Mizzmp

Hi Gareth, Have you checked about your skills test etc? The best way is to go 176 state sponsored visa if poss. If you go 457 your only a temp visa. Electricians here say anyone from the UK will have to start as a laborer and take the exams here to make sure they comply. I think you can pretty much get up to speed within 6 months depending on your current skills. Perths amazing and has housing/rents for all budgets. Lots to do for free and the food quality is awesome. Start by checking your way in before you get too excited. Good luck.

Hi, i know one but hes in NZ for two weeks. Maybe phone a couple and get a price, when they say the price ask how much for cash. All aussies love a small cash job.

Hi Michelle, Doh, tht would help lol. NOR, Perth, the Swan River.

O2 "unlocked" my phone and the bloody thing didnt work! It was a new blackberry. My iphone worked tho with an aussie sim.

Hi guys n gals, Now the world has stopped spinning and we are settled, we are looking for new pals NOR if anyone wants to meet up. Lazy chilled out arvos, im too old to party (altho im only 31 lol). We are a family from Sussex, Mum, Dad and 3 boys. Be good to hear from you.

Get your butts back over! We are in WA and love it. We have friends in Adelaide, shes a podiatrist and they love it there. Each state is so different. Have you thought about applying for jobs in WA and SA and whoever offers first just take a risk and come back? Whats meant to be is meant to be so if an offer of a job comes up here, take a risk and book that flight. We have only been here 3 mths but if ever we get the urge to go back, we would only go for a hol. The UK does not have the same opportunities as it did. Its better to live the life over here and then visit the uk every 3 yrs or so, get it out your system. Go with your heart and good luck x

Our son was in year 9 in the uk and went in yr 9 here (in WA). They don't always go by age but your grades, if you have a good academic level they may put you in the same year. Also, if you do go down a year, all it means is that instead of going into yr 11 in sept, you would go in jan. Yr 12 is the same as college so you would still be kinda equal. You may as well move now, save yourself the headache of exams. Do you have the option to go to college at your school in year 10? You may as well see if you can do something you enjoy if your parents wont come out now. Good luck. Ps, you can actually leave school here in year 10 anyway, its not vital you do upto yr 12 unless you are career driven.

I've had quite a few worried people asking who the company I used was. I don't want to say at this stage but I can confirm it wasn't Pickfords, PSS, Crown or 1st International or Anglo Pacific. Good luck people.

Has anyone shipped their gear from uk to oz and it arrived battered? I wont mention the companies name but they are big and advertise in all the mags etc. They packed a tv in a box of glasses without wrapping Grandads rocking chair (very old) is battered after strict instructions it was to be treated like a newborn Nintendo wii was chucked in a box of electricals with a heavy metal tv stand on top - its scrated to death (even tho we gave them the wii box) Ornaments which belonged to my nans mum weren't wrapped, again just chucked in a box Sideboard was stuffed so full of heavy books its busted at the sides and collapsed The list goes on and im so angry. We are insured but half the stuff is pricelss to me and to top it off, they sent all the original insurance docs to our old house! We told them we were moving they empty the house then send the docs there instead of the address they were given. Anyone had similar probs?

Hi, I haven't been to any of those places but Kalgoorie has a bad rep! I have 2 aussie friends from there and they agree its basically miners, beer and brothels. I have heard that Port Headland is a better place tho. The other two im not sure on but will ask around. I would try to get more info on Port Headland. Just be careful tho, money is good in the right jobs but areas can be real hard to settle for the wives and kids. Consider the possibility of living slightly closer to things even if if means you have to pay your own rent. Good luck.

If you go on a student visa you can only work part time it would be mega money to stay here. Once you finished studying you would have to apply for a perm visa to say which would also cost plus pay for medicals at that stage. Check all the states lists regularly as the skills always change. State sponsored 176 is the best way in, good.

I don't think he can go unless he has a skill on the list. They cancelled all family sponsor visas a while back and i dont think parents can sponsor him as hes over 18. If he goes on DIAC then they have a visa wizard where you tick the box that applies to you and they give you your options.

