calNgary

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

If it makes anyone feel any better, ALL the accounts were "without withdrawals", even when all the banks offered them.  By law, the banks aren't allowed to give you a transactional bank account if you're not in Australia and able to verify your identity.  So all they were really doing was offering you an account in name only, to get your money -- which they wouldn't give back to you until you'd gone through the identity checks.

Not sure what you mean by ''makes anyone feel better' but it sure as hell made us feel better when we opened ours wayyyy prior to our move and could send funds when exchange rates went up ,lol, and leave it if rates dropped . All in ,doing that secured us an extra few thousand $$$$ for when we arrived which certainly came in useful.

      Cal x

I think the rules have changed but i think you can still open an on line ANZ Access Advantage account before you move. It doesn't sound much different to years ago when we did it, you can pay money in but cannot withdraw until you are here and visited a Branch in person to verify your ID.

'' The bank has made its Access Advantage account available to applicants outside of Australia, as well as its Online Saver. You can apply online using your personal details, ID documents and your country’s equivalent of the Tax Identification Number. Your account will be set up, but to use it for withdrawals, transfers or payments, you must visit an ANZ branch in person for an ID check once you arrive in Australia⁶.

If she has a UK open licence then she should be able to just straight swap for an Aussie license.

           Cal x

11 hours ago, jicms said:

That's great, thanks very much. We'll remove all tags although it'll still be obvious it's new of course.  The alternative is to take it as hand luggage but I'm not sure if that's allowed if she hasn't yet had the baby! 

You could check it in with your suitcases but i personally would just send it with the shippers. Unless you have a container full of new items it is highly unlikely they will so much as blink at it.

 Cal x

16 hours ago, jicms said:

We would like to purchase our daughter a baby buggy in the UK (probably from John Lewis) before our move to Aus.
I understand we would have to declare this to PSS and be taxed as it's under 12 months old. Anyone know the likely cost? Would it be cheaper/less hassle to use JL international delivery or even take it with us on the flight? 

Take it out of any packaging and you wont have an issue. They are looking more for people bringing multiple new items to sell on.

             Cal x

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I know it's frustrating, but VeryStormy has a point.  The State Education Department (to whom you'd be applying) has no access to anything you've submitted for the visa processing.  That may sound crazy to you, but it's a privacy/confidentiality principle that different departments can't go sharing a person's personal information willy-nilly.  So they will have to do all their own checking, all over again. 

Although it does sound as though your visa grant is 99% certain now, it's not granted until it's granted.  Occasionally the offer is withdrawn at the last minute.   As VeryStormy says, the education authorities don't want to start all that bureaucratic work only to find you don't get the visa. 

The fact that Immigration is totally separate comes as a surprise to a lot of people, so you're not the first.  It catches out tradies in particular, because they think the Skills Assessment means their qualifications are accepted as valid in Australia. It doesn't.  It's just for Immigration, and most tradies have to do extra courses to convert once they get to Oz.

So what you are saying is the poster CANNOT apply for any teaching jobs until she has the visa in her hand? At the end of the day that is what she is asking.

I am quite surprised she can't, as i thought after reading millions of posts on here that people often sourced potential employers and tested the water on where the jobs seemed to be before the visa was granted and they arrived here, but that must just be other trades who do that going off what you are saying.

    Cal x

With hotels and Air BnB 's becoming harder to secure and short term rentals pretty non existent id say you wouldn't have a problem letting it out. I wouldn't necessarily restrict it to just migrants though, back when i did similar i hosted lots of interstate workers too, they preferred a house to hotel if there was 5 or 6 of them.. Just make sure you use a reputable agent.

       Cal x

22 hours ago, charliekok said:

A report from a specialist Paediatrician and/or developmental Psychologist is required regarding applicant's cognitive and developmental status. Please forward a report addressing history, diagnosis, management needs and any social services required.

 Any ones who have this experiences? Thanks.

 

Although a different condition and many years ago now, we were asked for similar when applying for the visa due to a medical condition i have (visa was for hubby ). My specialist sent in a report ,listing the stage of my illness, the procedures id had and would still need to have done here, along with a list of medication. Once submitted by our agent, we were asked to go a panel specialist of Immi's choosing (at our cost), who pretty much did a report like my specialist had done. A little while later the visa was granted.

 Are you using an agent to help you with everything or trying the DIY route?

 Cal x

11 hours ago, pob said:

I'm trying to understand the market in Australia.

I went to look at a motorcycle a few days ago, it was only a year old and few thousand k's on it.

