Bridgeman

Thanks, that puts my mind at rest.

We have been in Australia for a few years on a permanent Contributory Parent visa. We meet the Balance of Family test as one of our 2 children is currently in Australia but he has been offered a job abroad for a few years which he is thinking of taking We are just wondering if this will affect our visa. We are not yet citizens.

Yes, thanks for that. My problem is that I will only be in the vicinity of Liverpool where I will renew my passport in person, towards the end of my holiday, so I won't have time for appointments with solicitors to certify copies etc and post to Australia before I leave so DIBP will not have any details of the new passport. I would do this immediately on my return to Australia - am just hoping they will let me in again!

I have just been looking at passport renewal times for my UK passport and it states around 8 weeks. I really don't want to be without my passport for so long. My UK passport expires in April and I am thinking I might apply for a renewal at the Passport Office while on holiday in the UK next month. My concern is that my visa is obviously tied to my current passport. I know the time still left on the current passport will be added to the new one but will the old one be cancelled and will this cause a problem with Oz immigration or will it be returned to me and can I still travel on it, ie will my visa still be valid so I can re-enter Australia?

You can sponsor your parent for this visa if you are: 18 years of age or older living lawfully in Australia for at least two years before the visa application is lodged one of the following: an Australian citizen an Australian permanent resident an eligible New Zealand citizen.

If you are eligible to apply for the 804 I assume that you are over 65? You should as Freesia says be applying for the 864, the Contributory Aged Parent visa. The 143 is an offshore visa, and although you can put in your application while physically in Australia you will not be granted a bridging visa for the currently 20 months waiting list and may have o leave Australia when your 457 expires, while the 864 is an onshore visa,

Thanks for that, that's really helpful. I will pass it on. Just to update in case it helps anyone else. They finally managed to speak to someone from the tenants advice organisation. Their advice was that as they did not cause the damage they are not liable and if the insurance want to claim from them then the onus is on the insurance company to prove that our friends caused the damage. The tenants advice agency also told them to contest it with the insurance agency and gave them the wording to use. They also found out that the letting agents were unaware of what had happened and when they contacted them were told the agents didn't hold them liable. They have asked for this in writing from the agents. Thanks to everyone for their input.

Yes, it is was just a couple of small dents, only visible in a certain light - they hadn't even noticed as they just drive in and out of the garage. They use the internet a lot for buying stuff ad have a lot of stuff delivered, so they think it might have been a delivery driver, post van etc. The landlord has the property up for sale which is why it was done through the insurance apparently and they have been given notice to move out middle of July so haven't had the bond back yet.

I am hoping someone can offer some advice/ insight into the following" Some friends of ours in WA had a rental inspection several months ago and the agents pointed out what appeared to be a couple of small dents in the garage roller door. They hadn't noticed and assumed it must been caused by visitors, workmen or a delivery driver. Nothing further happened until various companies came to provide a quote for the landlord. The general consensus was that as that particular door was no longer manufactured it was not possible to replace the panels and it would need a new garage door. Nothing happened for ages and then they got a call from one of the companies arranging to come and fit a new garage door and they were told the landlord was claiming the cost on the insurance. Yesterday they got a shock when they were called by a very aggressive woman from a debt recovery agency saying that their company had been engaged by the insurance company to recover the cost of replacing the door (around $2,400 dollars!) and that as tenants they were liable for the damage. Surely this can't be right? If the landlord has insurance then surely this should cover the cost? Also, even if this is correct, surely they should only be asked to contribute and not pay for a brand new door, as the property is around 8 years old. Also, surely even if they are liable, then they should only be liable for the cost of a repair, it is not their problem that this type of door is no longer manufactured. They are trying to get advice from the Tenants Advocacy Service but it is currently very difficult to get through to them on the phone and there is a waiting time for appointments apparently. The debt recovery agency informed them that if they paid within 10 days the insurance company would reduce the amount to $2,000. Any advice appreciated.

