I have heard that you will not be allowed to emigrate if you have a past history of a mental condition, not including depression. Is this true?
No this is not true. All medical conditions, including psychiatric, are judged on their individual merits.
My husband has had major surgery. Would this pose a problem on our medicals? Could it lead to visa refusal?
All medical matters are subject to many variables. Assuming your husband needs no further treatment and it is not envisioned that he will cost the Australian Health Community any money then there is a reasonable chance he will not be refused a visa.
What are the criteria for detailing medical history, i.e. do I have to mention all past medical conditions even if they are no longer affecting me? What exactly do you need to mention, and what is classed as trivia?
There are specific questions on the medical form - to be answered yes or no. There is also a catch all question "anything else we should know" - minor colds etc are trivial - declare everything else.
If overweight will it affect the application to migrate to Australia?
Height to weight ratio can fail you if your condition may cause you to need excessive medical treatment once in Australia.
In the past I overstayed my visitor’s visa to Australia, do you think this will affect my application for permanent residency in any way?
It can affect "character" issues in deciding to grant the visa but in my experience this is rare. You should be OK.
Do I have to get and send my police clearance and medicals in with my visa application?
No, police and medicals will be requested from you once your application has been lodged and reviewed by a case officer with the department of immigration in Australia. Once you visa is granted the date on your police or medicals may be used to determine when you are required to enter Australia and activate your visa. It is always best to wait until they are requested before having them done.
I have a police record in the UK. How will this affect my visa application for permanent residency in Australia or New Zealand? How many years is the record kept in the PNC? Up to how many years old can it be before I don’t have to declare it?
All offences recorded on your police record will never leave the PNC. For UK employment you don’t have to declare it after 10 years. For international immigration you have to declare it always. It never becomes "spent". In most cases minor offences will not have a detrimental effect on your application for permanent residency, but it will depend on how long ago the offence was committed and the severity of the punishment.
More severe cases i.e. offences where you were sentenced to time in prison, may cause problems for your application. This will again depend on the length of time since the offence and the length of time spent in prison. If this is the case for you would definitely benefit from the services of a registered agent who has had experience in dealing with criminal matters.
