Baby Pom

Just let them know what medication you take and how long you've had it. Unless you have other health issues, the Type 2 diabetes shouldn't be a problem passing the medical.

Doesn't the No Further Stay on your bridging visa mean you are not allowed to apply for another visa while you are still in Australia? I think you have to apply for a waiver before you can apply for another on shore visa.

Another option is to write the letter yourself, detailing all the relevant information, and then send it to your boss or HR for them to sign. If they just have to sign a letter, they may be more willing than if they have to sit down and write the letter themselves. This is what I did when I got mine done about 12 years ago.

City of Belmont - Ceremony was done in the new building that opened earlier this month.

Quick update - Just had my citizenship ceremony today (23/10/20). Ceremony was done at local council offices with about 23 applicants. We were split into groups of 3 or 4 and then each group made the pledge, before being presented with a certificate and a bag of goodies. Next step - Apply for Australian passport!! Citizenship Application: 12/1/2020 Received Invitation for Test: 20/7/2020 Test Date: 5/8/2020 (Passed) Received Ceremony Invitation: 1/10/2020 Ceremony: Done on 23/10/2020 City: Perth

City of Belmont

Thanks I received the invitation by email.

Just got my invitation for my citizenship ceremony today. Only 3 weeks to wait now!! BTW It is a ceremony in person at our local council offices. Citizenship Application: 12/1/2020 Received Invitation for Test: 20/7/2020 Test Date: 5/8/2020 (Passed) Received Ceremony Invitation: 1/10/2020 Ceremony: Due on 23/10/2020 City: Perth

Once you get your new passport issued you inform them of the new details. I think there is a form on their website you can fill in and submit if any of your details change. Your visa then gets electronically tied to your new passport. I wouldn't leave it to the last minute though, in case it takes a while to process.

Had my test yesterday (5th August) in Perth and passed The only document they asked to see was my drivers licence, even though I'd taken all my old passports, birth certificate etc. I applied back in January and was then asked to supply a UK Police Clearance in February (even though they didn't initially request it on the application). My daughter's application was approved on 15th July (she didn't have to take the test as under 18 at time of application). They said that it could be up to 4 to 6 months before a ceremony is given but depends on council (mine is City of Belmont).

Had my test today (5th August) in Perth and passed The only document they asked to see was my drivers licence, even though I'd taken all my old passports, birth certificate etc. I applied back in January and was then asked to supply a UK Police Clearance in February (even though they didn't initially request it on the application). My daughter's application was approved on 15th July (she didn't have to take the test as under 18 at time of application). They said that it could be up to 4 to 6 months before a ceremony is given but depends on council (mine is City of Belmont).

When did you gain this qualification? Unless you are just starting out in your career, I would think employers would be more interested in your work experience and any trade licences you hold.

Even if you were in the UK, you would have to return your current passport. They cut the corner off it to show it is no longer valid and return it to you with the new passport. If your passport details change while doing your PR, you will need to inform them so that the visa gets transferred to the new passport.

Where are you going to go to apply for the new visa and are you resident in WA?

Get at least three quotes from different companies and tell each one, another company offered less. Most will then start dropping their price. Also, they will offer insurance, so get a quote from a company that specialises in shipping insurance. If you mention that you are getting your insurance elsewhere, they will probably match it or better it. When I moved about 5 years ago, most were a similar price except Crown (more expensive). You should also check which company they use when it gets to Australia, as some companies don't have their own offices etc. here but use others such as Grace. Another thing to consider or ask, is where they deliver to for the cost quoted. Some companies will only deliver to a certain distance outside main cities before adding on costs (which may not be explained properly until too late). As with a lot of things, it is pot luck how the shipping goes. You could use the best company but still have a bad experience or go with the cheapest and it all go brilliantly. Also, unless you are initially staying with friends or relatives, don't bother shipping over irons, toasters, kettles etc. (unless you've got really expensive fancy ones) as you will need these almost straight away and are relatively inexpensive here anyway (plus you would still need to change the plugs or use adapters).

