vava
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Oh Phoebe, what a beautiful surprise! I'm in tears too for you. Happy birthday and enjoy having your daughter and Harry over, you deserve it! Xxx
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Don't be naughty! You know I meant that we are all crossing our fingers and hoping for the best outcome for Phoebe!
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Hi Phoebe, Glad you have had your diagnosis at long last but soo sorry that you've been told the wait is so long for the op. I hope you will find a way to get it done sooner. I'm sure somebody will be able to point you in the appropriate direction. In the meantime, try to keep your spirits up and let us know how you're progressing - we're all rooting for you! Kindest regards, Val x
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Fingers crossed for you Phoebe.....good luck, Val x:hug:
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Hi Val & Matt, Happy New Year to you both! You're right - that flight is an endurance test. We're still suffering from jet lag and have been up before 5 am each day! Fingers crossed for a speedy house sale in the spring and we'll soon be back at the RSL with you both and Angie and Ted too. Keep us posted with your news, Love Val & Dave x
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Happy New Year Fran! :xmas18: You can take your luggage allowance in more than one case (or bag) in fact, they prefer it if you do as they don't like to lift very heavy cases. Health and Safety etc! And, don't forget you can have a few kilos of hand luggage as well as a (biggish) handbag. I reckon you'd get away with 40kgs in total! Dave and I have just returned yesterday from a visit to the Brisbane bayside area and I thought of you when we passed the turn off for Hemmant! We had two lovely Poms in Oz afternoons too during our visit. We met up with Val and Matt and Angie & Ted (Brummiebabies). So much in common to chat about - it was really wonderful. Keep us all posted on your Australian adventure Fran, have a safe journey! All the very best to you! Val x
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Fantastic results for your hubby Phoebe and yours will work out fine too I'm sure. Let us know as soon as you can, Val x :xmas22:
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Congratulations Fran! So pleased for you, I bet you are so relieved to have your visa at last. Happy Christmas, Val x
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Hi all, We're packed and ready for our early flight tomorrow.........see you in Brissie! xx
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What wonderful news! I bet it feels like an early Christmas present. Hope all goes to plan now the end is in sight. I'll raise a glass to you later (its a bit early now) Keep us posted on your progress, we're off to Brisbane on Sunday to meet the new granddaughter Lilly. All the best! Val xx
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Hi Moira, keep emailing till somebody replies, its ridiculous you being kept waiting like this. I must say that the parent visa centre seems very slap dash nowadays. The person who wrote to me could hardly string a sentence together properly and the spelling was very poor! We're not in Oz yet, we go next Sunday but just for Christmas as daughter has had another baby last week. Best of luck with it all, keep us posted, Val x
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Hi Moira, Hope you are well. Just to give you an idea of our timescale; AoS confirmation letter sent to DIAC from Centrelink on 12 July, we heard nothing further until I sent DIAC an email on 27th August asking how long it would be before they requested the final VAC. The reply they sent told me that they were currently dealing with applications received in March 2012 (we applied in May 2012) so we booked a holiday to the Canaries! DIAC requested the money the morning we went on holiday so we paid when we got back and the visa was granted on 3rd October. I'm not sure how long we would have waited if I hadn't emailed. It just seemed daft to me that they go to the bother of requesting all the AoS stuff and then do nothing with it! Hope you hear something soon and please let us know how you get on! Cheers Val x
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Hi Phoebe, will be thinking of you both and hoping for a really good outcome.:hug: Val xx
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Dear Phoebe, I am so sorry for yours and your OH's health problems and I'm praying that all will be well following further investigations. Try to be positive - we're all with you and willing everything to be ok. Big hugs, Val xx
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Hi Angie, No idea about tax - sorry! I would have thought that once our business have been wound up and the accountant's done his numbers and sent all the figures off to HMRC we'll get a final bill and that will be it (famous last words etc)! I suppose if someone else employed us we could just walk away. We thought it might be a good indication of true house prices if we went to watch a couple of auctions. You can see online how much the guide price is but you can't ever see what they actually went for. I just hope I dont nod my head or wave my arm when we go to one! How are you finding Birkdale? There are a lot of lovely places to live in the bayside area so I hope we will be able to afford something (fingers crossed). Three weeks and counting....................... Val x
