Australia Update

Hamo asked what's up with my Oz move yesterday, so here's a quick update.

The visa guys want me to prove that I've done a degree in Afrikaans in order to claim the 5 points I need to be considered for a visa, Afrikaans being a listed community language. They said, failing that, that a certain government agency could test me. The said agency tests just about every other language under the sun, but not Afrikaans. They do however give Afrikaans recognition - which of course the immigration dept won't accept as proof of my skills in the language! Talk about a vicious circle!!!

So I've managed to get proof that my post-school qualification was taught in both English and Afrikaans simultaneously, will be writing a South African government certified Afrikaans test and be submitting a sworn affidavit regarding my skills in the language.

If they don't accept this, we have no chance of getting a visa, even though I'm completely fluent in Afrikaans, watch the news and various programmes in Afrikaans every night, and do up to half my daily work in Afrikaans.

Strange, but true.

All the other issues (an assurer who earns enough etc) are sorted out, it's just this one little thing. And I have until 27 April to get it done or I go into the pool, hoping the visa points drop, which they've never done in the history of the immigration service. If they don't within 2 years, I lose out completely.

All of which is almost, ALMOST but not quite, enough to make me want to go propose to that Aussie farmer I had my eye on for 7 years.

Oh, and I still have the option to invest AU$100.000 (half a million Rands in my currency) if I want to, which will get me a visa immediately.

If I weren't going to lose R12,000 of visa application fee cash I'd be tempted to throw in the towel right now. But I feel this is where God wants me to go, and as a result it's now up to His miracle-working powers to sort it out. I'll do everything I can, but it's in His hands from there.

Oops, not that quick an update after all! :)