gaunty

Not only did they do a fantastic job, they saved the day. I had been procrastinating about getting some paperwork completed and my agent had heard through the grapevine that rules/ regulations would possibly be changing in the near future. They warned me, I did what I needed to do within days and passed it to them. They were right- a goal post was moved with a deadline being added. If I had delayed by a further 10 days we would have been outside the deadline and we would have lost everything, and not be able to apply. At all....Ever). Gaunty

We used an agent and ours was a simple application (in the Trades). We had no medical issues. We were lucky that we could afford it (just) but in my opinion it was money well spent. I offloaded all the grief of the application on to someone else. I didn't have to go trawling the internal/ forums trying to find the right piece on information late at night after a hard day at work (and then not knowing/ worrying if that was actually correct bit of info that would affect the application). If I read something about the process/ application or had a small question, I was always able to pick up the phone to my agent and ask them if it was relevant/ get the answer. As with any professional service- you have to pay for it but you (should) get peace of mind. We used Visa Bureau in London- would recommend them totally. Gaunty

I'm a plumber/heating engineer. We used Visa Bureau in Fulham. Can't fault them. Thank you Leonie Gaunty

We used Visa Bureau in Fulham. They were great. We had a simple application but were really busy and I wanted someone else to manage the process. Also it was great having an expert only a phone call away rather than having to trawl the Internet for an answer that maybe not correct. Gaunty

Charl- PM sent. Gaunty

NVQs mean nothing in Oz for the plumbing industry. You need to be Licenced (or Registered- the lower level of qualification) locally to get ANY work for the state that you want to work in. They all have slightly different regs. There are very heavy penalties if you're caught working for you and your employer without the correct Licence. In Vic, last year, I was told by a local plumber who emmigrated from the UK 10 years ago, that it was illegal for a 'plumbers mate' to even hand tools to a licenced plumber if that mate wasn't Registered. http://www.pic.vic.gov.au/www/html/247-are-there-penalties-for-not-using-a-licensed-plumber.asp You'd be better off working in bars, unless you want to got for it and do VETASSESS (portfolio, practical) then gap training. Bear in mind that places for the gap training are limited and there are not many locations. In Vic, I was on the Bellarine Penninsula- there were two colleges doing the course. It would mean a 1.5 hr drive one way after work for 18 months.

Charlie - PM sent. Gaunty

Another vote for Maui Jims. I've been wearing prescription sunnies for many years and you do get what you pay for. I've had Ray Ban, Serengeti, Bolles and optician own brand, but nothing compares to the lens quality. They were £££ though. I'm a glasses wearer, polarising makes a very big difference- clip ons are useless. (In reference to an earlier post- the polarisation only affects certain screens- my Samsung S3 is seen perfectly well). They are the only company that do a decent base (or curve) on the lens so that those with a high prescription can get a decent wrap to stop light from coming in the side. If, like me, you're short sighted the lens is narrower in the middle than the edge. When they wrap the lens it gets even thinner in the middle and even thicker at the edges. Most manufacturers can't/ won't curve the lens which means the lenses are really flat and light gets in from the side (which is really annoying and pretty useless for sunglasses!). I'm pretty sure Maui Jim do worldwide replacement.

PM sent. Gaunty.

Another vote for Visa Bureau (Leonie). :biggrin:.

We used an agent (Visa Bureau in Fulham). Best money we ever spent. Yes, we had a very simple application as General Plumber, but I did not want to be trawling the (this) forums trying to find information at 11pm after a long hard day at work. Also, I wanted the right information rather than something that may or may not be correct. My agent was always at the end of the phone for the simple answer to my simple/ stupid questions which we relevant for me. More importantly, she advised us of some rumoured/ potential changes coming from DIAC in the near future when we were nearly, but not quite, ready to submit that would have greatly affected our application. If we'd waited for 10 days we wouldn't have been able to apply at all! We were able to submit before the deadline, and we've now got our 176. Like any professional service- you've got to pay for it. If anything doesn't go to plan then on your head be it. Gaunty

www.insurance4carhire.com- Apologies it was £49 not 40. Still a good deal though.

I never use the 'additional' insurance policies that the hire company terrify you into buying when you take the car. There are (now) many companies that offer insurance for the excess. I've been hiring in France for many years and have taken this insurance and only once did I need it. Totally my fault-I scraped the car bumper getting in a very narrow entrance. The hire company charged me for the damage to the car on return (£800+) but I then claimed on my additional insurance when I got home, and they paid up the full amount. I think coverage for a year worldwide was £150 (there's no limit to the number of car hires you make but I think the longest single rental limit was 60 days). I think a single Europe trip was £40. Absolute bargain against what the rental companies charge. Gaunty.

