Nerak123

Hi, for the UK it's ACRO http://www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx.

Hi, there is a useful factsheet http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/35relationship.htm which answers most of your questions I think. If your relationship hasn't been all that long I would also provide lots of evidence. The joint financials are great but also some 'social' evidence like shared invites, maybe letters from friends, evidence of shared travel etc etc. The dept. for Immigration publishes service standards for processing different visa types. Check the processing times against the visa you are thinking of applying for and it will tell you. Our visa came back well in advance of this but my husbands job was 'in demand' so you will need to just work through it and see what you can expect. In terms of going earlier on another visa, it may be possible but some visas require you are offshore at the time of visa grant. I can't say more than that as I'm not sure what you are applying for. There is lots of information on the immigration website- worth having a good look and reading all the booklets etc which come with the application form. I hope that's some help to you, good luck.

Hi, you can apply for a longer tourist visa - sub class 600. We did this for my son while awaiting for a child visa app to come through. I think you can apply for a six month or twelve month. The application is pretty simple but you will need to 'sponsor' her. This would allow her to spend a substantial amount of time in oz before having to return. Whether you can have this visa twice I don't know but your case officer etc should be able to tell you. I'm afraid I don't know about the 18 month one.

One thing worth mentioning I found these wonderful scratch sleeves http://www.scratchsleeves.co.uk/ which I have been using for my son. I highly recommend much better than socks on the hand which I have seen some people using to stop the damage from scratching.

Thanks again all. I've found a supplier of the paramao oil http://www.paramaorootoil.com.au/ looks like it ships to oz from Bali. I'll check out holland and Barrett and other health stores in the UK. Always worth a try! i hope to get a referral for a dematologist from the doctors. I'm fed up of being just prescribed one cream after the next. I don't think they really take it seriously.

Hello, yes your are probably right. Everyone (in the UK) said that moving to Brisbane would make his skin worse - in fact it got better. I guess we will just have to see how we go. I've always found with eczema that what works for one person doesn't work for the next - I have had people stop me and ask 'what's the matter with your son?' and then give me a load of unsolicited advice about it. Thanks all for your helpful comments.

From memory my visa grant specified that the 'initial entry' into australia needed to be before a certain date. This meant just entering Australia. Having said that my visa is a 175 (independent) so not the same. Check your visa grant letter for any stipulations but I'd be v surprised if it's any different. You can email your case officer if you need 'official' confirmation.

Hi Gee13 Just wondered why you would avoid steroid creams? I know you have to be careful with them but with major flare ups it's the only thing that I find really works. I use a 1percent hydrocortisone cream.I'll see about the paramao oil. I also use calendula and coconut oil which works quite well.

Hi all, Some opinions please from eczema sufferers or parents of eczema suffers. My son has had eczema since he was 3 months. I have lots of experience in managing the condition but I'm wondering how he will react to the climate in Australia. We lived in Brisbane for a year and it seemed to improve a lot. We are back in the uk now and it's got alot worse. I don't know exactly what triggers his eczema or the extent to which climate plays a part but we are thinking of a move to Melbourne and I wonder if anyone has had any experience of how the climate in Melbourne effects eczema.

Ahh bless you. I'm a mum of two and and most parents will tell you that you make them happy just by being around and evenhappier to see you happy. But you shouldn't feel responsible for their happiness. I would say invest in your future now while you are young. Get your qualifications do the hard slog now and have more options when you are older - wherever in the world that maybe. I would check with someone who does the kind of work you are aspiring to what qualifications and equivalency is required. In my line of work I would have to do some extra study for example but other jobs would vary. Good luck and try not to worry.

Thank you for all your comments. No consensus but I guess thats natural. It's a very hard choice. Lucky to have a choice but having tried and 'failed' with Brisbane I don't want to make the same mistake ..we aren't trying to find the perfect life but just one that strikes the right balance.

Hello all I have previously completed a child app for my son and now have to do one for my newborn daughter. For my son processing times were about 8 months. Now the immigration website seem to be saying processing time is 3 months for offshore apps. Anyone have direct experience of this?

Hello, a good place to start is to work through the Aussie immigration website just to see where you stand http://www.immi.gov.au/immigration/. It is pretty straightforward so work your way through it. You could also try going to a migration expo or speaking to a migration agent. It really depends on how much you want to do yourself. The visas available really depend on your personal circumstances. Key questions really are what jobs you do - each job type is given a score and it's your points total that add up to eligibility for certain visas. Other factors could be whether you have any family over there already or whether you could transfer with your existing employer. Anyway, good luck.

