Applying for Non-Immigrant OA Visa from Australia - requirements confusion & concerns

[ubonjoe]

41 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

All OA visas in Australia are issued by the Thai Embassy in Canberra.. 

They can also be issued at the official consulate in Sydney.

[BaiLao]

1 hour ago, Laza 45 said:

All OA visas in Australia are issued by the Thai Embassy in Canberra..

Inaccurate information.

O-A can be issued in Sydney:

 

 

 

[Laza 45]

10 minutes ago, BaiLao said:

Inaccurate information.

O-A can be issued in Sydney:

 

 

 

Thank you.. my understanding was that they are all issued in Canberra..

[ThaiBunny]

4 hours ago, Olmate said:

Hi DrJ, have you any recent experience with online police check? ..I found the state police check took about 1 month and was required rather than online one.Its really the reason I don,t back to do due to the time factor waiting.Thanks

It's inside a week; you apply to the Feds online, pay online and they mail it out to you

[DrJack54]

There is post in this thread about one being issued in Hobart. I doubt that very much. Years ago Brisbane did them now no. Think Perth once upon a time did em. Now Canberra and Sydney ONLY. Think Sydney is done in person, Canberra can be done via mail

Edited August 19, 2019 by DrJack54

[BaiLao]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Think Sydney is done in person

Did mine via registered post to Sydney in May. Posted Friday, received it the following Friday...

[BaiLao]

7 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

It's inside a week; you apply to the Feds online, pay online and they mail it out to you

Mine took three weeks to arrive. There's an email alternative which obviously I wish I'd used...

[rughead]

I do my O/A in Brisbane every 18 / 24 months , and your concern over notarising documents costing an arm and a leg, I don,t think so. If you google document notarising lawyers , you will find many that only do document authentication ,I found one in east Brisbane  charges about $100 , in February this year, exactly the same amount of documents you have . Your other point is true, a J.P can only witness a true document, hence the problem if you get a computer print out of your medical review, your bank statement and others , I had the same problem some years ago, the J.P refused to authenticate these documents and suggested i see a notary public .

[aussienam]

Update:  I received my multiple entry O-A (retirement) visa.  Visa processing staff at Thai Embassy in Canberra were very helpful.  They said to use a JP, and that a notary was not necessary and expensive.  Took about a week to get my passport sent back in the mail.  

 

I used computer printouts of bank statements - which is how my online bank issues statements and how I can get the most recent balances - otherwise I need to put in a request and expect to wait a few weeks to get it back.  The Embassy staff said that was fine to use printouts.  The JP at the shopping mall used a different stamp that they were witnessing a computer printout copy.   JP service was free.  

 

The point is, that in Australia you are agreeing in the application to allow the ACT Thai Embassy to contact the institutions issuing those documents to verify the information.  Which is possibly why the requirements are not as strict (despite the application instructions specifying documents to be notarised and bound).  

Edited September 22, 2019 by aussienam