NOT been updated since November.

Since the forms take a bit of time to fill out, I was thankful.

I submitted my forms to the Australian Consulate in Hong Kong on April 19th - a stack of papers about 2 inches high.

A clerk walked through the checklist with me, and then pointed out that my forms were out of date! I nearly blew up, as I had checked so carefully to make sure they were the correct ones.

Well, guess what? They changed the forms and issued new ones on April 6th!!! Because it was the Easter Weekend when I had checked, the new ones had not been posted on the website yet. So we had to re-do the main application and the sponsor application.

I was really upset - my partner and I had spent so much time filling out the forms, and it takes about 10 days for snail mail from Australia to get to Hong Kong.

The lady was nice enough to accept my application, but told me that they would not start looking at it until the new forms were submitted.

So...long story short - be CAREFUL if you are submitting in November, April and July, and make SURE the forms haven't changed!

Wiser, but still a bit ticked off,

Susan
 
See less See more
#2 ·
The website is very careful to tell you that forms are updated in November, April and July. Since I was applying in April of this year, I was very careful. On April 2nd or 3rd, I checked the website for the crucial forms, and they had NOT been updated since November.
I suppose the moral there Susan is if you're in a month when forms can be changed and they haven't been updated since the last month, then it would be a good idea to make an enquiry, the months having either 30 or 31 days!
But most people possibly even overlook that updating occurs!
Alls well taht ends well so they say!
 
#4 ·
This happened to me and my wife also. :( It was heartbreaking. My wife travelled 12 hours by bus to her nearest embassy in Guangzhou, and after 2 months of preparing everything she was told the 2 main forms were wrong. She cried all day, I wasn't too happy either.

Thankfully they accepted all our documentation and simply required us to email them the updated forms but is was annoying to say the least. I checked the changes and they did not apply to us anyway which just made me angrier because we basically just filled the exact same questions out again. If the consulate had any common sense they could sort that out on the spot with one phone call, but no, that is too common sense for them.

The problem with this whole process Wanderer is that it is highly emotional for many couples, and stressful, and it is easy to miss small details like this when you are stressing about so many things.

And yes, the timing of the changes caught us by surprise too. We applied on the 15th of April, 9 days after the change of form (we did our final checks around the 6th-7th, right when the form changed). Being that we have never done this before it was a simple error, but costly for us.
 
#5 ·
I suppose Frank, that at some stage an applicant needs to make a realistic decision on whether a DIY approach is applicable or they would be better off using an agent.
I know that using an agent has its cost and if that is not an option then all the more reason for people to sit back, take a breath and say this the process for everybody and so I better commit to reading all information thoroughly and know what is ahead.
 
#7 ·
Wow! I started this process in June and downloaded the forms, read the booklet and all the available supporting material, spoke to the Embassy many times.......and somehow missed this one! Nor did the Embassy mention the form changes - as my hubby made a few errors on his form I did download a fresh one last week, that he re-did. Sent off on Friday and they received it and put through the credit card charge Monday.......here's hoping all is well, but if we have to re-do the forms due to my error - then that's what we will do.......it's a long journey, but well worth the final destination!
 
#8 ·
Well, guess what? They changed the forms and issued new ones on April 6th!!! Because it was the Easter Weekend when I had checked, the new ones had not been posted on the website yet. So we had to re-do the main application and the sponsor application was really upset - my partner and I had spent so much time filling out the forms, and it takes about 10 days for snail mail from Australia to get to Hong Kong


__________________________________________________________
Well, guess what? They changed the forms and issued new ones on April 6th!!! Because it was the Easter Weekend when I had checked, the new ones had not been posted on the website yet. So we had to re-do the main application and the sponsor application was really upset - my partner and I had spent so much time filling out the forms, and it takes about 10 days for snail mail from Australia to get to Hong Kong
 
#9 ·
Diac are constantly changing the "issue date" of forms. In most cases they will also insist that forms submitted are the latest issue. Forms can change issue dates even if small amendments and revisions have been made. In some cases assesing officers can delay an application or place on hold until new forms have been received - the aussies love bureaucracy !

Michael Breen
Director
Destination Oz Ltd
 
#12 ·
Has anyone had a request to supply an updated version of a form that was currently up to date when submitted...but following the submission of their visa application...a new form was released? We are in this situation now.

The CO has asked my Fiancee to complete a new 47SP form (among a few other things like more photos and details of my Govt. Pension) that was updated in November. However, our application was submitted on September 10...and received on September 13...with the CO assigned on September 29. This seems like madness to me..as we would be continually filling in new forms every time they decided to change the form.
 
#14 ·
Thanx for the reply Wanderer.

I could understand their request if we had submitted the old form with our application. This whole process has been extremely stressful for both of us. it has involved my fiancée having to travel from the North west of Thailand to Bangkok on several occasions to get the necessary documents. She also had to make a trip to Chiang Rai to get another document. Trips to Chiang Mai to get medicals and translations of documents.

Now on top of all that we're expected to rewrite a 30 page form all because of an additional question that is new. It's ok for these bureaucrats to sit in their lovely air-cond offices while people are trying to do the right thing criss-crossing the country on these little adventures of hoops to jump through

I'm beginning to think that we should have built a leaky boat..painted her face black and sent her on her way to Christmas Island for processing. The Govt. would do all the work..there'd be no cost to us... and at the end of it all... the Govt. would give her a house... free medical and education.

Something not right with the current system when the people who do the right thing are penalised with insane bureaucracy!!:mad:
 
#19 ·
forms

There is no law that says your forms must not be accepted and there is no law that allows officers to insist on new forms to be filled in. It is not a valid reason to delay a decision. They can however, make a decision based upon the infomation (in totality) which has been submitted.
 
#21 ·
The question of whether old versions of forms can still be used often arises
and here is what is stated in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's Procedures Advice Manual -

1 Still a valid application
Because old versions of forms are not revoked, it follows that if, for example, a visa applicant uses an old version of a form, that form is still an approved form for the purposes of the Act and Regulations and it is must be accepted:
• a person who uses such a form makes a valid application (provided all other requirements for application validity are met)
• although it is good administrative practice that the most updated version of the form be used, a person's application is not invalid merely because an old version of the form has been used.

3.2 Seeking more information
If the law or policy has changed since the old version of the form and the new version of the form requires more or different information than the old form, the decision maker should ask the applicant for the further information required before deciding the visa application. It is stressed, however, that the application is not invalid because the old version of the form has been used.

Hope the above has helped!
 
#34 ·
Forms and booklets with essential changes
Essential change forms usually contain new information resulting from legislative or policy changes.
It is important that you use the latest version of these forms and delete any older versions that you may have previously downloaded.

Forms and booklets with non-essential changes
Only minor changes have been made to the text or construction of these forms and current versions of these forms are able to be used from 1 July 2011.

From what I have read, forms 40SP and 47SP only have "non-essential changes" so unless I am mistaken in my understanding of the above, you do not have to fill them in again.... but correct me if I am wrong! :)

HAPPY DAYS!

FT
 
#37 ·
I called immi and they told me that it didn't matter if I used the forms updated in April 2011 and then I handed them in person and again they said it didn't matter. Hmmm...who to believe! I couldn't face filling them in again - my hand was killing the last 50 times I had to do it!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top