Hello Maureen & Neil
Welcome to Poms in Oz.
One of the best things that has ever happened in our own family is my mother's Contributory Parent 143 visa.
We had years of hassle over the Balance of Family Test (because Mum has one daughter in Oz, another daughter - me - in the UK and she also has a UK-based steo-daughter.)
Dad died in 1991. We looked into Parent migration for Mum in 193 after Mum came back from a year with my sister saying that she wanted to live in Oz. It was not possible then because the Balance of Family Test treated all 3 of us equally, as all being Mum's own children even though my half-sister is not Mum's own child. She is my late father's child by his first marriage.
This continued until 2004 when another family challenged the Balance of Family test in the Tribunal and succeeded on a nuance on the legislation that was introduced n 1999 but which was never actually intended to alter the Balance of Family Test. That was just a fortunate coincidence for the Chinese family who fought the test case and then for families like us who copied them later.
We found out about the change in 2005 and made an immediate CPV application for Mum, who was by then 85. Her CPV was granted in late 2006 and she has been in Oz ever since.
Mum's only granchildren are in Perth, WA, the offspring of my sister and her husband. Personally I am convinced that Mum's 2 grandsons are giving her the will to keep going because Mum wants to see then grow up, become settled with families of their own etc.
Plus the climate is MILES better for Mum than the cold, damp (and right now very windy) UK. Additionally, Medicare look after Mum a million times better than the NHS in the UK would. Mum is wheelchair-bound after breaking her back some years ago. She can hobble a few yards on a zimmer-frame on a flat surface but mainly she needs her wheelchair.
It is better for her to stand up - lets all the internal organs drop into the right place etc and apparently this reduces the risk of kidney stones. The NHS have never offered any sort of physio. The GP in Oz has aranged hydrotherapy, which is an excellent idea.
Plus at 85, Mum was fed up with travelling back & forth to Perth every year. She is a very strong-willed old lady. If she had had to keep doing it, she would have done but when I speak with her on the phone now, at least once a week, I can hear how well she has settled out there. She has both my half-sister and I on promises that we will go out there to see her whenever she wants, but for the moment she is very content so I am waiting for her to ask for a visit from me. She keeps saying, "I'm not done with my family in the UK yet" (she has siblings plus nephews & neices her - ours is a large family) but we'll see! For the moment she clearly doesn't want to jump on yet another plane so I'm keeping quiet!
Please read the threads below! I think they will amuse and inspire you!
http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/househ...ty-please.html
http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/arriva...ry-minute.html
http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migrat...melbourne.html
I also had a super e-mail from Savta once. She said it couldn't be a long one because her grandson had had a tiff with his parents (round the corner) and was on his way to Savta's house for breakfast!
Best wishes
Gill
