Suzukiscottie

Rust shouldn't be too much of a worry. It's bio security that customs are interested in (things that have been in contact with animals, soil, made of wood, plant material etc.) I emptied all the dust out of my tool boxes, wiped them down with a rag and wd40, wiped down my tools with the same rag, and everything got through just fine.

There are core "practical" elements of the courses, so not sure if that is do-able long-distance (mainly practical elements around delivery of training elements, slideshows, presentations of OHS policies, stakeholder consultation etc etc). Prob best to get in touch with several Tafe's or training providers to see just what can be done from afar.

If I were you I'd be looking into getting cert IV in both OHS and Training &Assesment. I did cert IV OHS a few years ago purely out of personal interest, to add another string to my bow. A lot of people on my course were doing both course side by side with a view to moving into OHS roles; there seemed to be an acceptance that both certificates were expected for decent jobs in OHS.

I followed the guidance of my Migration Agent. A UK National Insurance number is not an "identification document" which q15 on the form asks for.

Haven't done a form 1221 either.

No and no

No, didn't bother with that. You have already stated that you are a British citizen and have have provided passport details at the start of the form. It does seem a bit of an odd question though.

No problems; 14 years and 9 months in Victoria. Even slightly younger if the employer gets a special permit.

Decided to try and sell my bike; thinking about getting something a bit more suited to the many gravel roads around here. Hope the link works! Cheers Scott

I've seen quite a few ugly people at Collingwood games, if that's any help. :-)

Yes; submit a tax return. You'll likely get some $ back.

No probs for me at all

Just a reminder that passports are required at the medical. The e-referral letter instructs you to take a passport or an approved alternative method of identification. At Medibank there is no alternative. Passport is a must. My sons passport is currently being renewed in the UK. So his medical has been cancelled and refunded. We can only book another appointment once his passport is in our posession.

Our medicals are in Dandenong on Monday. I'm just over 2 years since surgery to remove a tumour in my cheekbone, followed by radiotherapy at Peter Mac in Melbourne. That was a bit if an epic life-journey! This visa application is another one! :-) fingers crossed for you and me both!

For what it's worth, i developed asthma in Scotland at the age of 30. Usually needed my puffer a couple of times a day. In Australia, I'm not asthmatic at all! Ever! I encounter all the usual "triggers" here too; extreme heat, cold, moisture, dust, different environment types etc etc.

Sounds like the agency are saying all the right things to hook you in. Recruitment agencies work by having heaps of people on their books. All of them looking for work and opportunities. And the agency make money from the employers by sending lots of "screened applicants" for jobs in the hope that the employer will select just one of them. So employers face additional costs by recruiting through an agency rather than from the pool of job seekers directly. I'm 44 and in my 4th year of a 457. If I'd have had more knowledge of the system at the time I'd have realised then that at my age, a 457 wasn't the correct visa (here as a family of 5). The 457 is called a temporary visa for a reason; there is no certainty of anything behind it and that has always been lingering away in our thoughts for the past 4 years. We've now started the application for PR; should have done it years ago! If you can afford it, I'd speak to an independant migration agent with a view to making your own application for PR now, rather than temporary 457 through a recruitment agency. I'd be surprised if a skilled motor technician couldn't get a job somewhere in the industry fairly quickly. PR would then allow the tech to move from job to job until the right job is found at some stage. 457 restricts the flexibility to move.

You need to get your employer to do some research, if they haven't already. There is more to it than just offering to sponsor you and then leaving it to you to create the role and find a suitable role on the occupations list. They need to be approved as an eligible sponsoring company, and there are quite a few hoops for them to jump through before they can sponsor anyone. It ain't free either!

Our shippers dismantled our bikes. Wheels, handlebars, seats, luggage racks all removed and packed in cardboard. Not sure of their reasoning, but maybe they were tight for space in the container.

Top tip; bring a few uk trailing sockets with you to Oz. That way you only have to change the plug on on the trailing socket, and you can keep the uk plugs on all your uk electricals that group together (tv, dvd, entertainment; computer, monitor, printer; bedside lamps, alarm clocks etc) Saves having to change the plugs on everything!

Entitlement to drive (shown on photocard rear), Proof of ID (photocard; passport etc), and funds is all they care about! :-)

I'll be doing a similar excercise soon too. I had some info from my migration agent today. Lots to read but basically you have to show that your medical needs in future, in relation to your health history, will cost the Aussie tax payer as little as possible. Also it will help to show that any reviews and checkups etc will be planned to take place on a reducing level. Also helps if you can show means of mitigating health costs such as through private insurance. Also needed is info from the medical teams stating hopefully a good prognosis moving forward. This is all for the " health waiver" part of my specific application due to cancer treatment 18 months ago.

Westpac for us. No problems since opening accounts 3 years ago. Banks here actually pay you some interest too! :-)