PeteD

to be honest, I'd remove the batteries incase any leak, and just stick them in a plastic container and ship them with everything else. If worst comes to worst, they won't damage your toys and stuff but you may need to replace any that leak.

Sorry if this has already been posted, I'm in Aus on a 176 but someone on a 457 said something to me about the conditions attached to the 457 and I was wasn't convinced it was correct. Admittedly I looked into these years ago so things may well have changed. - If you're out here on a 457 for a year ... and then you decide to change jobs ... does the 2 year period until you're eligible to apply for permanent residence reset itself when you change jobs or does it continue to accumulate? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm convinced I'm right but I may have been mistaken or things may have changed. Thanks P

I agree with you on the stick people families, I have yet to see the images of alcohlolic / doped up / crackhead family members ... they exist in RL, why not be honest on the car ? As for personalised plates, it really depends on what you put on them. They're not for me personally, I can't justify the cost - but they are UK sized which is what the OP was looking for. As you've said though, he should pop in to his local garage to find out what can be done, they'll know if you can get the plates remade to size, or are allowed to cut them to fit.

In WA you can get personalised plates which are UK size ... they cost like $400, but it's do-able and you get your own reg (up to 9 letters) ...

It is possible to have only one name, I know of a person who changed theirs by deed poll to be a single name (eg. Xuta) so did not have a surname, only a forename/given name - caused havoc with the computer systems! I presume certain cultures allow for this also, but the UK computing systems weren't amongst them. Explaining this to ACS they should ask you to put a fullstop in either the forename or surname field, or ask you to provide your name in both fields.

Here's a link to the Aus form, it also tells who can witness the stat dec if they reside in Aus. http://www.ag.gov.au/Statutorydeclarations/Pages/default.aspx To be fair, I used the template below and it sufficed for both ACS and DIAC. My friends also provided stat decs. but used the Aus version, which were also accepted. The person making the statement signs in front of the witness, then the witness also signs and gives address, etc. ... I used a notary public to witness this and certify other copies of certificates, etc. You can google for local notary publics. I believe you can also get lawyers, judges, JPs, cops, etc. to certify. I'm not sure who Aus accepts outside of their borders as an offical witness, if in doubt, go with someone in legal circles like a notary public. They are internationally recognised and come with a lovely embossing stamp which looks very official. He charged me £20 for 2 copies of 4 stat declarations, about 12 pages in total. If it exceeds one page, ensure both the person making the statement and the witness sign each page. Sign in blue ink, DIAC don't accept black and white scanned docs, so the blue proves it's scanned in colour. The stat dec is little more than the oath someone takes when taking the witness stand, promising to tell the truth ... Hope this helps P Statutory Declaration I, [name here] of [full address] employed as [job role] do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows: [insert your declaration text here] I understand that a person who intentionally makes a false statement in a statutory declaration is guilty of an offence under section 11 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959, and I believe that the statements in this declaration are true in every particular. Signed: [person making declaration signs here] Declared at [place] on [day] of [month & year] Before me, [witness signs and gives address and any membership no]

As AVA25 pointed out, different companies probably have different ways of quoting and different timeframes for payment collection. I went with Pickfords, this excerpt is from their quote: Australian Quarantine Inspection service Charges (AQIS); Full Load Container (Exclusive) - A$ 407.00 per 20’ and A$682.00 per 40’Container (including GST) Groupage (Shared Load), LCL and Air – A$11.70 per 100lbs – minimum A$155.00 (including GST) Baggage consignments from A$97.00 lump sum (including GST) Motor vehicles/cycles, caravans, trailers and boats on trailers A$185.00 lump (including GST) Not sure if JM price this any differently, but hope this helps.

If you really want to see what will pitch up on a police check, get one done. What doesn't show on the check won't be of interest to Aus immi and needn't be declared. All IMHO of course.