You also need to be aware that they will not have any right to an Australian pension for 10 years. And of course their UK state pension will be frozen at the rate they begin to draw it or are drawing it. After 2 years if over 65 they will be entitled to a Commonwealth Seniors Health card which gives some concessions, and as soon as they become residents may be entitled to a state seniors card. Although you need to be aware some states are trying to do away with concessions for seniors due to federal budget cuts.

Not sure what you mean by the 'same form" ? You normally need to wait for the request from DIBP in order to pay the AOS (unless it's changed and if so I am sure others will correct me). We went from the 173 to the 143 and DIBP emailed the relevant forms along with the request and instructions regarding how to proceed. Hope this helps. I am not sure how long it is taking now for the 143 to be processed when you already have the 173. A few months I think - DIBP normally say between 4 and 6 months before you will hear anything but this may have changed.

As someone who is considering a return to the UK I have had a quick look through the whole thread. It seems that a vital point is being overlooked. I don't think you can really get to the bottom of where is cheaper. There are other factors which come into play. One is the currency you receive your income in and another is where you spend that income. The other factor is the exchange rate. If you are earning big dollars in Perth then spending big money it doesn't make a lot of difference. Likewise if you are earning in pounds and spending in pounds in the UK. I assume that the OP and her partner are receiving their income in dollars and that this is then being converted to pounds. Unfortunately the exchange rate has gone down for them somewhat over the past few months. If they had gone to the UK last year or even the year before it may have been a different story. And when you are on a fixed income like this you will be constantly converting. For us it's the other way round. All our income is in pounds and we are spending it in Australia. We find it very expensive. The exchange rate took a dive to around 1.5 dollars to the pound the minute we set foot in Oz. Before that in the planning stage it had been over 2.5. One of the reasons we still haven't bought a house here, let alone furniture etc. If the exchange rate had not started to improve for us we would have been long gone. There are one or two things which are cheaper here. As Seniors we are lucky enough to get free travel in Perth, however, we don't really use public transport that much as we don't fancy hanging around waiting for buses and trains in the heat. And funnily enough my partner just discovered that Boots moisturiser is now actually cheaper here than in the UK at an exchange rate of 2 dollars to the pound. I can completely sympathise with the OP. And if the exchange rate goes up (for us) down (for them) it will only get worse for them. It's also difficult to predict what will happen in the future. You do also have to take into consideration any concessions which Seniors get, both in the UK and Australia as this can make a difference (although they do vary from state to state in Oz and most states seem to be wanting to do away with them.) Prescriptions is a big one for us as we had been getting free prescriptions in the UK, but not here. Also they will have to pay tax on their super income in the UK. We have our state pensions frozen at the level we started drawing them. There is always a risk retiring to another country.

Just to add, your 143 visa allows you to come and go as you please for five years from visa grant. You are allowed to spend as long as you wish in the UK. However, you need to be aware of what happens after the five years. If after the five years you wish to leave Australia, or are out of Australia at the time and have not become a citizen with an Australian passport you will need to apply for a Resident Return visa to get back into Australia. In order to get this you need to show considerable ties to Australia. Also, in order to become a citizen, which will allow you to get an Australian passport, so you can come and go, you need to spend a total of 4 years in Australia, and during the year before you apply you must not have been out of the country for more than 90 days. Basically if you spend several months out of the Australia each year, this will delay the time when you will be eligible to apply for citizenship. If you have not become a citizen by five years after visa grant, you will need to apply for a Resident Return visa in order to return to Australia if you leave. Hope this helps.

Hi Bridgeman, Thank you very much for all information. It is help me a lot. Especially regarding form 47PT. If you didn't tell me it, I will send form 47PA. I appreciate. Please can you tell me what is form for my son is it Form 40? Yes, form 40 again.

