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Happy retirement Paul

Today is my last day at work so I'll be looking into Aussie pension. It'll be touch and go whether I get anything as my wife is still working part time and we both get incomes from pension schemes from the UK. I have super here too but you can still have a fair amount and still get some pension. As a couple it's about $900,000 before the pension cuts out altogether. If I'm due any I'll be taking it for sure. Have to arrange an appointment with centerlink, it's too hard to try and work it out on line or on the phone. Come lunchtime today i'm off down the pub

Hi, we transferred money into Aus $ then sent to our agent’s client account who then paid through BPay. We sent money 12.12 agent paid 13.12 and visa granted same day! Very quick through BPay!

Hello Depends on what you are prepared to do, and are not too fussy about what you do. If you are going to be fussy or precious about it, you may find yourself a little lacking in options or jobs. For example, cleaning toilets at a caravan park is hardly exciting or glamorous, but it pays pretty well and you can sometimes get free accommodation thrown in for good measure. My backpacking paid jobs with added perks included : Working in a deli & butcher (with a free lunch), working as a cashier in a clothes shop (discounts on clothes), barmaid & waitress, making coffee & sandwiches in a cafe (with a free lunch), taking money at the door of a nightclub, working as a chambermaid in a hotel, working as a receptionist in a motel (with free accommodation), working as a cleaner at a backpackers hostel (with free breakfast, lunch, dinner and accommodation), working as a hostel manager (with free accommodation), cleaning toilets at a cinema complex (with access to free films), fruit picking, handing out leaflets. Also depends on whether you are a saver or you like to party. If you are getting paid, but also have free accommodation, it is easier to save than if you have to pay for lodgings. I did party quite a lot and spent money on a good time, but I was also able to save and travel round much of the country too. My best suggestion is to have some sort of skill base before you leave home (like learning to pull beers, waitress, operate a coffee machine, etc...) as that will give you an added boost over others also looking for work.

So much for caring sharing Boris Johnson's new "one nation govt" The Conservatives live up to their"nasty" reputation" https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/17/windrush-victim-rejects-insulting-offer-of-22000-payout-compensation

So the few people who showed up to chant and demonstrate, after a resounding win for Boris can't take it on the chin and accept the majority of the countries opinion? I have a pretty good idea of who the fascists are.

A few: Fairytale of New York (Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl) So Here it is Merry Christmas (Slade) White Christmas (Bing Crosby) Silent Night Auld Lang Syne However, this year I feel grinch-like and am avoiding the whole of Christmas

Hello Anywhere on the Northern Beaches (stretching from Manly up to Avalon) will fulfil your needs, except # 6. If you need to be near the airport, then down south near the beach (Maroubra) would be better. Surry Hills or Paddington or Glebe are nice for inner city living It really depends what lifestyle you like. Inner city living would personally drive me insane with all the noise, pollution and crowds, but some people thrive on that environment.

Both of my parents died early, my mum when I was 16 and my dad in my late twenties. I used to envy friends who still went shopping with mum etc. now not so much as they are dealing with elderly and frail parents. My husbands dad is still going at 90, just and he feels guilty that we are not there to care for him, but his sister is. We did our share whilst in the UK when he had heart bypass and broken arm, it was us who drove him to stay with us until he recovered and me who went back with him to ensure he could cope again on his own so I don’t feel too guilty. He isn’t the easiest of men........

Thanks, best of luck and may I share my luck to you and everyone else too! Merry Christmas

@mppc I thought I was going to see you post good news then!! I feel your pain!!

Hi @Mily, I think you need to wait till visas are issued to see if there is any condition on them, especially Condition 8502 “must not enter Australia before specified person”. https://www.australiavisa.com/immigration-news/visa-granted-outside-australia-entry-related-condition-8502/

Hi Mily, I think your family's application is same as mine. The 143 my parents lodged was for 3 persons, my dad, my mom and my younger brother who is studying in Australia on student visa. When we received 2nd VAC request last Friday, our agent advised us that my younger must leave Australia before the PR can be granted to all 3 applicants. So we booked the ticket for him to depart Australia yesterday, right after he passed the passport control at the international airport, we make the payment via BPAY then notify our agent. 3 hours after that, we received an email from our agent, PR were granted to all 3 applicants, and on this email, our agent told us my dad (main applicant) MUST arrive Australia with the other applicants (mom and younger brother) or EARLIER than the other applicants (mom and bro). In other words, the other applicants cannot arrive Australia on the newly granted PR visa on their own prior the main applicant arrival. If they do, they would be seen as a tourist (if arriving on a tourist visa) or an international student (if arriving on a student visa) etc.

