RMG

If I suggested to my husband or kids that we tidied the house at weekends there would be a riot. we work to live, enjoying life, travelling, having fun as a family ( writing this on our way to Thailand). Both of us work, kids get lots of attention and interaction. Different people enjoy different things, no way is right or wrong as long as the people doing it are happy.

Lake Garda is fab, take mountain bikes, lots of cycling, canoeing, windsurfing and climbing plus gelato shops and relaxation. I travelled extensively in the UK as a child as part of a mountaineering club, learning to ski in Scotland, Ice climbing and walking in Scotland ,LKC you have chosen a beautiful place to live. I only went abroad at 21 and have travelled extensively since it’s a wonderful world with lots of diversity , enjoy.

Love Barcelona, beach on one side, Gaudi architecture and parks, beware the ramblas the cost of drinks is prohibitive! Enjoy. As you so rightly stated we are all different and wouldn’t life be boring if we all liked the same thing.

I am on my way home to my lovely house, in a lovely village, with green fields ( courtesy of the UK weather system!), friends and family near by. Fly home on the 2/4/18 start work on the 3/4/18 back to the NHS in all it’s glory. Sad to be leaving Australia this time round but oh so happy to be returning home. I am well aware it’s going to be hard to readjust but then again I think within a few weeks it will be like we have never been away. Wish me luck ?

Just had to quote this to get Johndoe name on it, your photos are stunning. They make me excited about our impending return to the misty mountains of the lakes and Scotland. I am sure however once we get home we will miss the flora and fauna of Australia. Regarding the topic , it’s all in the individuals perception. The first time I lived in Australia, I hated it with a passion, had Australian friends , immersed myself in the community, travelled as a family for 10 months doing and seeing lots but I was always desperate to return to the UK, Europe etc and was very negative about Australia ( not Australians as my friends kept me sane). This time round I am sad to leave, happy and to be returning home to the UK to be with family and the UK countryside and history - not the political climate though! I will miss our friends here, the countryside, the ease of travel and the easier working conditions. Happy to be going home, glad we had the adventure, I don’t feel we have failed by returning. We have done and seen lots , given our kids experiences ( we are backpacking round Thailand on our way home). Life is for living, trying not to cause harm and being happy. Your photos Johndoe show that both countries are beautiful and unique in their own way. It does not matter which one is best both have their positives and negatives but we are lucky to have the choice of relatively decent countries so we should just enjoy them. For the record the Aussie Kids I know are just as happy. / unhappy as the British kids of the same age. As long as my kids get through their teenage years unscathed in whichever country I will be happy.

They are 14 tomorrow, 12 and 8. All girls. It’s a hard choice as both countries offer a good lifestyle. First time round I hated being in Australia, although I enjoyed travelling round for ten months as a family. I was overjoyed about going home and loved being home. My husband yearned to return so he came back first and eight months later we returned as being apart was extremely difficult for all of us. we returned last January to a different area than before and I have to say its been difficult to make the decision. The kids are thriving in the senior school here but when we dicussed this, they said they would thrive any where as they like learning. Since 2013 they have never wavered they just want to be home, but they do like the fact they have options for the future as they are now citizens. As a family we make decisions together, we as adults have a good life in both countries but we also miss family and friends. Family and friends have never pressurised us. one thing i would say is that my Aussie mates understand the readons we are heading back, my ex pat mates don’t, although when speaking to some of them truthfully they secretly hanker to return but cannot due to partners/ other commitments. Good luck, it does take a while to settle. PM me for a chat if you want to.

Funnily enough it’s my kids that are the impetus for returning. They miss family, friends, U.K. countryside, European history and our house in a village. We have lived in Australia for nearly 5 years with a year back in the U.K. We have the same lifestyle in both countries although I have to say Nursing is easier over here. We are returning in April to the UK to family and friends. I will miss my Friends here ( funnily enough mainly Australian not ex pats as we have immersed ourselves into communities) but I am glad we are going home and happy my kids are the driving force. Both countries offer the same opportunities for them and we are outdoor people who will walk and cycle in any weather........I won’t miss cycling over snakes!!! Brexit concerns me but we will still be able to visit Europe and my kids have an Irish grandma so hopefully they will have choices!.

253 new citizens at the Canberra ceremony today,( 4 of which were my family). Congrats to all and Good luck to all those waiting. Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum it helped a lot whilst waiting for the government to get its act together.

Hi I posted here a few weeks ago and was asked to inform the forum of the time line. Applied 28/05/2017 Interview /test 26/11/17 Approved on line ACT Skilled Migrant PR from UK

Hi, My husband has been invited for an interview and standard test. Is the interview part an actual interview or is it just an appointment to verify the original documents?The letter seems to be a standard letter. Also we have tried to open the 4 practice tests on the department website but cannot access them on any computer tried applemac, ipads and windows. We are technophobes so any assistance would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

I asked a tax consultant whether we could file a tax return prior to leaving. He said yes we could but they don't do anything with it until June 2015, he also said we can file a tax return from abroad. Not sure whether that helps.

