flatpack

I'm surprised a a medical professional cannot pass the IELTS test, what part of it are you struggling with?

I really wouldn't be bothered about the ethics of repaying a financial institution, just align your morals with theirs and make your judgement from there. If it's un secured debt there's nothing they can do to you in Australia but if you go back to the UK it's a different story. Well it's not, there's still nothing they can do to you, it's what they won't do for you. You'll seriously struggle to get any form credit.

I'm stunned that DC has resigned. He would have been the best person to negotiate deals with the EU and the rest of the world. Bit concerned at how competent the next leader will be. Should have another general election.

??Surely you're joking! This situation was of his making, he went to the EU to renegotiate using a referendum of leaving the EU as a stick to beat them with. He got absolutely nothing from them, he then had to call a referendum but campaigned for remain. He made himself look like a tool. The eurocrat gave him nothing the first time around, why would they give him anything this time?

It may well have been a different outcome if mandatory voting was in place.

If voting was mandatory in the UK, I think the "out" campaign would have won by a bigger majority.

If you aren't totally happy why don't you rewrite it using the one they wrote as a base model? Then go back to them and explain that it needed to be like this and ask them if they could sign it.

I'm not sure they do an online test, how would they police who is doing the test? When I sat the IELTS test it was a very strict security system, you had to take your passport and they scanned your finger prints so that if you failed then you couldn't get a substitute to sit it for you.

Id say go for it though, I needed to sit it to get the extra points due to my age. Whilst it wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, I got the full 20 points on the first go. There are plenty of online resources to practice it and the extra points will certainly help you get an invite.

A friend of ours lived in Mascot and the noise from aircraft was horrendous although they said they didn't really notice it after a while!

Make crystal meth in China, smuggle to Oz and sell it. Then use the proceeds to buy great swathes of Australian farming countryside or build apartments in capital cities.

It is happening!

My sister met a family who had just arrived, they left before their container arrived with their belongings!

Personally I think that anyone who has got to all the trouble of emigrating then you owe it to yourself to try work through it and stay for a least a year, maybe two.

We're currently at 18 months and are pretty settled but we have openly spoken about if we wanted to return to the uk (home) we are both committed to gaining citizenship no matter what. I doubt we will ever return to live but never say never!

We used moneycorp and everything went smoothly. My sister used HSBC as they were giving her a "special" rate for being such a great customer over they years. The difference was 7 cents in the pound and they transferred £300k.

$21,000 difference but they didn't charge them any fees lol

Why in Scotland? Most agents do their business by email and phone. There are a few that use this site, I personally can recommend GoMatilda

I have a friend who has just arrived on a WHV and has just turned 30. She has been told if she does her 3months regional work and applies for a 2nd year visa it would enable her to extend her stay.

My query is, if her 1st year visa is still running when she turns 31 how can she activate the 2nd year visa? Would it just continue for a further year, even though she would be past her 31st birthday.

Thanks

I use NAB but I only picked them because I thought the name accurately what banks do you your money. All banks piss in the same pot, they all over the same services, they all make a lot of money off the back of their customers. All banks have people who think they're great and people that think their leaches.

Total waste of money...if your luggage goes missing the airline will deliver it to your door at their cost, flights are delayed the airline puts you on the next available flight provided your flights plus connections are on one ticket.

^^^^this, some people just believe it when they're told they need insurance. As said if your flights are booked as a complete journey then the airline will look after you, if the airline lose (not looses) your luggage they will sort it. You are paying them for a service, when would you pay for a policy that covers if they do something wrong?

If you have a stopover then that is a different matter!

Yes I think you can expect to pay a lot for insurance. We paid well over $1500 in insurance for a seven year old Mazda and we are two 40-somethings doing very low mileage and 20+ years clean driving record.

WHAT!!!!! We pay $600 for a 4 yr old 2.5 litre suv fully comp and $600 for a 4.0 ute that's 6 yr old. You need a new insurance company

I thought it mattered little whether the money was in an offset or in the loan itself? Depending on how much is fixed or variable I would put as much as you are comfortable not having access to in the loan itself.. as it is money that you will need to pay the bank sooner rather than later.

