steveandaileen

We have been PR in Western Australia for 3-1/2 years, will be applying for Citizenship in September, we came on a Contributory Parent Visa.

my wife's father passed away last month, and once his property is sold she will be entitled to about 50,000 pounds, do we have to pay UK inheritance Tax, or/and Australian Tax, my wife works part-time, but not enough to pay tax.

 

Any advice would be appreciated

We have been PR in Western Australia for 3-1/2 years, will be applying for Citizenship in September, we came on a Contributory Parent Visa.

my wife's father passed away last month, and once his property is sold she will be entitled to about 50,000 pounds, do we have to pay UK inheritance Tax, or/and Australian Tax, my wife works part-time, but not enough to pay tax.

Any advice would be appreciated

Don't know if anyone can help with our query. We used this site when we did the 143 Contributary Parent Visa, we arrived here in Busselton, WA last September, with lots of help from members on here. We have settled here, are in a rental for a year, and our own place is being built and we should move in in October. But, we have a problem, we left one daughter behind in UK who qualifies for the Remaining Relative Visa, we have looked on the Aus Immigration site, and they are saying 10 to 12 years!!!! We can't believe this, we thought it was about 2, does anyone know any different.

We arrived here in Busselton, WA on 10th September, and moved in with our daughter, son in law and 2 grandsons, they picked us up at the airport, and once home with a cuppa, oldest grandson said, "mummy has a baby in her tummy" so to go with all the emotion of actully getting here, we will be present when grandchild number 3 arrives, to go with the 2 left behind in UK, very hard to leave 2 behind and daughter. Once here there is so much to do, and all quite stresful in your first week, Medicare, Centerlink, driving licences, tax file number.We were glad that we used a large part of our hand luggage bringing inportant documents. we also bought a new Ford Escape, but are still waiting delivery as it is also on a boat, but part of the deal was garage lent us a motor until it arrives, so we are driving round in a 10 year old Ford Falcon, but it is worth its weight to get us out and about. As I was a Site manager in the building industry, I did not think there would be problems with getting a job, how wrong, the building game is much different here with no real big developments on one site, but to be on safe side I registered with several agencies and firms, and as a back up, with Bunnings, I am not too proud to work in a warehouse, as long as it brings in Aussie dollars!! well a manager saw my CV and passed it on to another manager who he knew was looking for a Sales Rep in Bunnings Trade, a completly different warehouse dealing only with Builders. I start next Monday, good salary, company car, phone and computer, incentive scheme, discount, and yearly bonus, so a change of direction. We have now agreed a rental, a small 4 + 2 by Aussie standards and we move in on 28th. Our furniture should arrive in Freemantle this weekend, so we will soon have our own home again, one word of help, if you had your own home in UK and going to rent, get reference from selling agent to say it was in good condition etc, and bring selling details, and as we have no income for another month, said we would pay 6 months up front, all we need now is for exchange rate to inprove, to get more money over, managed some at 1.6 the other week, and think this is the best rate we can hope for. so now we settle down to live the dream, so many highs and lows on the long journey, but so worthwile now we are here. Good luck to all on the same journey, and hope all who have made it are as happy as us!!! :laugh:

Stephen and Aileen Hubbard

We have been on this forum for sometime now, and on the other one that down hill with moderaters intervention etc. Our history, we applied for 143 visa after 1 of our 2 daughters had been in Australia for 2 years, (settled) at the time about 18 month wait for a visa, according to Steve's brilliant tracker site. 9 months later we put the Bungalow up for sale, everyone said you will easily sell that. 17 months after applying we get visa with not too many problems, we are 59 and 57 with no real health problems. But, property not sold, it takes a further 5 months to sell after many price reductions, and a further 3 months to exchange and complete. But at last we are there, we exchanged contracts yesterday, we have Pickfords in on 6th and 7th, complete and fly on 8th. Could not go sooner as found Pickfords and another company fully booked at this time of year!!! We have found the whole process very stressful, with many sleepless nights, very expensive with the exchange rate going down. One tip for anyone trying to find the money for visa when not sold, we asked for money from Building Society for a conservatory and new windows, and they just gave it to us!! But after all this we now look forward to the rest of our lives in Busselton, Western Australia, with our Daughter, Son in Law and 2 grandsons, 7 and 2. I am in the constructoin industry as a site manager, and have seen one job advertised at approx £30 per hour!! so hope to get work and show Aussies how to build. I have found this site and many of the contributers, Sir Matt, Lez, sandch and Fiz to be a great help during the journey, thanks to everyone. Will keep reading the posts, reply if I can help, and will update on the performance of removals and getting work. Bye for now, Steve and Aileen

Hi Pete & Marg

 

I know it must seem as if everyone posting here is comfortably off and looking forward to starting a new life in a new home in a new country but that is just not how it is for everyone. I know there are others like us who when we started out on this journey had great plans. We always knew that we didn't have enough to buy a house outright and had enquired about a small short term mortgage to top up our capital. Well that was when we made our plans at 2.2, worst case scenario. What a joke that turned out to be. So now we are here and we are having to rent and no, I don't like it one bit, for all the reasons given before. I gnash my teeth about it frequently as do others around us but we are here and enjoying our new life and being so close to our family. We have found some super new friends through PIPS. Please don't despair, if you are able to get the visa I would go for it. Don't lose sight of the reasons you filled in that form in the first place.