Just to offer a different perspective.I regret coming back - and I was the main driver for it as well so hard to admit to. I got bored to be honest of Australia but back in England now life seems a lot more complicated ...and expensive too. My toddler is not going to a payground every day or the beach at the weekends so I feel guilty about that and wonder if I really had my priorities straight. It feels a bit like a guilded cage sometimes in oz but try and weigh up why you left the uk and if possible visit the uk you may find that 'cures' you or reaffirms your desire to come back. I wish I had done that before returning. Maybe you should try doing more to integrate if possible? Just some thoughts - there are the pro and anti brigade people on this site but ultimately what suits you best is an individual thing and not a criticism of either country

Hi, for my son I had to do a child visa application then a 12 months tourist visa whilst we were waiting for it to be granted. We made a short trip to Fiji because, as others have stated, you need to be out of the country at the time of grant. No problems with the tourist visa or child visa. - all went through fine and no problems to enter.... We are now having to do the same for my newborn daughter as I was in the U.K. when I gave birth. On the website they seem to be saying processing times are 3/4 months as opposed to 8 months which was what we were told ( and experienced) last time. Anyone have any experience of the wait time for a child visa???

Thanks everyone for your views. Seems like its very much a matter of opinion and what you are used to!

Well bully for you.

I was very taken with your post as we found ourselves in the same situation last Christmas. The onus always seemed to be on us to make contact with people back home and we did feel a bit forgotten about. This year I'm back in blighty and, if it makes you feel any better, I really miss the Aussie Christmas we had. This year we ran around with the masses buying presents in the cold and wet, got stuck in traffic for hours seeing family - who didn't like the gifts- fought our way through deadlock in the supermarket and have been bombarded by marketing for post Christmas sales. We have a fridge full of food we thought we missed while in oz but it's sitting uneaten. All in all we were lonely in oz (Brisbane) but are now planning our move to Melbourne. We are just going to have to try and get 'out there' and make friends as despite all the friends and family we have in the uk we still spent New Years alone.

Hi, we be been discussing a move to Melbourne and I've been trying to do a bit of research but I keep finding the same old negatives being mentioned: 1 beaches are rubbish 2 the sea is cold and you can't swim in it. 3 the weather is very changeable so it can be impossible to plan your day. I wanted to get a sense of whether there is any truth to these assertions. I guess my points of comparison are firstly the UK and secondly Brisbane where we lived for a year and a bit. We are trying to decide where to move to and I don't think Brisbane would be right for us again but I don't want to move to miss out on some of the beach type activities which we enjoyed as a family there. I only visited Melbourne very briefly and that was quite a few years ago when I was living in London and had no kids I thought it was lovely and quite cosmopolitan but my priorities have changed so I want to make sure it's also great for families. Any opinions greatly appreciated.

Just to add - watch out for wicker or water hyacinth. Our shipping company wouldn't pack it - it was things like washing baskets and blanket baskets . We had to leave them behind. You can donate unopened food stuffs at some supermarkets.

Thanks guys. I did think about the option of having it dropped off somewhere within the limit as it may well have been cheaper! and they were useless at unloading anyway as one of the guys was injured from his last job and had to sit in the van. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and over-did it a bit as we were short-handed. With that and a toddler to contend with I didn't think I could cope with anything else. I did read the paperwork and there was no tarif. In any event, I'm a lawyer and I always tell my clients that when dealing with consumer contracts the best approach is to be transparent and up front. In this case they didn't seem to have read their own contract as they claimed that it was 30 miles driving distance as opposed to a radius which you calculate "as the crow flies". Anyway, it's not really about the rights and the wrong of my own particular experience but more about flagging to others so they don't hit the same problem.

Yes should have asked! Lesson leant although you would assume the extra charge would be reasonable. I hope someone can benefit from my blunder. I would also say another 'top tip' was to insure your goods with a third party insurer. We saved a huge amount of money doing this...more than the cost OSS charge to drive 5 miles!!!!

I was in a similar boat although at the time of the move I'd just gone on mat leave and we came back to uk when I was expecting my second baby. How did you feel when you came back for the wedding? I must admit although I felt the pull of grandparents with a new baby on the way now that I'm back I miss the ease of everything over in oz. I miss the beautiful waterfront, beaches, swimming lessons and lots of other things which seem so much harder and less pleasant in the uk. I almost wish we'd come back for a holiday before deciding to move back. I suppose the last place I'd go on holiday though is the Uk so I guess that should have told me something! I look at the photos of my little boy at the playground beach or something and it does make me think I've taken him away from a lovely life. The way we are trying to resolve our ping-pom dilemma is to speak to a counseller to make sure we have worked though it properly. It's all very well for people to say 'just decide' but it's very hard to do - and difficult to talk to family about.

What got me about it was they just would not justify such a massive additional cost to go an extra few miles. I actually had to send them a map image with a radius drawn on it from London to show we were just5 miles over - I spoke to the delivery company a lot about the fact I didn't know where we would settle so you would think they would show us their tariff in advance (hence the lack of transparency) . I had no problem paying a little bit extra for the extra few miles but nearly 700 for 5 miles is extortionate.

Used to live in sandgate, visited redcliffe quite a bit and it's lovely. If you have narrowed down to a few areas you should be ok to target them when you arrive to look around.