darkstone1975

Well I just moved back a month ago, bringing a cat via dogtainers, cant speak highly of them in my case, they fly the pets via Qantas to uk I believe. I think their qoute was somewhere in the middle of the pack if i recall.

oh yeah packing as speak, arghh otherwise just hectic, Finally might have some work fingers crossed, 2 interviews literally the day after I get off the plane. House proving a little more problematic, there pretty much asking full yr rent up front WTF. anyway hopefully might have it sorted soon their offering 6 month contract funds up front and reassess afterwards always something to make life more challenging

Been a while since I looked in here, to many things to do and not enough time to do it, Great to see your made it over and settled. Only 12 more days before I make it back to blighty myself, elder made it over before she turned 18, so far so good except its oh so cold she goes. Rest of the ramble in may, never seen youngsters so excited.

I can only go by what immigration and the council both old me, because I as desperate to get a ceremony date, if they don't delay well that would be a bonous

I agree with Lady Raincorn, having just gone through the whole process myself. Experience tells me that if you are applying in October you can safely expect not to get a ceremony before Australia day. most applications with appointments and approval for ceremony can take 2 months, they say the process can take up to 3. Your supposed to notify them when ever you leave the country, and each time you do they will put the application on hold. i believe this will also apply to when they will give you a ceremony date. Depending on which council you fall under depends on how many often they carry out the ceremony. back waters might only 2-3 times a year. likes of Brisbane i hear can be nearly 1 every 1-2 months.

I can't remember where I saw it in the last day or so, but Bournemouth Brighton and Liverpool are supposed be the fast growing IT hotspots in the UK. Count out Liverpool, so leaves you with the other 2 Brighton can be a little chilly in the winter, but then so is every where in Uk But if you looking for probably the best weather then Cornwall and Devon Dorset tend to be pretty good all yr round and tends to be the least likely to snow as well. Bournemouth is in Dorset.

I've been advised they are entitled to home student fees up to and including the age of 18 in state schools or college. I have a daughter thats going to be doing a-levels starting 18, not sure what will happen when she turns 19 though yet to get confirmation on that one.

Passport does not require residency in Australia only thing stopping you getting passport is if you are a citizen, but to add, your not supposed to leave Australia with out an Australian passport if you are a citizen The citizenship process does though require you to be in the country. If at any point in the Citizenship process you exit the country you are supposed to notify them and the process is suspended till you return. I would dare say they could confirm based on your current passport that you left the country and when you returned.

@Aunt Agatha Who did you end up booking the cats with, just about to follow up on a few past Quotes, need to get our cat booked for a flight for around the same time as I plan to fly back which is looking like beginning of April, now that the wife and elder daughter got their visa and my citizenship has come through for Australia day.

I believe you can do it without passport, just birth certificate at the border is sufficient.. no visa required. but as others have said and what I have done is get kids their passports. simple and took me only 2 weeks from moment I put it in the post till I got back through my letter box

Just to chime in about the citizenship, I applied beginning of August 2014 I got approval for application about beginning of Nov. I'm still waiting for the letter from the council which is only issued up to 3 weeks before ceremony date. hoping I get mine within 2 weeks as I've been informed provisionally by Gov dept that I potentially booked in for Australia day. but till I get the letter that still not confirmed.

Well unless you got a real need to move I'd take it step by step.. see what happens with your new job its far easier to try your new job first than move back to the Uk to find another. If it doesn't work out when you can always take that next step and make a move back to the uk, I'm currently moving back to the uk, with my family the timing has kind of forced my hand to make the move now and even me wanting to move back to the uk and family supporting me, its also proving an adventure for them as they are Aussie born and never been out of the country. there is nothing harder than stepping back into the unknown, will I get a job, will i not what happens if I don't, finding its a highly scarey thought at the moment. the last week or two has had me thinking really hard wondering if I really am making the right decision, but then I have been wishing to move back to uk for yrs. what ever happens remember nothing is ever permanent, difficult maybe, and things can always change, and yes the grass is always greener, but depends on the grass, it might be family or could be work, might be the place you live, if we could have them all it be a perfect world, and I'm still waiting for one of them and I rather make a mistake, learning and moving on, than regret not taking a decision to do something.

Just about to submit ancestry visa applications for wife and daughter, something struck me as not making sense and hopping someone might have filled one of these in before. Employment and income section pic below goes on about living costs and accommodation, I'm assuming that means in uk.. but we are not there so what you supposed to do, enter 0 ? or is that what we currently spend, which seems strange since they can't assume that is what we would spend in uk. Hate feck up the application over one stupid section. only thing left I got to fill in.

Sounds like your plans are moving full steam ahead always good to hear. Curious how did your OH find the responses from employers, I'm assuming here you didn't have an official date for when you were returning. Still waiting for my citizenship ceremony date, so at the moment not sure which month I'll be heading back.

Seriously benefits abuse is just as bad over here as the uk. You just don't see sensationalised as much in the media here.

careful with 3 month statement, more like when they feel like it.. i'm already 3 months, latest reply could be upto another 6 months for Ceremony, even though I'm approved. Statement I got was close enough to "when they feel like holding a ceremony"

Err If I read it correctly, if you were born in uk, then your child is British citizen by descent automatically, you don't actually apply for citizenship. therefore they are legally allowed, to live in uk without a uk passport, I may stand corrected but pretty sure, as I'm going through this with my kids and currently applying for their passports. Passport does not determine citizenship, just ability to travel in and out of countries with ease.

Sigh of relief, just seen citizenship application has been approved, just waiting for my letter to tell when I might get my ceremony. Things still on track phew

I read some where ancestry can be reused as long as you still meet all the criteria, basically extend the visa. in the process of applying for ancestry for the wife but will jump onto ILR straight after so we get the best of both worlds should things change in the future just never know

Yeah you have to cover everything unless explicitly mentioned, all landlords have building insurance, renter takes out contents insurance.

and for some they still can't help popping in to mbtuk forum to imply that some people here must have something wrong with them or a failure for not liking something about Australia.

I'm guessing your kids got Australian passports so shouldn't be a problem, nothing stopping you entering uk on one way ticket. might be a little delay at passport control though.. If you can I'd make sure you got their birth certificates handy and your marriage cert prove they your children.. This is all tha required to get their British passports

Your going to need to speak to tax person, but I believes it revolves around the statement of where your classed as resident as to where you pay tax. If there is tax agreements in place you can't be double taxed. ( Aus and uk has such an agreement I'm pretty sure.) I'm going to be in that kinda of situation maybe, When I get around to telling my boss I'm leaving I got a bucket load of long service leave to use up (about 3 months) he might just pay me a lump sum, or extend my leaving date to pay me out slowly, therefore paying me while i'm in the uk. will let you know what I find out if its the later.

For me its always been of those things stewing in the background, been in Australia 11 years, I think after about 5 yrs i had the urge to return, even holidays back didn't make me change my mind. and its only really this year with eldest daughter turning 18 next March, has it made us get off our backside and do something about it so she has the choice to stay with us as family.

Who are you sending your cat back with and ballpark figure, in the process of sorting out taking our cat, kids will be devastated if we didn't, admittedly I miss the cat as so far got 3 quotes between 2200 to 3200