l1sa

Yes. That is true. And how lovely to look at these larger houses knowing that you can't get a job so therefore can't afford to buy or rent one. feeling really really negative!

Just a question, it is shocking how bad it is. Unemployment figures seem to be rising all the time. More and more people arriving daily with less and less jobs on offer. And not just the poms out of work, but I know so many Aussies also being laid off and not finding work for months if at all. Sorry if this seems a bit of a negative post, but not sure how to put a positive spin on it!

Our stuff is currently on the sea somewhere, we had a 3 bed semi in the UK and thought we'd get a 20ft container!! No such luck, we had too much junk so ended up with a 40ft!! Have been really happy with the service up to this point, will let you know how it goes when it arrives this end!! We had 2 companies quote and the first one totally underestimated the amount we had, the other one got it spot on, had we have gone with the first company it would have cost us so much more, and right at the last minute too. Good luck

Hi there We have sold, for 2 reasons. One) because its a way of having to make it work, if you know you have a house to return to, it makes it just that bit easier to do so. Two) My OH is a self employed builder/carpenter and alot of his work has been for landlords after tennants have moved out!! OMG, some of the places have seriously been destroyed! Plus, if you do want to return, would you want to go backwards?? After an experience like moving to Oz, you'd be a different person, I'm not sure you'd be willing to just slot back in where you left off. But like others have said, it all depends on everyones individual situations, some are not in a position to sell and make any profit, some can't sell. It all comes down to your own personal decision. Good luck

Hi there, weve just organised shippers going the other way round to you. We have had to have a 40ft and we are only in a 3 bed 1 bath semi detached house! We didnt want to slim down our belongings and sell them for pennies so decided to just ship everything and more! But I agree with the advice already given, get an international shipping company to come in and give you a quote, they are pretty good and can probably tell you there and then whether you'll need a 20 or 40ft. Its amazing how much junk we accumulate! Good luck X

I'm up for it, but moving out at the beginning of July so if its before then, yes, if its after, no! XX

Hi Folks and I feel guilty posting this question as I know its probably been asked millions of times before!! But.... We have 2 shipping companies coming out to give us quotes next week, are there any questions I should be asking that you didn't ask and wished you did? My brain has gone into melt down and I know I'll forget some major questions? I'll probably be alright with "how much is it?" But other than that, all suggestions gratefully received. Ta Lisa XX

Hi Folks Thank you for your replies. Its all good!! I spoke to Dept of Immi yesterday and as long as we are there by the expiry date theres no worries mate!! Lisa XX

Hi all, I have posted this before, but I'm going to post it again, cos I'm scared! :chatterbox::eek::eek: We were granted our visa in July 09 and are only now making the move (long story!) but there will only be a few days left on our visa when we cross over, is this gonna be okay?? I have this nightmare rolling around in my head that we'll arrive and they won't let us in after selling up everything here!!! I dread to think what my blood pressure would be right about now!!

Me too. We fly 1 July and I handed my notice in yesterday. Sad, scared to be honest I'm pretty much a gibbering wreck at the moment!! Good luck everyone

I LOVE Star Wars!!!! Official Star Wars Freak here. Can't wait can't wait can't wait!!!

You're definately not talking crap stacey, it has become an absolute nightmare trying to get an appointment in most surgeries where I live. My doctors is 6 miles from where I live, right across the other side of town, which is a nightmare, all the closer surgeries are full and not taking anymore patients. I just don't bother. I must visit the doctors once a year if that, for me and the kids, it is just not worth the stress. However I have become a bit of a doctor myself now!!! I'm amazed how much I have learnt and diagnose and treat most minor ailments myself!! I will do whatever it takes to stay away from the docs. Theres a big push on trying to get people to see their local pharmacist, but even that I have found to be a waste of time, as whatever I have gone to the pharmacist for they always turn round and say "I think you need to see the doctor!" Frustration and stress, for heaven sake, don't ever try and get to the doctors for stress as it'll just about finish you off!!

