jdad84

really they? Do you have a link to the information anywhere.... that would be ideal for us if it was as i know that will only take a matter of weeks.

Yep, so we currently live in Sydney (NSW) and the new role for me is in Mission Beach (Far North Queensland). My new employer has confirmed they've lodged sponsorship and the visa application today.. They've given me a TRN number but it's not showing up for some reason. The worry is that we know it can take up to 6 months for the 186 to be processed, my wife and I have been apart only for a few days in our 6 year relationship so I think it's going to be tough on us if we have to live in different states for that length of time, especially over the christmas period. It seems though that we'll have little choice as my new employer has now lodged the visa.... Does anyone know if there is anything i can prepare in advance to help with the process.... i found online something about an '80' form? Also, police checks seems to be almost impossible looking at the process to get one of these from the UK, having to get someone you've known 2 years to sign a photograph (we've been in Oz for 9 months now). And it seems you have to use a cheque/postal order from the UK we don't have the facility to do this.... so not sure if anyone else has done a police check in the UK from Oz? I think we both know that for the long term a sacrafice now would be worth it, but even just thinking running 2 homes, how we will afford it and then not being able to see eachother too often is hard to get our head around.

Hi All, Looking for some advice. My wife and I came over in January on a 457 where my wife was sponsored. I've recently been offered a job by a company willing to sponsor me on a permanent basis.... the only issue is the company are keen to get me in sooner rather than later and though we think we have a good understanding of the process we could do with some reassurance as the company are having to re-register as a sponsor with immigration as it's been a while since they last sponsored. So as it stands these are our options: 1) Company to lodge 186 visa - understand the processing time is 6 months, as they are keen to get me to start end of Nov beginning of December this isn't a viable option just now 2) Company to lodge a 457 visa - if we lodge the sponsorship, nomination and visa at the same time it should only take 4-5 weeks which would hopefully mean the visa should be granted by end of November. Once this visa is granted I understand that we can proceed to 186 in two different ways (keen to go with option a so if anyone has any experience of this that would be great, ideally we'd look to lodge this as soon as the 457 is granted) a) using the direct entry sponsorship 186 by completing and using skills assessment b) after 2 years using the transition scheme 3) Company to lodge a 457 visa, if processing takes longer I would still look to relocate end of November as i still have the right to work on my wife's 457 visa.... obviously she cant leave work until the new visa is granted 4) and this one i'm not clear on at all..... whilst the 457 visa is lodged for me we use a bridging visa so that my wife and i can move at the same time..... not sure if there is some sort of guarantee that can be outlined for the processing of my 457 as this would obviously leave us at risk if the 457 for me is not granted. So, that's the story.... i guess i'm looking for some validation of the above, and also any experience thoughts on the easiest/quickest way for me to proceed. We're keen to get relocated as soon as possible but extra keen to get the permanent residency sorted sooner rather than later as we want to start a family and doing that on a 457 i guess is a total new post :-) Also, incase anyne is wondering we can't go down the independent skills route as I'm a Pharmacist so currently not on the SOL. Thanks in advance guys.....

Just to put your mind at rest. We flew out and my wife brought 9 months of her pill. We filled in the declaration to say so and we also had codeine tablets. Immigration were totally uninterested (They're more interested in anabolic steroids, pseudoephedrine, stronger painkillers etc - if you were legitimately prescribed any of these and had a photocopy of the prescription there'd be no issues though as they are prescribable here too, just more likely than other meds to be diverted/sold). If you were to get a photocopy of the prescription I wouldn't see there being any issues if you brought out as much as possible especially considering you can't half of his current treatment on the PBS (If you push you doctor they may write 6 months worth, I would imagine if you explained to your paediatrician the situation here in Aus they'd want your kid to have amply supply whilst you settle, find a doctor, explore treatments here etc).

