Tel
I'm not an expert. I know a couple whose meds and PCCs will expire in June 2006, but they have just got their visas - in the nick of time! They were expecting to have to make a flying visit to Australia before the end of June 2006, simply in order to validate the visas, but when they eventually got the visas, they have been given until 16 December to validate, which is 6 months later than the meds will (technically) expire. They didn't ask for this extension and didn't expect DIMA to offer it.
It would be cheaper to get new police checks done than new meds. I don't know what Australian police checks cost (if you need those) but the UK ones only cost a tenner a head, as opposed to around £200pp on average for a full set of meds. I certainly wouldn't worry about a second tenner for the cops! Whether one would want to risk having to pay for 2 lots of meds depends on one's own taste and pocket.
One thing I have read that looks pretty nifty to me is the idea of semi-frontloading. A lot of people choose not to get the PCCs and Meds done in advance of submitting the application. Instead, if the visa is likely to take (say) 9 months from start-to-grant, they choose to get the Meds & PCCs done in around Month 5. By then, they shouldn't have too much longer to wait till a CO is appointed. Getting them done voluntarily at that stage (in advance of being asked to) would definitely save time without risking too short a period in which to get organised and get out to Oz in order to validate. This idea seems like a very shrewd notion to me.
Worth considering, perhaps?
Cheers
Gill