This post has had me sobbing nearly all the way through. Having just told the parents that we are emigrating was the worst thing I've ever done, knowing that I had inflicted all this pain on them. They are so hurt and upset and are obviously feeling all the things you too are feeling, they didn't take it well, but seemed to have calmed down in the last couple of days (well, to my face anyway). The thought of leaving our parents makes us all feel physically sick as we have always been so close. It certainly puts the move into perspective, I thought I'd worry about selling my house and shipping etc.. but that is all meaningless twaddle in comparrison to the love we feel for our parents and the thought of leaving them. In my mind, my dream is that somewhere down the line they will come too and we'll all live happily ever after, but dreams are dreams and reality often has its own agenda. Hang in there, love finds a way, love adapts us, changes us, helps us. All the best from one loving daughter to one loving mother. Lisa

The NHS is a truely wonderful amazing thing. But as people have already said, it is not free. However some people use it as if it is. Did you know that the UK is the only Country in the world where you don't have to take out travel insurance (medically) to be treated here if you are not from here. Therefore for those people it is free. There are people who come to this Country as migrants who have never paid into the system and get treatment, so for these people it is also free. There are people who live here who are on long term benefits who have never worked and therefore not paid into the system, for these people it is also free. There are people from all over the world who come here solely as medical tourists to get treatment and then return home, for these people it is also free. The NHS CANNOT keep running the way it is running, it is so unfair, there are people who have paid into the system their whole life and do not get back the services they have paid for. If the NHS was a private business it would be bankrupt and sold off into liquidation. I know of a chap in my home town, who came from Nigeria, he had a major stroke whilst living in Nigeria, his wife managed to get him to see a doctor who asked him if he could pay for treatment. He answered no, the doctor told him his only option was to gather all the money he could for a flight to the UK. Which he did. On arrival at Heathrow he was immediately transferred to a hospital where he received all necessary treatments, he was transferred again to another hospital and after TWO years in hospital, the council housed him in the local area, 10 years later he is still here unable to work as he is now on longterm incapacity benefit. Now while I do not begrudge this man treatment and I am sure that anyone in the same situation would have done the same, how is this fair? This is just 1 example from 1 town. How can the NHS run whilst this is happening? My MIL had an emergency kidney scan this week, the doctor wanted it done as an emergency, and told her to make an appointment for 7 days as that is how long it would take to get the results. She phoned the doctors on the day of the scan to book the appointment but the earliest appointment they can give her is 22nd May. My Friend has a problem with her leg at the moment and has been suffering for the last 6 months, doctors keep saying here take these tablets and come back and see me in a month, trying to get to see the doctor is a nightmare. This surgery do not offer the option of booking appointments in the future, only appointments on the day. You have to phone the surgery at 8am for a morning appointment, or at 12 for an afternoon appointment. both at 8 and at 12 the phone is permanently engaged, by the time you get through at 10 past all appointments have gone and on speaking to the receptionist about what to do, they just tell you to try again tomorrow. Obviously there are positive stories too, but they are becoming less and less the norm. It is not the system it once was. Major problems. With no answers and no solutions.

No she doesn't have any children left in the UK, we are her last which makes it all the worse. I am torn emotionally, I have always been pretty empathetic and genuinely understand things from everyones point of view. But now I feel backed into a corner. I can't believe I am being so heartless and selfish to be leaving family when so much is going on. But my choices are to either stay and be the good daughter that everyones come to know and expect of me, and just accept that I'll never be able to live in Australia cos once this visas gone theres no chance of getting another one. Or I go, at the risk of breaking the family apart to persue this dream of living in the sun. Sometimes I wish......... well I just wish. Lisa

Thank you for your support people, It genuinely is awful, I can't eat, I can't sleep infact none us can, my poor daughter seems to be feeling it as she is just about to launch into her GCSEs and like me she hates conflict. Does make you think about stuff though. Would MIL be all nice and sweet again if we said ok mummy we won't go then. AAGGHHHHH

Well my parents seemed to have softened a little and are at least talking to me. OH mum has turned on the thumbscrews, but not directly, she hasn't spoken to us directly since we told her, but she's is venting all the emotional blackmail through OH sister who is already out there, knowing that she will tell us in turn. She is threatening to stop having her cancer treatments if we go through with it. We all feel sick. The kids included. Even my SIL who emigrated 12 years ago is having stress over it. But like Ali said, it appears to be having the opposite affect on OH, its making him more determined to go. I knew it was gonna be bad, but never imagined it would be this bad. In future when I see posts on here asking "when shall we tell the parents?" I'll be replying "On the way to the Airport and run and don't look back!!!"