From what I understand of their system, any medical submissions on paper are referred. Also, any medical submissions from a high risk country are also referred (http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1163i.pdf gives an idea of risk countries, visa length and health inspections). Low and medium risk countries appear to be at the discretion of the CO. If you are referred, it's not something you can really argue with, the CO is merely performing due diligence. It's their job to perform due diligence on all visa applications, so you can't shoot the messenger. If you are referred: if your referral is eHealth, expect to wait 8-10 weeks. If your referral is paper based, expect to wait 10-12 weeks. Yes, there are cases where it's quicker, but have a look at Indy's spreadsheet, compare yourself to others coming from the same country applying for the same visa type, using the same eHealth/paper application and you'll get an idea of timescales. The referral period is longer now than it was a year ago, but you have to work with what is now, not what used to be; and no, you can't change the machine that is medical referral processing in the time it takes yours to get processed ... I know it's a massively long time, but you knew this would be a long process; some people wait for years to get their application even looked at. Hope this helps P

Hi Indy, as per original posting, it was paper. I figured it would be close to Triesie, since she was also from SA and on paper. For your stats you can add my niece under my name, WHV, referred on 16/8/2012, paper, from South Africa, no pre-conditions, still waiting and extremely frustrated it's this difficult to get a holiday visa, albeit a working holiday visa.

I did see my name on your speadsheet, but it disappered off again. For your stats, I can now say that as of this morning, after 10 weeks plus of waiting, she now has her visa !!

My niece is in the same boat, similar timeframe, and it's only for a WHV. It's very frustrating. If I were in GH I'd actually be embarrassed at the turn-around time on medicals. Seems their management is all too keen to take the money but not keen to provide the service.

You would get your refund in UK, and you should declare the goods as new when they get to Aus. Your shipper may be duty bound to declare any items they know to be new but I stand to be corrected. It may be possible to avoid tax on both ends if you don't declare them as new in Aus. 'Goods that are owned for less than 12 months will be subject to duty and GST assessment.' Ref http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5889.asp I think a duty rate of 5% will apply, and also the 10% GST Ref http://www.customs.gov.au/tariff/tariff2012.asp - see section 20. So yes, the scheme aims that you save the 20% VAT in UK, but pay effectively 5%+10% odd in Aus.

Considering the stress involved in moving around the world, I figured it would be easier to get a door-to-door removal quote. I went through Pickfords also, got door-to-door service and didn't find any unexpected costs, didn't have to do anything regarding customs clearance, etc. Sometimes it's easier to let the professionals do this type of thing, perhaps a few quid more on the removal cost but you'll have more than enough stress with everything else! Oh, as far as I know, individuals are not able to do customs clearance but I stand to be corrected. You can employ a clearance house to do this on your behalf; most movers have associated clearance companies, Pickfords uses Powerhouse Clearances - you may be able to use this company too. Hope this helps P

Hi Lindsay, There are two areas in regards tax. What your agent is referring to is UK VAT. If you are shipping the goods directly, then the seller can deliver the items straight to your shipper and the shipper will provide the seller with a shipping notice proving the goods are not for consumption in the UK. Thia allows you to re-claim any VAT paid in UK on the purchase of the goods. Since the goods are new, you would pay tax and duty in Aus when they landed. See notice below on Pickfords paperwork: Retail Export Scheme How to reclaim VAT on new purchases If you are leaving the UK, you are entitled to a VAT refund on items(s) intended for export purchased from participating retailers. To obtain your VAT refund, please note below: When you purchase your item(s) you will usually pay the full amount including VAT. You should ensure that the retailer is notified that the item(s) will be exported overseas. Direct Export All items purchased with the intention of reclaiming VAT must be delivered to Pickfords. Receiving of new items can be to any of our Network Centres. Please ensure your Move Co-ordinator is notified of any purchases being delivered to our warehouse. Alternatively we can arrange to collect new purchases from the retailer, but there would be a charge for this service. Personal Export You can reclaim VAT on new purchases if you decide to carry them through customs on your personal departure from the UK. Pickfords will not be involved in this instance and you will need to deal directly with the retailer. Customs Form 407 will be required for this purpose and the retailer will provide this to you. It is the responsibility of the retailer to refund the VAT to you. This scheme does not apply when moving to an EC country. The other side is to buy in UK, have them delivered to your home, unwrap them from their original packaging (although TV's and the like you could probably re-use the box, but it helps to remove the original plastic bags around the unit) and get the shippers to wrap and ship. You can't claim the UK VAT back, but you may be able to get them through Aus customs without paying duty or tax. I think most people tend to buy the odd household item to replace something which is on its last legs and ship it using the second option. I replaced one or two items a couple of months before coming using the latter method, and didn't have any issues with customs. Hope this helps P