Fisher1
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Everything posted by Fisher1
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As I have said, we were aware of the pitfalls, having paid for the advice of a professional (that would be you) well in advance of our move. Rest assured we treat your report like the Holy Grail, and refer to it often. My point was that the UK tax office are infuriating primarily because they offer advice that you know to be incorrect! . I also think that sending confidential information to the incorrect address twice in three months is unforgivable, particularly when they are constantly reminding their clients to be careful with personal data! Professional tax accountants are, as we all know, invaluable.
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We moved here eight months ago to be closer to our daughter, who is our only child. She has a three year old and an eight month old baby who arrived the week after we did. Ive read the above discussion with great interest and think most of the posters offered very sensible advice. I believe the most important consideration is the cost. As has been pointed out, the visa is only the beginning, and it seems to me that a decent amount of cash in savings - while not being crucial for everyone - certainly helps to oil the wheels when you get here. Our daughter lives in Sydney and we chose to live two hours away (by train). This was motivated partly by the cost of housing, which is marginally cheaper here in Kiama, but also because we were trying to find a similar environment to the one we were leaving - seaside town, hilly countryside, popular with retirees (ie potential friends). We also knew from the start that we did not want to live in our daughter's pocket. While a two hour train car journey would be out of the question for a day trip for us, two hours on a train is fine. Read, swig coffee, snooze ... We go over once a week and can stop off in Sydney for an early dinner before catching a late train home. We were expats for twenty four years when we were still working, and have done the whole business of starting again more than once, so we knew what we were in for. We knew we would feel homesick, miss friends, have upsets, etc etc. It helps to have felt that way before and know that it is a passing thing. We also knew that nobody would come banging on our door wanting to be our friends and have joined everything going till we see what we enjoy. We have just bought our first house - twice the price and half the size of our house in Wales, but in an area we like. But ... And its a big but ... The jury is still out. We know we are going to stay for a few years - but neither of us is convinced (yet?) that we want to end our days here. We have maintained a good contact with all the people in the UK who matter to us, but we miss them. Which brings me back to money. I am happy to stay for a few years and see how it goes because I know I dont have to. We are by no means wealthy people, but there is enough in the kitty to take us back to the UK if we should decide to return in a few years. Had we spent every last penny getting here, I'm not too sure how I would be feeling right now. In the end, as others have said, everyone has to make their own decision because there is no right answer. I am still delighting in the knowledge that we can see our daughter whenever we want, spend the day with her and the kids whenever we want, and help her out when she goes back to work. Our granddaughter knows us! When we arrive for the day, she jiggles about in her mums arms and does funny little chortley noises - we never had that with our grandson. Its delightful - and for the moment, I'm more than happy to stay and see what the future holds when the time comes.
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Thanks Alan, we have this well in hand, having been very well advised at an early stage in our planning you may well remember us! The frustration has all been caused by the UK tax office behaving in a fairly inefficient and inconsiderate way. It is totally irritating to be advised to file online by the very people who have decided to prevent you from doing so!
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Whatever your dealings with you do with the UK tax, document everything, with copies of anything. I have my 143 and moved out here in August 2017. I wrote to inform them of my intentions, I wrote to tell them my temporary address, then again to tell them my permanent address. In October I received a letter telling me I would need to fill in a tax return. I stupidly assumed they meant at the end of the tax year. In November I received a letter demanding a tax return within a month of the letter date. As it had been incorrectly addressed, I had two weeks left to comply before incurring a fine. I wrote pointing out that I couldn't complete a tax return until April, but enclosing form 85 on my own initiative. No response. In February I began the process of claiming relief from dual taxation, by sending a form to the UK tax office via the Aus authorities. Australian tax office wrote confirming their official acknowledgement of my request had been forwarded to London. No response. In March the UK tax office sent me my coding for 2017-2018. Not only was there no mention of my application under the dual taxation agreement but they proposed to charge me income tax of 1200 pounds on the buy to let property I had sold last October! The letter was also incorrectly addressed. The two letters they have sent me have both exhorted me to file my tax return online. Unfortunately the UK tax website does not allow you to file online if you live outside the UK ... The one bright spot in all of this is that you can usually get them on the phone - unlike in the UK - and it is very cheap on Skype. ........
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I'm wondering about Medicare. I thought the UK and Australia had a reciprocal agreement on health care?
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Disgusting situation. I just hope that, like the decision to discontinue the 103 visa a few years ago, that they think better of it.
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I dont know if this will help, but my daughter was our assurer (at the old rate). She was on mat leave at the time, and got her income counted by submitting a statement from her accountant stating her 'usual' income.
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Hi Gafuk I only come on here occasionally now, as I all moved and (?) settled, so forgive me if Ive already mentioned this to you. I notice you are using PSS for you removal and although we used them without any problems or breakages when we moved over eight months ago, the whole process took a lot longer than they estimated (19 weeks instead of 10-12). So this is just a heads up to take a minute for a last rethink about what you are taking - if there's anything you aren't sure about. Example - we dithered about bringing our fridge freezer, eventually deciding against, and were so glad because we couldnt have managed without one and would have had to buy something small to tide us over while we waited. We did bring our washing machine as it was only 18 months old and while Im glad Ive got it now, if I had added launderette costs to the cost of removals, I think buying new would have been marginally cheaper. When the men arrived on the day, they would have been happy to add any last minute stuff - they said that it was all in the overall amount and it would just mean an adjustment in the price. This is all probably irrelevant to you, but I try to pass on anything I can from my own experience as a pay back to all the help I had from people on here during the three plus years we were waiting ... Try not to get blown away by the stress on the last couple of days and good luck with it alll! PS we wish we'd brought the plastic shelves out of the garage now !
