LukeM

NAB.

$0.00 per month account keeping fee regardless of how much $ you deposit into the account. You can leave it open without using it and not incur any fees for doing so. You get a Visa debit card and you can control all of the features of the debit card in the app, including setting a PIN and you can even turn the PayWave features on/off if you would rather insert and use your PIN instead (note: if you do that and try to use PayWave it'll just decline).

They also have no overdrawn fees. If a direct debit goes out of the account and is dishonoured, there's no charge to you. The transaction just reverses and it appears on your statement - that's it. No questions asked. 

You can also add your Superannuation account to Internet Banking if you go with MLC for Super. 

The interest rates on savings accounts are not great, though, so you could get NAB Classic Banking and link it to a ING Savings Maximiser with ING if that really bothers you...  

There's a high chance of being killed in Chicago as a result of gun violence. Perhaps the "fun" is that element of danger?

As for Sydney being bottom of the list? No way! Canberra takes the cake if you want a boring Australian city !

Have heard a lot of mixed reviews about Pimpama SSC.

Some people say the bullying/student body is terrible, but the teachers are great.

Others say it's the best school.

Unfortunately, the same with all schools.

If you're looking for a good school in the region, Coomera Anglican College is K-12.

Hmmm was only really an idea, thought I'd look into it for them. We don't really have the kinds of money to deal with it and she certainly doesn't have 30 years left in her... I'd bet 4 or 5 tops, so that 838's out of the question.

She does have a pension, yes. She's not dependent on anyone financially (that I'm aware of). Oh and someone asked before if my dad has siblings - no, he doesn't. Both my parents are their parents' one and only child.

Mmmm while I understand your point of view, unfortunately she's not got anyone there. She lives alone and doesn't socialise with anyone - even immediate family including her brother and sister. She would rather be with us - whether that means her being here or us being there. She has a lot of mental and physical health issues and as I said we all know she would rather be here with us. It certainly wouldn't be easier on us but it would be easier on her.

$50k is a lot. I don't think we would be able to afford that. I was just curious about options.

Just wondered how we go about doing this now, and how easy it is to do?

We are citizens and wondering whether it's possible to bring my dad's mum over. She's living on her own currently. Finding it increasingly hard to travel. She's just turned 70 and we felt it might be something to look into for her benefit if we were able to sell her house in the UK (we own it anyway) and bring her over here.

i think it would be better for us all in the long run. I've not really followed the forums since I got here and became a citizen so I've come crawling back for advice hehe

Currently living in Qld.

Thinking of making the move to Vic after my fiancee and I get married.

It will be the two of us and possibly a bun in the oven! Where would be a good place for us to start, based on this criteria?

- Reasonably central location. Preferably further from the CBD, as we're not really city people, but close enough to a decent shopping centre and with reasonably good links to the CBD if we need to go there for anything. I'll still be at Uni for example, so it might be beneficial to be able to access the CBD for that reason (though I'm thinking more about doing online study so I can do things a bit more at my own pace!)

- Easy access to doctors/hospital/chiropractor/other health services.

- Quiet. Must be quiet and "out of the way", family friendly, good for raising kids. Again - refer to above, we're not city people!

- Green!

- Relatively cheap - we would be renting, looking around the $370 per week mark. That's what we're paying at the moment for a townhouse. We would prefer to have something a bit more private. I don't really like townhouses/apartments. I like separation from neighbours! They've proven to be noisy here!

I have a Gumtree ad with all of the details in it. Please PM me if you would like information or the link to the ad.

Please comment or message if you require information, please only do so if you know someone who is interested or you are seriously interested yourself.

Thanks.

Eh? What? Degree easier? No.

The timing is different as Quoll said. To be honest it's just more stressful dragging it out over so many years I say stuff 'em in to 2 years full time and deal with it.

But they cleverly plot it so they can index fees and interest rates and steal your money for the government.

Depends. Queensland I read has the highest dropout rate for University as they go younger from school to Uni.

I don't think it's easier at all. Everything is just what you make of it. Obviously a 'brighter' student is going to handle it differently... Public/private makes no difference IMO.

