Fisher1

25 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

I've been lucky enough to travel heaps with work. I knew Sydney a lot better than Perth as I was there on my own, work were paying and I was staying in the Holiday Inn at Potts Point. 

Spent a lot of time in Darwin, Townsville, Cairns, Melbourne, Brisbane etc. Each place is so different and good in its own way. Had a long weekend in Townsville once and had a day on Magnetic Island and hired a motorbike. What a great place that doesn't normally get a mention. 

Pity they're all so far apart. Then again that's why they're all so different.

You are lucky to have been able to travel all over Australia. I’m still nibbling round the edges!

32 minutes ago, NicF said:

I've used various places for travel insurance for trips back to the UK but never had to claim so can't really comment on that side of things.  I usually use a comparison site or two to compare policies as I want to ensure the cancellation cover actually covers the cost of the flights, and then the other features may be more or less important to me.  Place I have insured with previously include Online Travel Insurance (yes that is the name of the place) and Travel Insuranz.  I think we may have used 1 Cover at some point as well.  All would have been selected because they gave me the cover I wanted for the best price.

Thanks.

Sorry to see no recommendations ...  I was hoping to pick some up from your question too!

7 hours ago, Skani said:

Maybe they read Heston Blumenthal's article after visiting Australia several years ago when he mentioned one of the 5 food related items he would most like to take back to the UK from Oz was the beef.   But you can bet your bottom dollar he didn't buy his from any of the supermarkets - or bacon or sausages.   You go to specialists for that.  Same with bread...real bakeries,  not the franchises found in shopping malls.

My pet beef with all these "Australia" comparisons is they treat the country as though it is all the same.  Have never seen a large spider of any sort or a cockroach in my part of Oz,   never see bare feet when shopping (probably a climate thing),   always acknowledge someone who stops in a car - or lets me into a lane when driving - and always receive the same acknowledgement  when I do it (they can't all be Poms)....never ever see people rushing a lift - in fact the last person out usually stops and holds the "Door open" button to ensure everyone gets in OK, particularly if there are elderly people or mums with young children.

You know it really was a lighthearted post written by someone who believes their life is much better here than the UK. It was meant to be a humourous look at things which the poster personally liked and disliked. I found it amusing, just as I would if someone wrote a similar post about the UK. 

1 hour ago, Skani said:

Ready meals are a comparatively recent thing in Australia.    In fact I only became aware of them at all because people started mentioning them on PIO.   Traditionally in Australia there were takeaway meals for special occasions or emergencies and, other than that, you were expected to be competent enough to prepare your own food.     I'm not sure what this obsession with ready meals signifies.  Is it just that people are too stressed,    time poor,  lazy  or uninterested in the quality of their food that they are happy to eat something mass produced in a factory a week ago?     I thought that was reserved for airline food - which everyone complains about.

Interesting. When we moved to Luxembourg from the UK 30 years ago we were horrified to find tbat  the only frozen food on offer consisted of burgers and fish fingers. Finally we could afford to buy ready meals and there werent any!!!  We always bought them from Marks, as a dpecial treat. Tbh we had thought that the Marks stuff had gone down in quality and variety over the years ... cheaper and not so nice. But Woollies really need to not bother selling theirs!   I did have some rather nice ravioli fro. Aldi the other day - it actually tasted of cheese!

2 hours ago, tea4too said:

I’d second Bath, and Bristol, which regularly features as one of the  top 10 places in the UK to live or visit. Maybe pop over the bridge (no toll fees any more!) to lovely Cardiff with its history, culture, Victorian arcades, access to the coast, Brecon Beacons and motorways? It's perhaps also worth mentioning that as a result of devolution, a number of things are different in Wales. For example,  NHS prescriptions  are free and NHS dental charges are a fair bit cheaper than those payable in England.  T x

If you can find an NHS dentist!

4 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

When we were in the UK on holiday supermarkets were full of ready meals. Do people just live on them? 

Most people still buy fresh stuff here and actually cook. Not so many ready meals around.

No not many ready meals around but have bought them in an emergency and they really are grim. 

5 hours ago, ramot said:

Buy your chocolate from Aldi 

i do buy clothes from M&S on line, quality adequate, but better than lots here.

Also went into a store in Chermside Brisbane called Harris Scarfe, daft name, but found they sold clothes from Debenhams, their classic range and also their Maine range, I like them both, mainly separates, and will go back and have a better look at a later date as I was in a rush. Could be useful.

