Fisher1

On 03/07/2020 at 16:58, Wannabeaussieguyandgal said:

Fortunately we're not big on having "stuff" so de cluttering shouldn't be a massive issue, but good call nonetheless! 

You could well be surprised at the amount of junk you’ve got ...

5 hours ago, Bridgeman said:

Can I ask when you sent off your application?  I need to renew mine but the website is saying not to apply unless you need to travel urgently.

Hi. I sent mine off on April 6th. Thought it would take forever, but it was due to expire on June 22nd and I couldn’t see the situation ending any time soon, so I sent it off. I got an email about four weeks later to say they had received it, then two emails apologizing for the delay at approx two week intervals, then an email saying my application had been accepted and my passport was being printed. Then the other day has an email saying it has been sent off to me..  So they do at least keep you informed!

Just now, Toots said:

  I had to laugh though too.   I suppose Covid-19 will be blamed for all the delays. 

Actually it’s happened before - we had a Christmas 2018 card from my neice that turned up in JUNE 2019.  The good news is, I’ve finally had an email from the UK passport office to say that my passport is on it’s way. It hasn’t arrived of course, but at least I know they’ve sent it. I was a bit bemused when they emailed to tell me my application for a new passport had been accepted ... I had hoped there was no doubt about that part!

On 03/07/2020 at 12:21, Quoll said:

DH sent one like that to the grandson about 3 or 4 weeks ago and it sat in the Sydney office all that time, then a couple of days ago there was a notice on the tracker that said they were going to send some mail by sea because of a lack of air couriers.  He was getting miffed at that point, then 2 days later it was in UK and the next day it was delivered to the grandson.  Ironically, a week to 10 days after DH posted his item, I posted a large letter to the same grandson and he got it the day before he got the DH's = nothing special, not tracked, just mailed!  

But I did get a letter a few days ago from UK which had been posted on 27 March!!!  It's totally up the creek!

Yep, I got an Easter card from the UK a couple of weeks ago. 

On 02/07/2020 at 21:35, ramot said:

We have applied for citizenship as soon as we were eligible. We have made Australia home so citizenship is the next natural step for us, but as we haven’t lived in UK for 27 years we are happy to have dual citizenship.
We have been quite moved when we attended both our children’s citizenship ceremonies by the strong emotions displayed by new Australians. My daughter   said after her ceremony she had been surprised by how emotional she felt, she wasn’t expecting that as she thought she was just getting citizenship because it was the sensible thing to do.

As an older person I genuinely don’t know the answer to this, but I wonder if there is more help available if you are a citizen rather than PR as you age?

I’m not sure of the answer to that either Ramot ... like you we intend to apply for citizenship ASAP becaus it seems the natural next step. I think there’s a small benefit in not having to pay for residents return visas when you leave the country. For me I’d just feel that I didn’t properly belong here without it. (Also, having neglected to get Luxembourgish citizenship decades ago because there didn’t seem any need, I’m now kicking myself for that omission!). Seriously though, it seems right and sensible.

46 minutes ago, ramot said:

It’s certainly worth it 16 years on, we go back most years as our grandsons are there, we leave it in a UK account and have some nice spoil them money there and rent money as we don’t stay with our son

I was actually surprised to be about £25 a month better off - we’d only been here two years!

11 hours ago, ramot said:

Having lived with a frozen pension for 15 years, you are right to remind posters.

I was in a different position to younger posters when I moved here, as I had not worked much after I married, but had 17 years topped up for child rearing. I did decide to top up my pension, but was only 2 years off being eligible for the state pension. I worked out that as long as long as I lived for 2 years after receiving the pension the extra paid balanced out to the increase. So nearly 16 years later it was worth it, but honestly wouldn’t know if it’s worth it for younger people.

Also don’t forget that if you return to UK for a holiday, you contact the pensions dept. give them your dates and your pension while there is increased to what it actually would be had you never left, it then reverts back to the original frozen amount on your return!!! As pre Covid we go to UK for 3 months most years we claim every penny. 

 

Oh yes, we were back last year and claimed then. Every penny, even if it isn’t very much yet - it’s a principle!

10 hours ago, Cubiscus said:

There's quite a few benefits but it depends on your circumstances, for example the new HomeBuilder grant, voting, government jobs and if you need to leave the country for an emergency you don't need to worry about your PR travel authority expiring.

As this is a service paid for I do think its incumbent on the government to find alternate solutions which they have with the ceremonies.

Fair enough

8 hours ago, garrychandi said:

I guess it depends on your circumstances. In my case , i can't access student loan so   have to put my degree on hold until i get the citizenship. It could have been good time to be at Uni considering current economic downturn

Oh sorry I didn’t realise - that must be a real drag.

If you are thinking of contributing to the UK pension for a number of years, be careful because it may not be worth it.  Nobody on here has mentioned frozen pensions?  Are you aware that if you live in Australia your UK state pension is ‘frozen?’  In my case, as a recent immigrant here, that means that from the day I left the UK I receive no further cost of living rises.  In the case of someone contributing from here and resident at the time the pension falls due, the pension payable is frozen - I’m not sure at what point the freeze is applied to your (potential) payment but I know it makes a big difference.    There’s a group called British Pensioners in Australia who have a facebook page - this is a really helpful group and if you post your question on there I’m sure someone will be able to tell you more.