How long the did it take for you to be approved? I only have 20 days from the date of application (the date that I become eligible) to the census date deadline. DO you think it would be possible to get my citizenship by then?

That would be quite unlikely I would think. As you know, when you become eligible, you have to apply - then when that's approved you have to book the test and sit the test, then you'd have to organize the Ceremony.

In other words - if you are currently not eligible and have not made an application yet it is very unlikely that you would be eligible in time for semester 2's census date.

Lots of people are trying to do this every year to become eligible for HECS. If the timing isn't quite right you miss out unfortunately.

I had that fear too. I sympathise.

May as well just make sure that you have all of your documentation and stuff ready and go for it ASAP and see how you go.

Citizenship test 1st week of November.

Emailed DIAC to apply for urgent ceremony in the first week of January, they scheduled me for one in the first week of March.

So it was a while. 4 months from taking the test to having the ceremony.

They won't ask you to apply, you have to apply. The information about how to apply, including forms, are on the Internet and freely available - Google it and make sure you send it to the Ceremonies section of the State that you are living in and make sure that you submit any relevant documentation with it at the time.

Hey all

Thought I might join in this thread

I have a bit of a different perspective, you see. I've been quiet(er) around these boards of late. I've been in Qld for 4 years this year. I came here when I was 18 with my family as a PR and started Uni after ~9 months of being here. I'm doing a Bachelor of Arts/Education (Secondary) combined, so maybe I can share insights as to what it's like to train as a teacher in Australia at a different level, hopefully it might help some realize some of the differences and realities of the education system here (at least in Qld - it's different in each state!)

If people have questions, do feel free to ask. I'm only just starting second year this year. I took an IT degree first. I know a lot of people doing Graduate Diploma of Education as well.

It's going to be interesting as I wasn't schooled in Aus (to any level!) - did my GCSEs and A Levels in the UK, came here, 9 month break, dive in to University (Bachelor of Information Technology), hated it, changed to BA/BEd. Good move.

So if people have insights of teaching here in Aus already as well I'd be interested to read more

Hey everyone, how has your ceremony been ?

I got mine approved on 29/11/2013. I checked with the immigration and was told I would not be attending the ceremony on 26/01.

So I have to apply for urgent ceremony so I can get HECS for the coming semester.

I went to immigration today, filled out a form, and attached my fee statements as evidence.

Does anyone know how long it takes approximately to get a reply from them?

I am in Melbourne btw .... xx

Hi ikgc

I don't think the procedure is any different in VIC to QLD.

I had my citizenship test in November. When I initially tried to apply for the early ceremony, they told me that I had to wait until I had confirmation of enrolment for Semester 1, 2014.

I finally got hold of that info yesterday and I emailed it to the Ceremony team and they have just responded this morning to say that I will have my ceremony in the first week of March and that I'll get a letter with all the info in February.

At least for the QLD Ceremony team, it took them less than 24 hours to respond every time I have emailed them.

I have had to send them:

- Completed urgent ceremony application form

- A copy of my confirmation of enrolment for Semester 1, 2014.

- A copy of my invoice for fees for Semester 1, 2014.

I hope that helps (if you have had any trouble organising your early ceremony, as I may have mis-read your post). Best of luck getting it sorted if you haven't yet, and if you have, congrats and hope the ceremony goes well/went well for you.

I am just about to go through an urgent ceremony next week. I was approved on 23/10/2013. All you need is your Enrollment Advice Notice and Tax Invoice showing your Fees for the term. Print them and attach to the form. If you do this,they will organize the Ceremony for you ASAP.

What did you do, JUSTDOIT? I emailed them my stuff and the next day they emailed back saying they want the 2014 stuff "nearer the end of January". Do they know how annoying they are?! :arghh: Why can't they just take it now and sort it out so it's off my mind?! Are you doing summer semester maybe?

Been in Brisbane since 2010.