I go in Harris Scarfe but have never seen clothes from Debenhams in there. It’s my new favourite shop though because they have great kitchen stuff. And Hush puppies. 

Do you want to live in a town/city or countryside? Shropshire countryside is lovely, Shrewsbury is a lovely town, as is Ludlow (history and great food). Bath is nice, with many pretty little towns in the environs. 

I did enjoy reading this, been here two years now and totally agree about ready meals, clothing and bread. We knew what we were in for with bread and make our own (bread machine) ditto cakes.   One thing you didn’t mention ... does Aussie chocolate all taste strange to you? 

Agree about all the plus points too. we’ve been made so welcome by the Australians we’ve met and had a lot of help along the way. So far so good - thank you for making me smile

4 hours ago, Janette said:

Looks like we’ve a long wait ahead

If I can offer you a chunk of light it’s this: some people do drop out, for various reasons. So the wait might be a little less than you think - but you are still looking at about four years. I’d get my name down ASAP if I were you, then concentrate on long visits and making the most of your home country till the visa comes through. Difficult, but you’ll drive yourself nuts if you keep thinking about it.

On 17/03/2019 at 22:53, L30GME said:

Lovely to hear you got to move out in 2017! 

Was once a year hard or did you both get use to it as time goes on?

It’s difficult to say. We did get used to it ... sort of ... and made longer visits once we retired, but the last days of visits were always horrible. I once burst into tears in the middle of buying a souvenir in a shop in Sydney - mortified!  It does get easier though,and this may sound hard but you stop howling more quickly. I cried halfway to Singapore after our first visit, but by then end I was usually okay by the time we got on the plane. I know it’s a cliche but Skype and FaceTime really do help as well.   Something you might want to consider is meeting “half way” We all met in Thailand a couple of times, shares the cost and the travel. 

Something I would add though, which was a big part of our reason for moving out here. I didn’t want to get used to it. I didn’t want to forget about my daughter for chunks of time while I went about my daily life. I’d rather get used to missing friends and the life we had in Europe ... much less painful!

My daughter came to Australia in 2004. We were lucky enough to be able to visit regularly and she was able to visit the UK so between 2004 and 2017 we saw each other on average about once a year. Longest time without a visit was 21 months but we met up twice in six months after that.  We moved over in 2017.

21 hours ago, Amber Snowball said:

I think being more of a seasoned traveller helps as you know opportunities can come knocking and people move on, as you have yourself.

It might also be the difference between you as the parent saying we will move to be closer and understanding the risk and the child saying move to be with me, as in that case the parent might expect to keep family close as they have been asked to move, if that makes sense?????

Don’t have an answer, so many factors involved that differ for everyone. But food for thought for those that haven’t considered what they will do if their family move on.

Are you settling in well yourself @Fisher1?

We have acquired a group of friends who have all come over to be near children ... including one I “met” on here!  After 18 months we feel more settled every day, but again, having moved around a bit in the past we were very aware of the need to get out and meet people ASAP. “Join everything” is our general rule of thumb and it seems to be working so far!

5 hours ago, Amber Snowball said:

They probably give very little thought as a rule. Why would they, they are moving to be with family, I don’t think I would imagine that the family would then leave me after all that money and effort. It must be awful. Obviously I’m wiser now!

 I feel for you. I hope your husband is getting good care and is comfortable and you have some support. Good luck with whatever you decide, it’s often hard to know what the right decision is. Sending a hug! I can’t find the emoji!

Actually we thought about it quite a lot.  Probably because we’ve moved around a bit ourselves we were very much aware of the way a great job can come up and you might want to take it even if it means a big move. We wouldn’t have decided to move over if our daughter hadn’t had a child, but figured she was less likely to move during the baby years. The potential for our daughter to move was one of the factors influencing our decision to live two hours away. Not just house prices then, but a need to have our own lives and make our own friendship networks that are totally seperate. 

The truth is, there is no easy answer. Had our daughter moved to somewhere a bit closer we wouldn’t haves considered following, but that 24 hour flight is just going to get harder.  Everyone is different and we all find our own solutions, imperfect as they may be ... although I think it’s easier if you have a big budget.

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I don't envy parents trying to make the decision. 

