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Interestingly, and apropos of nothing, mathematicians and philosophers both debate the existence of Zero
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I get this from beginning to end. I was here for a decade and I couldn't settle (lots of trips back and forth to the UK), and eventually returned in 2008 after I got my Aussie citizenship... just in case! It was great being back for a while and I qualified as a teacher (which would've been much harder to do in Australia), but after a year of teaching in the UK and knowing how much better life was over here, I returned to Australia in 2011. I haven't regretted coming back although I really miss trips to Europe - and the pub! - which for me was the best part of UK life. I feel a lot more settled in Australia these days but all my close family have passed on, so I no longer have the family ties there I used to have. If I had a large supportive family and lots of friends then I'm sure I'd still be in the UK, despite the state the country's in. Those things are really important to me but when you take them out of the equation and compare apples for apples, Australia is better. If I was you I'd try and visualize what your life will be like with a young family in Australia, as it will be a completely different than the lifestyle you previously had when you lived here. On one side of the coin I think kids have a better life here than in the UK (just my opinion), but on the other side you'll be doing it on your own with no support network. Honestly, I don't envy your decision and all I can suggest is try and ignore the gloss and the soundbites, and ask yourself honestly what's most important for your happiness.
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How can I research a number that's in your head? This is why I'm asking you.
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I’ve spoken to a fair few and they have all said vote no. There words are that they have the same opportunities as everyone else if they care to go for it. You could say that kids in foster care have it harder than kids living with parents, do they need a voice?
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That's a good point - I hadn't thought of that!
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Hi All, Phew sorry for the long one.. I was wondering if anyone else has been having the same issues. I lived in Sydney for the past 6.5 years. Once I had obtained citizenship I was desperate to move back to the UK to be closer to friends and family. I was so homesick for them all, parts of British culture and being in a familiar place again. Issue is - I now feel homesick for Australia. I feel like I can't settle in the UK because I don't feel English enough but I also can't settle in Australia because I don't feel Australian enough. I feel like I will always have a pull for both countries and have a sense of homesickness. I almost sometimes have regret for even going there in the first place as I'd never be in this situation. Mostly all of my friends I made in Sydney over the years have returned to the UK and don't have any interest in returning. I think all of the above combined with the fact is the quality of life in the UK vs Aus is staggeringly different. Aus is just better in terms of cost of living/wages ratio. I know there are lots of amazing places in the UK but you can't fault Aussie nature. I just worry I made a mistake in returning on a more perm basis. I came to the UK for 10 weeks last year and I was heart broken to leave. I returned to Sydney with an action plan with my husband for us to get our citizenship and return to the UK. We have done just that, we have returned, we have moved a few hours from home as that is where we obtained jobs and its all starting again I suppose. I've recently found out I am pregnant and this bit is the weirdest for me - I'd always said I can't have a family in Aus as all our family and friends are in the UK but now I am pregnant I feel like the UK isn't a great place to bring up children and I feel like I am taking the chance away from our future children to grow up in Aus. I know I shouldn't make any decisions while pregnant . I know we can't make any decisions on going back in the next year as I will be pregnant and then freshly postpartum. But how long do you sit on these feelings for? How realistic would it be to have the best of both? 6 months here /6 months there? That's fine if its just you but not fair on children. I think I just needed to sound board on a community of people who most likely have gone through all the same emotions over the years. Being an expat creates a beautiful life with amazing experiences, but it comes with some hard decisions on the back of it. Thanks all if you read this far!
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I engaged migration agent @paulhand to advise and guide me through my options and the process. It was really helpful. I was also trying to get the timing just right - finding that sweet spot where the visa would arrive before I needed it, but late enough that I wouldn't have to ever get into the RRV situation. Paul gave me a really thought provoking piece of advice - right now you are in great health and your visa application is going to sail through, but it's a reality that as we get older, our risk of health conditions increases and if you are unlucky enough to get one that disqualifies your application, then that's it. I duly got on it straight away. RRV is much easier to deal with than a declined application.
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DYOR
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There have been plenty in media saying they are voting no. Have you been under a rock for last few months?
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Apologies for the incorrect terminology, but my point is if you make the permanent move within 12 months from the visa grant then you don't need to make a separate trip to validate the visa, as many end having to do.