A Scottish friend's granddaughter has almost finished her 2 year WHV. She has had jobs in bars and done casual office work in Sydney and managed to get in a fair bit of travel. She has also worked on a large farm in South Australia.

My niece has been in aus for almost 2 years on a WHV, she gets jobs for a few months, saves and then heads off with a group usually.

I was looking at this as a guide to how much we could spend on a house in Australia. When we sell we should clear £500k in the UK which if we had transferred in May (at bank rates and before fees etc.) would have been $885k (exc rate 1.77/GBP) If we had kept it until today (esc rate 1.93/GBP) that same £500k would be $965K Basically when you exchange makes a massive difference to your finances - exchanging this is Dec 2019 (rather than May 2019) essentially is the same as having cleared £550k on the house sale rather than £500k In the case of a £500K transfer, every 0.01% difference in exchange rate is $5,000 so it makes sense to maximum this anyway you can

I’ve just receiced an email for the 2nd VAC request today. they give my sister ( dependant child ) who is studying in aus 7 days to book the ticket & 28 days to depart aus lol now is high season so ticket is very expensive

HORRAYYYYY!!! My parents and younger brother got their PR today!!!! Excellent Xmas gift, although they came 2 years late but better be late than never!! Merry Xmas to you all and thanks for everyone's support throughout this painful waiting time!

Woolworths sell Pork Pies too. (in the deli counter ) and our local one also sells Batchelors Mushy peas, original and chip shop style. The pork pies are not quite as good as UK ones though, in my opinion of course. Cal x

Hi juditta,. I set up an online TransferWise account. You can open up to 5 foreign currency accounts and transfer between them. It's very easy . I believe they give market rates and only charge a small transfer fee. Bank to bank have extra charges and sell below market rate

Ohhh yes, forgot Oz is 20 years behind the UK in style....

Hi there, I think the right vibe for you is inner Sydney and probably inner west or eastern suburbs, although not great for north Sydney travel depending on where you are (2 trains). The north shore is beautiful but very quiet. North Sydney is ok during business hours but pretty quiet at night & weekends. Crows nest has a bit of life to it and may be an option that direction or Neutral bay/Cremorne. North of St Leonards is pretty much suburbia. Manly has it's own vibe going on but awkward for North Sydney, better for the city with the ferries. TBH, my recommendation would be Balmain/Rozelle, close to the city but has it's own village vibe going on. Although a lot quieter than it used to be, still lots of good pubs, cafe's restaurants and has a really good community. Close to the bay walk/run for a bit of exercise. About 1/2 hour to Eastern suburbs beaches and to the airport also. Easy access to the city via bus or ferry and your husband can commute to work by ferry to McMahon's point. Commuting by ferry never gets old, only issue is that the journey is too short. I live in Perth now but lived in Sydney for over a decade, mostly in the Balmain/Rozelle/Drummoyne areas (so may be a bit biased) Forgot about driving in Sydney, traffic is a nightmare as is parking but public transport in inner Sydney is quite good and ubers are cheapish. I would recommend getting a motor bike or moped as it's an easy way to get around (can use the bus lanes and free parking) . May want to re-consider your budget or requirements. Why do you need/want 3-4 bedrooms and a garage for 2 cars for a couple? If you live inner Sydney, you won't need 2 cars (or barely 1) as you will commute by public transport. There are some great car share schemes in Sydney where you can rent a local car by the hour (About $6 ph) on an app. Have a look at goget.com.au A much better & cheaper option for occasional drivers. You should get a nice 2 bed apartment in Balmain for your budget, 3 at a push. check out domain.com.au for a browse. Feel free to pm if you want more info, I know Balmain pretty well.