If you can solve the problem of where to live while you're in Australia (holiday accommodation for several months every year would be costly), then one solution would be to visit Australia for 3 months every year (which can be done easily on an ordinary tourist visa).  That way you'd definitely retain all your rights to residency in the UK and wouldn't strike difficulties with insurance etc.

I know you're also considering the Parents Visa.  I  can understand the pull of family, but I just want to share a cautionary tale from a friend of mine.

When she and her husband applied for the Parents' Visa, it seemed like an obvious decision and they never questioned it.  Unfortunately, by the time their visa was approved, house prices in Sydney had sky-rocketed.   They had a choice - either live in a rough bogan (chav) suburb, or live outside Sydney.  To get a nice home in a place they could afford, they had to buy two hours' drive from their son's house.  

Before they moved, they had been visiting Australia for two or three months every year, staying with their son.  On their visits, they'd do the school run, babysit the children so their son and his wife could have some "me" time, join in with family outings, etc.  In between, they would Skype.

Now they live in Australia, but they're (obviously) too far away to do the school run. The children are older now, so weekends are busy with school sports, birthday parties, etc.    Two hours each way is too long for a day trip for the kids, so the family rarely visits them.   Realistically, as my friend and her husband get older, they'll start to find the long drive a trial, too, so they worry how much contact they'll have in their old age. 

All in all, my friend sees far less of her grandchildren now than she did when she was overseas!  Although she's a very sociable person, has joined in community activities and has made new acquaintances, she badly misses her home, all the treasured possessions she had to discard to make the move, and her dear friends in the UK - and her husband is finding it even harder than her, as he's fairly shy.   She said to me, "I wish I'd realised there's more to life than grandkids".  

Of course, there are plenty of grandparents who have made the move and are very happy with their choice.  I'm only giving that example because I'm sure there are others, like my friend, who get so focussed on the benefits of being with family, that they forget to consider what they might be giving up, and what the reality of their life in Australia might be.  Only you can decide where the balance lies.

Yes it’s really important to try to consider how things will be when you get older. I’m one of the grandparents who has moved and is very happy with the choice I’ve made BUT there are many things that might come up and bite me on the bum as I get older. The main consideration is, I think, mobility. I currently live  away from Sydney because of house prices but also because I didn’t want to live in Sydney! I’m happy to live two hours away by train from our daughter knowing we can go over to babysit for the day, there’s a bed for overnight stays and we can turn up to all the birthday and Christmas events.   Our daughter grew up at a distance from my parents so we are well aware of the way visits tail off as grandchildren get older ... but we think it’s important to live in the moment and after thirteen years of visiting from the UK it is a delight to be only two hours away.

I’ve been here eighteen months, having moved to be near our daughter, who is our only child. We’ve found it easy because we are retired and the only work we do is babysitting. However, we’ve noticed how hard everyone here seems to work. Observing our daughter and friends, the hours seem long and the holidays shorter. just a subjective view but something to consider. We spent years tossing the idea of moving out here back and forth and I can honestly say we are happy here - but we are aware of the things we have given up to make our new lives happen:  Friends.    Quick trips to interesting European countries.  The money spent making it all happen.   

Good luck with whatever you decide, but like other posters, I’d give some thought to what you think Australia could offer that you don’t already have.

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

It wasn’t intended to be sharp, just factual. And no, the funds are not paid by the UK

Well yes, you made that very clear in your first reply. Thank you for the factual information.

On 12/03/2019 at 16:12, Tom S said:

Hi All, 

I'm new to this so bear with me. 

I am currently on a 457 Visa, have been with my partner for 5 years here in Australia with our Son (year and a half) and we are about to put in our 801/820 Defacto PR Visa, which we are more than eligible to get and I have no worries about obtaining this visa. 

My parents (English) however love Australia and would like to retire out here themselves. They are set up for money and would not require any assistance or loans in buying there home over here, and seeing out there days. The struggle and annoyance is the Visa situation. 
 

Now on the application for my 801/820 visa with my partner, it asks about subsequent entrants that are family, which according to the Immi Homeaffairs website this visa is eligible to do. I appreciate this might extend the waiting/process time on the visa, however, I'm secure here in Aus and therefore am not worried about it as long as that would mean my parents are PR's once the visa is approved in the next 3/4 years. 