Usually the actual tenancy agreement will say whether or not dogs are permitted. Its better to agree things in writing so they cant argue but if you signed the agreement stating the rent and they took extra $10 a wk, they should have confirmed it in writing. I would tell the agent either give us the bond back and drop the dog comments or you will take action for them stealing money. They have no right to take above the agreed amount and you can play dumb saying you didnt notice as it was only $40 a mth. Worth a shot if your heading back to UK I guess. Just make sure you are going back for the right reasons, don't let them put you off. Also, a lot of people try another state before making the move back, it does help sometimes as not everyone likes the same states. Good luck.

The company I work for are looking for a reliable storeperson. You must have min 2 years experience and a current WA forklift ticket and driving licence. If you know of anybody that is looking for a perm position and they are 100% reliable, please email me on chloe@workwearind.com

With the 176 PR, as far as I know, you have 12 months to land and validate, each person must land to validate their part, not just the main applicant. You do have 5 years to move perm so if you validate within the 12 mths, you then have 4 years left to move perm. If you don't land within 12 months (they would have given you the entry date on your visa) then the visa expires and your buggered. Again, once your son has landed he has activated his visa so age is not a prob. I would try and finish the house and land within the 12 mths to save flying back and forth. Take a week off work if poss and just bash out as much as poss, ask everyone you know to donate some time to help. Good luck.

I've seen it happen many times. Worst case you have to wait out the 3 years, shes not banned forever. In the cases that were overturned, they managed it by proving they were wrongly advised. Is there any way you can build up a case against the agent? This wont be easy if they were un-registered but if they were registered, you will have more luck. Also, did you check which visas she is banned from applying for? I know that in some cases people can apply for a tourist visa and stay upto 3 months but they cannot work or study. If you were on a good enough wage you may be able put her up for a month every 6 months, better than not seeing eachother at all. Don't give up.

Hi Hayley, My boys are 14 and 17, we landed 19 weeks ago and are NOR. Keep in touch about when you're landing etc and maybe we could arrange for our families to meet? Do your parents know where you will be living?

I thought they had actually stopped doing the 176 visa for family sponsor? I would check out the state sponsored 176 for other states. It will give you the points you need. If you are that keen to get to oz I would just do the ILETS and see if he passes, you never know your luck! Just go on the ILETS website and it will give you a search option for your nearest centre. £300 is daylight robbery and I would steer well clear of that agent.

I would say if you're prepared to work at school then either would be fine. Woodvale High has a great rep and and Ocean Reef High. I have heard they are pretty much as good as private ed schools. Good luck!

Hi guys, Landed in WA 8 weeks ago, feels like ive been here for years! No regrets. So here's the honest truth of how I have found it. First two weeks in may lovely and warm, since then cold in the morn/eve but lovely during the day. I found a job after 3 weeks but hubby (bricklayer) still struggling. Its hard out there on the job front for trades but admin people should be fine People, lovely, everyones been so helpful and apart from centrelink, everythings run smoothly. Bring every bit of paperwork to your name! You cant do a thing here without a million pieces of paperwork. GET YOUR VISA LABEL IN YOUR PASSPORT!!! This makes things way easier. Prices: Petrol, cheaper Food - about the same but better quality Fags & beer - Give up, you wont afford either Cars - expensive but much better condition that most uk cars, they dont rust Rent - varies with each suburb Wages - MUCH higher Sausages - so many "poms" complain but i think they are a lot nicer and better than uk ones, no fat comes out when you cook them! Schools - vary with area but on the whole, better than the uk. They teach without stress but get results In the UK we as a family ( mum, dad and 3 boys) argued all day every day! Since we have landed it has been a lot easier and its like a whole new relationship, we have all pulled together. We eat together at the table every night and every weekend we are out all day. Here is quite random, we end up popping out for breakfast and coming home 6 hours later! Lots to do for free and you dont have to pay to park. I have found that the primary schools kids are hard to crack! They are not as welcoming as the high school kids so you may need extra cuddles for your younger ones. I have to say I haven't looked back so far. I dont miss anything about the UK and although electric is more expensive and the odd food item, they are the only negatives so far. One thing I would say is that bedding, furniture etc is more expensive here but its quality. You don't get your cheap asda crap, its all locally made goods which keeps people in jobs and lasts a lot longer. Our shipping will be arriving soon and I dreading it! We were advised to pack everything but we hardly need anything now. My advice to those shipping their gear, concentrate more on your personal things rather than plates and cups. We bought all our furniture second hand off gumtree and it was so cheap! K-mart do really cheap kitchen utensils, plates, kettle etc but get everything else second hand. Hope that helps you guys about to take the plunge. If your still waiting for the visa - hang in, you will be pleased you did!