The thing is the guy selling it wanted just about the same amount as he paid for it, even though it was him who had the pleasure of riding it off the showroom floor, he had the brand new brake pads, chain, tyres etc etc.

I could kind of tell that he is not getting that much interest from trying to sell it, yet he didn't want to move that much from his price. I wonder if it was because we are obviously new to the country? Or if he really believed his bike was worth that much? In the end I decided not to buy the bike, it didn't feel right.

I'm really not in the mood to haggle at the moment and told him this and just asked what his best price is. He didn't move from his advertised price.

So I guess that I will adding fifteen hundred dollars to my bike fund and buying new from a dealer, it seems like a better deal to me.

Its the norm over here with near new items. Very different to the UK where you lose a few hundred (if not more) leaving the showroom.

Happens to vehicles, boats, even furniture and white goods, it may be only a few month old but the seller is still asking nearly the store cost. Hubby just bids them down and says ''i will give you $xxx'' , they either sell it to him or don't, its their choice and if they don't he will just search for another one. Quite a few times they have said no and messaged him a week later asking if he still wants it, lol. Bid them down and don't get ripped off, if they won't play, find another bike.

       Cal x

There is no way in hell i would get a visa, jump on a plane and buy a house in a suburb i didnt know well.

I think the OP should rent for a minimum of 6 months, preferably 12 to make sure they are happy with jobs, area etc. This also gives them time to look into other areas (if they so desire) what mortgages are available to them, different lenders etc.

   Cal x

1 hour ago, Nanna said:

The waiting list is endless and probably for far more serious reasons than mine - although to me mine obviously feels very serious and I'm in a dark place.  However, does anyone live in the Tweed area know of any community suburbs with beautiful parks and near the sea that don't cost the earth and aren't full of old properties or high rise ?

Potsville, Kingscliffe, Hastings Point, Cabarita Beach, Coolangatta, Currumbin, Murwillumba (further inland from coast), Talebudgera (again a bit further inland) are all lovely places. There are a few high rises in the popular coastal area like Coolangatta but not KM'S and KMs of them like you may expect in touristy areas.

I havent looked at REalestate.com or Domain for property costs, sorry.

   Cal x

12 hours ago, laf said:

Hi

We've started the move with PSS. We've declined the wooden boxes for our TVs. The inventory states "antique wrap" next to them. Does anyone know what this is. I'm planning on purchasing TV removal boxes from eBay but do you think they're providing some kind of protection?  They're closed till Tuesday otherwise I'd have phoned them.

Have you priced one up here to see if its worth bringing them? Prices have dropped this last few years and even without a discount or sale price ,cost is pretty reasonable. Below are the links to 2 popular electrical shops here in QLD.

   https://www.jbhifi.com.au/search?query=tv&page=1

  https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/televisions

     Cal x

Try Stirling or Insure to Drive both offer short term policys from what i recall. Another option would be to see if any rellies can add you to their policy for a month.

         Cal x

Actually i just read some more and found this article you may find useful

Moving Interstate mid-way through your child's schooling

So what happens when you move states mid-way through your child's schooling? Well, the same cut-off dates will apply throughout a child's school-age years. Which can mean that your child may be held back (compulsory) or may be progressed (not compulsory) a year, depending on what state you're moving from and to.

For example; if your child was born on 15 July 2015 they could have started their first year at school in January 2020 if they lived in NSW. Then if they move to Queensland at any point during their schooling, they will be set-back by a year, because the cut-off date in Queensland is 30 June (compared to 31 July in NSW).

https://www.movingtothegoldcoast.com/what-age-do-children-start-school-on-the-gold-coast-qld

Cal x

Yes QLD is different to Victoria, I'm surprised the school didnt pick up on it when enrolling her. It may be worth having a chat with them if you would rather her be moved up a year but do bear in mind for some reason its not uncommon for kids to repeat a year here so being the oldest can happen .

These are the guideline's for QLD 

- 

Your child's date of birth will determine when they enter the school system. The child needs to be 5-years old before the State's cut-off date to start the school year in January of that year. For the Gold Coast, and all of Queensland, the cut-off date is the 30th of June.

So for example, if your child turns 5 on the 30th of May, then they would start the school year in January in the year that they turn 5, so for the first five months your child will be 4 years old when they're in their first year of school.

11 hours ago, Ken said:

But we can't alert the site to it when we can't get in. When we can get back in is only after they've found and fixed the problem.

Chances are if you cannot access ,neither can Alir or i ,so we do alert admin.