Just to highlight what the doc said - the quoted part means it must be prescribed under authority, i.e. gp gains the authority to prescribe the medication on the PBS (the doctor applies for this authority over the phone, in some cases this can be done using a code 'streamlined authority') of which your son may or may not meet the criteria. If he doesn't meet the criteria for an authority prescription you'll pay the above private cost (you may be able to get it from $34-45 - this is for a quantity of 30). There is no budesonide syrup available in australia. A quick google found: http://www.ausee.org/ and http://www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/aer/infobulletins/2014/AER_Eosinophilic_Oesophagitis_2014.pdf It looks like the approach over here is rather different as both documents only mention using inhaled steroids (swallowed, not inhaled) of which you'd be looking at anything from $18-$36.90 a pop. Hope that helps. Jamie

Hi Mary, What are the names of the medications? I work in Pharmacy here and can advise on price and whether there are alternatives over here. Happy to help if I can. There's lots of good information here but I'd like to elaborate on some points: * The PBS is basically a list of medications the government will subsidise, anything on the list will cost no more than $36.90 for general patients, or $6 for concessions. Anything listed on the PBS will have a PBS quantity (usually 30 days though some medications come in larger quantities) and PBS number of repeats - Generally you'll get 30 days supply and 5 repeats (6 months on each script) * Many drugs cost less than $36.90, generics (not the original brands) will cost less - many drugs for chronic conditions will cost $6-$20 (per month) - Always Choose Generic! * The 'cap' for medication costs (medications covered by the PBS that is is called the 'safety net' and for 2014 is set at $1421.20 - This is a cap set for the family unit (husband, wife, children under 16 or <25yrs and in full time education) * There is a brand culture for medicines I've noticed in doctor prescribing. for example: In the UK if you have reflux you may be prescribed Omeprazole, over here doctors will prescribe Nexium...net cost for Omeprazole = $9, Nexium = $25-$36.90 The difference between the drugs themselves is negligible for 99% of patients. I'd advise to have an awareness of what you're prescribed and always enquire with the doctor or pharmacist whether there are alternatives (direct generics or alternatives in same class of drug). Hope that helps. Jamie

Cheap CPU, poor graphics, only 4GB RAM AMD are probably not the way to go for CPU these days. Here's a build I found ready made at mwave.com.au - http://www.mwave.com.au/product/mwave-intel-essential-gamer-pc-ab55419 You'd need to buy a copy of windows and a monitor. There's a good community at: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/ where you can clue yourself up on any system you do decide to buy so you can answer yourself whether you can play bioshock at high fps. J

Hi Guys, Wondering if anyone Sydney based has any recommendations for tax agents. My husband and I have been here for 6 months and we will be owed some tax back but keen to get some help for the first year and use a tax agent. There are so many out there, prices vary so looking for any personal experiences/references you can share so we can get booked in and get the ball rolling. Cheers

I find this very unlikely to be true given I've not seen this written in job descriptions, nhs contract or law that a pharmacist must give a morning after pill. More likely is the situation that the pharmacist in question refused to refer someone on to another pharmacy where they will give the morning after pill...which is in opposition with professional guidelines and perhaps their pharmacies nhs contract. Your point still stands however, one's belief should not get in the way of the care of a patient in need. I get the points made of the beliefs of religious people...i've sometimes felt in life that a religious persons belief is held so tightly and so real to them that they cannot accept the mere possibility that someone does not believe...nevermind actually acknowledging the concept of belief in nothing as just a valid position as their own.

All depends on standard of living youre accustomed to and where youre going to live. I dont know camden at all. From experience that will support 2 people based on running 1 car, $500 per week rent, occasional trip to cinema, meal out once or twice a week + saving $1-2k depending on whether there are any big purchases in the month. My wife and i have a very similar set of circumstances and after the inital culture shock and buying stuff for the house weve settled in to aussie life with little stress. Your wife has exactly the same work rights. P.s. we had no issues getting financed for a car 3 weeks after landing through my wifes companies salary packaging scheme. J