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Hi Angie, Not sure about the parade but it definately rained hard. She sent me a pic of her painted bump - it had gone all streaky in the rain. Hope the weather settles before we arrive - we can get rain any time here! We have loads of research to do while we are over this time. We might go to watch an auction too. Have you been to any yet? We also need to seriously look at what the job market is like for us 50+ers aswell. Its beginning to stress me out - the visa process was a doddle compared to the worry of houses and jobs. Do keep us posted on your experiences, best of luck! Val x
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Hi Angie! Glad things are going well for you and Ted. Sooooo jealous of you going to the Halloween thing in Manly - its where my daughter lives and they are going too! Do look out for a very heavily pregnant blonde with a painted pumpkin on her bump! Our 2 year old grandaughter will either be a witch or a bumble bee. Say "Hi" if you see them. Only 4 weeks on Sunday till we get on that plane - can't wait! Hope you continue to enjoy life down under - keep us posted! Best wishes, Val x
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Hi again Davebee, Just had another thought, you could apply for the 173 temporary visa which is valid for 2 years. On that one you can work so there would be nothing to stop you from getting that and going over and working for the (nearly) 2 years till its time to apply for the permanent one. That way you could be earning money towards the cost of the 143. Lucky you having a job to go to - thats our worry. We're scared of not getting work. Unfortunately its no quicker - 173 vs 143 (about 16 months) but at least you don't have to fork out all the $$$$$ right away. We're always happy to help on here - good luck Val
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Hi Gin, From what I remember of the medicals, we were weighed, had our chests x-rayed, blood pressure, blood samples taken, urine tested and asked a few questions regarding our general health. All pretty painless (apart from the cost). Husband's blood pressure was quite high but our own doctor re-did them and sent the results to the clinic and luckily they were fine. Nothing to worry about if your general health is good. Good luck! Val x
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Sorry Davebee, you are absolutely NOT allowed to work in Australia until you have your CPV 173 or 143. If it was that simple and there were no rules then none of us would bother applying and paying out all that money. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait it out and pay the $$$$$$. Time will pass really quickly once you've applied and then you can move over there legally. Sorry if it wasn't what you wanted to hear and good luck with the application. Regards, Val
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Hi Fran, You won't need to verify that you are still using an agent because if you have decided to "go it alone" there are more forms to fill in. The agent and you have to make a declaration to enable DIAC to contact you instead of them and as its looking like the end is in sight, there's probably no need. What I would do is phone your agent and INSIST that they contact DIAC to find out what the time scale is for you - after all, that's what you paid them for! Hope you get the answer you need - and quickly! All the best! Val x
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Hi there, I would email parents@immi.gov.au give them your file reference number and name(s) and ask if they can tell you how long it might be until you are contacted by a case officer or asked to provide further information (medicals, police checks etc). Knowing them, they will reply that they are currently dealing with applications lodged before yours. Then next week (as if by magic) they will email you again and begin the next part of the process. I sometimes think they like to play mind games with us (or maybe I'm paranoid!) Hope this helps and let us know how you get on with it. Regards, Val x
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Oh Phoebe, I hope he comes round and I also sincerely hope you get back to full fitness really soon. All the best, Val x
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Hi Phoebe, Yes, we got debit cards quite quickly sent to our daughters address. If you open one online, the cards will be waiting for you on your next visit to Oz. You just have to pop in with your passport. When we came home, we wrote and told them of the change of address and they always send statements and stuff to our UK address. The bank manager knows me quite well now as I've been a nuisance over Centrelink and DIAC payments. We also now have a savings account which pays better interest than here. Good luck, Val, x
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Hi Phoebe, We opened an account at ANZ back in 2007 before our daughter got married - way before we even thought about emigrating. It was more for saving for the wedding. If you open an account whilst over there its ok - you can use it immediately but I think if you open one either through the London office or via the internet then you have to validate your identity by turning up in person before you can withdraw funds. Hope this helps, Val x