Hi, not sure what the options are for newly qualified nurses from overseas working in the UK, I was informed by a colleague the other day that the NMC want 2 years post experience before allowing overseas nurses to register. You may need to check that out with the NMC website. I am aware of the shortage of jobs for graduate nurses in Queensland, just seems such a waste of money training people then not to enable them to complete their training in the graduate year, its a travesty. Good luck with it, I have been a nurse for over 20 years working primarily in ED and I still love it.

Hi I think most of us thinking of going back have been honest. I have friends here, I like work, we have fun, we have integrated, but my kids went out to play whatever the weather in the UK, we went away same number of times (2 x month), travelled independently in UK and rest of world with the kids. Australia for us is an adventure, one that we felt we may turn into our home but as so many have said something is missing, for many its the answer of their dreams , for many its not. I am not condemning either way, but the most memorable walks/ adventures/stories actually have been due to the UK weather systems, we as a family have always gone out in all weathers, so 48 Sundays in out of 52 has never existed in our household. Pub meals at the end of a long day is missed with family/friends not just reserved for Sundays. As pointed out earlier its also easier to move as a couple but with 3 school aged kids in tow its not fair to keep uprooting just because you don't like an area, if I did that I would imagine I would end up with very unhappy kids. They are happy here but looking forward to travelling, learning on the go and ultimately returning to family interaction , their friends and their home environment. Wherever we live we will make the most out of it and enjoy the experiences it gives but for me Australia does not quite tick all the boxes in the same way as the UK does. Ihope everyone that makes the journey enjoys their experiences as it is an expensive/ hard struggle to get here.

We have now been here over a year. We arrived with our eyes open, having both been here previously (working and visiting). We have 3 young children, both of us are working. We have integrated, kids are settled in school, have friends, have play dates (for both the kids and adults!), go camping at least 2 x month, have travelled loads in our local area, Australia is a fantastic country but my kids don't play out as much as they did at home, we do not do as much exercise and although we are better off there is "just something missing" . I miss the UK, family/friends/house in the country(but close to a good cities)/ mountains/scenery/pubs/proximity to Europe and northern hemisphere, probably do not miss the weather! Do we stay for 4 years to get citizenship (heart sinks at the thought), or does this open another can of worms, giving kids more choice later, 2 kids in 1 country, 1 in another. Do I really want to make that happen, could happen anyway without our assistance!! Or do we save like mad for 6 months, travel round Australia for 6 months and return home giving kids access to family who love them, friends who support us whatever we do within reason ,(although friends we have made here would also do that!) and a country that still offers so much even though most say its going to the dogs!. We came over here for an adventure and to experience another culture/country and visit this side of the world with the kids. We have already backpacked round Vietnam with the kids for 3 weeks. We were open to making our lives here but 1 year on and we still want to go home (only the 4 year old wants to stay for the weather!). So to cap it all both country's are beautiful in their own ways and I have found Australians to be welcoming and friendly but home (UK) is still where our hearts are, so we are planning the big trip and home next year, much to my Aussie Sister's dismay (but she lives in the remote area and will be moving on again soon). I don't expect reply's just wanted to put my feelings/thoughts down. Obviously we may change our minds and suddenly fall completely in love with Australia and I will be writing on here saying its the best thing since sliced bread!

We have now been here for 9 weeks, arrived end of May, by the 1st week of July my OH had started work as an Senior project engineer , he applied for 9 jobs ,had 5 interview offers went to 4 of them and got offered 4 jobs. yes he is working at a lower level than he was in the UK but even at that level his Salary is a good one. He had applied for jobs from the UK but had no response as he was not in the country. He adapted his CV and chased agents and the companies he sent his applications off to. Our main problem is lack of available childcare , I have yet to find long term day care for my 3 1/2 year old that is acceptable so I can work, but that will come eventually. I cannot as yet say we are happy here but again I am sure that will come and if not in 2 years we will return to the UK. In the meantime yes we are lucky as it did not take long to get a job but it has to be said that local agencies in the Illawarra said to him that there is no work in this area and looking at local parks (where I spend a lot of time!!) there does seem to be a fair amount of unemployment esp round the steel works. I agree with other posters make sure you save enough to live on initially as the cost of living when converting money is horrendous. Good luck to all. PS Would I do it again knowing how I feel now, the answer is no, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and we are lucky that we have not sold up in the UK so if no happier in a couple of years we will return having had an adventure!

