jicms

Apologies Marisa, I didn't realise I had a reply! Our home contents are with the removals company allocated to us by PSS. Self-storage might be useful to access some of our stuff but the cost seems to be similar. In theory going through and disposing of stuff would be great but I can't see us getting round to doing it. Unless we can find a cheap self-storage there may not be any saving as when we eventually move into our house the removal company will deliver everything and take away the packaging (although no idea how much time they allow you to unpack!) We could of course get them to move it to the self-storage unit then pay for the final move and packaging removal ourselves.

Interesting. We used them as they're heavily promoted on this site but had a very bad experience. The Sydney storage company they use doesn't give any discounts for extended storage, just told me it's likely to go up!

Hi. We moved over here nine months ago and our whole home contents were delivered into storage while we're renting which we hoped would be fairly short-term. Although we've had to replace so many items our place isn't big enough to move everything in so we've decided to manage without. We've now bought land so will be building our home which will take around two years. The storage price is non-negotiable for long-term storage as I'd hoped it might be. Does anyone know of reliable companies that might give a better rate? We have to weigh up any saving against the included delivery and packaging removal we've already paid for. Doesn't seem to be a comparison site for storage rates.

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!

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?

Thank you for your advice. Unfortunately in the end we were under pressure time-wise so had to stick with PSS. It's such a complicated business and stressful thinking of what can go wrong and extra charges the other end.

I've seen that some people are taking out separate shipping protection to that from their removal company, in our case PSS. Any suggestions of who to ask for a quote? Can there be a decent saving?

Yes the larger screen sizes seem very reasonable even compared to here. We may well want to buy a new one at some stage but would like to take the four we have in anticipation of buying a house with enough rooms for them all! We're going to have to rent when we first arrive so it'll be good not to have to make potentially wrong decisions on screen sizes.

Thanks everyone. Jon, that makes sense of the antique wrap being brown packaging. I'll hold on all the boxes as they're not exactly cheap.

I'm replying to an old post but only just needing to research pet transport. This is a very sweeping statement which isn't true. We have two middle-aged cats. They do not have any interest in catching wildlife and sit happily next to the foxes in the garden. They casually watch the birds and squirrels who seem to know they're not a threat. Many cats lose the hunting instinct when they reach a certain age of around ten years or so. People like us would not just "get over" rehoming their cat (at best) or worse putting them in a shelter for an uncertain future. I could no more do that than rehome my children. It never seems to be considered that many humans kill for fun and foxes were introduced by human immigrants.

I know. I even check on a Sunday knowing they'd only be working 9-5 Mon - Fri!

Yes I think it's frustrating the timescale being anything between one and 13 months or more and also it's all a bit of a mystery what goes on behind the scenes. If we carry on checking everyday and it takes a year that's another 365 log ins!!! It's raining now and only 21 tomorrow before more rain so guess that's it for the hot weather for a while.

Yes it was 25 deg here, higher than forecast and hotter tomorrow. I wonder if it was like this all summer we'd all be wanting to leave. I love the warm evenings which are rare here. The weather affects my mood badly. I've been running around purchasing the gardening products today to garden tomorrow. Maybe it'll be too hot!

Oh and I had my first PIO email notification! I've realised it only works when I'm posting on my phone rather than my laptop.

I suppose it is automated and yes I can't wait to communicate with a human! The worst scenario is they've been inundated with applications due to the quick processing times but we must be positive. It is hard not to become fixated as it is potentially life changing and we want to start making plans.

Yes sponsor application has stayed the same on "submitted". It would be nice to see some change to reassure me it's been linked to my application.

Thank your help Snifter and sorry for the late reply as I didn't get a notification. I did apply for the partner 309/100 so am now in the queue.

Did you write a lot of dialogue? I have loads of evidence, photos, proof of our very long term marriage but I'm not a very wordy person i.e. a few sentences for each point they want covered about our relationship.

That's very exciting. I will be shocked if mine comes through that quickly.

Thank you very much for this helpful info.

Thanks. I don't think they have scanners but now I know this is acceptable I'll see if they can arrange it.

Hi I'm going to apply for a Stage 1 - Partner or Prospective Marriage Visa (300,309/100,820/801). My husband of 35 years is an Australian citizen by birth. We want to purchase a property but my concern is I have retired and don't intend to work. Will that be held against me? I'm currently fit and well but wonder if they will be reluctant to allow me access to Medicare.

Thank you. It's good to know it's not advantageous to apply onshore. Presumably I can still visit for a short trip on a tourist visa while an application is in process.

It's hard to know which reviews are genuine so how do you choose a good one?! It would be good to get a rough idea of price.

I'd be very grateful if anyone can help with this? Alternatively can I get migration expert advice at nominal cost and if so how do I alight on a good one? I don't want to go the hassle and expense of applying for a PRV until it's confirmed I'm not liable for a RRV. I have a Certificate of Service of my 8 years' employment with the bank but they have no record of the visa I was on as it was 36 years ago. If I do have to apply for a partner visa what are the pros/cons of the Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) and Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) outside Australia versus the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) within Australia other than slight differences in processing times?