 

Good luck

Cath

Hear, hear, Cath, you couldn't have put it better, we are exactly the same, even to the point of taking a hit on the sale of our property here in UK, but despite all the money problems, it will all be worth it to join up with our family in Busselton, nr Perth in August, and join you and the other PIPS for a well earned drink, or two!!!

As there have been a few posts on recently from people just starting the process and others who are nearly there, thought I would tell others what we have been doing as we are nearly there. We expected and got our visa last February, the bungalow had been on the market for the August before, and although we had had interest, never an offer, and although it would have meant renting, we didnt worry too much, but once we had that Visa, a whole different mind set, the only thing that was stopping us going was the fact they we could not sell property. We were just about to give up trying to sell when we changed agents for the 3rd time!!! they sold it in 3 days!!!! we are now waiting to exchange and complete contracts, so not safe yet, but we have both taken the bold step and handed in our months notice to our respective employers, and have a further 2 weeks holiday pay on top of months notice, and are hoping to fly out mid August. We have been busy doing car boots, trips to the dump, found buyer for car and trailer, and just have left only items we will take, so we are ready to go once we get that call from solicitor to say we have exchanged contracts. We have found out that our removers, who will be Pickfords, only require 2 weeks notice, but can do in less, especially if they pack on a Monday or Tuesday, we can book flights for a weeks time, so after all the stress of the waiting for visa, trying to sell property, WE ARE NEARLY THERE !!!!! For those just begining, we have found this site extremely helpful and friendly and thank everyone who has helped us so far. :wink::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Just an update for all who rember us on this brilliant site, we gained so much information from posts on here, and if we didn't know an answer, it was soon given, we started with our application sent to Perth in august 2009 and acknowledged 2nd September, we were in the process and joined Sanch on gainwave, just brilliant to watch your progress, and we were prepared for the 15th month wait in the filing cabinet in Perth. Right on time we got our Case officer 2nd December 2010, now things really started to move !!! Police checks, Medicals, and Form 80, minor problem with some info we supplied, but a lovely lady CO in Perth gave us another 2 weeks, found best way was to email her everytime we sent anything to say it was on its way. Visa was granted after our mind blowing payment on 18/2 2011. House had been on market since the previous August, and we both got down in the dumps knowing we had Visa, but could not go until house sold. June 2011 and still no offers and getting really down, we make decision to rent, agent comes round and says she is sure she can sell, we give her 6 weeks and she sells it in 2 days !!!! we have done a lot of de-clutering, and have 1 or 2 more car boots to do, but we should now be in Busselton, south of Perth in August to join our Daughter, Son in Law, and grandsons 7 and 2. We are leaving 1 daughter and 2 grandsons behind, but hopefully they may be joining us within a couple of years. We are now so excited, with some apprehension, but we know we have made right decision, and are so looking forward to joining our family. The motto, have patience, keep the faith, it WILL turn out right in the end.

How frustrating! I can sympathise as I found this stage very difficult-I had similar problems with the internal post part of Centrelink over the AOS. However, if its any consolation, once that arrived my CO asked for the payment within hours which I paid immediately and my visa email then came 3 days later and that was all over the Christmas break. So, don't give up yet: in a week's time you could be sorted!!

We had exactly the same experience as well, but once we sent tracking number to CO it appeared on her desk the same day, and as you say, things really moved from there

Thought as everybody else was adding a pic, I would get in on the act

Morning all,

 

Police checks and Forms 80 all sent off yesterday and Son-in-l opened the AOS Account at Bank. Question - does anyone know if it is possible for the interest on the AOS account to be paid directly to our own Bank Account? Our S-i-L was given no options regarding where the interest has to be paid (he thinks every six months) and so it seems it will be paid to him directly into his Bank Account. This has raised a concern for him regarding his Tax Returns and he would prefer if it could be paid direct to us. He is going to ask the Bank on Monday but has anyone out there been able to set things up as above? Advice would be welcomed and direction to any website info also. I have looked on Centrelink site but there is no mention at all about interest.

Many thanks Gill

Would also like an answer to this as our Son in Law in exactly same position, was not given opportunity to get interest paid elswhere, and as he is Police Officer needs to keep things above board

We have an appointment for our medicals on Tuesday and as we are getting close to the 28 day deadline I am just wondering how long it takes after the medical before they send off the results. Do they do all the tests (HIV etc) on site?