I've never rented in my life, so when they ask for a reference for a rental, what do I do??

Oh dear. It turns out oh mother has not taken it well. She started off ok last night but today the proverbial 5hit has hit the fan. Shes been letting off to the family how totally unsupportive we are. Which actually is so untrue, we'll do anything to help and have been. But we have had to have another soul searching discussion on our plans this afternoon. This is awful.i admit that the timing is utterly crap as she is just finishing treatment for a breast cancer. But what do we do? Let this opportunity pass us by. And we couldn't go before nowas she was nursing a sick husband (oh dad) who sadly died just over 14 months ago. So its been put back and put back again and again and now it can't be put back anymore. You have no idea how awful we all feel (well actually I'm sure some of you do! ) This is just the worst feeling. I am so stressed.

Cutting it fine?? Tell me about it!! But providing we are there before the last day of the Visa, its all fine!!! Believe me I have thought about what if... infact I've sent myself mad thinking about what if.. over the last few years. But I'm trying to turn all my what ifs into positive ones, eg. What if we love it and wish we'd done it sooner. what if the children settle into their new schools without any worries. What if OH and I both get jobs straight away... As for the parents, I have thought along the lines that its a grieving process for them. We told Hubbies mum last night too, and she was amazing. Her daughter is already in Oz and has been for the last 12 years, so I guess she's got used to skyping and visiting and that it doesn't mean the end, but that makes me feel even worse knowing that both her children have moved away and she is also recently widowed (one of the reasons we haven't gone sooner). I do feel so selfish. Rupert you're right it is the migrant who is selfish and I feel like a schmuck!!! But I must stop thinking in 'forever' terms, I think we are all guilty of that, 'we're emigrating forever', never to see them again, forever. Its far easier to deal with (like Quoll said) if I only think of it as a couple of years, none of us really know whats round the corner wherever we are! Thanks PomsinOzzers. Lisa XX

Thanks for all the support people. It is so hard, I've always been so close to my parents and to know that I'm doing this to them breaks my heart (and hers obviously). we did originally tell them 5 years ago when we got the visas, but life and stuff got in the way and we didn't go as soon as we had hoped. She didn't take it well then either. I think we stopped talking about it because it was badly received and I think she kind of hoped that we had changed our minds. We've put off selling the house and making plans before telling them, and now we've told them we've really got to get a move on. We're planning to go the 1st week of July, after GCSEs and proms and selling the house!! Scared. Terrified. Feeling Sick. AAGGHH.

That was horrible. Just told my parents. My dad took it better than my mum, but they both left the house within a couple of minutes of being told. Mum didn't speak to me again and wouldn't even look at me. I felt awful, knowing that I had inflicted that pain on them. Feel awful now. :cry:

Thank you for answering for me. :wink: Yes, we validated the visa in 2009 and have been waiting for that all important right time to actually move all our stuff over and us!! Which of course has taken alot longer than anticipated. So now we find ourselves facing the end of the visa if we don't get over there by July. But it looks like we should be okay providing we are there before that last date.

Hi folks Well, we're finally making the move, but with not much time left on our visa. does anyone know whether there are any conditions of there being a certain amount of time left on the visa before travel? (PR Visa) Let me explain just how close this is going to be, our visa officially runs out on 9th July this year. Our daughter is going to be sitting her GCSEs this June and what with prom and everything we can't leave until 30th June, which is so close for comfort it makes me feel rather squiffy!! :arghh::arghh::arghh::arghh::arghh::arghh: Lisa XX

Pontiac TransAm Firebird 1995. Lovely she is too!!