January 2022 – A GREAT year ahead!

Welcome one and all to 2022. A year that I already feel is going to be full of positivity and changes for the best for Down Under Visa and for all our clients. Could this be because this is an election year and our paternalistic mentors in Canberra want another term? Yeah, well……..possibly! I suspect they will do all that they can to return things to normal.

Morris, Mila, Jeff and Remy

Harvie Family?

We ended the year with something very special happening.

Clients will know our Office Manager Remy, right? Well, she is now Remy Harvie Sapida! Yes, she got married.

You may have also received some emails from Morris? Morris Sapida, that is! Her husband!

Am I being a proud dad who had the honour of walking my finest achievement in life down the aisle and entrusting her to a truly good man? Well, yeah. Guilty! That’s me, Mila, Remy and Morris in the photo!

Down Under Visa News – January 2022

Now, onto the Down Under Visa News!

And this will be quick, because we’ve hit the ground running this year. I’m clearly not the only person feeling positive! So I will rush this though a bit because I have to get back to work.

Patience Please

If you’ve emailed, I will get back to you as soon as I can. So will Remy. I’m being brief in my responses, and I imagine Remy is too. You will get full attention. Just minus a whole lot of additional conversation. We’re mostly up to date and will try to keep it that way. 

As usual, PLEASE DON’T EMAIL THE SAME THING TO MORE THAN ONE OF US! It creates extra work, and does not benefit you in the slightest! It just ensures longer delays. Remy or Mila will ALWAYS refer technical matters to me, rest assured. Remy in particular is very clear about where her expertise finishes, and anything other than administrative issues she will always refer to me. So no need to include me.

Travel Ban Exemptions

Maybe the election pending? Whatever it is, we had a FLOOD of Travel Ban Exemptions granted just before Christmas. That includes people who’ve been waiting patiently since early in 2021! One grant was for someone where we had tried 14 times!! 

So things are definitely looking up! This means a flood of Down Under Visa clients who’ve been waiting so long will finally get the opportunity to be together as they deserve to be. Huge relief for our clients, and for us. We never gave up. And it’s finally paying off.

Favour please? If you’re still waiting for yours, rest assured we will keep you informed. Please don’t ask me why you’re still waiting for yours, as I can’t answer you!

Business As Usual?

Otherwise, anything different? No, more of a sense of returning to normalcy. I can see the borders opening soon …….. to fully vaccinated travelers! If your Filipina sweetheart hasn’t been double-vaxed yet? Please suggest to her to do so, as this will cause you delays otherwise.

Picture me raising a glass! To 2022 and a wonderful year, with sanity once again prevailing and loving Australian Filipina couples getting together with ease! Best regards to all of you.

Jeff Harvie is a Registered Migration Agent from Australia, but resident in Philippines since 2010 with his Filipina wife Mila and large extended family. Experienced with the Philippines culture, cross-cultural relationships and bureaucracy as well as Australian visas and Australian Migration Law, he writes with authority and fortunately with enough informality and humour that the average Aussie gets it! Down Under Visa specialises in visas for Australians in relationships with ladies and gents from Philippines, Thailand, China and Vietnam. Read MORE