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Bridgeman

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  1. Bridgeman
    We are thinking of moving back to the UK next year, initially for a year but maybe permanently and I have been trying to find any information regarding the best thing to do about a car. We have UK driving licences, but the photo ID expired in 2009. I understand that we can renew these in the UK, but have read elsewhere on this forum that in order to do that you need to have been resident for 185 days. Is this true? Also that being the case we would be able to drive temporarily on our Oz licences, but understand that it is not possible to get insurance with your Oz licence if you buy a car, which would mean the only alternative is to hire a car till we can get our UK licences. Confused!
  2. Bridgeman
    Thanks for the replies, yes, I suppose if it's house money then it may be considered of a Private and Domestic nature as they do when you bring it over here from the UK. Just wondered if it was any different there.
  3. Bridgeman
    Due to the adverse effects of Brexit on the exchange rate we are considering whether we should move back to the UK. Predictions are that the pound will only be worth 1.1 dollars towards the end of next year and as most of our pensions are in pounds we will be so much worse off. We brought the money from the sale of our house over at just under 2 to 1 and bought a house here. If we now go back at a lower exchange rate we will obviously end up with more money than we brought over. My question is, does anyone know if this will be seen as a capital gain by the UK tax authorities and will we have to pay tax on this??
  4. Bridgeman
    Yes, this is what I found and this is why I am wondering whether the licence is still valid if you have left the country and therefore don't have a permanent address here. This applies in the UK. There has been a whole thread on this elsewhere on the forum. If you go to the UK now for example and try to get insurance so you can drive a relative's car you can't do it any more, they won't insure you as your UK licence is no longer valid, (this is from the insurance companies). They also won't insure you on your Oz licence, so the only way is to hire a car. Although I think there are some specialist companies that might do it, but it costs a fortune. I am speaking from experience. Lots of people don't realise this and that's fine unless you have an accident and then there might be problems. I have contacted the Dept of Transport a while ago but still awaiting a reply.
  5. Bridgeman
    Yes, most people don't, the problem comes when there's an accident and the insurance won't cover because the licence is not valid.
  6. Bridgeman
    No, not really as she doesn't need one living on a complex in the wilds of an African country. They travel to the nearest town by plane!
  7. Bridgeman
    My daughter is an Oz citizen with a WA licence living temporarily abroad. She is coming for a holiday to Queensland and asked if her WA driving licence is still valid. I know that a UK licence is no longer valid in the UK if you no longer have a permanent address there. Is it the same here in Oz?
  8. Bridgeman
    The people who answer the phone don't always know all the ins and outs - I wouldn't always take what they say as gospel. And not even the case officers! We were in Australia on a 173 and my case officer told me we would have to leave the country so they could grant our 143. Not true! I had to go on the internet myself and copy and paste the relevant information into an email and send it to him! He agreed I was right. For the 143 offshore visa to be granted you need to be offshore unless you are already in Australia on a 173 - unless they have changed the rules recently, but I don't think so.
  9. Bridgeman
    First of all, do you pass the Balance of Family Test - you need to have at least half of your children in Australia, and this includes any step children and children from previous relationships. Your daughter will need to be settled in Australia before she can sponsor you for a parent visa, usually about 2 years. The CPV is quite expensive: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Fees# as you can see it's around $43,600 per person for the second Visa application charge, plus the initial charge, plus an Assurance of Support of $14.000 for a couple (refundable after 10 Years)
  10. Bridgeman
    First of all, if there is any way you can get sponsored permanently yourself (I am assuming you are the one who is 49?) then I would go for it asap as you would save yourself a heap of dosh. As someone already mentioned, there are minimum income requirements for this. Failing that you would need to apply for the Contributory Parent visa 173 or 143 and there are no minimum income requirements for this vsa. I am not sure if you are aware, but it is the sponsor, ie your son who needs to be settled, not you. Also the processing time for the visa is around 2 years at the moment, so you might want to apply earlier than 2 years into your 457. I assume you have researched costs and balance of family etc? The only other thing to be aware of is that as this is an offshore visa, you would need to travel out of Australia so your visa can be granted.
  11. Bridgeman
    You can find all the information here: http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/commonwealth-seniors-health-card
  12. Bridgeman
    As already stated you will have full Medicare rights but will pay the same for prescriptions as anyone else, and it can be costly. When you have been a permanent resident for 2 years, and if you are over 65 and meet the income requirements, you can then apply for the Commonwealth Seniors Health card, You will then pay around $6 for your prescriptions.
