martinandbianca
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Everything posted by martinandbianca
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Do what I did and marry a Tasmanian girl who is the daughter of the local deputy mayor. :-)
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I've driven through Albury a number of times and stayed once. The thing I remember most is the English pub on the main street. The only English pub i've seen in Australia.
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I don't know where everyone always gets this pay loads of money for healthcare ideas. Either you're not doing your research properly whilst your here or you're earning too much money to care. Medicare is ok, not brilliant but ok. True story. I had a lump last April and went to my regular doctor at Ryde Medical Centre (for free of course because they bulk bill. The only ones that don't are the ones in the CBD area). Anyhow waited 5 minutes for an appointment. He made an immediate referal to Ryde radiology and told me to go there straight away. I went there and waited half an hour for them to fit me in. I got an ultrasound done (for free of course as they also bulk bill) with the results sent back to my doctor the next day. I had the same thing back in the UK a few years ago and it took 3 weeks to get an ultrasound on the NHS. For the NHS you pay a lot more from your tax and NI than the 1.5% you pay here. Or 3% if you earn a lot. Dentistry is worth paying for in both countries. The standard of my NHS fillings was so crap I had to have them removed and new ones put in which I paid for. I think ambulances cost $330+about $2 a Km right. I seem to remember them talking about a similar scheme in England whilst I was there to stop timewasters. Also around half of emergencies are road traffic accidents which you don't have to pay for in any state as its covered by CTP insurance. Contents insurance cost me $30 a month for $20000 of cover. Similar to what it was in the UK. And by the time i'd added all the extras on my rent in the UK such as water bill, council tax, tv tax it also wasn't too different to here.
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Whilst I was back in the UK a year ago I found work no problem but my aussie wife could only get waitress work. That was Manchester. Pay drop from $25 an hour to 5.90UKP. Needless to say we got the hell out of there and back here sharp where we both got jobs within a week. Individual case I know but all my friends in the UK are still saying it is dire.
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We live in Meadowbank and find it ok. Close to West Ryde, loads of reasonably priced apartments and exactly 30 minutes to the city on the train. Usually go to the Bayview pub in Gladesville to drink.
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I recon if 1976 is your birthdate you'll like RETRO at the Bristol Arms. Its a bit cheesy sometimes but I still love it.
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One thing I never actually did was ring my CO. I emailed a few weeks ago explaining our circumstances(Bianca forced to leave uk-see earlier posts) and that I wanted to travel on my current tourist visa then I emailed again with my flight date. I am in no doubt that this is why we've been so lucky in getting a 3 and a half month grant.
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Thanks. It is such a relief. That feeling when you first hear that your visa is granted is unique. It was quite unexpected as well. Must have been because I'm travelling next Wednesday anyway. Can't wait to see my fiancée again. Rang her at 2am to tell her. Good luck to everyone else that is waiting.
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Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss 309 visa granted. Now get me on that plane.
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If you read through the thread there a few people done it or are currently doing it. I wouldn't say it was risky just don't take all your belongings and don't look like you're going to stay forever and you'll be treated like any other tourist. You've even got a valid reason to be there as visiting friends and relatives is one of the reasons for a tourist visa. How else would you be able to get to family weddings/parties etc. The biggest risk is that your CO forgets to inform you that they are granting your visa. Haven't actually heard of this happening to anyone as yet though.
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So long as you tell your case officer what you are doing yes. There's lots of posts about it on here and elsewhere in the forum.
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Same here. 3 and a half months. Travelling out there next week though so sods law says I'll probably get granted on 4 months just after I get there and will have to do an NZtrip. Still secretly hoping I'll get it before though.
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I'm using transglobalexpress to send 4 boxes. They quoted me £210 using UPS. Should take 5 days. This was cheaper than any of the shipping companies. Beware of some shipping companies. They charge an extra fortune to handle your goods at tge other side.
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I haven't really applied for any yet. They came to me through contacts. Just frustrating that I could walk straight in, have a job and start paying lots of tax onto the system. Instead due to very slow processing times I get to lie on the beach every day for the next 2 months. Actually that sounds ok really. :-)
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Cheers for that jomac. I'm off on my tourist visa in 2 weeks so it's good to know it was all ok. I'm clutching at straws that our co will take pity on us and grant before I leave but probably won't happen. I wish it was quicker though, I've now lost out on 2 jobs I could have had because they couldn't wait indefinitly for me to get my visa. Even a date might have done. And as we get closer to Xmas job prospects lessen.
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Do you know of any grants by our case officer? If you do have to the Tasman dash enjoy it. NZ is a beautiful country.
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3 and a 1/2 months would be awesome for me. I'd get it just before I flew over and it would save me a trip to NZ.
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I'll second that which is why i'm going over on a tourist visa on the 6th October. Our relationship is much more important than us both earning money.
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Received an email back from my CO this morning saying I am fine to travel on my tourist visa but I have to be out of the country when the visa is ready to grant.
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You have the same CO as me but 1 week later. Haven't seen any of their grant stats but I got an encouraging email the other week saying my PC runs out in september and can I get a new one to allow sufficient time to enter.
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That's great news you've got a date. Shame theyvare starting to take 5 months again though. Must have been lots of June apps with the price hike in July. I rang my CO but they are away on leave. :-(
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The one thing I really don't understand is how the DIAC are so strict in having the 12 months living together yet once the application is in you can then be forced to suffer months living apart. It doesn't seem at all fair.
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We are in exactly the same situation. Biancas uk visa expired so she had to leave the uk but mine hasn't come yet. 1 week on and we miss each other like crazy. I'm hoping to fly out 4 weeks today but probably as a tourist. They will probably tell you though that you shouldn't have booked the flight.
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congrats. I wish they'd get on with mine. I emailed my co at the weekend asking about going over on my tourist visa but not heard back yet. And no indication of a date yet either.
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Congrats. Thats an amazing turnaround at the minute. Hope mines that fast. I'm going insane being stuck here while my partners back home in Sydney. So insane that i'm going out on a tourist visa in a few weeks and doing the trip to NZ thing.