HelloFrenchie

Our belongings have just arrived from Sydney and I thought I would share our experience as we were looking for similar information when we were planning our move from London. We were hesitating between a number of 'traditional' removal companies (think Anglo Pacific, PSS etc) and Movecube (which seemed like a great; we went with Doree Bonner at the end as the communication was clear, easy (trust me I had LOTS of questions - and was very stressed as we had to organise the pick up 10 days after our booking) and reassuring. The quote was similar to what we had elsewhere. Summary of our experience below: While we read about unexpected costs appearing out of nowhere, the only additional costs were a very small admin fee and insurances. Most of them we didn't need (e.g bad weather - it's worth asking for details) and we ended up booking the only insurance we really needed (marine) with Letton Percival. As soon as the movers came to pick up our belongings we realised we made the right decision vs a Movecube. The Movecube wasn't that much cheaper and would have been a lot more stressful as self packed. The movers were really professional, friendly and quick - and turns out also efficient. As... Our belongings arrived 3 months after we arrived. We knew this was the sort of timeline (2.5 to 3 months) we were looking at - so no big surprise there. Everything made it in one piece (including my extensive collection of glasswear and a big mirror). We still need to test a couple of speakers but in the great realm of things we are extremely happy with the state of our goods. And we didn't have to pay any quarantine fee, which was a great surprise as the Australian borders can be tricky. It's important to keep in mind Doree Bonner (as I am guessing most companies) work with a local company to deliver the goods to the final destination. We found them slightly frustrating to work with but the movers were once again very friendly and helpful. We would definitely recommend Doree Bonner and use them again in the future.

Thanks, that's v helpful re excess luggage! I am starting to realise all shipping companies are roughly the same. Bad and good reviews!

I just read it all, it's a definite contender Checking timings with more traditional shipping companies too (2.5 to 3 months with Movecube). Thanks again!

Thanks for the speedy reply! I didn't think about that, when I say we can wait we can wait 2 months but not 6; we won't fill up a container as we are not shipping that many things... Let me know if you can think of any alternative. I will call Seven Seas ASAP to check if Movecube could be a good decision considering.

Our visa got approved yesterday - next step... we need to organise the actual move! Which shipping company would you recommend? We are not shipping any vehicle (4 bicycles though, I KNOW) and a very limited amount of furniture. So mainly books, records, house decorations we really care about (framed prints, vases etc). I got quotes from 1st Move and Anglo Pacific last year and they came to the same amount. I also read about Pickfords (terrible trust pilot rating though) and Seven Seas, with the Move Cube being an option (esp if they offer a packing option?!). What would you recommend? We'd like to avoid the obvious issues so extra costs in addition to the initial quote, damages, issues at the border... Timings are less of an issue. I am also getting a quote from Letton Percival in case and looking at using an excess baggage company for items we'd want to take with us straight away. Thanks a lot in advance!

Visa granted yesterday - LR country, 457 with spouse dependent, applied offshore through an immigration agent. It took a LOT longer than the 6-8 weeks we were initially told (13 weeks!) and were given zero update throughout the process so bottom line is - don't give up!

Thanks so much! Still zero update.... and Christmas is now 1 day away. I guess we will hear back in January!

Hi there First post on this thread, apologies if my questions have been answered elsewhere! Does anyone know when the visa 'office' (for a better name) shuts? Our paper work was submitted by the sponsor's agent on October 24th and we have absolutely zero news. We were initially told 6 to 8 weeks and the latest update we received from the agent was 'oh maybe January' which is a tat stressful considering me and my husband are both working our notices. Also, we had to get married just before we submitted the paper work as we didn't qualify for de facto, do you know if the marriage date can be an issue? We are applying from a low risk country. Thanks so much!

So getting married seems the better option right now. Does anyone know how long weened to have had the marriage certificate for? Also, does that mean we don't need to show joint house lease, bills etc? And yes we are aware it's not worth getting married for a visa - we'd just be bringing forward something we had considered already. Thanks for your help!

We have that, provided by the company hiring my partner - but they are not as direct as you guys!! So in a way the forum is more useful than them. HA.

My understanding is that without bills sent to the same address, joint house contract (both covering at least a 6 month period), joint bank accounts or 'joint big purchases' e.g. car or mortgage the visa is unlikely to go through. Flights, holidays accommodation, communications, testimonials are not as strong. I wold love to hear from people who managed to get the visa without the joint house lease/bills but for now we are assuming our application won't work as defacto, even if we NOW live together.

Hi YMCA - thank you SO MUCH this is so helpful! Marriage doesn't scare us at all - we are very committed but not very traditional I suppose. I am under 50 but having looked at the skills my digital/advertising skills look too fluffy to be included! I will look into this further.

Hi there - thanks for the reply! It looks like it's going to be a nightmare for sure. Do you know how long we'd need to be married for to guarantee the visa goes through? We are very serious about the relationship but 'living together' was an option for the next few months - which again we can prove but is likely to be enough....

Hi All I am very new to this forum so apologies if the below isn't clear or has been answered already in the past! I have been with my partner for just under a year; he has been offered a great job in Australia and the company that hired him is sorting out his visa (457) - and indirectly mine as defacto partner. While we are very serious about the relationship and committed we do not officially live together - he moved at mine over a month ago but has just only started to make the move 'official' (gas bills, bank statements sent to the address etc). I am fully aware that 'defacto' means being more than just 'boyfriend/girlfriend' and means being practically married for at least 6 months - and while it's the way we behave we don't have anything to show other than pictures, texts, emails, flights and holidays booked together. We also have the proof that we were looking for a place together before starting the visa application but that's about it. Additional details: We are meant to move to Oz in January and I am too old for the WHV. My questions are... - do you know anyone who was in a similar situation and managed to get on the visa? Worth noting he is British, I am French. - what else can we use to help our case? Do we need letters from friends, housemates, owners of B&Bs we stayed at etc? - we talked about getting married, would this help us considering the tight timeline? He is not moving without me and I am not moving unless I can work... Thank you so much for your help, this is all pretty stressful!