DavidandGill
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Everything posted by DavidandGill
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The process is the same as described by liverpooloo for HIFx and you can deal either online or by telephone. We have HiFx accounts in both the UK and in Australia and can deal online on either site during business hours. In our experience we have achieved a slightly better rate of exchange dealing over the phone rather than online. We opened Australia Bank accounts when we were visiting. You don't need a Tax File Number to open an account but do watch out for the rate of withholding tax you might be charged while still resident in the UK - we were being charged 46% until we wrote and pointed out the reciprocal arrangements with the Uk whereby only 10% should have been charged. (You declare the interest to UK tax as foreign income and they charge the other 10% being the basic rate of tax) This was corrected and we received a refund of overcharged tax. Gill
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Great news - enjoy your new and exciting life. Gill
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We had exactly the same experience - we tracked them as far as the Australian Postal System on a specific date and Immi went on a search for them and, just as Julie has said, they found them ! E mail and be a bit pushy but get as many facts as you can first. Good Luck Gill
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Hi Phoebe - Have not had much time to read all the messages on this thread for a while and have just caught up on your news. I am so sorry it has come to this and I really hope things improve for you soon, and that you will achieve your ambition to move here. With very best wishes. Gill
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Well, who would have thought it - you leave the UK to take up life the other side of the world and be with your family, and what does your family do..............................they get to meet the Queen! More celebrity for our beautiful Grandaughter. http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2011/10/27/287441_news.html :notworthy::notworthy:
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So sorry to hear about your difficulties, I hope everything gets sorted out for you very soon. Gill
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Our container arrived Melbourne on 28th July but it was a week before we heard that customs were going to process it. We then received an invoice for $96 Customs Charge for the 3 bottles of Champagne and couple of fairly new electrical goods we declared, which once paid was then passed on for quarantine inspection. We expected quarantine to find something (just for the sake of it) that would need treating, but they didn't - it was inspected, passed and given clearance within 48 hours. Prior to leaving the UK we had negotiated a few weeks free storage but in reality the timing was perfect. The house was completed on the 11th and we had arranged for delivery on 14th. Gill
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Congratulations - I thought we were fast, arrived in Australia 14th June, completed house purchase 11th August, took delivery of our container and moved in 14th August! Hope it all goes smoothly for you. Gill
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We have just sorted out our private medical and had to get a letter of eligibility from Medicare for the Lifetime Loading exception - our year started the day we arrived and validated our Visa and took up permanent residence. We registered with medicare as PRs about a week or two later.
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Welcome to Oz- congratulations - just think summer is on its way!
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Hi we arrived in Torquay, (Great Ocean Road) on 14th June, not too far from MP. Would love to get together some time once you are settled. Keep in touch - you can always PM, would be happy to hear from you. Gill & David
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Know exactly what you mean about the stress - you think it will get easier once you have the Visa but for some reason it only gets worse with organising the actual move! But it is worth it - keep your eyes on the prize (as our daughter kept saying) - our prize was our granddaughter admitted to hospital with strep pneumonia within a few days of our arrival. We were literally left "holding the baby" brother - only 5 months old. Glad to say all is improving now, with Scarlett well and truly on the mend. Now, if the gale force winds and rain from Antarctica could ease................................. Good luck Gill :realmad:
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Congratulations to Jane & Clive on getting your Visas - sorry for delay, just got the computer up and running again after nearly two weeks without. Best wishes Gill & David
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Hi everyone, We are sitting in the Business Class Lounge (Emirates) at Gatwick on our way to Australia! The goodbyes have been very hard and we are a bit discombobulated at the moment but it will be well worth it all when we arrive at our Daughter's house on Tuesday morning. Will keep you all informed of how we get on, but for now, those who are waiting for the CPV - keep the faith, it will arrive eventually! (It actually feels a bit unreal at the moment, so I think that calls for another glass of champagne!) Best wishes to everyone David& Gill
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Oh Phoebe, My heart goes out to you - this process is hard enough when you are lucky enough to be able to finance the Visas, and I have often thanked my lucky stars that David & I have been fortunate enough to not find ourselves having to sell the house to finance our move. You have the additional problem of your OH being so uncertain as well. There is very little that any of us can offer in the way of advice to help you, other than to say that we are thinking of you and I feel sure that something will come along and help you make the right decision. Just don't make commitments too soon, until you have a CO, you still have time to think through and research your options. I really wish you the best of luck and hope that your dilemma is soon resolved. With lots of good luck to you. Gill