Sometimes it's not what you know but who you know. Really rings true for me. All I had was a Diploma (from the UK) and no work experience in the field. I had a small health organization take a chance on me (because my mum worked for them already) and from there after being made redundant after only a few months (heh it was only a small organization!) I've been able to secure contract, part time and casual work with the same company on and off since the end of 2010.

Maybe I've just been lucky. Things are quite slow at the moment though. Normally we'd be looking at taking on 6-7 contractors for the peak season but this year we're only taking 4.

I am just about to go through an urgent ceremony next week. I was approved on 23/10/2013. All you need is your Enrollment Advice Notice and Tax Invoice showing your Fees for the term. Print them and attach to the form. If you do this,they will organize the Ceremony for you ASAP.

Hey JUSTDOIT

What did you include in the form that they gave you where you had to write a statement detailing your reasons for the request?

I've got the confirmation of enrollment letter and I can easily go grab my invoices online. Hopefully shouldn't be too much of an issue. :biggrin:

It is if you can't afford to pay upfront for another semester... Sure, it's more a 'personal' thing and the forms do indeed say that it's not classed as a valid reason but I've read about people doing it and our CO told us we could apply... My question was merely what documentation could or should be provided to support the application.

Deferring for a semester isn't an option as that would delay my graduation by more than a year. So if I could get an earlier ceremony that would be ideal.

Just did my Citizenship test last Friday, got 100% :biggrin:

We were told that we could apply for an 'urgent' ceremony, as the ceremonies were full before the census date and I can't afford to pay for another semester up-front so want to get HECS.

I've got the form but I assume they'll want some kind of documentation to back up the application. Has anybody done this/for this purpose? I know lots of web pages say that it's "not a valid reason" (to apply for an urgent ceremony for the purposes of getting HECS), but the CO at DIAC in Brisbane told us it was fine and we should go ahead and apply for it.

Anybody?

Thanks everyone for your replies. Queensland Uni have confirmed that her A at GCSE will meet the Year 12 English requirement. She needs Biology and Chemistry at A level and Maths to AS (though she will take it to A level). She has decided to take the English Lit AS level (which also meets Year 12 requirements) as she wants to take a Gap year in the USA before joing us in Oz and it would be a more recent qualification if that makes sense. They are planning changes to their Medicine programme and have suggested aletrnative routes. i think she will be taking a Science degree - her interest is genetics which they do offer. :-) (now just waiting for the visa!!)

Great to hear your questions were answered... QTAC are extremely slow to reply via email I find. In some cases they don't reply at all. Or they give very short scrappy answers not worth the reading.

I was going to jump in with this and say that they accept GCSE English (or just having completed A Levels) as meeting the English entry requirements. :biggrin:

But I seem to miss out on posting useful info these days. I don't frequent the boards much now.

Some Universities here (mainly QUT - Queensland University of Technology) have an "Assumed Knowledge"-based entry scheme in place instead of Prerequisites (requirements). That means they literally ASSUME that you have English at Year 12 level and passed it with an acceptable level of achievement. They DON'T REQUIRE IT. Same with maths. I don't think they actually have prerequisites at all any more at QUT! :cute:

Haha well... as there's nothing for an 18 year old undergraduate lad who wants a career in IT/teaching maybe lecturing/tutoring/training in IT then there is no prospects for me in the UK really with fees about to rise to £9000+ per annum. Saying that, my job may be in danger here as I'm a contractor and my office is currently off limits due to the flooding and we have a mass conference call in the morning so we shall see what happens but after the email I got this morning it's not looking good...

I already have my place at Queensland University of Technology and all being well with flood cleanup operations, I should start on 28th February. Aside from that I'm currently assuredly loved up with a fellow pommy girl on the sunshine coast.

Meanwhile my mum wants to go home because of the flooding. I'm not sure why. But I wish she would stop talking about it because I have everything here, where I had nothing in England and now it's doing my head in. :arghh:

Cheers

LukeM :goofy:

Spider in the house yesterday, didn't know what he was but I was trying to gently knock him back over the step and out the door but he wasn't being obedient so I splattered him on the floor with my shoe. Just don't take any risks, me! :biggrin: