Visas

OK, it seems that any time you want to go overseas, one of the things you need is a visa. The processes for obtaining visas are long, frequently arcane, and seem to change about as often as I change my trousers.

I am going to the UK on the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, a programme run by UK.gov to try to get highly skilled individuals into the UK economy. Actually, based on the requirements to get into the programme, they are really after highly educated, highly paid individuals, but the correlation between skills, education and pay is probably good enough for these purposes. Anyway, the whole system has changed again since I got into the programme, so it may all be different now.

The process has actually been pretty smooth for us, if a little cumbersome. The first problem we encountered is that you need to send enough documentation to establish your entire life story to the UK, and they will not sign for it at the other end. Yep, you just have to send it by airmail and hope it gets there. They at least courier it back.

The second problem we had is that, as of the start of December last, you need to have biometric data taken to get a visa (they mean digital fingerprints and a photo). A lot of people get very upset about this sort of thing, but I don't really see the problem from a civil rights point of view; what was a problem for me was that there is only an honorary consul in my city, with no facilities to take fingerprints or photographs (or to deal with visa applications in any way). So my family and I got on a plane for a day trip to Melbourne to have our fingerprints taken. The process is really quick and painless and we had most of a day to just wander around Melbourne, which was nice, but it would have been
even nicer not to have to go at all.

We have had one other hassle; my visa has been approved, buy my wife's (and therefore my daughter's) applications have been returned saying they have not had their biometric data taken. This is not the case (we went to Melbourne to have it done and have sent in the piece of paper (yes, paper) saying so) so we don't really know what's going on. I assume it's just a mistake on the part of the assessor, but we will see what they say now we have sent it in again explaining this.

Next up, flights.

We're off!

The Cooks are going to sunny merry England! Quite soon too...

More on all the fascinating details of visas, flights, money, houses, cameras etc. coming soon.