Not sure if it is still them same now (I had to get police clearances from Dubai about 10 years ago) but there was a different process depending on whether you needed it from Dubai or Abu Dhabi. For me, getting the police clearances for Dubai was the biggest pain in the whole visa process. I did mine from London, so had to get fingerprints taken at Scotland Yard (they wouldn't allow it to be done at the local police station), I then had to take the fingerprints to a place in Milton Keynes (no longer open) to get them authenticated. I had to get an application form from the UAE embassy in London and then return to the embassy with all the paperwork plus the payment which had to be a banker's draft in US dollars (which wasn't straight forward either from Barclays). This all got sent to Dubai and once processed I think I may have had to go back to the embassy to collect it (but they may have sent it direct - can't remember now). The whole process took weeks to do. Not sure how the process works now or how different it is getting them while in Australia. How long ago was it since you were resident in UAE? If it was a while ago, maybe wait until it was more than 10 years and then apply!! Good luck.

I thought you had to be resident (or at least arrived in Oz on PR) four years prior to applying for citizenship? If you arrived in November 2016, would you not be eligible until November / December 2020?

OK, I misunderstood your first post, as it looked like you will have been resident in Oz for 2 years and 2 days when you leave for UK. So unless you apply a day or two before you leave, it would be counted as less than 2 years. The 2 years starts when you first settle in Oz, not from when the PR visa was first issued.

If, when you apply for the RRV, you have been in Oz for less than two years, you will probably be issued with a 1 year RRV. After two years, they should issue a 5 year RRV. Any time spent outside Oz during residency period (for holidays etc.) will not be counted towards the two years. Turn around time is normally pretty quick. My wife's was issued in a day or two via e-mail when she applied last month. The rules may change or there may be exceptions, but this has been our experience with RRVs.

Do Etihad still do the Australia Skypass? I used this in 2011 and it allows you to buy internal flights before you leave UK at a fixed price per sector. It was not very well advertised on their website at the time and not even their ticketing staff were that aware of the deal. The internal flights were on Virgin and because it was part of the Etihad ticketing you kept the full baggage allowance and were given a meal (which was an extra on the MEL-SYD flight back then) Might be worth asking Etihad or a good travel agent if this deal is still available.

Did you speak to an agent before you submitted the TRA? It's been about 8 years since I applied but there were quite a few occupation categories to apply under in the realm of Electronics or Electrical Engineer / Technician. I applied under something like Electronic Equipment Trade Technician as advised by my agent which I probably wouldn't have chosen if doing it myself. I did a 4 year apprenticeship and also had a BTEC HNC, so not sure if the ONC would be acceptable for the same category. Maybe you could check for other occupation categories even if only loosely related to husband's current job or get some advice from an agent who may have a better understanding of the occupation codes and qualification requirements. Good luck

This thread has been posted in the ACT forum. You might have more luck posting in the WA forum or on Perth Poms. Good Luck

When we shipped our stuff to Perth last year we didn't have an address to ship to. The shipping company just asked us to advise them as soon as we had somewhere to deliver it to. They also said that we could have 4 weeks storage included in case our things arrived and we didn't have a house sorted out. As has been previously advised, contact the shipping company. I'm sure a lot of people ship their stuff without knowing an address before arrival.

Another bit of information is that since 2015, you will probably need a USI (Unique Student Identifier). I needed to get one last year before I could enrol for the on-line white card course I did. It was easy enough to register for one, but not sure if they will issue one if still in the UK. Here is a link to their website so it probably gives details somewhere. https://www.usi.gov.au/

I'm in WA and did my White Card on-line last year, but part of the process was a follow up phone call where I was asked several questions regarding safety to check that I had actually answered the on-line questions. Not sure if this is done by all on-line courses now. For the OP, will an on-line course company send a white card to the UK or do you have an Oz address to send it to.