HAYLEY'S INSIGHTS: Info from an Immigration Newbie
Hayley is our new(ish) legal assistant here at Visa Sidekick. She’s rounding out the year of 21sts and also just finished a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in criminology at uni in Melbourne.
Hayley was a newbie to immigration when she started, only knowing the teeny bits you pick up from hearing stories from friends, family and social media. She’s had a crash course in the basics of immigration so far, so we’ve asked her to share thoughts from her point of view, as a newbie to migration, as we bet it will resonate and make more sense to you other newbies who are looking into your options for the first time.
Our first question to Hayley was to give us her top 5 takes on immigration s far - you know, what’s been weird, surprising or unexpected. Here’s what Hayley had to say:
I find it so interesting how many different visa types and streams there are, as well as each having their own eligibility criteria which the applicant must align with; and how many different types we have on the go at any one time. There is so much organisation that is involved for each client, when we are working on so many in one day.
I was shocked at how much evidence and documents are needed before a visa application is lodged.
I have help with a lot of partner visas since starting and at the beginning I was so shocked as to how much evidence is needed to prove the relationship. Now after a few months, I love sorting through relationship evidence, gathering the documents for the partner visas.
Before working here, I never realised the process could take so long. The whole process can be long and time consuming, in order to collect all the relevant documents, complete the steps before lodging and, especially, then having to wait for the DHA to make a decision.
So many different programs and software which are needed to complete all the necessary steps towards visa lodgement (very annoying when your computer is being slow) 😂
[Edit: Hayley recently got upgraded with the fastest computer in the office - so no more complaining from her]
Please note: We’ll be asking Hayley for some more insights and info from the eyes of a newbie. Any info that Hayley passes on for you guys will always be reviewed and fact checked by one of our lawyers before going live, and we will endeavour to ensure accuracy at the time of posting. However, as always, any info on our website is for informational purposes only and should not be taken to be legal advice, nor does it create any legal relationship nor responsibility between you and Visa Sidekick.