To activate you just have to get through immigration before the "no first entry after " date on the visa in your passport- you could be on the next plane out again- it doesn't matter as long as their systems register that you passed through immigration. Gaunty

After returning from our 2 week activation trip last March, I had 2 speeding tickets land on the doormat about 2 weeks after we got back- both from cameras. They were for separate offences in Victoria on the highway about a week apart- on balance I was done for being 2 and 3 kph over the limit. The fine was $260ish for each offence. The hire company passed on my contact details. I wrote and appealed the fines and was let off one but had to pay the other. Worth a go? Gaunty

We didn't have enough time for a day's stopover. We had a 2 and 5 yr old when we did the Activation in March last year and I was dreading it. Emirates were great though. Really friendly to the kids, and the entertainment system onboard was really good as there are 100s of films and tv progs. My 2 year old watched Finding Nemo back to back flying out and back- we couldn't get her to watch anything else! Take jimjams (sp?) and favourite cuddly toy and change in the plane and it helps them get to sleep. When we got to Dubai for 2.5 hr stopover we went up to top floor of terminal (Hotel Reception) and there's a gym/ spa/ shower you can use for a small charge. (You can get a shower without paying extra for gym/spa) It also gave us somewhere quiet above the main concourse which is bonkers as all the planes land at 7am ish, although my 5 yr dragged me round wanting to see EVERYTHING!

Sorry- can't help on financial queries. Much better at trying to fix other people's lives! :biggrin:

"But theres something holding me back as it stands and i cant really be fully certain what that is! " Fear of The Unknown? If so, you're not alone there and completely understandable. But it will stay an unknown if you don't go.

" i think that having to walk away if things dont work out would be even more difficult." You won't know if things don't work out if you don't give it a go. Personally, given the limited information given, I'd be on the next plane out. In regards to parents et al, this is your life to live and not theirs. We didn't tell my FiL about the move because everyone in the family who knew of our plans, were positive that he would FREAK when he found out. When my MiL, who's as useful as a collander in keeping secrets, let slip, he was incredibly encouraging and is planning their visiting trip when we do move. You never can tell. It might be the best decision you ever make. Gaunty

As with anything with kids, the sooner you get them into something and they enjoy it, the higher the likelihood of them being hooked for life. Just don't make a fuss when they get a wave in the face. That means the next time it happens (pretty quickly!) they want comforting. The other thing is for them to realise that once underwater, they don't need to get a breath immediately. If they do they tend to panic and it goes pear shaped. It's freezing outside at the moment air temp 2'C and wind chill on top----really wishing for 30'C air and 25'c water, 4-5 ft clean and glassy.........:cry: G.

My son has just turned 6 but I've had him in the surf (in knee deep water) since he was 3. I've pulled him round on my surfboard in the shallows (sea) and had him on my Stand Up Paddle board on a lake in warm weather in wetsuit and bouyancy aid. He absolutely loves it and it hard to get him out. Our local swimming pool in the UK has a wave machine which is on most w/es and now he'll jump straight in where the waves are biggest and loves getting bashed around by them ! It's all down to water confidence, he can't swim yet but is very close and knows he can (and will) float with a wetsuit on. Gaunty

I've done exactly what you're looking to do (and written a few posts about it). Happy to answer qus if you PM if you're not in too much of a hurry for an answer as not very good at checking :err:. Gaunty

14 years ago I worked in IT sales. We looked into getting a PR visa and I could under "Technical Sales (not elsewhere classified)" but never did anything about it. This classification doesn't exist anymore. 10 years ago both my wife and I jacked in our jobs and went travelling and on returning decided to retrain as a plumber/ CH engineer as meant we could live anywhere in UK (or Oz). It took 9 years to get the visa (get qualified then build up post qual experience before applying). Got SS PR last August . Gaunty

Just got a job offer in a completely different area than what my pr visa was granted for (General Plumber). After activation trip got a bit worried about cost of living, training costs and earnings for 18 months whilst getting licenced. Going back to IT with a view to 'hit the ground running' when we get out there! Gaunty

It's taken us 8 years from the start to get our PR visa. I worked in IT sales- hated my job- jacked it in and went on 5 month honeymoon to Oz + NZ. Never been to either before. Loved it and thought "what can I do to get us out there?". When we returned I retrained as a plumber as thought it would be a pretty safe bet on SQL list for years (but no guarantees). Couldn't hang a picture before I started. Had to find an employer, get NVQ 2 + 3, gas, etc then get 3 years post qualification before we could apply. Then we have to jump through the Vetassess hoops etc, etc. It has cost £000s (even before we got an agent involved- who we could not have done without- Thank you Visa Bureau). You can find a way if you really want it but very few things come easy and I had to work my a'#! off to do it. Gaunty