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We have my Dad staying with us on a 5yr parent VISA so temporary resident, he was bereaved in Covid and left on his own. He sold his hime, brought over his money because he's entitled to no state support, so if he goes into care or needs treatments above health insurance levels, he will self-fund. No assets left in the UK and he now has a will in Australia. If he should unexpectantly die here, will he need to go through probate in the UK or Australia?

have you got your name on any utility bills, or an NBN account, or a contract mobile phone? One of the reasons could be a lack of credit history. When we came here my wife went straight into work while i got the house and set up all the services and accounts. I could get anything, she could get approved for nothing, not even a phone....despite being the sole wage earner.

Maybe i had to do it with the card reader to activate, can't remember. I will wait until it inevitably locks me out one day !

I tried that when I got locked out with the card reader. I can't remember why it didn't work but I recall that it didn't work either.

my mantra is never go to the UK in May.....you could get sunburn or frostbite. If anything we'd push it back to trips between June and early Oct as September can be much better than i remember it from years gone by, and once the kids have gone back to school you can often have a great month before the Autumn storms kick in when it's time to get back on the plane.

the dream would be to lease yours out for 6-7 months, then rent somewhere furnished in the UK for 5-6 months and try different places each year. You're getting majority of income in Australia and pretty easy for tax residency.

I think they load them into a metal container, so yes shared, but more predictable.

I wish they'd shut mine. I closed down both Nationwide and Halifax 12 years ago, cleared balances and handed everything back. They still email me and ask me to log on and check details...which i can no longer do. I thought they had been forced to close these dormant accounts, as British banks were inflating their value by retaining dormant accounts in the customer figures

You can use the Barclays app for authentication instead of the card reader. I cant remember if i had to use the card reader to authenticate the Barclays app the first time i used it, but i havent used the card reader for a few years now and bank every month; been over here 12 years and not had a letter or message.

The good news is that house prices in Brisbane are substantially lower than Sydney (for an equivalent property), so it may not be as hard as you think. However the bad news is that Brisbane doesn't have beaches near the city like Sydney, so you're either up for a long commute or accept that you've got to drive to the beach on the weekends.

Would Hubby's job be in the CBD ? pinpointing where it will be will make it easier to suggest areas. As an example , you wouldn't want to settle in a far south suburb if the job is on the North side. Also would you be relying on public transport or have cars? Cal x

So does a Movecube get a container to itself? Or get loaded simply as it is with no outer protection? (serious question, would be interested to know!) Personally I had lousy service from Sevenseas and wouldn't touch them but that wasn't Movecube related.

of course its up to the individual! I would never expect anyone to make a decision purely based on my experience. However, its a well-known fact that people who are happy are much less likely to review their experience than those who have a bad experience. Thats why I think its important for people like myself, and CalnGary to post on the thread!

Why not ask them that question. I'm guessing "Movecube transfer" is the transfer from the port city to their depot in your city.

I asked movecube why the costs once in Australia are so high. They didn't give a response but just gave me a breakdown. Is it me or is that "Movecube Transfer" very high. What do we think that consists of as all I can think of is off the ship to the warehouse?

Hi I have also got my technical interview coming up for the metal machinist (mechanical trade technical assessment) it says that Topics discussed during the interview will include the units of competency found in the completed Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). any help would be appreciated thanks

I couldn’t either. That’s a very depressing photo. Those houses won’t win awards for their kerb appeal that’s for sure.

I've gone with Peter UK. Process will take 10 months, its worth it as I adore my wee dog

Thank you for your help, it has been very helpful.

Sorry yes, I do mean NI contributions.

Me too, I went to Sydney to start with but hopped to Melbourne as soon as it was possible

You fill in a form before the medical and it asks you about all medical issues, including medical, learning issues etc.

I'm also researching a move to Brisbane so take this all with a pinch of salt as I'm not a local: Brisbane doesn't really have beaches close to CBD, but it does have some a bit further out and some other places with nice waterfront but no beaches: If you dead set on beaches then you could look at Redcliffe Peninsula which includes Redcliffe, Margate, Scarborough. This is quite far north of CBD - I think a train takes an hour. There are beaches galore in the gold coast to the south and to the sunshine coat to the north but the commute times aren't realistic for most people... Some do it but you'll either be on a long slow train or at the mercy of the Highway which regularly gets snarled up with long delays. South East of the CBD there is quite a few waterfront suburbs (but not really beaches) in places like Wynnum and Manly (both of which are popular with families), or further out at Birkdale, Wellington Point and Cleveland etc Hope this helps - I'm also keen to see what others say...

No idea whether a Visitor Visa is appropriate in the circumstances but I imagine you wouldn't be covered for medical or other public services on a visitor visa so you might save on visa costs but incur additional costs elsewhere...

Good point but I think you mean National Insurance (NI) contributions?