If you already have a 173 visa you should be completing form 47PT to now apply for the 143. If you look at the first page of form 47PA it does say not to use it if you already have a 173 visa. I assume you are asking whether you need to just fill in one form for you and your partner. If your partner was included on your application for the 173 then yes you only need one form and will include your partner under Part E. Under payment (section 42) it does say that debit cards cannot be used for application made by mail. With regard to charges here is the link: http://www.immi.gov.au/Help/Pages/fees-charges/visa.aspx You might want to double check this for yourself as I am just quoting from the fees page and your circumstances may be different so don’t accept any responsibility I assume you meet condition 19b: 19b This visa is for: an applicant who is the holder of a subclass 173 (Contributory Parent (Temporary)) visa at the time of application; or an applicant who has been the holder of a subclass 173 (Contributory Parent (Temporary)) visa; and is the holder of a substituted subclass 600 visa at the time of application; or an applicant who has held a subclass 173 (Contributory Parent (Temporary)) visa at any time in the 28 days immediately before making the application; or an applicant whose application is combined, or sought to be combined, with an application made by that person. Looks like the initial VAC is $325 plus $165 for your partner. And for the second VAC I assume you meet 19j: 19j The second instalment (payable before grant of visa): Applicant who was the holder of a subclass 173 (Contributory Parent (Temporary)) visa at the time of application: $19 420. – that’s each And remember the fees tend to go up at 1st July, but you usually pay the fees in force at the time of application, so if you get your application to DIAC before then you would probably pay the above regardless of when the application is processed. Hope this helps but please do double check the information.

Good to know that others also feel that 'pull' at the cost of leaving family behind. Although grandchildren are only 4 and 6 months, so we may not be around for that gap year!

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, we do intend to get citizenship if we make the decision to return.

Perhaps I should have explained that they didn't really leave us behind, or only in so far as they needed to be settled before they could sponsor us. This was a long term plan, after a visit to my brother in Queensland, that we would all move over including my son. It seemed to be a good idea since both kids would be here. My daughter even said to us she didn't want to go unless we could go as well. We came earlier than planned due to redundancy and grandchild on the way and my son stayed to complete qualifications, but then got a good job in Europe so decided to stay. Also I don't think it is that they are not settled in Oz, they have been here nearly 10 years, but that they would like to move over East as they find property in WA very expensive. Sil has said he would never return to the UK - he can get a much better job in Australia.

I have just joined this forum and have been reading through some of the posts and as I read have been thinking ‘that’s just how I feel!’. We had such high hopes of retiring to Australia to join our family here and it took years of planning and a lot of money for us to come over on a parent visa. However, it was just as if someone looking down on us conspired to turn everything against us, not least the exchange rate taking a dive the moment we set foot in Oz. Without boring with too much detail we now find ourselves in limbo here – where we have been for 4 years, mainly as family are not settled in WA and may move on so don’t want to buy here. However, at our time of life we feel we need to settle somewhere. I miss not having my own home, but even more to my surprise I really miss the UK, the greenery, walking in the countryside, the culture etc, all the things already listed on here by so many. We can’t really afford to buy here in WA and then sell again if the family move and it would be another upheaval, plus starting again somewhere else. But we do need to settle somewhere and my instinct is to go home. We do have the option to maybe move to Queensland where I have family which would be a sort of compromise. However, we are living on various UK pensions and highly dependant on the exchange rate so we are debating whether we can actually afford to stay here in the long run. But the pull of the UK is very strong but are thinking if it is the right thing to do to return after spending so much time, effort and money to get here. Should we make the best of it? And the thought of leaving family and grandchildren is heart breaking. We also feel guilty as we offer a lot of support since sil is away working so much. But as others have said we do not feel we fit in here and Australia will never be home to us. On the other hand it would be so hard to walk away from our grandchildren and they will be the ones who miss us most. Are we being selfish in wanting a different life for ourselves for the last few years? I have read that most people return home as they miss family, but we don’t really have any family left in the UK now so would be on our own and we would be leaving family alone here, although financially we would be able to have a better lifestyle but at the cost of missing family. In July the lease is up on our rental and we will be virtually homeless. We have decided to go back to the UK for a 2 month visit, just to make sure we are not seeing things through rose tinted glasses and then spend a month in Queensland – after that who knows? The uncertainty and stress is taking its toll on both of us at the moment. Life is Australia just hasn’t turned out the way we thought it would.

