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Grumpy
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<< I did all the phone bills etc for the tourist visa and was hoping I could bypass all that. >>
To cut a very long story short - make sure you submit as much evidence as you can as they'll as likely not have kept anything from your previous application (s).
I don't believe you need to use an agency, unless there had been issues with previous applications or previous visits to Australia.
Two weeks ago my (Thai) wife was granted her 'Oz spouse visa.
I believe a lot of the below will apply to you since a Prospective Marriage visa and a Spouse visa use the same form (47sp).
Read on if you want my long story -
When we visited VFS in Bangkok on 18-Oct and spoke to an Embassy Immigration Officer (they're only there at VFS on Tues and Thurs 2-4PM) to review the Spouse Visa application before we submitted it, the officer said, after reviewing our complete appliation, that it would likely fail as there was *no* proof of our relationship!
What about the four previous Tourist Visa's, and therefore the relationship evidence had already been supplied and accepted?
What about the two Statutory Declarations re. the genuineness of the relationship?
What about the wedding certificate (as we had married on her last visit to 'Oz) ?
Our conversation then proceeded along the lines of -
[officer] Where are the photos, where is the other evidence?
[me] I didn't supply them as I thought the Embassy already had them from the *four* Tourist visas previously granted for 'Oz
[officer] We don't always keep the supporting documentation for old applications (the 1st tourist visa was granted in Dec. 2004)
[me] I've emails going back more than 4 years between us, but they're back on my computer in Australia
[officer] Oh, we don't need to go back that far - just something recent
[me] I can access only the last 3 months of bank transfers because between Jan and July 'X' was with me in Australia
[officer] That'll be enough
[me] My photos are in Australia too, all we have here are the wedding photos
[officer] Oh that'll be fine
We departed VFS - shocked and amazed.
That afternoon, we printed about 20 wedding photos. I download the last few months of my money transfers to my wife. My wife photocopied *all* pages of her bank books and proceeded to highlight every single money transfer from me! We added these to the application.
We went back to VFS the next day and submitted the application. The counter clerk told us the form was now 'illegal' as the form had changed that week (the Embassy Officer had already very carefully checked the form and hadn't said anything about this, neither were there any signs at VFS stating to use the new form!). I was standing my ground, but the wife decided to fill in the new version of the form. So, 1 hour later, we submitted again, this time with the new form. The only changes to the form were 'domestic violence' changing to 'family violence' and the addition of the question (statement) for the 'Australian Values Statement' ("Life in Australia" booklet).
One week later we get an email from the Embassy Case Officer asking my wife to fill in a additional form, 1281, which just happens to be the above mentioned 'Australian Values Statement' only (i.e. the addenda to the old version of the application form) and nothing else. They hadn't even checked the form version, just assumed we'd used the old one - therefore that extra hour the wife spent re-writing the new form was wasted 
Subsequent to the original medical examination, my wife had to undergo two further medicals (the 1st of the additional ones was apparently due to a f***up by the laboratory when performing blood tests for the original test, as a doctor later told my wife). The results for the original and 2nd tests had to be sent to Sydney for review (this is not normal processing). A 3rd (non-blood) test was conducted, but reviewed locally I believe as the test was on Saturday 22-Dec and the visa was granted 4-Jan, there not being enough time to get to Sydney and back given the Christmas & New Year holidays.
In all it took 11 weeks from lodgement (the Embassy states the average is 3 months). If I exclude the additional medicals and the referral to Sydney, the I estimate the Bangkok part of the application only took 5 weeks at most. This is also matched by the case officer telling my wife earlier in the process that if the Sydney medical review was okay then the visa would be granted as the officer had reviewed the application and it was fine. If all your ducks are lined up then I imagine your processing time should easily be less than 2 months.
By the way, a Thai language version of the "Life in Australia" booklet didn't even exist when we applied back in October. I asked the case officer what should we do about that and never got a reply - in other words they were paying lip service to that statement and requirement!
http://www.austembassy.or.th/bkok/Visas_and_Migration.html has list of panel doctors.
Good luck to you.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:34 pm on Jan. 12, 2008
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Cool Dude
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Hi Grumpy,
Some great advice, thanks.
I seam to have all the bases covered. I have printed off all the forms including the two medical ones.
My girlfriend will be taking the application in when she returns in Feb.
As far as I can determine their is still no Thai version of the "Life in Australia book"
CD
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 11:23 am on Jan. 13, 2008
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