Since posting the list of things I included in my Australian partner visa (820) and the cost of the visa, those two posts have become incredibly popular and I sincerely hope that they’ve been of some help to other people going through the visa process.
As such, I’ve been wanting to post an update for quite some time. After all, we submitted the visa application three months ago. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to tell you–but perhaps this can give those people some idea of the processing time.
We submitted our visa at the end of March 2013 without police checks or health check, which I was told on forums to submit when asked by the case officer due to both expiring after a year. If the visa processing took longer than a year, it could mean having to redo both (and pay even more!). Many people submitted everything altogether and got their visas approved within weeks–I actually recommend that, if you think you’re low-risk, but we didn’t have our stuff together. I would have been kicked out of the country on June 14 if we hadn’t gotten that application in!
However, when we submitted the application we were told to get the police checks (US and Australia) and health check done right away by the person who took our payment. Note: we haven’t yet been assigned a case officer.
I decided there was no harm in the police checks. The Australian one was $45 and the US was $18–not a lot in the long run if I have to redo them (in comparison to the $500+ health check that needs to be done). So, the day after I submitted the application I also submitted forms to get an Australian and US police check.
The Australian one arrived within a week. Weeks later, just as I was looking up a number for the FBI to call and inquire about the status of my US police check, I received a manila envelope in the mail which got me all excited. I opened it only to find that it was a return form–my fingerprints weren’t good enough quality and needed to be redone. I very nearly had a breakdown (visas will do that to you), and huffed off to the police station the next day to get my prints done and send them off. Again.
This was the week of April 21–can’t remember which day exactly. It’s been almost eight weeks, which is the processing time estimate the US gives for such things. I’m expecting it in the mail at some point next week… whether “it” is an actual police clearance certificate or yet another request for fingerprints, that remains to be seen. It’s also entirely possible that I have to call in or send in a new form. Who knows.
So, I apologize for the lack of update in this update. As it stands, I’ve been waiting for news about my Australian partner visa (820) for three months, but I don’t think it’s entirely up to the Brisbane DIAC branch–I’m blaming the FBI for this one!
Have you run into any frustrations while applying for your partner visa? Let me know in the comments below! If you would like to see how my visa journey has been going, check out the following links:
More Than One Page 
Hello dear
I actually wanted to know how you did the US police check. Did you ask some one in US to do it for you?
No, you can’t ask someone in the US to do it for you as the FBI check requires your fingerprints. If you’re in Australia you can print the relevant forms off the FBI website, go to your local police station to get the fingerprints done, and then send the application off at the post office. Hope that helps!