If you are not a permanent resident you are only allowed to buy a new property, not an established one, subject to approval by the Foreign Investment Review board.

By bond I assume you mean the Assurance of Support. Although you will obviously provide the money it is your sponsor who has to pay it, I assume one of your daughters. It will be held in their name and the interest on the bond will be paid to them every 6 months ) currently around 400 dollars.

It is quite a difficult decision but as you are her only child I can understand that she wants to come over. However, having said that she does need to look at the finances carefully. Speaking from experience it can be quite difficult to get work here over 50. She may be able to work for herself but this is a bit risky (although I do have a friend who successfully runs her own cleaning business with more work than she can handle). I am not sure where you live, but this can be extremely hard work here in the heat and also not sure she would want to be doing this as she gets older. Also she may not be able to save up enough in a super to support her later on. Remember, any UK state pension she is entitled to will be frozen at the rate at which she starts drawing it and will also be at the mercy of the exchange rate. The exchange rate has actually improved over the last few months, but who knows what will happen in the future. Also she will not be entitled to any Oz state pension until after 10 years and this will be means tested. Renting is quite expensive here and we are currently sharing with our daughter and family. We have been here around 4 years and financially finding it very expensive. We are currently working out our options as to whether we can afford to stay here in the long run, and there are two of us drawing pensions. It is vey hard, as the thought of having to leave our grandchildren is heart wrenching. We need our own place but do not want to continue renting as it just seems too expensive and buying is also expensive compared to what we could get in the UK for the same money. In addition there other 'hidden' costs to consider such as health costs. We find dentists horrendously expensive and as you get older you seem to need more treatment. Also, as an example I have just had to visit an eye specialist for tests which cost me $300 dollars. There always seems to be some 'gap' between what the practitioners charge and what Medicare will pay and you have to cover this yourself. Prescriptions would be free in the UK but not here. I think you will probably need to be prepared to support her in some way if she came over, either with housing or some other way, in fact it is a condition of your sponsorship that you be prepared to support her for 2 years. As others have mentioned there is a visitor visa which allows parents to visit for up to 12 months at a time and you may want to consider this as an option, although if she needs to work this could be difficult. Sorry if this sounds quite negative, but she really needs to go into this with her eyes open. Australia has become a very expensive place to live now.

Your father needs to apply for the 143 before 18th August. He will normally then be automatically granted a bridging visa so he can lawfully stay in Australia until the 143 is granted. Bridging visas normally have the same rights as the original visa.

Yes we are PR. What a pain! They do seem rather inflexible at HMRC. I find the Oz tax authorities much more pleasant and straightforward to deal with.

OH inherited a property from her father which she rented out and therefore had to complete a UK tax return each year. She sold the property in October 2013 and declared the sale on her 2013-14 tax return (although no CGT due as she actually made a loss on the sale). My question is does she still need to complete a UK tax return as she no longer has any rental income from the property. She does have a state pension and a small private pension, plus some interest from savings (which is already taxed). The interest rates on the savings in the UK have gone down the tubes as everyone knows and so her total income is actually below the tax threshold of ten thousand. She wrote to HMRC but has had no response, but received a tax form in the post - this happens every year and I suspect it is just automatically sent as it doesn't really contain all the forms needed anyway. Or is there maybe some sort of declaration form she can complete similar to the Oz one so that she no longer has to complete the UK self assessment? It seems a bit daft to have to spend time filling in the forms which can be quite complicated if no tax is due and any tax due would be paid here in Oz. She doesn't want to do nothing and end up getting a fine!