Congrats on the visa, Our move ended up being a big rush. Our house sold then it was meant to exchange min, tues-fri, mon, fri, then after 5 weeks still no exchange! We decided to fly out anyway and take a chance (exchanged 2 weeks after landing). It was a worry as we only had a small amount of money. Anyway, landed in Perth on 176 visa, customs no probs, no questions asked, no proof of funds and didn't even check our bags! We had hired a holiday let (look on tripadvisor) for 2 weeks as EVERYTHING was booked even tho its winter here. By some miracle we got a perm rent in the first week which is pretty damn lucky. My advice, go for the smaller ones a couple of mins away from the popular ones as you get more chance. If the areas popular loads of people turn up. To get a rent you will need 3 refs, 6 weeks rent upfront, ID, letter from previous landlord/mortgage lender confirming you always paid. Without a perm address you don't get anywhere here. No medicare card, schools etc so make that your priority. Hiring a car is no prob which we have been doing the last 3 weeks, buy a sat nav tho you will need it! We got good deal in Dick Smiths. If you buy a car, try and get one at a dealer as you get more comeback if needed. Buying private your buggered if you have probs with the car etc. Try and set up a bank account before you land, Westpac were great with us. Set it up online then when you land, take your ID and sort the cards etc, again you need an address for cards to be sent to. Other than that, you can't really plan here. You can't do anything til you have your perm address after which things flow. Schools, kids go to nearest one so be careful which area you pick and check the catchment. Money, moving our money was a total nightmare! The bank kept giving us wrong numbers etc but then we had to transfer from this side so if you are in uk, its way easier. Money corp are meant to be good also. Not sure where you are landing but realestate.com.au has rentals on for you to search. Good luck.

Hi guys, Just wrote a long post to say we landed last monday with some tips you but it said error! Well incase it didn't post, heres the lowdown. Landed Monday - flew gatwick-dubai-perth with emirates, plenty of room on plane, they fed us every 5 mins and kids didn't moan once! Hired a car, very quick and easy and only asked for passports and drivers licence. Got a short rent for two weeks so looking for perm rent. My advice is to apply for ones that not many turn up to as its hard comp out there! If you pick the one you think nobody wants because its that little bit smaller you have less trouble than the mega wow houses that have hundreds of applications. Food prices - same, the odd thing is more money but I would say its the same as uk but bigger and better quality. Beer - hope you like wine as beers expensive! Not had any attitude off any aussies, all have been super kind and helpful. If you open a bank go westpac. You can open one online from uk before you land here and they are so helpful once you land. Seen a few lizzards in and around the house but no spiders. Temp in Perth was about 25 ish today. The sun is VERY BRIGHT even in winter so if you wear glasses, I urge you to get prescription ones before flying over as you will need them at least to drive. All I can say is we have spent more time together as a family these last 5 days than the last 10 years! You are always busy doing something so the time flies as well. Good luck to people still waiting to come out. xx

Sorry to hear you haven't had any luck selling. We were meant to exchange ages ago, then last fri, mon, still nothing today! Removals are taking our gear tomoro, major risk but we have to leave whatever, visa entry date looming. If ever I buy a house again, I deffo wont sell it, ive lost my mind through this. Hope something comes up soon x

Not sure you have enough time before July unless he manages to swoop a job with employer sponsor. He will need to get his skills assessed so have a look at next date for it. Its not about what its costs, just do it! You will have family support over there and mechanics are much in demand over there. If we sat long enough to consider the price we would never apply lol! Good luck.

Thanks Tulip, just thought if its fresher it may be better? I bought some organic veg in tesco only to find they were from egypt when i got home! Not impressed.