 

Any interest you earn at these low rates is fruitless but it is a great time to be paying down loans.

The loan is 100% variable.

I was under the impression that it shouldn't make a difference where the money is sat but I don't trust banks, they are down there with salesmen in my book!

I suppose if it's in the offset at least I can use it if the need arises!

Hey All

I'm looking for some advice with regards to what to do with our savings. Should we pay a load off our mortgage or leave it in our offset account.

I've added the figures which are rough amounts, could someone tell me what's the best way to achieve our goal of paying off the mortgage as early as possible.

Mortgage repayment (29.5 years left) $379k @4.43%

Saving in an offset account $105k

Currently overpaying $85 per week

No other debt

I cannot work out if it is better to leave our savings where they are or pay it off the mortgage. I paid weekly and any money left at the end of the week goes into the offset account, we could probably up our payments by a further $100 a week but is that better than putting the extra in the offset account.

The plan is to pay off the loan asap so I can take an easier job as I work extremely hard in a physically demanding job and any advice to achieve this goal sooner would very much appreciated.

Haven't read all the replies but has anyone mentioned living in a shared house? Loads do it and it's a way to instantly meet folk and it's much cheaper than being on your own. It doesn't suit everyone but I work with a couple of lads that do it.

Unfortunately not already pregnant. No we don't need to take the IELTS test as we are both UK citizens with masters degrees and we also have 75 points. By the sound of it, in theory there is nothing stopping us apart from it being more practical if we waited. Also, we wouldn't be desperately trying to stay, we still own a home in the UK so of it didn't work out we would just leave. Honestly don't understand the people that are saying go home have a baby then apply for PR offshore, why would we do that when we have the opportunity to apply onshore and have enough money to support ourselves, doesn't make sense. Finally, in your opinion, if having a sense of humour determines readiness of parenthood I hope you aren't a mother or never become a mother with such a judgemental and negative demeanour.

The fact doesn't change because you keep banging the same drum, if you have a child that is ill and fails a medical then your PR application will be rejected. I hope I never become a mother too, it would be losing a part of my body I'm rather attached to!! Just because you have a house, a degree and in your words, money doesn't mean you're ready for being a responsible parent. The fact that you come on her asking people you don't know for their honest advice, then proceed to tell them they're all wrong and you are far superior than they are, is another sign that you're not. Humility is a great trait that usually comes with maturity, maybe one day eh?

I'm pretty certain from reading through this thread that the OP is already pregnant and desperately trying to find a way to stay whilst convincing herself she has a master plan! If that is the case then good luck if you manage to pull it off. But as someone else mentioned, if you manage to line everything up, and things are looking rosy but your child (heaven forbid) is born with medical problems that would lead to a failed medical then you've wasted your time and money.

If you're not already with child then keep practicing at getting pregnant by all means, twice a day if you're lucky, but use contraception. See out the rest of your WHV then head off back home, have your child and apply for PR.

Your original post and certainly your replies to some comments makes me think you're not ready for parenthood just yet anyway.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

A teacher and an expert in finances that can predict a depression, wow, she must have made an absolute fortune!

Don't listen to the self righteous, they cannot do anything at all to her brother. Even if they go get. County Court judgement at his address it will be in your girlfriends name and not his. If they have the same name he can get a notice of disassociation. It would then be illegal credit reference agencies to give out any of her credit file when a search was undertaken for him.

If you go back to the Uk for a holiday they won't be waiting at the airport, it's a debt, no more no less. Don't stress too much. If you can pay it back then you should but don't let it give you sleepless nights.

..

With the talk of nannys, company's paying for flights and upgrades to business class, it seems your family isn't short of a $ or 2! Life's too short to get angry over a few shillings so swallow it up and get on with your lives.

Otherwise MIL might have you both written out of the will and that'll cost you more that a holiday for her in Oz :')

Booked a few flights from Manchester to Perth with Qatar and no one can touch them on price