Flake

Yeah they are MARA registered which is what surprised me... Will be having a very uncomfortable conversation in the morning- not looking forward to that! Thank you for your posts :-)

Spoke with the department of immigration today- they clarified that I will need to depart Australia for the visa grant (as expected, so will be correcting my migration agent!) and that it is not a requirement to inform my case officer that I intend to travel to Australia during the processing of my 309/100 visa but they do recommend it. Either way my migration agent has not provided me with completely accurate information and I'm finding myself second guessing everything now, really wishing we hadn't wasted the money! The person I spoke with at the Department of immigration said I can keep informed with my case officer directly when it comes to me travelling to Aus, so at least I won't have to rely on the word of the migration agent. So wishing we had just done this directly as I have no peace of mind anyway!

Thank you for your replies! That's interesting about the other post. I will try to get ahold of the Australian High Commission today and get some clarification, will write back with confirmation as soon as I have it

This is exactly what I thought to be the case, however the migration agent I am using seems to think that there is no need to inform my case officer if I enter Australia during the processing and that because my application is going to straight to permanent residency (due to the length of time we have been together) I will not need to depart Australia during the time in which it's actually granted. I'm worried that the migration agent is basically misinforming me and potentially affecting my application... I think I will have contact the department of immigration directly, god knows what I will do if he's incorrect I will be worrying about all of it! Arrrgh

Hi all, im currently in the Que for a subclass 100 PR visa. We are using a migration agent who has advised that I can enter Australia on a visitor visa should we need to get return before my permanent resident visa is granted. I asked if he would then inform my case officer and he said that there is no need for the case officer to be informed- this confuses me, I can't imagine that it's not at all relevant and so now it's got me second guessing everything. Anyone been in this situation before? Many thanks

thank you :-)

Hi All, just wondering if there are any recommendations for shipping companies and likewise any to avoid? Pm info if necessary. Thanks so much

Do Sydney properties pay council tax like we do in the UK? And how much are water rates in Sydney on average? Im im trying to figure out how much utility bills are on average per month on top of a mortgage payment. Any information would be gratefully received!

the main reason was affordability, the direct line to the city and it's positive reviews for family living- truthfully I have never been there but I liked the idea if having shopping centre, good transport links and affordable houses.

Thank you that's very interesting to know. Essentially looking for somewhere with the direct line to the CBD where we can afford to buy...I was also enticed by the mention of plenty of green space, truthfully I have no clue where to base ourselves- all I know is that I would like a safe, family friendly and affordable to buy one day and on a direct line to the city for work.

Hi All, looking to get as much info as possible on Penrith... Is the schooling ok? Are the trains to the city reliable and how long does it take? Are the hospitals decent? What are your general opinions of penrith? Thank you for your info!

Will have ace a look into that area thank you!

i love Rouse Hill and many hills district areas but my husband us worried about the bus into the city being unreliable with traffic times... ( he is from kings langley and used to drive to seven hills train station to commute to the city) I wish he didn't have to rely on the city for work otherwise there would be much more choice on location. Weirdly I'm now researching even further out west in the Penrith area as the country train has a direct link to the city in just under an hour and real estate is a lot cheaper... Could be a reason for that I guess but will look to explore further

Hi all, we are moving to Aus in May ( will be staying with family initially) I'm wondering if there are any suburbs which have a villagey type feel that are affordable and within an hour from Sydney city? - it can be an hour via bus or train. Not looking to be in the city as we want more of a suburban feel. Happy to be anywhere safe! Looking for: houses, not apartments decent schools few shops good transport links to city somewhere suburban It may be a big ask!?!

Thats certainly a great point about the bus at castle hill!! Thank you x

Thank you, I will certainly have a look into the area, have heard decent things about Penrith now that you mention it! Will start researching now x

Thank you for your information! I can't wait for the North West Rail link to open, will make such a difference to hills living! ( hopefully won't raise the house prices too much though!!!) I know the bus service well and although frequent, it's more often than not full up and the buses drive straight by, which can be infuriating. I think we will need to consider more western areas such as Quakers Hill etc. to get the train line. thanks again for your post x

Hi All, does anyone know which decent suburbs in the Hills District have train stations? Happy to travel for amenities but just wanting train station for commute to the city. Thanks so much!

Excellent!!! Good luck with everything

Thanks so much for your information, really appreciate your help! Will definitely look to enter Aus prior to the visa being granted on the visitor visa then leave to NZ for when necessary. How much if an indication/notice do they give on when you need to depart generally speaking? And what if you were sick or there was something preventing you from being able to fly to another country? Can they hold off for a couple days for example? It would be very unfortunate for something like that to happen, but trying to think of every worse case scenario before we commit to the idea!

Hi All, I have recently applied for the permanent partner visa, (subclass 100) and have now been assigned my case officer. ( within 5 days of receipt which I thought was quick) they have advised my migration agent that the London Australian High commission currently has a 10-14 month processing time which is a little longer than we anticipated... As were were hoping to be back in Sydney by May 2015 I enquired to the migration agent about entering Australia before the PR visa is granted, and he advised that I am able to travel to Australia on a visitor visa, then leave the country for a few days while the PR visa is actually granted when the time comes. This is what I expected, however upon reading the guidance booklet, it states that you must be outside of Australia for the provisional temporary visa ( subclass 309) to be granted, but you can be within Australia for the 2nd stage permanent visa to be granted.(subclass 100) What I am wondering, is that, as I am applying already for the subclass 100 permanent visa, will I permitted to stay within Australia, or does that rule only apply when the subclass 100 is your 2nd stage of visa processing? I have have asked my migration agent for clarification and awaiting his response, but thought it beneficial to see if anyone has experience this type of scenario themselves? Thanks for your help, hope it makes sense!

I think everyone has/had different experiences from life back in the UK, and the 'slump' is relative to those individual circumstances. I for one, have experienced the negative effect of the recession in the UK, however I have known others who have benefited from their return to the UK. Its only black and white when judged against your own individual circumstances.

We made that mistake too!!! Literally within about a week of landing we knew we had made a huge mistake!! We return may 2015, can't come quick enough!!!

thanks so much for your help, that's really helpful to know! Will get onto it here in the UK!....

Hi All, just wondered if anyone has any experience of exchanging their UK drivers license to a NSW drivers license? I am researching whether it's worth me passing my full drivers license within the UK before we head to Aus, or whether I should wait until we arrive and do it there? It it seems that even if I pass my test here, I will still have to do more tests in Aus to qualify for the NSW license anyway? and as I would have held a UK drivers license for less than a year, I will go on a P1 provisional license- what does this even mean? Everything car related is straight over my head! Arrrgh but don't think I can get away with not driving when living in the hills district of Sydney! Thanks for your help! :-)