Everything is done !!

We've done everything !!..

Now, we can only wait.

Final Medical checks done !

Today we did the final checks. Everything's ok , we don't expect any issues.
We glues little notes all over the house "Pee in CUP !!" so we wouldn't forget to bring the pee to the doctor :)

First we were weighed ( ouch ) and our height , bloodpressure was noted down, then we had a short vision test. Then we met the doctor who checked reflexes, ears and eye reaction moving. He also checked kidneys, liver and back. After that, he tested our balance and the 'drunk-test' where you move your finger to your nose. He looked into the eyes with a measuring tool, and after that we were done. We then had to go do a bloodsample test at a clinic close by, which was even quicker ( 15 minutes for both of us, including parking and driving ! ). The blood test will show if we have any diseases ( it also checks for HIV ). The TBC picture we already took 2 weeks ago in Tilburg.

All in all it wasn't as dreaded as we would think it would be. We're fairly confident we're both healthy.

The doctor said that if there were any big issues he would let us know.

135 scanned in documents sent to Adelaide !

Today I emailed all the attachments needed for our application to the immigration service in Adelaide. They have received the attachments and now the waiting game begins. Tomorrow we will have our medical check in Utrecht, which is the last of the documents that the ASPC in Adelaide needs.
Basically, for us the work is now done, and it's now just a matter of waiting for a result. The total amount of files were 135, which amounted to about 40 megabytes of scanned documents. I have divided them up in 25 mails : Took me about 2 hours to send up all the documents and have them ordered and classed accordingly.

Tractor Pulling !

So while I was writing up the virtual barbershop post I heard something that resembles most like Kim after a meal of beans. Apparently, this time I was wrong : It was the sound of tractor pulling about 7 kilometers away from here.

So we decided to move there. It was already late ( about 22:00 ) so we had to be quick. When we arrived we had to pay 3 euro's for parking , but that was most worth it. We were just in time to see some the final tractors : the big boys

The deafening soundwaves go straight to your chest. The vibrations... what an experience. We surely have to go to more of these races in Australia !

Intermezzo : The Virtual Barber Shop

What does a virtual barber shop have to do with migrating to Australia ?
I have no idea, please let me know if you do. However , I wouldn't put this file on our blog if it wasn't interesting. I won't give anything away, just listen to this MP3, it's an amazing effect.

Get some nice headphones. Don't play this mp3 on your speakers, it will ruin the effect. Once you have your headphones on, start the mp3 and close your eyes.
If you don't open them until the mp3 finished playing, you'll get the best effect.

Go to the virtual barbershop

Both Kim and me tried it and we were amazed by this new technology. In our hearts we're both techno-junkies.

Enjoy !

Driver license woes

So today I had the genius idea to replace my old paper driver license with a new plastic one : Apparently the plastic ones are totally hacker-proof, so I needed to have one. ( they also cost 45 euro's ). The main reason I want to replace it is because I'm not sure that Australia will recognize my paper driver license. I already had trouble with it in USA, so I didn't want to take any risks. On top of this, it will be valid for another 10 years ( my paper one expires in 3 years ).

So , a few good reasons to get the new one. After all the trouble I had at the council of Helmond before, I wanted to be well prepared. The grocery list was simple : Passport + Passport photo + old driver license. Easy enough.

So I came in Helmond, the lovely lady asked if I had all the groceries with me, and I proudly said "yes ofcourse I do".
She asked if she could see my passport photo. I gave it to her, after which she took a millimeter measurement tool, and said "no.. this photo isn't the right format". I asked her how it could possibly not be the right format since I used THEIR passport photo machine ( which is INSIDE the council building ), after which she said "no you didn't, and that machine is broken now, so you'll have to go in town".
I'm sure I heard "conveniently broken" instead of just "broken" but ok. I didn't want to make a mess so I went into town to the local photo shop and got myself 4 shiny photo's. ( I look a bit angry on them... that will look good on my drivers license... it's always good to be able to commemorate how I was feeling in The Netherlands. In case I get homesick, I'll just pop out my drivers license and everything will be sorted in 1 second.

Anyway , got back , had to wait 45 minutes ( I was about to change their big new shiny policy sign that said "we try to help you within 15 minutes. If you have to wait longer than 30 minutes, the coffee is free" into "we try to help you within 115 minutes". Would have been more accurate.

Anyway, I got the receipt, and I'm 45 euro's lighter : But next friday I can pick up my new driver's license. 1 less worry.