Of course, if you are at all likely to re-settle in the UK at some point in the future you should probably make the contributions because you won’t get an Australian pension paid outside Australia, even if you are otherwise entitled to one.
 

The current UK pension is round about £8,000 a year (depending on your contributions) and is one of the meanest in Europe. Currently it is paid at age sixty six, but this age is set to increase.

I’m not saying don’t pay, but do check first because the UK govt don’t tell you. If it were me, I’d top up to ten years so that my previous payments weren’t wasted and leave it at that.

good luck!

I’m sure you know that UK stat pensions are frozen when you move to Australia, so if there’s any chance at all that you might change your mind and move back to Oz, it wont’t be worth paying extra into your UK state pension. Otherwise, I’d investigate the possibility.

22 hours ago, Marisawright said:

It used to have a bad reputation but it has improved and it’s definitely one of those cities with distinctly separate areas. 

I would hate to commute to Sydney from there though. I know many do out of necessity but it’s a horribly long haul.  Newcastle is a better bet for employment opportunities and seems to be more up-and-coming than Wollongong.

Some of the small towns along the rail line between Wollongong and Sydney are lovely but they are more expensive than suburbs closer into the city, due to their beach lifestyle 

Yep, Thirroul is nice but so expensive.

We live in KIama which is a lovely little seaside town half an hour further out than Wollongong. I shop in Wollongong a lot and I’d say it was a town of two halves. North Wollongong seems nice, fairly quiet, near the beach. The city centre is a bit rough, nice shopping centre but the streets around full of nothing very much. I’d live in north Wollongong but not the city centre. If you’re considering a commute from Sydney to Newcastle, why not consider a commute from Sydney to Kiama - two hours by direct train which runs once an hour. 

4 hours ago, Lavers said:

I just got my daughters back and it took 5 weeks. I left it for 4 weeks then rang them up to tell them it was an emergency as I was emigrating soon. I then got it back within the week.

Hmm Yes, If travel restrictions are lifted I may ring and tell them I need to come back to the UK urgently!  What annoys me is that we have to wait, but they have to take the money right away. 

On 16/05/2020 at 15:01, Bridgeman said:

I need to renew my UK passport but have been reluctant to do so due to the long delays in the post and the possibility it might go astray.  I got the photos done just before lockdown.

You are probably very wise! I sent my soon-to - expire passport back to the UK on April 6th. It took four weeks or so to get there because they emailed me when it arrived. Since then, one email saying to expect delays. It officially expires next week ... just as well we can’t travel anywhere!

21 hours ago, ramot said:

Lovely post good to hear from you. We feel your pain about the tax hit!! x M 

Yes, the figures are a bit eye watering  - we filled in tax returns from the word go - yet somehow Australia omitted to send our 2017-18 bill till May this year. Imagine my shock when I logged in to pay my tax instalment for the quarter and found this enormous bill!  However, we comfort ourselves with our opal cards

20 hours ago, Toots said:

Lovely to hear from you Fisher and that you have settled here so well.  

Hi Toots,  you’re right, I haven’t been on here for ages,  been too busy with grandchildren, the Probus group, the writing group ... even during lockdown I was busy editing my dad’s memoirs (theyve only been lying round for thirty years) ... but I suddenly thought about this forum yesterday and thought I’d see how everyone was doing ... 

Way back in 2004 our daughter went backpacking to Sydney on a one year young persons’ visa.  We were then in our early fifties. She was lucky enough to get a permanent job and a PR visa, and we began to discover the joys of the 24 hour flight to Australia. Eventually, exhausted by years of bawling in foreign airports, we joined the waiting list for a parent visa, my unenthused husband vastly comforted by the proposed twenty year wait. (Pause for more howling in foreign airports). Then our grandson was born and everything changed. We changed our application. We were now contributing. Things moved on a pace. Suddenly an email from PVC hit my inbox. I wondered why someone was trying to sell me plastic and almost deleted it ... Parent Visa Centre pinged into my head at the last second and I discovered that on the eve of a ten day holiday in London - with no internet -  we had lots of lovely new hoops to jump through, with only three weeks to do it.   The medical went well, we got the police clearance, filled in the dreaded form eighty and interrupted our long planned holiday in Sydney with a week in New Zealand so they could issue the visa while we were off shore. (????). Suddenly, we were entitled to stay. I remember thinking “bloody hell, we’ve done it!” ... but sadly no wild euphoria, none of the bottles of Champaigne I had envisaged ... because we still had to go back to the UK ... and by this time my mum was too ill to leave.  

Mum died the following year, and we moved over six months later.  Thanks to mum leaving us a little bit of money, we travelled out business class and toasted her as the plane lifted off. Mum also paid for our new car. I swear she was cheering us on.
 