           Cal x

No doubt a kick in the teeth for this family if they read the articles today about the Biloela family who have just been granted visa's. Lots of very unhappy comments on facebook media posts about it.

    Cal x

We have only ever used Aussie passports to enter and leave the UK . We too are dual citizens and have never had an issue doing this.

       Cal x

2 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

When looking at the skills list be sure to expand your search a little - sometimes jobs are not called the same thing.  E.g. I cannot see Dental Nurse, but Dental Technician and Dental Hygienist are both there.  Maybe search for dental.

We had to do this years go when we moved as hubbys UK job title wasnt on the list, thankfully we had an agent who did all the cross matching for us.

An acquaintance i know here is a dental technician, for some reason they dont seem to call them nurses here (in QLD anyway) so you came up with a great point.

  Cal x

3 hours ago, DIG85 said:

Does that take into account the capital cost of the car? Because in my, admittedly little, experience, the cost of a car is far greater on Australia than the UK.

Depends what car, some are cheaper here than the UK if bought new. They hold their value wayyyyy more so second hand prices can seem steep in comparrison.

        Cal x

5 hours ago, Parley said:

There is nothing like the kisses from a jaded chinese princess.

Try hitting a Hong Kong mattress..

       Cal x

1 hour ago, tea4too said:

This link to the UK government website might help. It clarifies that you must inform HMRC if you leave the UK to live abroad permanently, or to work abroad full time for at least one full tax year. Tax on UK incomes is also referenced, along with the option for paying National Insurance Contributions. T x

https://www.gov.uk/tax-right-retire-abroad-return-to-uk

ooppss we didnt inform them, not that i can recall anyway.

 Cal x

2 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Okay then explain to me why so few young people will do hospitality jobs?. I live in one of Perth's prime going out areas and there are shortages galore. Plenty of young people of Uni status rent in the area as well. Few are interested in such roles, but home a lot. 

As a parent of a child who has been working in hospitality on and off for a year, its not a preferred occupation for her and a lot of her friends due to the unsociable hours. An 18/19 yr old doesn't want to work every Fri, Sat and Sun, or work till gone 11pm on a Thursday night, they want to be out themselves. Thankfully , my child wasnt relying on it as her on going occupation and was just having a gap / play year after graduating.

 The pay isnt bad tbh , from memory it was around $26 pr hour and $36 for weekends.

       Cal x

7 hours ago, Chris Gordon said:

Hi Guys, I'm looking at hearing any stories of people who are or have been in a similar situation to me. 

My wife and I moved from the UK to Australia and have been living in Country NSW for the last 6 years and have made a very good life for ourselves here. We both earn good money (although I am stagnating in my job a little) have a good group of friends and have bought a nice house we could live in for the rest of our lives and be happy (We even have a swimming pool). But I feel something is missing. 

Our son was born here and is now 18 months old and we have a other on the way due in December. 

Last year my dad died of cancer and due to covid I was unable to visit him or attend his funeral. 

Ever since then I have had a big pull back to UK. 

My mum isn't getting any younger and I think it would impact me greatly if I didn't go and spend some time with her and allow my son and other child to have a relationship with their grandparents. I've come to realise life is very short and anything can happen. Also I'm missing my niece's growing up. 

I had a great childhood in Lancashire, UK and always thought I would raise my kids there. I feel I am depriving them of the opportunity to form relationships with their family. 

My wife is a dentist and dreads going back to work for the NHS which is a big reason why she is reluctant to move back. I certainly wouldn't have the same working flexibility as I do in Australia and we would take a hit in our lifestyle. But this being said I think us making a small sacrifice would be worth it for our kids and extended families happiness in the long term. 

I think it would be a good idea to rent out our house in Australia and go back to the UK and spend some quality years with my family while we can and then consider moving back to Australia after a time in the UK. 

My wife isn't as keen as me on the idea. 

Does this resonate with anybody? Does anyone have any advice or experiences to share?

Thanks

I often read on the forum that you would be crazy to give up good jobs and an enjoyable lifestyle to move. However i personally think you will not be able to move on until you have been back. Could you speak to the wife about going for a year or 2 and then reviewing the situation? Carefully discuss what happens if one of you theen doesn't want to return to Aus, so you both know what's what before you do anything.

 Lots of luck ,its a tricky situation to be in

        Cal x

Iron Lady is very highly regarded on the forum, they have helped many members transport vehicles uk to Aus.

I cant say i have heard of the BDH companys, but Pickfords is another company many of our members have used over the years. 

  Cal x