 

Can someone tell me if this is the case and the way to go about it? I know there are other Visa options for parents, however they are far more expensive and require my visa to be approved before there's can even be submitted, and even then the waiting time is really long. 

Any guidance or help would be much appreciated 

 

Thanks 

Tom 

 

Hi Tom

If you look through the forum threads there is one entitled “brand new parents’ visa”.  It is a great thread and there is always someone who will answer just about any question fairly quickly. Yes it does take a long time so you need to be patient but it can be done. 

First thing your parents need to do is get all the information they can about the various visas. You can pay an agent (I believe Alan Collet, who posts regularly on here is very good) or it is possible to organise your visa yourself. 

My OH and I moved over about 18 months ago, having first considered the possibility in 2012. However, the waiting time has increased since then. There are currently four parent visas, two which are applied for offshore (the 103 and the 143) and two with references in the 800s that are applied for onshore - I.e. a person visiting Australia might decide they want to stay and apply from here. You have to be over a certain age to do this.

Three things to consider now: do you have siblings? The balance of family test precludes anyone getting a parent visa if they have more children living outside oz than living here.

If they pass the balance of family test, how is their health? You have to pass a medical.

Are they aware that if they do come to live here permenantly their UK state pension will be frozen at the rate it was when they left the UK.

Good luck with it, and remember it can be done.

PS Alan Collet is also a fantastic accountant.

On 13/03/2019 at 02:10, Marisawright said:

In what way does that cover it? The reciprocal agreement just means the Australian govt pays for health care for Brits and vice versa. They don’t then claim funds from each other or anything like that. 

Since it’s almost impossible for Australian parents to move to the UK, that means the Australian govt is funding a lot more aged parents than Britain

I did say that I thought the visa cost was fair enough.  I’ve no idea “what way that covers it” ... that’s why I asked the question - I had heard that funds are paid by the UK.    So I thought your answer was a bit sharp. 

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Yes it is a struggle, but just be thankful that you're a Brit wanting to bring their parents to Australia.  At least visa options exist, whereas they don't in many other countries.  

The reason they are expensive is that your parents haven't paid into the Medicare or tax system, and they are going to come to Australia at a time of their lives when everyone needs significant medical care (we all die of something) and aged care support.  The high visas fees are intended to cover those costs to the Australian taxpayer.   I'm sure they're set up for money and won't need to claim benefits, but they will still need medicines, visits to the GP, hospital treatment, etc.  When you consider all that, the cost isn't unreasonable.

I’m curious. It’s true that newcomers haven’t paid into medicare or the tax system and I think it’s fair that our visa cost reflected this - but surely at least part of the cost of Medicare is covered by the reciprocal agreement between Australia and the UK? 

19 minutes ago, JetBlast said:

Thanks for the reply. I had thought of phone and internet but for some reason I didn't list them. I have been looking at Optus and they seem good value. I will be doing SIM only and using my own mobile, I do this in the UK anyway and save a packet. 

 

Thanks for the reply. much appreciated.

We have our internet and tv package with Optus and the prices are reasonable. As long as everything is going well they’re fine but when there was  a problem (we moved house) we weren’t happy at all.  Impossible to get through on the phone when the service wasn’t reinstated as promised, promised technicians didn’t turn up at the house on the morning arranged and we found they had cancelled them without telling us ... I sat in a phone queue for forty minutes one morning listening to all the usual “your call is important to us” messages, then someone just hung up on me.  If you go on Facebook there’s a page called something like “Optus exposed”.   I’d shop around a bit if I were you.

On 27/02/2019 at 22:58, newjez said:

I don't think anyone knows what will happen with a no deal brexit. Could be we all need new ones, as our current ones are EU passports. I guess we'll see. Fortunately my next holiday is booked for Cornwall.

It’s on the UK govt website ... although I wouldn’t believe a word anyone in the UK government said at the moment ...

On 24/02/2019 at 19:46, ramot said:

Just received an email from Immigration requesting our police, health ect. checks. So excited!!!

We have applied for the pathway 143 CPV, visa so our time line isn’t relevant to the regular 143 parent visa,, just in case anyone miss reads this.

143 CPV pathway visa is a new visa option, open only for eligible existing holders of the cancelled 410/405 visas retirement visas. 

143 CPV pathway visa applied for November 2018 

So glad to hear that Ramot, good luck with it.

This is information about what to do in the event of a no deal brexit.