CaptainC

As some of you might know, maintaining this thread involves a lot of research and calculations of dates and invitations to make any predictions as accurate as possible. It has become increasingly difficult to do this over the past couple of weeks due being overloaded with other commitments, so I will have to take a few weeks hiatus from the thread. I will temporarily close the thread until I'm ready to restart where I left off. Until then it will not be possible to post here. Thanks for your understanding.

Just a reminder before anybody responds to the telephone number request, that this number is not permitted to be posted on the forum. See this post >>>> Calling DIBP - Please Read http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237227

It's not on the OSAP list so you must apply through the TRA MSA programme. Here's the link to the applicant guide >>> http://www.tradesrecognitionaustralia.gov.au/Programs/Migration/Documents/33.%20TRA%20MSA%20Applicant%20Guidelines%20V9.0.pdf

Done for you mate. :-)

South Australia has Technical Writer currently on their Supplementary Skilled List. To qualify for sponsorship in the profession then you must have at least ONE of the following: Have at least 85 points (including the points from sponsorship); Be an international graduate of South Australia in the field of study related to your occupation; Have worked in a skilled occupation in SA for the last 12 months; Have an immediate family member (grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother or sister) as a permanent resident or a citizen, residing permanently in SA for at least the last 12 months.

Sorry, but you won't receive an invitation if your occupation isn't on the list.

AQIS expect that bikes are thoroughly cleaned, especially the wheels, and have a disinfectant applied to them. Something like Jeyes does the trick, and smells strong, which is what AQIS like. I would second @rammygirl about the bearings, so don't use a pressure washer if you can help it. Although it's no problem if you avoid directly spraying any moving parts. A steam clean has been suggested by some other people on the forum, in the past. But I think it's a bit of overkill and not everyone would have access to a steam cleaner. Like a pressure washer, avoid steaming any moving parts. Another alternative would be to remove the tyres and buy new ones at the other end. It's not easy getting mud off rubber, it sticks to it like super super superglue.....I just cleaned my wellies, after they were worn at a festival in the UK 'summer'. I would have dumped them but they are Hunter boots and would have cost a fortune to replace.

I got a quote yesterday. For the volume of goods in a medium sized Movecube the fees for clearance in Australia were around $500. Even if you aren't using a movecube, but are shipping a similar volume then that should give you a rough idea. Any extras such as if AQIS need to open the shipment to remove or treat anything for biosecurity reasons then there will be an additional charge. No idea about transporting to an address. I'm just going to pick it up in a warehouse, hire a van/lorry and drive it myself.

You'll not get a yes or no, because it is up to you (and your agent) to present your case in the right way. The recency of the offences and the amount, would suggest that you'd have an uphill battle to face. Another factor is if you visited Australia in the past and declared these convictions either on previous visas or on the incoming passenger card. If yes, then you have a fighting chance.

That would be down to the individual bank to assess that, so I couldn't offer an answer. As Bungo mentioned above, the options open up significantly when you get PR, until then you are sort of living in limbo. If it was me, I'd definitely rent until PR. There are several reasons for that but the main one is that having temporary residency has no guarantees, and making a huge investment in those circumstances would be far too risky for me.

Only citizens and permanent residents are automatically permitted to buy property. However, you can apply to the Foreign Investment Review Board to get the go-ahead. These applications are seldom rejected, so the answer to your question is technically yes. There are some restrictions on owning the property though: 1. It must be your primary residence and you must live there; 2. You cannot rent it out; 3. You must sell it when the property ceases to be your primary residence; 4. You are only permitted to buy one residential property The only real hurdle that I can see for you is that you're unlikely to get a mortgage on a 489 visa, regardless of how good your credit rating is. It is possible, but you might be paying a horrendous amount of interest.....

The best plan!! Good luck!