News Flash!!!

This afternoon, I went to the local DIMIA office (Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs) to get a new label for my passport. Nope, it’s not an extension of my student visa… I’ve a collection of them already, and thank goodness I don’t need to get any of those anymore. A permanent residence visa… that’s my passport’s new accessory! Although I didn’t have any qualms of not being granted permanent residency, I was still very much surprised to receive the letter evidencing the grant… because it all happened within one week of lodging my application. So there… one thing out of the way, one thing less to wait for.

The onshore skilled independent applications nowadays are processed really efficiently. As long as one has all the requirements and documents complete, properly organised and numbered, the processing will be very swift. Many lodge their applications with only partial of the requirements sent. Although this does not invalidate the application, it will undoubtedly prolong the processing time, as when follow-up documents are sent, the office would have to go through finding the person’s files, reviewing the entire application again, yada yada yada, and it is very likely that it’ll be put off until someone gets the time to look at it again. There is also the possibility that documents get misplaced in the course of the whole thing. For the case officer, between a complete set of application and an incomplete set, the former will of course be the choice, while the latter may be deemed as quite tedious. So, the trick is to get everything ready before lodging the application.

This new accoutrement… hopefully, will signal new prospects and open up new roads. And yippee… I would be able to go home for Christmas!

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Ok, in response to Jeffrey's tag:
What are the things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play?
- have an afternoon tea or coffee, while playing crosswords
- bake
- write… thus my blog
- go to Border’s across the street, plant myself on one of the couches, and pour over books and magazines

What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it in your journal.
- the patience of Andrew, he's like a calming soothing drug
- exercise, the major stress reliever
- grocery shopping, shoe shopping
- head and shoulder massage