Aussie Hopeful

Hi Smurfs, I see it has been some time since you made this post. I wondered how your move went to the Sunshine Coast and if you made it in the end? We currently live on the Mornington Peninsula. Been here for 4 years and considering a move to the Sunshine Coast. Similar reasons to yourselves. Love it on the Peninsula but House prices here are crazy and looking for a warmer climate etc. be great to hear how your plans went. Cheers Aussie Hopeful

Hi all, We are in the process of planning a trip to the UK but our PR has exceeded its 5 year travel allowance. We have applied for citizenship but do not anticipate it coming through in time based on the current wait times. I hoped someone could help with the following questions: - once you have a RRV, is there a requirement to use it within a certain timeframe and does it have an expiry? - as a family do we only need one (as per our PR visa) or do we need one each? - depending on the answer to above, what is the cost? Thanks in advance Aussie Hopeful

White / off white Mamas and Papas nursery furniture for sale. Includes: Wardrobe Cot bed with mattress Drawers with change top Some wear and tear but generally very good condition. $200 Melbourne peninsula area PM me for more details Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Have you had to study for a year full-time or part time equivalent? Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Hi, My brother is in the process of applying for a 190 visa but faces a stumbling block. He completed a 3 year bachelor QTS in primary teaching 9 years ago and despite being a qualified teacher with years of experience, AITSL will not pass him on a skills assessment as they require 4 years tertiary education. He is looking at further study options and I just wondered if anyone else faced this issue (I have seen a couple of posts around this) and what you did to overcome it. I suppose I am wanting to know if anyone has found a way around this issue and/or what further study routes anyone has taken to overcome it. Any advice would be really appreciated. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Our situation is slightly different. We have been here for 5 years, but had a 15 month stint in the middle of that back in the uk. The guidelines suggest that because our daughter was a citizen during that period, we can ask for that 15 months to be considered as being resident in Australia instead of our 4 years being reset to when we came back. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Thanks for this, it is really useful. Just checking with Border people but looks as though we can ask for special consideration in order to apply Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Hi all, Been scouring online and can't find an answer to this query, but heard it from a couple of sources and wondered if anyone can shed any light. To give some context. We moved to Oz on a perm residency visa in 2012. We moved back to the UK in Aug 2014 and then came back in Jan 2016. In terms of applying for citizenship, this means that we would have to wait until 2019 before being eligible to apply for citizenship due to our time out of Oz. However, before we left, we had our daughter and as a consequence, she is an Australian citizen. We had heard that because she is a citizen, we were eligible to apply for citizenship sooner. Does anyone know if there is any truth in this or if it is just a load of rubbish? Thanks Aussie Hopeful Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Thanks for the response. Are you then suggesting that any UK earnings (July 15 - Jan 16) do not need to be declared on the basis that I was living in the UK? I returned to Oz on 12 Jan 16

Hi, I wondered if anyone can help me with a tax question..... We previously spent 2 years in Oz as permanent residents before returning to the UK in 2014. We loved and worked there for 15 months before returning to Oz this January. I started working in April and have just completed my Aussie tax return with H&R Block (probably my first issue!). Anyway, as I had only worked 3 months this financial year, I had overpaid on my tax and should have been due 4/5k return from my Australian income. When I went for my tax return they said I needed to declare my overseas income even though I wasn't residing in Australia at the time. Even though I had paid UK tax on my UK income, once it was taken into account, it came out that I owed approx $400 in tax. Im absolutely baffled how I can go from being owed $4k to oweing money despite already paying UK tax on my earnings. I'm not convinced they have calculated it correctly. Should my UK income be taken into account even if I was not living in Australia at the time? I can understand if I was living in Australia and earning money overseas but I was out of the country for 15 months. Is is there anyone that can shed some light on this. Any advice would be much appreciated as I feel like I've been slightly shafted!!

I agree with Petals. Your priority is your children and what is best for them in the long run. Moving them around so much will leave them unsettled. I don't mean that to sound judgemental but at a young age children need stability. I have a good friend who is in his late 20's who struggles with buikding relationships because his parents moved nearly every year. He learnt a behaviour that prevented him from getting close to any other children because he knew he would move soon and never see them again. We we recently ping ponged after 2 years in Oz, 15 months in the UK and then back to Oz this January. This process was positive for us as it settled into our mind exactly what we wanted as a family and for our children in the long term and Oz is the place that can offer that. I've said it before but the reality of emigration is not that the grass is greener but a different kind of grass. In both places the grass needs to be watered. The reality is that both the UK and Oz offer pros and cons. The decision is and should be based on what pros are most important to you and are you prepared to live with the cons as accept them for what they are. For me, attitude is such a big part of moving. As petals suggested? You need to sit down and make a decision and stick to it. Life is hard and full of challenges wherever we live and no amount of sunshine, heritage, family, money or lifestyle are going to steer you away from those challenges. Personally the last 3.5 years have been the most challenging for us but it's about how you manage those challenges as to how you come out the other end. I I really feel for where you guys are, it is so hard. Take out the emotion and look at the reality. Just because you have done it twice, don't let it deter you, but if you do come back, think about the attitude you come with. Good luck!!

Ive just moved to Oz with an iPhone 5 that was on an O2 network. If you contact O2, they will unlock it for free before you go. Then when I got here I got a great deal with Optus: unltd text, unltd mins, 10gb data and 300 international minutes. $40 per month on sim only!!

hi all, moving to Melbourne on the 12th Jan and looking for two weeks in short term furnished accomodation. We have been looking desperately but can't find anything decent. So far checked out AirB&B, Stayz and other smaller independent sites. We are a family of 4 and looking to spend a max of $850 a week. If if anyone can help it would be much appreciated

Anyone looking to sell a family car in Melbourne? Land in Jsnuary and need to sort a car.

Hi all, would love some advice/opinions on what Parkdale offers as a suburb. We are ping ponging back from the UK in January and looking at possible suburbs to settle. When we previously lived in Melbourne we lived in Highett and really enjoyed the area. Particularly because of its proximity to the beach, shops and other great suburbs. We are a young family of 4 (kids 4&1) and put son will be attending school in Keysborough so we're looking at possible suburbs. I was just wondering if anyone can give their views and opinions on Parkdale as a suburb or even other surrounding suburbs. We have looked at liveability takings but it varies greatly depending on which ranking list you look at. Advice would und be much appreciated.