  13. Bridgeman
    As far as I am aware, unless things have changed recently it is not possible to sponsor a parent for a Remaining Relative Visa . You could sponsor your mum for a parent visa but you would need to be settled in Australia for 2 years. The options would be Contributory Aged Parent visa, which would be the quickest but is expensive. you can check here https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Fees but I think it's around $43.000 plus. Alternatively there is the 103/804 parent visa which is much cheaper but takes longer - the website says up to 30 years, but I have heard around 8 or 9. You can read here about the different options: https://www.border.gov.au/Search and put parent visa in the search box.
  14. Bridgeman
    We went for the173 temporary visa first and the main reason is in order to split the cost as we had to sell our house in order to afford the 143. You pay around half of the second VAC and no Assurance of Support. You can be either in the UK or in Australia while on the visa and are free to come and go as you wish. However you do need to apply for the permanent visa before the 2 years are up and before this is granted you will then to pay the remaining VAC (together the two VACS will actually work out slightly more than going for the 143 straight off as the visa costs will have risen) plus the AOS. Spending 6 months in each country needs to be carefully planned as there will be tax and healthcare implications to think about. Also the permanent 143 only allows you to come and go freely for 5 years after visa grant. After this time, if you have not become a citizen (you need 4 years in Australia for this and not to have been out of the country for more than 3 months in the year before application) then you will need to apply for a Resident Return Visa in order to be able to return to Australia.
  15. Bridgeman
    Thanks, I think WP only has ADSL2 at the moment. I will check those two out.
  16. Bridgeman
    Does anyone have any recommendations (or otherwise) regarding broadband in Wellington Point?. I gather the NBN is not coming till next year. There are 2 of us who use it for browsing, emails, and also streaming TV programmes and Netflix.
  17. Bridgeman
    I am thinking of doing some painting in the house and just wondered about people's experience with the various paint brands here. Obviously I am familiar with the quality of Dulux but what about Taubmanns and I also came across British Paints in Bunnings.
  18. Bridgeman
    Yes, each state offers a state Seniors, obtainable from 60 for most people, although I believe changes are afoot in some states and benefits vary. The CSHC is means tested, available from 65 after 2 years residence. However there is still a discrepancy in what benefits utilities companies in each state will allow CSHC holders.
  19. Bridgeman
    Yes, it does depend on which state you are in. WA seems to be more generous than most. I know for a fact that you can't get a reduction in rates in Queensland with the CSHC. This is a consideration for us when we are looking at moving to Queensland. It seems very unfair that it should vary from state to state and should be the same for all seniors regardless of where you live.
  20. Bridgeman
    Yes, but it says you need to provide proof of your address in the form of a driver's licence, utility bill etc. Not sure how I could do this if I am only staying with friends?
  21. Bridgeman
    we have just been reading information on the Queensland government site which states that in order to register a car you need to provide proof of the permanent address where the car will be kept. We will be staying with friends when we move so just wondering how other people in temporary accommodation got round this as obviously a car is needed asap.
  22. Bridgeman
    You can put in a claim using this form to see if you can claim anything: https://www.ato.gov.au/uploadedFiles/Content/SPR/downloads/spr19285n16543_01_2015.pdf You will need to contact your pension provider as you will need to know the exact value of the pension before you started drawing it and the exact amount of personal contributions you made. If approved the ATO will let you know how much you can claim. OH did it for a private pension and was successful. Good luck.
  23. Bridgeman
    Can anyone give any recommendations for shipping household goods interstate? We have used Insure Your Move in the past from the UK, but did have a bit of a problem when we had to claim so just wondering if anyone can recommend any others. Thanks
  24. Bridgeman
    http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/77756-brand-new-pio-parents-visa-thread-862.html There is a parent visa thread which is a sticky at the top of the immigration forum which you might find useful. According to this they are currently processing applications made beginning October 2013. Once your visa is granted you can then enter Australia immediately.
  25. Bridgeman
    Just a further update on this. They have now moved out of the rental and the agents have told them that they are only responsible for the excess on the insurance policy - $200 - which is fair enough. This will be deducted from the bond. Although still awaiting confirmation that the debt recovery company are not still chasing.
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