Ondanks dat ik heb besloten me voornamelijk te richten op mijn toekomstige reisplannen, betekend dit niet dat ik mijn visumaanvraag voor Australie helemaal loslaat. Op dit moment kan ik weinig doen, maar ik heb wel besloten nog een "laatste" paar mailtjes de deur uit te doen. Ze kunnen maar beter zien dat je er nog steeds mee bezig blijft. Ik heb een mailtje gestuurd naar een manager (van de Case Officers) bij DIAC en hetzelfde mailtje heb ik gestuurd naar de minister van Immigratie! van de minister verwacht ik eigenlijk geen antwoord. Toch vind ik het belangrijk om van me te laten horen en te blijven vechten voor een visum.
Dit is de brief die ik heb geschreven:
I’m writing you this letter due to the changes in the immigrationproceedings.
In the first place I would like you to know that I do understand that theimmigration policy has to be adjust, considering the current economicalcrisis. I don’t have any knowledge of immigration policy’s or economicalchances, but I do like to share my story with you.
My story begins in 2006 as I deside to immigrate to Australia, after I havebeen travelling through Australia for 7,5 months. I did sent my firstapplication for a Skilled Migration visa to DIAC around November 2006. Lessthen a year later I receive an e-mail stating I don’t have enough pointsfor a Skilled Migration visa. According to my Case Officer I’ve got 115points instead of the essential 120 points. My Case Officer e-mailed that Idin’t have enough points because I din’t meet the requirements of threeyears of work experience in Welfare Work, which is my profession. At thattime I had 2,5 years of work experience in disability care and two yearsand seven months of work experience in a youth psychiatric hospital.According to my Case Officer disability care is not the proffesion ofWelfare Work. When I asked the AIWCW (the assessement agency for WelfareWorkers) if disability Care is Welfare Work they answered that it isWelfare Work, but that DIAC has the final say when it relates to visaapplications. I’ve e-mailed this answer to my Case Officer but never heardof her again.Because I still wanted to move to Australia and couldn’t get any morepoints on that application I desided to apply another time. At that momentI couldn’t get a State Sponsorship visa, so that wasn’t an option. BecauseI had to apply again, I also had to pay the application fee again and hadto wait another year, before my application would be processed. In Juli2008 I applied, for the second time, for a Skilled Migration visa. At thatpoint the waiting time was ten months up to one year.However, in january 2009 the first announcements where made about changingthe system and the CSL was introduced. Because I’m not on the CSL, thismeans my application would be processed later then I first thought. DIAC’sfirst guess was that I would have to wait untill Feburari 2010, before myapplication would be appointed to a Case Officer, but soon this was alreadymoved to Juli 2010 (their estimated waiting time was moved from one year totwo years).Since I was already trying to get a visa for four years, I decided to applyfor a Working Holiday visa for New Zealand to go and work there until Iwould get my Permanent Resident Visa for Australia. Meanwhile DIACsuggested to change my application for a Skilled migrant application to aState Sponsorship application, because that would give me priotity.Because Welfare Work wasn’t on any of the “in demand lists” I tried to geta positive assessment as a Social Worker, since my course (and also workexperience) has also a lot of similarity’s with Social Work. Unfortunatilymy assessment turned out to be negative, as I would have to follow somecourses to get a positive Social Work assessments. Most of my course wasfound positive for the profession of Social Work, but I missed out on acouple of subjects.My final chance was to get an off list State Sponsorship for WesternAustralia, which is also my first choice to live anyway, and in Juli 2009 Iapplied for this Off list State Sponsorship, so I would still get priority.At this time, the processing time is about three months and I haven’t heardthe outcome yet.Last month the final announcements where made and I heard I don’t have toexpect a visa until the end of 2012, because I’m not on the CSL, even if Ido get a possitive outcome on the State Sponsorship.Meanwhile I’m already trying to get a visa for four years now and there isstill no prospect on the end. If I look at vacancy’s on the internet, thereare more then enough jobs I could fulfil. I even applied for a job at theDepartment for Child Protection, but I’m afraid it takes a long time beforeI could go and work there, if I can’t get a visa within a short amount oftime.As I said before, I do understand the necessity from the new policy’s, butthere are people, like me, who applied for a visa before all the changeswhere announced and already took the essential measures, like selling ahouse, resign from their jobs and for me getting to New Zealand, where Ican only stay for a year.There is also the uncertainty which makes it even more difficult; at thismoment DIAC says that the applications from anyone not on the CSL is notexpected to be processed before the end of 2012, but what happens at theend of 2012? Are those applications being processed at that time, couldthis date be postponed again, or are those visa applications never beprocessed?People who applied for their visa before 2009, did this accroding to thepolicy which was in place at that time, with the waiting list ofapproximatily one year. Of course this is always subject to change, but thechange from a visa within a year after applying to a minimum of three years(without any surtainty’s in three years time), is a big deal.I hope you all will continiously look at possibilities for people whoapplied for a visa before all the changes/ announcements where made. Evenif the applications from those people where processed little by little/ oneby one, that would be something.I still have hope to build a life in Australia as soon as possible, as I’malready trying for so long and don’t want to let go of this dream, but hopedoes sometimes faith away and at some point even I probably feel the urgeto build a life, which you can’t if you’re constantly waiting for a visa.But I still hope you’ll be open to help the people who’re already waitingso long and have applied for a visa before 2009.I know I would be a great asset for Australia, not only in a Financial way(by spending my money there), but also in a professional way as a WelfareWorker to contribute to the community and my already lined up voluntairywork at a Wildlife rescue centre. I think my commitment and determinationwill be an advantage when building a life in Australia and thosecharacteristics will lead me to a job and a great life in Australia!I know my letter won’t change anything, but I hope you will understand whyI had to write this. And secretly I hope it will, at last, improve mysituation.Thank you for taking the time to read my story!
Vandaag heb ik van het DIAC bericht terug gekregen. Zij geven hetvolgende aan:
As you are already aware the Ministerial Direction of the 23/9/2009directly effects your application. Unfortunately as the Minster has passedthis new direction we have to abide by this direction and can not assessany cases that are not currently deemed as priorities for Australia giventhe current economic environment. I do sympathise with your position and those of the other applications inyour position. However, the processing priorities are put in place to bestmeet the current needs of the Australia, these priorities, however, may besubject to change and you should always keep abreast of the latest news viathe DIAC website. We will, however, endeavour to move to process andfinalise your application and other sin the same priority group as soon aswe are able to do so.Niet een antwoord waar je heel veel aan hebt, maar ze geven nog niet aan dat ik het beste maar alle hoop moet opgeven. Ook geven zij aan dat er de komende tijd, anders dan sommige emigratiebureau's aangeven) wel degelijk veranderingen doorgevoerd kunnen worden, afhankelijk van de situatie. Veel slechter kan het niet worden, dus wellicht geeft dit nog enige hoop. Zelf ga ik er maar vanuit dat het nog wel even kan duren, maar ik zal zeker bezig blijven met mijn visumaanvraag! Mijn uiteindelijk doel is en blijft zsm naar Australie te verhuizen en ik zal er alles aan doen om dit doel te behalen, al kost dat tijd en veel, heel veel, frustraties!