Paint it black ( or... rather white, in our case )

We've started painting our house white. Inside first, if it doesn't sell we might consider the outside too. And man is it different ! We should have painted the rooms earlier , but I guess we got used to the dark wooden ceilings and walls.
The hall is already painted, 4 layers done, but it's very white. Funny how the rooms look bigger when they are white. We're now painting the living room area which used to be part of the hall before. Painting it white will 'pull' it to the main livingroom, and after the first layer, things already look so much better.

So, for the next few days ( weeks ?... ) we'll be painting. Keeps the mind off the visa wait too.

More 'For Sale' signs on the house

We put some additional 'For Sale' signs on the house. I thought the 2 signs that were there didn't adequately show the house was for sale. So we called the real estate agent and we got 2 more signs. I put them up and now everyone can see from all the different roads that our house is for sale.

I might do the same with our other house. At the moment there are 2 signs up, but it never hurts to put one more sign up I guess. We have had quite a lot of viewers. Even some really interested people, but they weren't able to secure a mortgage. Bummer, but we still have loads of time to sell them. If we can't sell them before December, we will remove them from sale and put them up for rent.

X-rays done ! Form 160 is hereby 'completed'

Today we went to Tilburg. A complex called the GGD which is specialized in Tuberculosis prevention. Since it's holidays here in The Netherlands now, we didn't have a lot of traffic. When we arrived there, we were immediately and adequately helped by people who were also perfectionists. They had had too many problems with Australian Visa x-rays and forms that they knew exactly what to do. They checked the forms 4 times, we checked the forms 2 times , and then we went into the Xray room. Didn't take long to take the xrays, about 5 minutes for both of us. Real nice people and very helpful. They will send the information to the DIAC in Australia in Adelaide for us too. In 2 weeks we will go to Utrecht for our next medical test ( and our final big task before the long wait !

Character checks

Apparently, Kim needs 2 more character checks for the Visa. Every 12 months for the last 10 years, needs a character check. Since she lived in UK , South Africa and The Netherlands, she will need 3 character checks.

It's high on my to-do list, knowing that these checks could potentially take a long time, especially coming from South Africa.

Acknowledgement letter is in !

Our acknowledgement letter is in. This means that our Visa application has been received. 20 Juli is the official date. I got the all important numbers that I needed for the medical checks this thursday and thursday in 2 weeks from now.
So, we're still on course and things are still looking positive. Now we need to wait 6 to 12 months for our official result. In the meantime, only the medicals remain to be done.

Mysteries of modern times : My mobile telephone prepaid amount has disappeared !...

Yes. I was sure I had 34 Euro's on my mobile telephone when I left for south of France to meet my parents and generally enjoy a few days off the visa stresses.

Now... when I came back and wanted to listen to my voicemail, I got the message "Your account balance is not high enough, please upgrade your prepaid credit"

Hmm... strange ? I am sure I haven't used my phone in France, I just brought it along in case we had car troubles. So why was my credit gone ?

After long investigation, I found out why : When other people called me and spoke into my voicemail, this costs ME money ! Yes, in fact, it costs me as much as if I was calling The Netherlands from France, plus some extra's because of the prepaid. I got 3 nonsense voicemails, and those messages cost me 34 Euro's !

I have turned off my voicemail for good.

Medicals ordered !

Next thursday , we'll go to Tilburg to have a lung photo taken, this is mainly to check for TBC. And 2 weeks later, we will get our complete medical check in Utrecht at one of the panel doctors. This ofcourse, does come at a meager price of 600 euro's.

Our visa is still not filed

After sending about 8 mails to DIAC ( the government agency responsible for immigration services ) I have gotten the answer. Apparently, our digital application was too big for the system to be processed normally, and thus it hung in the system database. I asked them if they could fix it, and they said the only solution was to convert it to a paper application. Needless to say that we agreed as long as they provided all the paperwork. In short : We still have not filed our Visa now.

Still no acknowledgement mail

Well,

We've been offline for a bit. Doing some reno's on the house as we want it sold asap. Painting everything white, removing old lamps and putting up new ones really makes a difference. Lex takes care of the inside, and Kim manages the outside of the house. A perfect team !

While we were offline, we haven't heard anything from the Visa department. I have thus emailed them to ask why it's taking so long to get the acknowledgement. Apparently, something was wrong with my Visa application and it's somehow 'stuck' in the system. I'll send them another mail today asking if it can be resolved. I still cannot upload documents and I still cannot get the EH forms needed for the medicals.

Lex