UPDATE: So, I found it quite hard to find a job/supervision. Pharmacists are in excess supply at the moment, so applying for a pharmacist position with all of the extra baggage of the supervision and registration at the end of it is a hard sell. I applied for jobs in hospital and retail and began ringing up pharmacies...after a few dozen phonecalls offering to work as a counter assistant/tech and logging my hours with the pharmacy I kept hearing back pretty much the same thing of 'not hiring at the moment' I decided to visit some pharmacies. I approached one pharmacy and immediately felt good vibes from the owner, he just seemed a genuine guy and he wanted to help out. He wasn't hiring but would consider giving me the supervised hours if I were to get up to speed. I made the decision to do some unpaid work for experience. I worked for 6 weeks unpaid and found the experience invaluable. The PBS scheme is so different from how retail pharmacy runs in the UK, moreover whilst there is a large overlap in products there are different products and a multitude of generics 'brands' to contend with and it was a massive shock...for a couple of weeks I literally felt like the first day I'd set foot in a pharmacy and couldn't find anything and struggled with the dispensing system. The process of applying for the supervised practice took longer than anticipated, I missed the march committee meeting and the April meeting was literally 6 weeks away. The supervised practice didn't work out with this placement (but now I'm up to speed have received paid work ongoing from the same pharmacy - they just didnt have the budget to fund me..it may have worked out had AHPRA approved me sooner...but hey ho!). After the palava of AHPRA taking their time and the placement not being feasible I decided (with some motivation from my wife) to just apply for everything out there whether it be a technician post, counter assistant or pharmacist. I struck lucky with a position which is due to start at the end of this month, dependant on AHPRA approving my supervised practice. The only minor detractor being it is 75KM outside of sydney. However the bonus is that I visited the town and it seems like a beautiful place to work. If I were to offer any advice it would be to consider going regional. There are several positions in rural NSW which offer salaries far above what you can achieve in Sydney and the surrounding suburbs and some even offer cars and accommodation. These positions are more likely to consider someone who is not yet registered as there is far less competition. I've managed to confirm the next steps with AHPRA and the big pain in the behind is that after applying for limited registration they state it will be a further 4 weeks after logging hours/sitting the oral exam to register as a pharmacist...this is frustrating as they are 99% the same form/documents except for sending in my supervision log. Anyhoo will update as things progress.

Good explanation....my point being that there is no distinct perpetrator 'cancer cell' like there is with an infective pathogen, its the sum of several factors that results in uncontrolled growth of 'normal' cells. So the idea that one can 'cure' this distinct cell ignores the series of factors that result in a solid tumor, and potentially puts those who are gullible/desperate in an awful position

'Cancer cells' don't exist. Cancer cells are normal cells whose growth is uncontrolled. I would sincerely hope people don't place too much stock in the dietery aspect of cancer, well i mean focussing on it at the expense of all the evidence to the other aspects which have an actual evidence base (genetics, smoking etc).... I'm all for theories/hypotheses...as long as people don't ignore the well established truth of what we know

Sounds good, we look forward to meeting you all. J

I didn't, but now will, thanks pom queen

Hi, My wife (Manda) and I (Jay) will be checking this out and would like to meet some new people: 'Cinema in the Park' - Saturday 8th February at Rhodes Foreshore Park, Shoreline Drive / Cnr. Mary street with food and activities starting from 4pm and fireworks at 9:30pm We'll be around from 4pm, never been to an event like this before but we think it'd be a good place to meet new people, including the lovely people of PIO, whether newly arrived (like us), been here for a while or from Aus. Reply here or in the thread I created earlier if you can make it: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/new-south-wales/204440-sydney-meet-up-rhodes-sat-8th-feb-4pm-onwards-cinema-park.html#post1936430899

Hi Glenn, perfect opportunity if you, your partner and anyone else are free to meet up this coming saturday: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/new-south-wales/204440-sydney-meet-up-rhodes-sat-8th-feb-4pm-onwards-cinema-park.html#post1936430899 'Cinema in the Park' - Saturday 8th February at Rhodes Foreshore Park, Shoreline Drive / Cnr. Mary street with food and activities starting from 4pmand fireworks at 9:30pm Hope to see you (and others there)