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Thank you picked up the keys today!
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Hi Ramot,. Picked up the keys this afternoon and took over essentials - mugs, coffee, small kettle and one of the camp chairs which loyally stood in as an easy chair while we waited for things to be delivered (the other chair disloyally deposited my husband on the floor in a heap when the seat split from too to bottom last week :-) Thats the survival gear for waiting for workmen ... When the nee bathroom snd kitchen are in, we'll move in. It's amazing how much more settled you feel just knowing you have your own place. Did you see on the parents page the note from Alan Collet saying he thinks the new AOS rules may not survive as there has been a lot of protest? fingers crossed for you and your 143 x
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thanks for the advice everyone, We've decided to pay by bank cheque, as it seems the safest way.
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Its in australia
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Hi Newjez. Thanks for that ... Bank cheque not blank cheque but I'll check the indemnity thing over the weekend ... Last step in tranlsting a house in N.Wales into a house in N.S.W. - guess this means we're staying.
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Hi all We are in the process of buying a house, and are completing next week. Our solicitor has just rung to arrange for the balance of the money to be paid. He has offered us two choices - either we can pay the balance to his firm to hold in trust till completion or we can give him more cheques to the value of the balance. He is sending details via email. My question is this - bearing in mind that our solicitor seems like a very kind, genuine man, but that we don't really know him from Adam - is it sensible to hand over the balance of the purchase price to his firm or are we better going with cheques? I want to hand over bank cheques but my husband doesn't want to offend the solicitor. HELP? we are in NSW
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To be honest i think there isnt much difference between the online companies. I went with XE for a while then they were taken over, rates didnt seem so good after that. I'm currently using Trwnsferwise and would reccomend them - the process for ordering and paying is really streamlined and their rates seem a little better than some. Plus the money arrives really quickly. Let us know if you find anyone offering two dollars to the pound won't you
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Thats wonderful news, so pleased for you both. Good luck with it all :-)
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Fabulous. Congratulations.
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I am sick to death of hearing about the uselessness of parent migrants. We are paying Australian taxes and spending our money in Australia as soon as we arrive. We are also handing over a great deal of money to the Aus govt for our visas. Many of us will provide free child care enabling our sons and daughters to work and provide a good life for their children. i think the whole idea of Assurance of support is ridiculous, stressful for all concerned and a real time- waster. They should just check into parents income and increase the size of the bond (what exactly is that for???) if they must, but leave the kids income out of it.
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When we were in the 103 queue I used to check the electronic queue calculator all the time (despite being in no position to make the move at that time). During that period I noticed that the number of places we moved up per year were greater than the number of visas issued - presumably because people switched to another queue, or dropped out for whatever reason. This gap between visas issued and places moved up got bigger over time. I tried using the electronic calculator and entering a queue date that was one year earlier than my actual date, then two years, then three and so on, to see how the figures stacked up. Eight years seemed the likely wait at that time, yet when our 103 application was acknowledged we were warned that it could take twenty years. So it all depends on the drop out rate. The big unknown is the health check. I think people really get the wind up about the possibility of waiting years and then failing the health check - I know we did - and this probably induces some applicants to move heaven and earth to find the money for a 143 application.
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We applied for a 103 visa back in 2013 because we wanted to get our names on some sort of waiting list but were looking after my mum and couldn't envisage a time line for that. When our grandson was born in 2015, it coincided with a downturn in my mum's health so we decided to switch to the 143 visa. We finally applied for a 143 early in 2016 and the visa was granted that April, because they counted the two plus years we had already been waiting in the 103 queue. Someone said something earlier about 103 visa applicants 'slotting themselves into the 143 queue' - maybe that is the case, but don't forget that if you switch queues you have to pay the first vac all over again. As to where people get the money to switch ... well I know of some people who have sold their houses to raise the fee and then bought smaller here, or just rented.
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Keep going, it's worth it. You WILL get there in the end.
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maybe this is the aim?
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Thank you! I'm going shopping tomorrow so I'll look for them.
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Oh God I'm not going to be able to sleep now !!! Maybe I'll just stop thinking about it and just squirt madly every time I leave the house. ugh!
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I know, I know, I've already had the teasing from my daughter. They are black horrid ones that seem to come out at night. I have read the advice on a rentokil website and am now hoovering every day instead of every few days (it's good excercise) and drying the kitchen sink and putting the plug in before I go to bed. Everything else we were already doing. I wish my dad was still alive - as a young police officer in Liverpool ... Much of the time on the docks ... He was well acquainted with cockroaches ... I could have asked him for homespun remedies although I think he would have laughed himself silly at my reaction ... It's a learning curve! Ps. Is it true that if you put borax out they will feed it to their young and the entire roach population will drop dead? I thought not.