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It's also worth pointing out that your visa is not 'locked in' until you make this first 'activation' trip. You have an obligation to advise them of any change in circumstances and, if those would have affected the eligibility for the visa, they are able to cancel it.
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That's not right. You have to validate - ie clear immigration on arrival in Australia - before the required first entry date, which is 12 months from visa grant. You can then make the permanent move afterwards while the travel facility is available, for 5 years after the date of visa grant - see the must not arrive after date in the visa grant extract above. If you want to arrive in Australia after those 5 years and aren't an Aus citizen with an Aussie passport you'll need to look at the Resident Return visa requirements. Best regards.
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How many are against it?
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The term 'visa activation' is rather misleading and seems to cause a lot of confusion. The visa is already active from the date of grant and no one needs to make a special 'activation trip' to Australia, just as long as they emigrate before the date of first entry in the grant letter. In the case of @bearnova64 obtaining his partner visa should be relatively straightforward, assuming the application is made correctly. He'll know the approximate processing time, and if they know when they want to emigrate they can time the application so that the visa isn't granted too early. I appreciate in the case of skilled applicants they don't know if they'll be granted a visa, so it's going to be harder to plan, but given the overall cost of migration an additional trip to Australia is a cost you can probably do without if you can avoid it.
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how many did you speak to?
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It would have been creamed off by the “city mob “ who are happy to tell the remote communities what’s best for them , if one thing positive has happened is it’s been brought front and Center how much ( or how little) of the annual 34 billion is getting through to grass roots communities. There are far too many elites getting mega bucks for doing relatively little.
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Why are so many indigenous against it ?
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I just wonder why so many white immigrants are passionate about not giving a voice to the indigenous... rhetorical no need to justify it.
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Why has GB “News”, an Outrage Factory, cancelled two of its presenters for generating outrage? Genuine question. I don’t understand. They launched the business under a fanfare of being slightly right of centre but balanced. Realised that wasn’t working as they were competing with mainstream but with much lower production values and so moved the business model to a more niche one of conspiracy and outrage. That shift has been successful with growing viewership from those who like that sort of thing. So why does the business who claim to hate cancel culture and champion free speech, cancel it’s presenters and impose consequences for that free speech?
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BREAKING: Hunter Biden, Ashley Biden and Joe Biden were just found to have lied on bank and insurance applications. Their businesses will now be dissolved. Forbes also estimated that Biden got over $5.4m from China while president. Oh, oops silly me. That was the Trumps: Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Former President Donald Trump. Meanwhile the GOP is trying feverishly to find business wrongdoings by Joe Biden, of which I have yet to see any. Their worst piece of evidence is that Hunter, who was living with parents at the time, used his parents address to receive a bank wire to his own account.
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Albo will still feel the blame and the humiliation. You might have noticed he and many others have stopped spruiking it as they now know it is a dog with fleas. The other day Albo was trying to rationalise the $387 million cost as worthwhile as it had "raised awareness" in the community. What a joke. They would have been far better off spending that money on practical measures for the indigenous community.
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"What Fox said about the political journalist Ava Evans on GB News last night – that no man in his right mind would sh*g her – was odious. It was juvenile and sexist. Every decent bloke above the age of 17 knows you don’t speak about women in that way." GB news were right to suspend him. They acted very fast too. Well done GBNews!
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Nothing ever is .
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From lodgment to grant for some of our UK based partner visa applications - see below. Add the lead time to prepare the application, which is a function of how quickly you can get the required documents together. Feel able to contact me if you'd like a freebie chat! Best regards.
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Yeah when AAT first opened our case they requested documents and then came back to us with a hearing date. So I went back with extra documentation and they called and cancelled the hearing the day before and said they have enough evidence to make a decision. I don’t know why your application was rejected in the first place but for me they said the position wasn’t genuine and it wasn’t needed. I submitted everything I could think of. Supporting Letters from the company/employees/proof salary payments and superannuation/supporting letter / stat decs from company accountant and payroll / I wrote a 4 page letter breaking down my role, my involvement with the running of the business/interactions with other staff memebers and how it was vital to the company and having to leave would have a detrimental effect on the business runnings and operations. I attached extra evidence of my work (emails/signed documents/agreements/contracts etc). I sent photos of work parties/work meetings/Christmas parties etc. Some of it was double up but I sent it anyway.