Hi, My wife (Manda) and I (Jay) will be checking this out and would like to meet some new people: 'Cinema in the Park' - Saturday 8th February at Rhodes Foreshore Park, Shoreline Drive / Cnr. Mary street with food and activities starting from 4pm and fireworks at 9:30pm We'll be around from 4pm, never been to an event like this before but we think it'd be a good place to meet new people, including the lovely people of PIO, whether newly arrived (like us), been here for a while or from Aus. Leave names below if you're free:

Thanks for the tip Slean - we've got travel insurance to cover the year as part of the visa requirements. Fingers crossed I won't need to investigate whether were covered. Thanks for the compliment Paul, lifted my spirits after... Job seeking - Day 8 Today started with me visiting a nearby shopping centre which has 4 pharmacy shops in and around the centre. I introduced myself, chatted about jobs and how I need to do 152 hours under supervision and handed in my resume. * pharmacy no. 1 - seemed positive and receptive, a really genuine bloke who'd just taken over The pharmacy a year ago and grew the business. His only concern being the time investment in getting me up to speed but said he'd take a look into it as he has several pharmacies. * pharmacy no. 2 - the store manager said they were pretty quiet with work and it would be unlikely there'd be a position but would speak to the partners in the business to see if they could give me 152 hours. She said if I was registered there'd be plenty of work. Ironic! * Pharmacy no. 3 - owner wasn't present - handed over in my resume * pharmacy no. 4 - seemed to be a family run deal - handed in my resume anyway The guy from pharmacy no. 1 suggested it may be easier to get into hospital. I'd have thought hospitals wouldn't be as flexible as owner ran pharmacies but I rang 2 local hospitals anyway and although neither could support me I got some valuable feedback I.e. I need to know the PBS (pharmaceutical benefits scheme) inside out to be considered for a position when I do qualify. There are tons more pharmacies to try...I just need to be more organised so I can visit/call more each day. On a side note I have a really good feeling about the first pharmacy...if I don't hear back tomorrow or the next day i'll chase it up, even willing to do a week or two unpaid so I can show that I can pick things up easy enough and convince the owner I'm worth the investment (and get some valuable experience). Overall a positive day but my insecurities over my skills and ability to get a job are niggling away at me. As my wife says though...this is only day 1 on job hunting. I need to stop being so melodramatic!

Keep an eye out on 2ndsworld.com.au, they do new, factory returns and demo models - the savings are worth it since if you buy instore you can inspect what you're getting (which we did), also found jbhifi to be comptetitive when shopping around for prices. Ikea is comparable if not a little cheaper than UK, if you're just starting out you can certainly do things on the cheap. I'd definitely say that if you're willing to shop around things are comparable in price, so whether or not you ship depends on how much stuff you've got, the condition etc...which only you can decide if it's worth it (We shipped over a few trinkets in a suitcase which cost us 200 GBP for 45kg of stuff. Good luck on your move.

The costs of car ownership on the face of it seem higher, but if you take fuel costs into account and less depreciation it seems like swings and roundabouts? in which case 'expensive' is probably true for the UK if you find it expensive in oz.

How much a food shop costs depends on a couple of things: Would you shop around or do all shopping in one store? Must you have the brands or are you happy to try own brand where it is more expensive? So far (7 days in) we've been to woolworths, coles, local food market and butchers and find that the bigger supermarkets are generally more expensive than the UK, however the local food markets and butchers can be cheaper or equivalent to the UK. I've read forum posts which have over-exaggerated how much more expensive it is, and I can only assume someone did all of their shop in the one store and went exclusively for brands. Some items like breakfast cereals, eggs, bread are more expensive but even then if you're willing to switch brands it's really not that bad. I listed a few things we bought during our first week in sydney in this thread: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/reccie-arrival-reports/203744-4-days-after-touching-down-sydney-first-ongoing-impressions.html Utilities - electric looks a bit more expensive, gas I can't fathom. Fuel - $1.50/L so approx half of what you pay in the UK

Sounds good, we'd be up for a meet-up.