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We are moving to Torquay - unbelievably in less than 2 weeks!! Torquay is a lovely coastal holiday town with a Safeway and IGA - but its expensive to shop there - the shops rely on the captive holidaymakers who don't want to bother shopping around. Our daughter also spends a small fortune on food and often shops daily, although she does do a weekly shop at Aldi - aher favourite shop! To be fair with two young children, shopping on her own is difficult. We intend to do a weekly shop at Warne Ponds about a 20 minutes drive away, where there is a Safeway, Coles and loads of independents in a huge shopping retail park and mall. We have looked around and Warne Ponds is both cheaper and stocks a wider selection of stuff. We are also considering joining the Costco warehouse in Melbourne - apparently up to 40% cheaper on everything from food to spectacles - but that is a 100k drive, but one we will likely make every three months for Scarlett's routine hospital checkups so reckon we could stock up on stuff like loo rolls, washing powder, dishwasher tablets etc., etc., for two households it could be worth it. Has anyone else done something like that? Thankfully, being retired gives us some time to shop around. Have just signed up to the Spreets website - very similar to Groupon which I use here in the UK so thanks for that info. Gill
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Excellent news - not too long now! Gill
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HiFX UK has recommended we do the same when we get to Australia and have already provided me with a contact in Oz via Email. Gill
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We had the same issue but just put down in our forms, "numerous trips within the EU - no passport stamp required" and this was acceptable.Gill
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Hadn't thought about it the way you describe above - will be really interested to see the outcome of your example. We have always transferred fairly largish sums so perhaps have not felt the impact of small transfers. interesting stuff. Thanks Steve ~Gill
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Apologies for delay in replying - been busy packing! We are going to Torquay at the start of the Great Ocean Road, where our family are. It is terrible when you are here in the UK and get that awful phone call to tell you your grandchild is ill. We got the call on a Wednesday and by Saturday we were flying to Melbourne, we stayed a month while they stabilised Scarlett, but had only been back here for one and half weeks when our daughter phoned to say that heart transplant was "inevitable". We took about three weeks to get our affairs sorted out at this end for an indefinite stay in Australia and went back. We had been there nearly four weeks when a heart became available. She is now two and half, has a baby brother, has been the "face" of the Good Friday Appeal 2011 for the Royal Children's hospital, and is a very cheeky monkey! Apart from a string of nasty colds and viral infections just lately (it is winter after all!) she is doing extremely well and recently passed her first renal scan with flying colours. Her prognosis is very good but as with all transplantees, even a relatively minor infection has the potential to become dangerous so life for our daughter and her partner is always worrying. I have heard of Rosebud but not Highett - note to self, must improve geography of new home state! Was your grandaughter treated at RCH? It is one of the leading hospitals in the world for children's medicine and we have always found the staff there to be absolutely fantastic. Scarlett spent a lot of time in Intensive Care and you never forget how helpless you feel watching them being so poorly. But even as ill as Scarlett was, there were other children who were even worse and you learn to be grateful for every small step forwards. I am so glad to hear Daisy made a full recovery. Our daughter has made Scarlett a countdown chart with stickers for each day until we arrive - only 15 days to go. Off to do some more sorting out. Best wishes Gill
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We use HiFx and looking at their webpage (to check the facts) you can transfer as little as £250 without incurring charges (other than any that might arise from paying HiFX) - see snippets below from their website. Q. What types of transactions can I undertake online? A.Only Spot (buy now, pay now) transactions can take place online. For Forward transactions (that allow you to fix the exchange rate for up to 12 months) and Regular Transfers, please call our Customer Services Team on +44(0)1753 859 159. They will discuss your requirements and explain the best options depending on your individual circumstances. Q. Are there any hidden charges? A.No. We don’t charge you to send your international money transfers. No transfer charges and no commission fees. This does not include the cost of you transferring the funds to HiFX and any charges incurred where the funds being sent are in a different currency to the destination bank account. As part of the service, HiFX provides one free transfer per trade. Q. How much can I transfer using HiFX Online? A. A minimum of £250 and a maximum of £70,000 per online transaction, to a limit of £75,000 each day. For larger transactions please call our Customer Service Team on +44(0)1753 859 159 (Option 3). Hope this is not considered inappropriate advertising but we have used HiFx for around 4 years and have always found them to be very good - friends use them to transfer to South Africa and when they were charged by their bank in SA, HiFx refunded the charges as promised. Regards Gill
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Just managed to grab a few minutes to update everyone on what is going on. We received our Visas on 16th May, exchanged contracts on our house last Monday, have booked the movers (Pickfords) for next Friday, the container for the 8th June, we will complete on the house on 9th and fly out to Melbourne on the 12th! It's all go now - we really thought we had organised ourselves pretty well over the last 15 months waiting for the Visa, but there is still so much to do - but the list is getting slightly shorter every day and the ticks are increasing! We have suffered with sleepless nights worrying about "the process" - we don't have any concerns about moving to Australia, but the getting there is very stressful, and we have felt that we have not been coping very well. Of course the farewells are emotional and difficult as well. It will be so worth it though - this morning's phone conversation with our daughter, included our grandaughter telling us what she is going to do "when Nanny and Grandad come to live with them" - she is going to play shops and do reading with Grandad, and have kisses and cuddles with Nanny - and go swimming with Nanny!" Can't wait! Continued good luck to everyone ! Gill
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Another step closer - congratulations! Gill
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Many Congratulations - Good Luck for the future. Gill