Addy

We moved house two miles up the road in the UK and were told we had to change Dr's practices. We had excellent care at the previous surgery which had an open house every morning where you sat and waited to see a Dr and appointments in the afternoon and evening. We only did the sit and wait if we had to see a Dr that day. Otherwise we waited 3-5 days for an appointment which was OK as the open house was always available if you couldn't wait. The surgery to which we were moved was terrible. Appointments were a three week wait and no open house. There were a couple of slots for emergencies, but not nearly enough. One day my 3 year old was very ill with an ear infection and I was told to take her to A&E as they couldn't see her for 3 weeks. I hated doing this as in my mind the GP is there to look after things like ear infections and A&E is for things the GP can't treat. To make matters worse the receptionists were used to give out medical results as the Drs were too busy and thought they were Dr's by proxy. I had a serious condition missed in this way. I didn't realise until I had routine tests here in Aus and it was picked up. I checked my old results (I got a copy of my UK records to bring to Aus) and there were the same results 2 years previously in the UK. I am a supporter of the NHS and think lack of funding and proper regulation of GP surgeries is to blame for inadequate GP provision. Surely in areas with too few GPs a system can be put in place to increase numbers?

So sorry to hear that you are all in this situation. I hope you get your money back. We had a run in with this company when we applied for our visa as they gave us incorrect advice and refused to give us our money back. It doesn't surprise me that they seem to have tried to keep your money through nefarious means. I have also heard some not very nice rumours about the man who runs this company but have no proof so won't go into detail. I would advise you to go it alone from now or to hire someone with a good reputation like Go Matilda.

Having a letter box in your front door and not at the end of the front garden. Bizarre but it grates on me....

As my husband and I were both likely to get jobs in the CBD we chose a private school close to the CBD before we emigrated and put our daughter's name down. When we arrived we viewed that school and several public schools that had been recommended. Our daughter loved the private school and we were lucky that a place had become available. So we rented a house near to the school and hence near to the CBD. We did in fact get jobs in the CBD and it worked out well. We were more than pleased with our choice of school which is Anglican and one of the best performing in SA. our daughter was happy and stimulated there and the standard of care exceptional. We are glad we chose the way we did as initially we were tempted by living by the beach but our choices of schools and jobs would have been more limited. As it is, we are 15 mins from the beach if we want to go.

My OH is in IT and found it difficult to get work in Adelaide. He did eventually but the work is not of the same calibre as in the UK. In his field (main frames) the work all seems to be in Sydney and Melbourne. We did know this before we came to Adelaide but took the risk and it did work out in the end. Conversley I have had no trouble getting work in my field of human services.

Try not to pin your hopes on this one. Sounds like one department is trying to convince another to provide money/permission to create a post or their budget is tight. There may not actually be a position at the end for anyone. It happens a lot unfortunately.

Sorry, I wasn't aware that applies to work in your home country. Millions of tourists do online work and make phone calls for their job at home while on holiday. My employer requires staff to be available by email on leave, where ever they are in the World. Many large organisations require this of their staff. Are all these people breaking their visa conditions? I am not being a awkard, I would like to know as I look after visiting academics who do work for their home university online whilst on holiday.

What was your job in the UK? Can your employer give you some online work and pay you in pounds in the Uk into your Uk bank account? Oh and pay tax and NI on your income in the UK too.

Just be honest with your family, lying will only cause problems. Tell them the DIAC regulations mean you have to get married sooner than you would ideally like which means you can't afford a big wedding. Holy smoke, they should understand this. You may find they offer to help you with the costs. You can also float your idea about a legal wedding followed by a blessing and a party when you can afford it. See what they say. In my book, a family who aren't willing to see your point of view don't deserve the amount of thought you are giving to their feelings. Also if they all come to the wedding they won't come for a few years and even if they do come you will spend little time with them. It is much better for them to come later individually to see you and you can devote time to them.

If you have a master's degree, it will speak for its self, no need to have it 'translated' into Australian. Your other qualifications are irrelevant as your Masters superseeds them. HNC is equivelent to year 12 or over if anyone asks. BTW on't try to apply for a Phd over here as they won't accept a Masters without an undergraduate degree.

We are in SA and our rental agent has always asked us to renew the lease 3 months before it was due. Not sure if it is common practice or just our agent. you could always ask for a shorter lease if you want to keep looking.

I have a Mazda 3 and it's OK. It fits the purpose, it's roomy enough for luggage etc and comfortable for long journeys. However it has electrical problems and has broken down several times. Repairs are expensive. I had a BMW in the UK and it knocked spots off the Mazda. I would go for a second hand BMW if I had to chose again.

