Hi Letmein,
Here are some comments which I hope will help:
1. Yours is a very serious conviction and will have to be addressed. You will be asked to declare on your visa application form whether or not you have any kind of police record. Not declaring will mean that you are committing fraud.
I know that you think that the conviction has been wiped off your record, but it has not, not on the police check that will come through when/if a police clearances is requested.
If you seriously want to get to Australia on clean grounds and you consider remaining on a long term basis, you should apply for your police clearance now and obtain some professional advice about how to deal with the issue on any visa application.
If you have been to Australia on a tourist visa since your conviction, and you have not declared your conviction, you are already going to have an issue to deal with when this comes to light, since all boarding/declaration cards are kept on the system and checked by the Department.
I am sorry, I know it sounds like I am trying to scare the living daylights out of you, but trust me, it's best to be upfront and to have the issue dealt with rather than trying to hide it.
2. Rheumatoid arthritus:
This will depend on the prognosis and on the seriousness of the condition.
3. When applying for a 457 visa how long is the whole process more or less from start to finish?
It depends on the processing office. But with your issue of a police record there will be an inevitable delay. So I would say at the very least a couple of months.
4. Do I need unabridged birth and marraige certificates for a temporary visa?
Full birth certificates will be needed. In the UK you can apply for them online now. They can be sent to you in a matter of days.
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