Living here is simple compared to not living here. Our grand daughter was born the week we arrived. We found a place to rent after three weeks at my daughter’s house and bought our own place ten months later. We love being near our only child and her family, but we don’t live in their pockets - we live two hours away on the South Coast in a town we chose the year we got our visas. We’ve had ups and downs of course ... possibly the worst was the incorrect UK tax bill for £65,000 - actually they owed us money...   we’ve had a couple of health problems, but are appreciative of the short waiting times we’ve encountered so far. I don’t like the Aussie tax system because I have to pay more than I did in the UK, but then we’re not forking out huge sums for holidays in Australia any more. I hate the UK government for freezing my pension ... I love being able to walk to the beach every day ... I hate being without my lifelong friends ... I love FaceTime.  It’s a balance, and we both love the way we’ve been accepted by everyone we’ve met.  Best of all, I love just hanging out with my daughter and her kids and not having to make it ‘special’ all the time.   It’s a good life, and we are so very lucky to be here. Even my originally unenthused husband says so.

I’m currently without a passport. Sent my old one back April 6th... I know they received it, had the email. Since then one apology for the delay, about three weeks ago ... just as well we can’t travel anywhere.

!

I have paid all my income tax here in Oz from the day I arrived and have paid no UK tax since that time, even though all my income arises from pensions in the UK.

I had completed our UK tax returns for years, so I felt reasonably confident of my ability to file the first UK form after we arrived in Australia ... misplaced confidence.

Whatever you do, don’t contact the UK tax office for advice! I did, and followed their incorrect advice. They then fined me for doing what they had told me to do. It’s a measure of the frustration and/ or worry the whole business caused me that I just paid the fine instead of fighting it. 
 

Alan Collet saved the day. Saved us a substantial amount of money too. 

On 20/04/2020 at 02:37, liam12356 said:

Hey Fisher,

Well im currently in Aus now and Ive sent the 929 form with my new bio data page to the 929 mailbox and the auto response from them is in the capture attached below.

Ive sent to them since 09/01/2020 and there is no any news from them till now more than 3 months. I dont know if its because of the virus or the high volume of applications or am I missing required documents that results this long processing time to my file.

Anyway, as shown in the capture, if you are travelling overseas from Aus you will need to bring your old and new passport and the ABF or other officers will update it for you when you check in the flight.

If you are travelling to Aus, the decision depends on the the airlines but normally they will update it for you as well. 

Hope this help you  If you know any answer to some of my concerns feel free to quote it down ill pretty appreciate it

Regards

 

Thanks for the info - sorry I cant help with your concerns, you are further down the road than me. Good luck with it all.

Hi

Ive been looking at the eligibility requirements for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. It seems my husband’s income is below the limit to apply for this card, but mine isnt. Our joint income is too high to apply as a couple. Does anyone know if my husband is allowed to apply on his own account or do you have to apply as a couple?

Thanks 

On 09/04/2020 at 03:51, liam12356 said:

hi there,

Its just a non-related to this group but I cant find any answers else where. Ive had 143 visa for 3 years, and now i have a new passport so i want to update it to the department. The thing is because 143 visa is paper application so i need to apply via form 929 and send it to the email address provided in the form. 

Ive already submitted the 929 form and my new passport bio data page on Jan 9, 2020. The processing day are over 60 days in the auto response email but its  already 3 months /90 days and my visa still has not been linked to the new passport.

1. Do I need to submit my old passport bio page for them? Or is it late because of the coronavirus situation? 
2. I have recently changed my name in Australia and updated to the bank, medicare, driver licence, etc.. Do I need to notify to DHA my new name ? (my passport is still the old name, I dont apply for new name in my passport) because next year i will eligible for citizenship application so I am wondering  about the applicant name  on Immi account . Can I use my new name that Ive changed in Australia to apply? (Immi Account calculates your residence date base on the applicant name and passport number to allow you to continue for filling out the whole form later in the system).

Thank you, Happy Easter and stay safe everyone :).

Regards,

Liam

Hi Liam.   I’ve just sent for a new UK passport - God knows when that will arrive - but reading your mail made me realise that I will need to link my new passport to my PR visa??  If the link hasn’t been made and you need to travel, do you have to take a paper copy of your visa with you?

2 hours ago, AliQ said:

Ramot is correct, they now ask for much more information. When we arrived back last October, my husband had to provide evidence that we had came back to live in the UK, we had to provide a copy of our tenancy agreement to prove that we were not here on holiday.

They actually asked us quite a few questions as to why we had returned to the UK too.

I think you are mistaken - we are entitled to have our pension upgraded while we are here on holiday so we have no need to prove we are living here - we aren’t! We can produce copies of our e- tickets for the flights if we must, naturally we have our NI numbers and the reason we are here is that we are on holiday!  All we need to do is speak to someone but they are proving difficult to cont@ct.

I came to live in Australia because I wanted to watch my grandchildren grow. I love living here and am happy and settled but could have been just as happy and settled in several other places including Spain. My daughter and grandchildren were the compelling reasons behind my move.