Can depend where you have done, but if they not told you anything different, I would imagine they doing them all in one place, we had ours done in Brentwood. They courier the results to Sydney, they then inform your CO, but as others have said, keep your CO informed of when you having them done and they usually ok, they just want your MONEY!!!!

We need a new vacumn when we get to Aus, looking on web sites here and in Aus they are much dearer in Aus, so if we take a new cleaner, will we have to pay tax on it, but if we take one that has been used, will we have to pay for it to be fumigated on inport as we have been told they do not like cleaners being taken in, like Christmas decorations!!! any experiences of this

Congratulations to those who have received Visa today, such exiciting times to come, would be easier if exchange rate and property market here was much better. Like you Les, we have Visa, just have to sell house, dont fancy renting out from the other side of the world, but know it will all be worth it to be with loved ones in Aus

Where do I start to begin my journey in finding out about a "contributory aged parent visa. My daughter lives south of Perth and I am considering a move to be with the family..any suggestions would be gratfully received..

We started on the Australian Immigration website, but the first thing you MUST pass is the Balance of Family critera, i.e you must have at least half of your children in Australia, 2 children, 1 in Aus, 3 children, 2 in Aus. Once you pass this and have looked at some informative info via website, if you have any other queries post them on here, there are many on here who are either going through process, who have been through and have visa, like us, and hoping to go soon once house sold, and others who are already in Aus. We too are headed for south of Perth, a place called Busselton about 160 miles south on the coast

Sorry didn't see other helpful replies before I replied

COngratulations guys x x x

 

Where you heading?

Busselton, south of Perth, to be with daughter, Catherine, Son in Law Matt, and Grandsons Jacob 6 and Lenny 2

YES, YES, YES, we have our visa, checked email at 3am this morning as couldn't sleep, and there was our grant letter. Have to work today before wine and tinny tonight!!!!:jiggy::jiggy::jiggy:

Steve and Aileen, Not long now guys. Where in Oz you heading to?

We heading for Busselton, south of Perth, our son in law is a Police Officer there, was in England, but moved over there over 3 years ago, our daughter, and grandsons Jacob 6, and Lenny 1

Well here we go, just received email from CO giving us 28 days to send her 68,000 AUD, so will be watching the rate and hoping we can get 1.6 for the pound. At least everything else ok, so we nearly there, and although a lot of money, it is nothing compared to being with our Granchildren in Aus :jiggy:

Tomorrow is the BIG day, all bags are packed and weighed, monies counted, just wondering when it will actually feel like we are actually going!!

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Good luck Matt, hope flights all go ok, expect we will all hear from you once you get on the other side of the world!!! Stephen and Aileen

Just a request to all the Poms who are now in Aus, who did you use for removals, were they good, and what was the price like??

Many thanks in advance for any replies

Hi Les

 

We were going through the final visa stages over the holiday period last year and our CO emailed to say that she would be away on holiday, but that she was handing her charges (us) over to another CO, copying him in on the email. They shouldn't expect you to come to a standstill whilst they are enjoying their hols. If I were in the same situation as you I would email the general queries (parents@immi.gov.au) and ask who is standing in for your CO as you have some important matters to discuss. Keep pushing them.

 

Cheers

 

Matt

Lez, I agree with Matt, as I know ours is working at moment as we have been in contact several timesa by email over holiday period

Hi Guys, Happy New Year to one all whatever side of the globe you're on.

 

Thanks to Durhamlad's post on the 'other side' it appears that the Oz government has felt sorry for UK visa applicants and set a rate of exchange for payment in the UK that today is just a bit higher than the floating rate.

 

If the web site is correct and they have set a rate of $1.538 then this will be the first time they have not dropped the rate below the floating rate at the start of the 6 month fix. :thumbup:

 

Currency Converter

 

At least there is a floor under the 2nd Vac payments for the next 6 months.

 

We are lucky on this site that there are some experts at getting the payment made in London as London put up lots of barriers last time this occurred.

 

I think this may help Framboy first.

Following Lez advice, does anyone know the procedure for paying in London

Happy New Year to everyone, just thought would ask to all those who have made the move down under, which removal firm they used, were they ok, were they the cheapest when you got quotes?????

And Happy New Year from here in Melbourne, where it is already hangover day, ie Jan 1. Yesterday was warmish, 41.1 max with a wind resembling a jet engine exhaust. Fortunately these things never last long and we'll be back to a more civilised 27 today.

 

Enjoy the celebrations over in the west!

 

Bets wishes

 

Steve

And A Happy New Year to you too, many thanks for all your comments on this site and others. Also thanks for the wonderful Tracker, it has been a real help and encouragment to us. Hope to be in Busselton, south of Perth, WA in early May. Steve and Aileen (framboy)