catlover1

I have 3 traffic offences - 2019 Feb went through red light camera and then speeding 30k over and Feb 2021 10 over - been in oz since Dec 2011 but worried if I apply I will be deemed bad character and have my pr cancelled….

My oh is oz and I'm irish. We hired a migration agent who charged £200 about 3 yrs ago n i got my residency visa after 3 mths. She's an aussie so knows the forms n paperwork inside out. I can pm you her details as I'd highly recommend her.

I'd miss: Chicken Salt Lamingtons Price of train travel ($8.60 from the Southern Highlands to Sydney) which is about 170km! And less than a fiver! Reversible train seats! More Sunshine! Bird life and I am talking the feathered kind! Choc tops. I definitely would not miss: The xenophobia Parochialism Attitude that it is the BEST country on earth! AFL/NFL which they call FOOTBALL but the ball ain't round?!!!! I still miss a lot of things about the UK such as friends family, TV, British Café and long summer evenings but there are pros and cons to wherever you are! Utopia doesn't exist unfortunately.

Hi there, I would thoroughly recommend an agent. We paid about 200 for ours and it took all the hassle and worry out of the application and knowing that it is done correctly as if it's not it will be sent back to you to start again. I personally think it is really worth that little bit of money as the application I filled in to get my permanent residency was over 70 pages long! Cheers and I can pass you on my agent's details if you need them.

We rehomed two cats when leaving London; one to a friend of a friends and the other to a good friend. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do particularly with my older cat Winkles. I still remember the feeling I had giving her to Cynthia. She is now very settled and happy mind and has her own garden which she didn't have with us. When I went back to the Uk in October though I couldn't bear to see her as it was going to be more upsetting for me than her! However, I know she is very well looked after as is our other cat which makes it way easier. I would however never want to have to give a pet up again. We now have a lovely black and orange cat which we are taking with us if we do ever go back there! :wink:

Hi there. I got my permanent residency and did all of it through an agent and would highly recommend it. For a nominal cost it takes all the stress out of the application process and ensures you are answering everything correctly.I can pm you the details if you likelike :biggrin:

Go to flight scanner and put in your dates etc you want to travel and if you want stop overs etc and it does all the leg work for you. I got mine for 1700 last year.

HI there, we live in the Highlands and are both in our mid 40s with no kids but there are a few medical centres here that bulk bill so we've not found that a problem. However, the dentist is another story! $80 for a check up and $165 for a clean! And I used to pay about 25 quid for a clean! The NHS is really one of it's kind and again something you don't appreciate until you have to start paying for services. I dread to think though if you have a lot of health problems how you would afford it here! I hope to go back to the UK when I am older though as I would be worried unless I had private health insurance in Oz!

Hi there, my OH is an Aussie and I am originally from outside Dublin but spent 20 years in South London and absolutely loved it although the OH always toyed with the idea of coming back to Oz. And TBH I was also growing tired of the daily grind of living in London. So in Nov 2011 we took the plunge and moved to the Southern Highlands in NSW which is about 1 1/2 hours from Sydney. I am the eldest of 5 with all my family in Ireland and my good friends in the UK and at first I found it incredibly hard to settle. Although, now I am starting to really enjoy being in Oz. I have applied to go and do my old job which is policing and although London is one of the most amazing cities in the world to live in I think Melbourne could definitely give it a run for its money. The key is to accept that you are here and not keep comparing Oz to the UK which I did ALL the time when I got here but tend to do this less and less. Australia is a truly beautiful country and I still have to pinch myself when I see some of the birds in our back garden. We have kept our place in the uk as we may retire back that way when we are older so my only advice would be if you do have a house there keep it and rent it out as I know once you have moved countries it can be quite tricky to get a mortgage when you don't live in the same country! I still love England and still miss is but I am here now and making the most of it. It does take time to settle though and you just have to be patient with it all. I think too having kids is a great way of meeting other people by the sounds of it from other users who have moved here with kids. Best of luck, Marie :biggrin: All the best with the move.

Mopping up drunks can be fun though :-) I wanted to apply for the AFP but I'm only on my green ps so can't. Roll on next Friday when I start my nsw police application! I've waited a bloody year! Mad or what :-) yeah pay is good in the police and unless u are a complete idiot it's a steady job and good salary. :-)

Hi belaroy, sorry to hear about your situation. I too am an ex officer but only of 3 years experience that being in Brixton mind so longer in real terms due to the amount of crap u deal with :-). Prior to that I worked as a senior level PA in London and I've applied for admin jobs here and not even had a bloody reply! I'm now just waiting to apply for the nsw police force as I missed out on the recruitment date last year as they closed recruitment. All going well I will be back in training this year/next year. I personally think it's a lot to do with being an ex copper . That's all I can put it down to as I never had any problems getting work in London and always had temp work in between my permanent jobs prior to the police. Would you ever consider going back into policing or are you over the politics of it all? As Churchill said "if you are in he'll keep going" :-)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the replies. It really helps knowing others have similar experiences and to get a different perspective too :-)

I can't understand that she'd get so wound up over something so minor :-) the lady needs to get out more me thinks ;-)

I've used fishpond since moving to oz and find them reliable and you can track your purchases. I've only bought books and CDs but they have numerous departments and deliver Australia wide so you may be able to find what you need. Do a search on google and they'll come up :-)

Hello all. Well I just arrived back in oz from Dublin. I'm feeling mighty strange about being back and very out of sorts! I visited friends in London and my family in Dublin and I missed aspects of oz but am starting to feel like I don't belong anywhere or have that place I can call home which was first Ireland and then the uk fir 20 years. This was my first trip back in 2 years so pretty emotional too as my little sis had her 4th child whilst I was there. Has anyone else had similar feelings when they've gone back to visit? I feel like in belong in three places with parts of me in Ireland, England and Australia!! Maybe I just need a lot of sleep!! :-) and will feel better when I'm over my jet lag.