I have no brothers or sisters and both my parents are dead. I feel left out! :cool: Edit, to the Op just be happy your parents are still alive to be cared for, imagine what they would think if they saw your post.

So sorry to hear your news. You are doing the best thing ((( )))

The university should not reveal anything to the DIAC as it is a mechanical process in a computer system. However your papers will be kept on your student file and there is a small chance that the DIAC will request your papers as part of an audit. The university are entrusted to apply the law, so I if the uni have approved your application then there should be no issue with the DIAC. The DIAC guideline is that the matter must be compassionate and compelling. For example if you are ill, pregnant, a carer, family issues etc. This is not an exhaustive list.

Hi Emily, the University will use the information you provided to assess whether you are eligible to have your COE (confirmation of enrolment) extended. Have they confirmed with you in writing whether they will do this or are you in mid-process? Each uni has it's own policies and procedures but they must all comply with DIAC regulations regarding international students. these state that there must be compelling and compassionate grounds for extended leave and reduced load. The university is entrusted to assess your application within DIAC guidelines, they do not reveal the information to DIAC. Once the University is satisfied that you meet the requirements they simply go into the DIAC system and extend your COE. You will then be told your COE has been extended and will be able to contact DIAC to extend your visa. The university will not tell DIAC that your load has changed, simply that your COE is extended as you meet the DIAC guidelines. The University takes responsibility for guaranteeing to DIAC that they have made the necessary checks, which is why you have to supply the information about your situation to them. I hope this makes sense.

Have you thought about approaching your local Job Service Australia providers? They have a huge turnover of staff due to the work being stressful due to the problems clients can present with. They would love someone with your skills and experience who can sit down with a mature head and talk to clients with mental health issues. http://jobsearch.gov.au/provider/whichprovider.aspx

We came in 2009 on a 475 visa to Adelaide. It is not an easy visa to live on by any means. However, we were told explicitly by a SA Gov Immi employee at the registration/information session that if we could not find work in our sponsored regional area but could find work in another regional area that we could ask SA Immi to give us permission to relocate. The woman who told us this made the point that they weren't in the business of letting families starve as there are no benefits for 475 holders. We were lucky in that I got the first job I applied for but my husband - the visa holder - took 18 months to find a job in IT in Adelaide. We got our PR on my 2 years work rather than his. Financially we are still recovering as my wage was not great, although now I have a much better job. If my husband had not got his job we would have relocated to Sydney or Melbourne as soon as we had PR as that's where the IT jobs are. We were aware of this situation when we emigrated but living it is much tougher than we imagined. I have heard many stories of 475ers taking very low level jobs for 2 years and then moving to a city which could offer them more opportunities. Good luck to the OP. Please look into moving to another regional area if you can.

Makes no difference, my core temperature is consistently lower than normal. There are many undiagnosed people out there with this issue and I suspect many migrants who hate the cold could be among their number.

The other thing to consider is that lots of people have metabolic disorders, thyroid dysfunctions and other issues which make either cold or heat tolerance an issue. I speak from experience of being a underactive thyroid sufferer. Cold weather makes me very ill. I just can't get warm even in layers of clothes and tended to stay inside all winter if I could. Even today in Adelaide it was 22 degrees and I was wearing a cardigan to keep warm. Conversely people with a high metabolic rate and over active thyroids feel the heat. I know many underactive thyroid sufferers who have emigrated for a warmer climate and many people who have left Australia as they can't tolerate the heat. At least we have the option to live where the climate suits us better.

Fantastic news. What a long hard slog, but it will all be worth it. :biggrin:

Here's the article about the person who resigned; http://platform-online.net/2012/10/bbcs-rippon-resigns-over-jimmy-savile-investigation/

You could ask for a one year sabbatical from your UK job and try Aus for a year, safe in the knowledge that you can return to your job? Then you can decide to stay or go after a year.

I would only take things that are unique to Australia - like chocolate covered macadamias. You can get most things in the UK. (You can even get Tim Tams in Tescos - or you could when I left in 2008) Plus Uk taste and Aussie taste in lollies and chocolates is different. So maybe you should take some Aussie stuff for yourself LOL

Hi Justine, You are moving to an area with good schools. Brighton High and Primary have very good names. The other 2 primaries you mention also have good reputations. Try to ensure your address is within the Brighton High catchment area as the primaries in the area all have good reputations as they feed into the High School. Hope this helps.