A Venezuelan wacky guy living his Australian dream

A year ago I wrote a post saying how cool the DIAC web site was providing a tool enabling any aspirant / applicant to check their case requirements and some additional information... The truth is (and I started notice this fault later on) almost 6 months later my case didn’t had any update; even when I sent every requirement requested on the web page months ago, the case didn’t had an update and I was worried because I didn't wanted to fail to complain any docs.

Took me an email (I know, an email haven’t killed anyone, but...) to get information related to my medicals. So I started to wonder... Doesn’t the DIAC know how to link up different data sources? Why does my information needs to be in the case officer hands to get some update? Why haven’t they thought in a tracing workflow of some documents giving even more information to the case and reducing dramatically silly inquiries?

As computer scientist and program manager I know these things are quite possible and easy to implement and even though, DIAC doesn’t have it one year later (or more) from the tool's release date; somehow disappointing. From my point of view, someone at http://www.immi.gov.au development team said “lets create a web page so people can check their statuses regarding to their stuff... but how the information will be filled in with different departments data (as the Health Operation Centre) or institutions isn’t really our biz... They will find another way to deal with it!”; creating a very limited tool (maybe that's the intention).

Hopefully someone from the Department of Immigration And Citizenship will read this post and do something about it (please do not deny my visa application because of this constructive critic =P... Seriously, don’t) creating a better experience for those waiting to have any request from our case officers or just to determine if our requirements are fulfilled. Please don’t get me wrong, is a great thing to have at least a small piece of information from our cases, but it might work much more for DIAC as well to determine what’s left without having the officer scanning and searching the folder for pieces of paper or notes.

Those applicants looking for more information... The Query Application Status could be very tricky and out of date at times unless you have a case officer already working on your case or you being very annoying.

Well, this post isn’t related to the TV series if that was what you wanted to look out.

The time goes by and we do not have any answer from the migration department. We do not know if our case is being on the scout or if is going to take a little longer… In any case, July isn’t over and we might get the visa to the end of this month.

Anyway, here is a sum up from the previous post up today. Since the last post I have been full day on work stuff (thankfully this helps to get a little bit distracted), my mom’s b’day happened and today is my b’day… Cool isn’t? hahaha, big sum up.

Anyway, the last couple of days (last two or three weeks really) I have realise my mom’s feelings about me moving away and this kind of anger which really is unmanaged frustrations. The problem is that for your parents, you are the little kiddo whom is trying to forget about them moving away, even if you are not... My mom took things pretty bad although she stays cool and quite, trying to avoid no matter what the moving issue. Sometimes it is easy to forget that they are trying to defend their point of view such as “why to move that far away?” or “Don’t you have everything somewhere closer?” because they just try to vanish the idea behind the illusion of “if I ignore the reality isn’t going to affect me”.

Since then I've tried to involved them more into the situation and trying to expose them how others have handled the distance and the fact that there is 14 hours of difference between Australia and Venezuela (or 10 hours the other way around) and I have notice a better reaction. since then. So, as the time goes by there is a bigger need from my family to ensure we will keep in touch and the distance isn’t going to matter that much.

As time goes by you also have to finish up the final arrangements (even though you do not have the visa granted) in order to avoid running from one spot to the another trying to solve last minute issues. This is a suggestion I haven’t followed. As for my wife and I, the world has just stopped spinning with the day to day activities and the hundred and one issue to solve with our family members before the departure day becomes our present day.

That’s the sum’ up to the present (July 11).

I hope you have found pleasant the Frank Sinatra song.

C’ya around cyber mates.

What else could I do? The Department of Immigration And Citizenship so doing its part and we’re doing ours… But I must confess, this phase is kind of horrible… you know you already did what you had to do and all it rest is wait.

The worst thing is, I know my visa isn’t going to come yet… because they haven’t called to my jobs, nor my case manager gave me some feedback, and to be honest I am expecting my documents on July, maybe August.

What are you going to feel at the same stage of the process?

Well… sort of exasperation, depression, hatred and stress. Not all at once, but at least for the Venezuelans these are the feelings most of the people had told me before I felt it.

Why Exasperation? Because want to go away from the situation and reality which, at the moment, isn’t yours anymore. My mate Raul said this mood is called bubble moment stage… you feel some sort of barrier between the reality around you and what it really matters to you… awful.

Why Depression? Well, you can imagine what to feel when you are on this train for two years now and all of the sudden you are quite ready to go… but… not yet… is like we have walked so much but there is a few steps to get to the finish line; you can’t see it but knows its there… so you ask your coach how far the goal is… and you receive a “dunno dude”. DIAC has a web site to give you updates of your case, but the update is a big sum up, which doesn’t tell you much.

What to hate to? Why Hatred? The entire process, it should be shorter or at least with much more feedback.

Why Stress? Because you want to buy new furniture, but no, we’re gonna move soon, isn’t necessary… we wanna move to a nice apartment… but again NO, because we cannot invest the money in something silly… we are going to be moving soon, right???..... right???

Anyone, blogging helps me to set the emotions to the lowest, let the soul to rest and resist for a little longer.
Talk to you later guys. Thanks for reading such a useless post.

Triple check the given information, passport ID, dates and everything else to avoid any problem with your case (as explained in the DIAC’s web page). Everything cool? Hit the next button and you will see some abstract information of your case… It might take you a couple of minutes to understand what is being show.

In your final stage of the process, you can feel a little exasperated, stressed or disoriented but checking as often as you want might gives you a better idea of how everything goes and calm you a little.

This post is related to: "Check your case status (Updated)"