New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[hayleyearth]

On 11/23/2022 at 10:17 AM, patches said:

Nothing too exciting for us. The usual (or pre-covid usual) visiting the in-laws in Sydney for Christmas, then back to NZ shortly after to road trip down the east coast to the Wairarapa, across to the Kapati Coast and back up to Jaffaville.

I'm having South Island withdrawals. Looking forward to the Dusty Butt in Feb, and a bigger South Island road trip once INZ grants my mom a visa and I can get her over here (she applied for a Parent/Grandparent Visitors Visa during that period that INZ dropped the ball).

@Wayne Potgieter, did your in-laws come right with their visas?

 

My folks were granted their grandparents visa. I just keep on adding letters to state the process steps has been completed.

 

Talking summer... Yes... Where is it?

 

About the holidays, we are going back to SA for 7 weeks can't wait for all the baby sitting and having some time for myself.

[patches]

13 hours ago, hayleyearth said:

My folks were granted their grandparents visa. I just keep on adding letters to state the process steps has been completed.

Talking summer... Yes... Where is it?

About the holidays, we are going back to SA for 7 weeks can't wait for all the baby sitting and having some time for myself.

Nice!

Did they apply before 1 August?

 

 My Mom applied right in the middle of that period 😒 

 

[hayleyearth]

43 minutes ago, patches said:

Nice!

Did they apply before 1 August?

 

 My Mom applied right in the middle of that period 😒 

 

Applied on the 30th Aug.

Visa approved on 1st Nov.

[patches]

Just now, hayleyearth said:

Applied on the 30th Aug.

Visa approved on 1st Nov.

Dammit INZ! My Mom applied Aug 26 and still sitting on that "Lapsed" status.

[hayleyearth]

2 minutes ago, patches said:

Dammit INZ! My Mom applied Aug 26 and still sitting on that "Lapsed" status.

Did she send het passport to be 'viewed'?

Did she go for medicals yet?

 

[patches]

13 minutes ago, hayleyearth said:

Did she send het passport to be 'viewed'?

Did she go for medicals yet?

 

Yup! She went to PTA for passport viewing and had her medical at the one-and-only Dr Cobb (who nearly every JHB Saffer immigrant has been to, haha).

So yeah, seems she was just unlucky enough to get mixed in with the backlog.

Edited December 1, 2022 by patches

[hayleyearth]

7 minutes ago, patches said:

Yup! She went to PTA for passport viewing and had her medical at the one-and-only Dr Cobb (who nearly every JHB Saffer immigrant has been to, haha).

So yeah, seems she was just unlucky enough to get mixed in with the backlog.

Did you add a screenshot to her visa application page as additional information of the email you/she would have got when they completed the medicals with the ref nr? 

[patches]

8 minutes ago, hayleyearth said:

Did you add a screenshot to her visa application page as additional information of the email you/she would have got when they completed the medicals with the ref nr? 

Nope, but I'll try that. 

She did get an email from the Aus government agency that processes the medicals on behalf of INZ, saying that INZ had been sent the medicals, but no harm in reminding INZ that they have it.

Thanks for the tip!

[patches]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:47 AM, hayleyearth said:

Did you add a screenshot to her visa application page as additional information of the email you/she would have got when they completed the medicals with the ref nr? 

On 12/2/2022 at 9:57 AM, patches said:

Nope, but I'll try that. 

She did get an email from the Aus government agency that processes the medicals on behalf of INZ, saying that INZ had been sent the medicals, but no harm in reminding INZ that they have it.

Thanks for the tip!

So turns out my Mom's visa was approved nearly 3 weeks ago, but she missed the email 😅🙈

Frustrating that the INZ portal doesn't have an accurate status, but a relief that she has the visa.

Now to find a time when flights don't cost a small fortune.

[Wayne Potgieter]

1 hour ago, patches said:

Now to find a time when flights don't cost a small fortune.

When you get this right, let me know the winning lotto numbers too.

(FYI - My inlaws got the best deal on Emirates recently)

[hayleyearth]

2 hours ago, patches said:

So turns out my Mom's visa was approved nearly 3 weeks ago, but she missed the email 😅🙈

Frustrating that the INZ portal doesn't have an accurate status, but a relief that she has the visa.

Now to find a time when flights don't cost a small fortune.

Wanted to say that that "lapsed" status means it is done ...

 

Edit: mine will only come possibly from June when Layla starts school 

Edited December 5, 2022 by hayleyearth

[patches]

19 hours ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

When you get this right, let me know the winning lotto numbers too.

(FYI - My inlaws got the best deal on Emirates recently)

I'm looking at end Jan/early Feb. Prices drop significantly in those first 2 weeks of Feb.

The catch... I've entered the Dusty Butt Rally and and as I'll likely have to ride my bike down, I'll be travelling from about 13 Feb to 22 Feb.

Maybe my Mom wouldn't mind being my support vehicle/pit crew 😅

[Wayne Potgieter]

I am loving the nice summer weather!

 

[patches]

On 12/9/2022 at 8:29 AM, Wayne Potgieter said:

I am loving the nice summer weather!

 

I know right?!

And I'm skating on thin ice every time I say "damn Auckland and it's weather, Christchurch wouldn't be like this" 😅

[patches]

Booked my Mom's flights. Exciting times! been nearly 5 years since I last saw her, and it'll be her first ever visit to NZ. She'll be here for roughly 6 months, so that'll be a nice break from the Joburg hustle and bustle for her.

Got a Qantas deal that wasn't tooo bad. Only about $300 more (for a return ticket) than the usual suspects (Qatar and Emirates), but with less than half the travel time than some of those flights, and an easy transit through Sydney.

 

 

[Wayne Potgieter]

1 hour ago, patches said:

Booked my Mom's flights. Exciting times! been nearly 5 years since I last saw her, and it'll be her first ever visit to NZ. She'll be here for roughly 6 months, so that'll be a nice break from the Joburg hustle and bustle for her.

Got a Qantas deal that wasn't tooo bad. Only about $300 more (for a return ticket) than the usual suspects (Qatar and Emirates), but with less than half the travel time than some of those flights, and an easy transit through Sydney.

 

 

Thats awesome!