As people have previously said this thread opens a can of worms.......child abuse is a world wide problem, crossing all areas of life, cultures, education, professions etc and needs to be addressed immediately it is witnessed. As a parent I would have questioned this incident if I had been present, as a nurse/parent/human I would have contacted the relevant social care team. As a human there is no excuse for standing by and seeing/hearing this and not acting on it. I can understand having qualms but discussing these on an open forum to me suggests a personality flaw, as you obviously do not intend to do anything about it, apart from ensuring your children do not mix with such 'unsavoury types'..........the other family may well need support and a good friend network if they are being abused.

Just a quick note to say even tho' it is now a week since we got our visa I am still checking this thread and wishing all those still waiting good luck. It is so frustrating and a very anxious time waiting for the meds to be finalised. The wait nearly sent us demented with anxiety, even tho' we knew there was no health issues. My thoughts are with you all and I wish HOC would sort themselves out as as humans our main concern is our health and this process should be quicker to alleviate stress and anxiety. Good Luck!

Hi, on our first application we submitted a contract stating I only worked 18 hrs, even tho'my wage slips did not state hours worked the case officer declined our application. Lots of money down the drain........from being too rushed and excited. I would definately run your case past an agent prior to submitting anything. As a nurse we informed the case officer that I often worked over my hours and had attended study days but as the contract stated 18 hrs he would not take the extra hours into consideration.Second time round we used an agent (Ian Harrop),luckily not needing my info as we had enough points on through my husband. Once you submit anything they will believe that, good agents will only submit the info they need. Good Luck. there are plenty of agents around, research them and make sure thay are MARA registered.

Hi to all, well after a very anxious wait........knowing there is nothing wrong but worrying that maybe they found something......meds got finalised 28/09/12 and then following another sleepless week , checked DIAC this am and visa approved. Thankyou to all who have submitted on this site, it has kept us going. We had our meds on 11/08/12, referred 20/08/12 (no medical history/reason) finalised 28/09/12 and visa approved 5/10/12. This is our 2nd attempt at the visa as we made a foolish mistake in the 1st application so after a lot of money spent we are now very relieved. Thanks to all (esp the spreadsheet producers/updaters) and good luck to all. Rachel

Hi, does anybody know if you are allowed a copy of the panel Doctors report? We really want to see what the Dr has written. We,like many,have been referred since 20/08/12 and we are getting fed up with it all. Good luck to all those waiting and congratulations to all those who have had positive results.

Hi, just a quick note to say we have absolutely no idea why OH medicals have been referred, panel Dr said they were Grade A, no past medical history whatsoever, OH is fittest person I know, so for us, yes I would like to know whether people were expecting to be referred or not, as the longer we wait the more anxious we are. What have they found that we do not know about??? (and as a experienced nurse why havent I picked up on it if it is a problem!) Thankyou tho' to all the imputs on this thread it has helped to reduce our fears/frustration.

Thanks for the info posted on this thread. We were concerned last week as one of the medicals has been referred, as someone else said - its the not knowing whats wrong with you thats the worry. The panel doctor has said there was nothing to worry about, and I am a Nurse and I can't determin anything that he could have been referred for (he has no previous so would not have ticked Yes for anything). Looking on here and other forums it is apparent that quite a few meds are referred when the panel Doctors have said they are OK, so we have come to the conclusion that we will just have to sit patient and wait and see. (4-6 weeks is an awful long time for someone who has not got ANY patience!!!) . Just wanted to say Good luck and Thank you to all the posters as its horrible being in limbo and this thread (esp the info compiled by pumpkinhead) has been helpful.

Hi, we had our meds done 10 days ago now, one of the family has had theirs referred, no previous history, physically very fit (prob one of the fittest people i know), this is obviously concerning us greatly. Panel doctor said everything looked fine and we know the xray was graded A, def not HIV positive , BMI 21, B/P 127/80 just wondering why it has been referred. do we have to wait the 6 weeks or do they have a duty of care to inform us as to why it has been referred and if so who do we contact to ask that question (the panel doctor has no idea why it has been referred). Thanks for your time x

Not sure re Australia Medical care but look on www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk antimalarials are not covered by the NHS in the UK so you were lucky to get an NHS prescription for them last time. This web site is one that is a sister site to one that professional travel health advisors use in the UK so should be up to date. The info should be the same as you would get in Australia as the risk of disease will be the same. It's a starting point at least but you should check with an Autralian health professional...... I am sure they have travel clinics!

Have a look at the FIt For Travel website, google fit for travel and it will come up, it is the scottish NHS website so safe to use. It is a valid question and a question that should be thought about even when travelling to Europe and beyond. (Tick bites in Germany and Austria can cause nasty diseases, some countries you need Hep a and Typhoid, which are not part of our normal vaccination programme). You could always visit the Practice Nurse at your surgery for advice in the UK.