Nemesis

Mmm with that price tag it'd be a bit of a gamble not knowing if it would actually help in the long run. Hopefully someone who has tried it will see the post

It might be worth it especially if you aren't familiar with Dubai airport. Its huge, and 2 hours isn't that long with a little one in tow, by the time you've managed to get off a full flight. I've no idea how much the service costs, but I know the last couple of times I transitted Dubai I used wheelchair assistance. Thats free, but I would have be pleased to pay for it because it can be a very long walk.

You (presumably) came through Immigration a an airport and either used an e-passport machine or showed your passport to an Immigration Officer. If it wasn't activated and valid you would not have got any further!

Yep, you can tick the migrating permanently box. Its really only a statistical thing. They no longer have departure cards, which is a bit of a shame as I spent many years ticking the "Departing Permanently" box whenever I went home on holiday, but they scrapped the cards before I could honestly do it one last time More important is to check the declarations - there are several cars in use as they use up old stock. One asks for ANY food to be declared, I think the others just ask about any forbidden food to be declared, so read it carefully. If you have to declare any food you are carrying, that includes things like packets of Polos and bars of chocolate.

Yes, but is it a Permanent Resident visa (eg 189 or 190) or Temporary Resident visa (eg 482)? I'm one of those who came home and is finally happy again here after 20 years in Oz. I have one couple who are friends who would love to come home but now have grandchildren in Oz, I reckon the majority of my other British friends there are happily settled and would only come home on holiday.

The visa will be activated when you enter the country, regardless of what you tick on the card.

If you go back to your original thread, two agents posted on there giving you information

Bit confused as to why you think the answers will be any different to when you asked the questions three weeks ago? Was there something else you wanted to know?

Yep, five mini roundabouts arranged in a circle. All my mates from school learned to drive in Swindon, and the Magic Roundabout was an essential part of their lessons, though I never heard of anyone having an examiner who was sadistic enough to include it on the test! I've met a couple of Aussies who have experienced it, nearly gave them nervous breakdowns

Probably varies from country to country, but in both the UK and Australia, one can get (for example) the state pension without being a citizen,

Thanks, yes I appreciate it would be very unusual, but it can happen in extreme circumstances, can't it!

As Inner Voice has said, people often live in Oz on PR visas for many years, never bothering with citizenship - my former sister-in-law arrived as a baby and never bothered with citizenship until the family started going to Bali on holiday and she though maybe the whole family should have the same citizenship. She was in her 40s by then. However my point now is that actually, even being a citizen doesn't guarantee your future, as if you commit certain crimes, or are considered a risk to society, as long as you have another citizenship, you can be stripped of your Australian one

At present, if you are only going for a holiday, yes you can enter the UK as tourists, on Aus passports. Whether this will still be possible when the UK introduces its ETA remains to be seen. And people who let their UK passport lapse should take not that its a lot harder to get a new one a few years after expiry.

Agreed. I speak as one who left home at 15 and went into digs with friends as a way to complete her schooling at the place she wanted to be in, surrounded by supportive friends, please give her the option. I know someone said earlier that she is too young, but I disagree. If she stands on her own feet now it will serve her well for the rest of her life. In my three years in digs with a variety of friends and neighbours, I learnt so much about life and about how to live it and survive. I would never have become the independent, self-reliant person that I am now without that experience. My sister had to stay with the family when they moved & I stayed behind, no independence for her, hated her new school, flunked her exams, still bitter about it to this day. Please give her the option, and et her stand on her own two feet, if she is willing to try. And remember OP, you talk about not wanting to split the family, but how do you know where your kids will settle in the future? They are growing up, and hard though it is you need to acknowledge that.

I agree with Quoll, see if there are family or friends with whom your daughter can stay to finish her education and then decide on a longer term plan.

I have to agree with Paul on that one, I've seen several agents over the years say the same as him, if you are offshore at the time of the grant then change of circumstances between grant and validation has to be reported to the Department. I would say that your biggest sticking point. Never seen one give the advice that your agent has given, that it doesn't matter once the vias is granted.

Yeah I'm well aware I'm a fat old cow, but I wasn't when I went to Brisbane over 20 years ago, and I hated the heat just as much then as now. The public transport in Brisbane is pretty good, both buses and trains. Most suburbs have a very regular bus service and they've built a lot of bus lanes and tunnels over the last few years. Suburban shopping strips are ok, lots of little cafes, the one thing they lack is pubs. Come the evenings you generally have to head for the Valley, CBD, Caxton Street if you want a drink. If you do find a pub in the suburbs they are often shut by 8.30 as everything and everyone seems to shut down early. I couldn't believe how many pf my work colleagues were in bed by 8 every night! No socialising after work - there was never time before their early nights. Then all up with the lark at 4.30-5am, horrible way to live I was a northside person, and there are some great suburbs fairly near the CBD - places like WIndsor and Wilston, both of which have great schools. Wooloowin is much improved these days too. Be interesting to see how the continuing fiasco of the Olympics affects the city. Lots of stations are being closed for months so they can be "improved" for 2032 and some suburbs are likely to be impacted by rebuilding and redevelopment of sporting venues. Could be good for the city and its future residents, and make it the city of choice - or it could condemn them to years of chaos, especially on the roads!

Applications in 2021 were affected by COVID staffing issues and mail delays. I've seen people recently reporting UK passports received back in Oz in a couple of weeks. One I saw somewhere today got their UK and Australian ones back on the same day, having applied for both at the same time, under 3 weeks.

The heat & humidity was the thing is disliked the most about Australia. However its only now I've been back in the UK for a few months that I've realised how much better I feel in a cooler climate. My health has improved a lot, and my mood is so much better, much less short tempered. I'm not stressed by being hot and sweaty after a 15 minute walk to thd bus stop, I can sit outside and relax without feeling hot and exhausted. i know people say there are only about 20 days a year when Brisbane is too hot but thats a very individual thing. I used to find 9 months of the year too hot!

I would add a caveat to this though, not every property in Brisbane has air con, and even fewer have heating. The more modern places do, but take care to check as there are older properties, especially rentals, which do not.

Speaking to a registered agent would probably be better than to the Dept phoneline, which is notorious for giving bad or incomplete information.

You don't necessarily have to live in Oz for 2 years, you can be granted a 3 month or 1 year RRV without the residency requirement, but I agree that without living in Oz at all the chances if any RRV are greatly reduced.

Thanks for the updated info Paul

You must enter Australia within 12 months of either the police check or the medical, whichever was done first. Exceptions are very rare. This first activation visit can be as short as a few hours, you do not actually have to make the permanent move in that time. You then have the remainder of the 5 years to make the move to Australia. Current RRV fee looks like $465 https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/fees-and-charges/current-visa-pricing#

Yes. if you are onshore you are given that visa, because itherwise you would instantly be illegally in Australia as soon as you gave up citizenship. if you are offshore you have to apply for a new visa if you want to enter Australia.