Food shop - Day 5 Boring but necessary, day 5 we needed to fill the shelves. Being savvy shoppers at home we were anticipating the shop to be more expensive than it was. Don't get me wrong, our local supermarket is coles, and for fresh produce they have some shocking prices (fresh produce can be 2-3x more expensive when converted at 1.8 aud to 1 gbp) however there's an asian fresh food store next door 'O'riens' which was actually pretty awesome to shop in for: 1) the variety of fresh produce, some of which we'd not seen before 2) the quality 3) the size of the fruit and veg (melons and cauliflower were giant!) 4) the price - comparable to what we'd be paying in the UK Also found there were several butchers for meat - I eat a lot of chicken back home and usually pay 5-6gbp per Kg, there were 2 butchers outside of coles selling around 5 gbp per Kg and even coles were around 6gbp per Kg -as a side bonus beef and lamb seems cheaper too. Here's a list (not exhaustive, didn't keep all receipts) of shopping on day 5: Sugar 1Kg $1.99 Passata 700g $1.89 Maris piper potatoes 400g $0.99 Honeydew melon $4.99 (HUGE) Bottled water 600ml x 12 pk $2.99 Beetroot (jar) 1Kg $3.99 Onions 1.5Kg $2.49 Bananas 1Kg $1.99 Carrots 1Kg $1.20 Cauliflower $2.99 (HUGER) Apples red delicious 1Kg pk (4) $1.99 - half the price of coles, apples seem expensive generally Capsicum (red peppers) 1Kg $2.99 - again less than half the price of coles, peppers are expensive Tomatoes 1Kg $2.99 -as above, more expensive in coles Cashew nuts - unsalted 500g $6.99 half the price of the UK - love it! Broken rice 1Kg $1.89 Spaghetti 500g $1.19 Fusilli 500g $1.19 Pre-packed salad $3.49 Eggs 12pk $4.49 more expensive sweetcorn $0.91 Pepsi max (cans 24 x 375ml) $1 bigger cans - as cheap as when on offer in UK - can continue my pepsi addiction! Pepsi max (2l) $1.99 Milk (2l) $1.99 Chicken breast (2kg) $20 So far happy with shopping in Aus - prices rarely more, sometimes less, a lot the same. Day 6 & 7 - flat-packed Day 6 my wife started work - a relatively unspectacular day for me, visited the local pharmacy to enquire about job opportunities and spoke to the pharmacist in charge who seemed receptive though said he'd get back to me when I email my resume (didnt have ability to print my resume - regret not being organised) Day 7 I waited in for some repairs to the apartment and an ikea delivery of our new sofa, managed to pop out in the morning and have my degree and documents certified by a justice of the peace, whom operate in the mall and in librarys on set appointments each week all across Aus. Handy if like me you need to send in documents to the AHPRA, the service in the UK can cost anything from 50-250 GBP. I also managed to pick up a printer from Dick Smith's for $39, a bargain...even if I did have to return to buy a USB cable (it's in small print on the box it isn't included - which I realised when I got home and tried installing it..doh!) I've now printed off my resume and a covering letter, day 8 I intend on visiting a few local pharmacies to try find some work. Impressions after 1 week: My wife and I are loving it so far, the only niggle being that I'm jobless

We bought an apartment full of goods in sydney and found prices to be suprisingly good*: *Disclaimer: I shop around to find the best prices Fridge Freezer (whirlpool 420L) $645 (not sure if you can find an equivalent in the UK) Couldn't find a UK model for sale My wife assures me it's worth 600GBP as it's extra wide/american style Beko WMB651441L Washing Machine $459 Couldn't find a UK model for sale Samsung F8000 55" LED LCD TV $1999 (+$150 for 3 year warranty) Currys UK price 1999GBP SAVING approx 890 GBP Ikea Kivik 2 seater sofa + chaise longue $998 UK = 625GBP SAVING 127 GBP Navman Move50 sat nav GPS $71.20 (with lifetime maps) Couldn't find a UK model for sale It's suprisingly hard to find UK prices as google defaults to finding Aus shops...but overall I think australia gives the UK a run for its money if you're willing to shop around.