nicolac34

Agree with Dusty, the first few months are the hardest as you just don't know what stuff should cost so you end up paying more. Is $90k before or after super? If you aren't paying off any debt with that I'd imagine you'll get buy ok. Won't be able to have loads of money for savings or holidays, especially if you factor in school fees and any children related activities, but you shouldn't go hungry. We live in a 4x1 in the suburbs and run 2 cars (although one sits doing nothing most of the time) and drive to work: Broadband $99 2x paygo mobiles $60 Foxtel $132 Health insurance for a couple $320 Home insurance (buildings & contents) $124 Electricity $120 Gas $50 Water $100 (but renting you will just pay usage, so shouldn't be this much) Parking $135 Fuel $200 Food $150-$200 p/w for 2 adults and 1 cat Car regos x2 $1,174 per year (so $97 per month) Car insurance x2 $850 per year ($70 per month) Car services x2 approx $500 per year ($41 per month) Extras we pay for: Gym x2 $230 Cleaner $200 Life/income protection insurance $80 Rates (only if owning) $1,400 per year paid in 4 installments of $350 Wow, it's only when you try and write it all down you realise how much you spend! Our mortgage is higher than $550 per week, so in actual fact we need $5,590 a month to break even which is around the $90k mark. Factor in that we also have a car loan ($355) a student loan ($450) and a professional studies loan ($450) and you quickly realise how you need to earn quite a bit here to enjoy living.

It expires on Sunday and you don't have another visa? 1. No idea, but sounds suspect. 2. No bridging visa will be issued you'd have to leave before Sunday to not overstay illegally. As an aside though, you worked 12 months for someone on a working holiday visa? That has a 6 month limitation on it, doesn't matter if it was for another subsidiary, if its the same parent company (which it sounds like it is) then it's all the same - might raise some serious questions when you apply for a 457.

So would you include one when applying on a Company's website directly? If it's just an upload documents tab for degree certs etc, would you also put a covering letter on there?

Some very happy news to report! Mum and Dad had their 173 Visa granted yesterday!!! :biggrin: Can't believe it has FINALLY happened! Timeline for all those still waiting: Visa Lodged 16/08/2012 Visa Acknowledged 09/09/2012 Case Officer 19/02/2014 Medicals 27/02/2014 Request for payment & travel plans 20/03/2014 Flew out to Fiji 25/03/2014 VISA GRANTED 26/03/2014 ​So from lodgement to visa grant in 19 months - phew!

Parents have had their request for payment yesterday! The CO has requested payment and travel plans as they have to be out of the country for 4 working days - so looking at flights now!

Ok 186 is different - he can leave on that one, it's a moral obligation to stay rather than a visa condition - much better!

There's the "genuine effort" bit - he'll have to prove that he's done everything in his power to continue the employment. Maybe speak to Fair Work Australia about the bullying aspect? Speak to HR/Manager about what is happening? Get some kind of record that he has tried to address the situation but that nothing has happened. Look at it this way, if immigration come knocking and want to know why he didn't continue employment is he going to be able to back up why? Or is it going to be his word against theirs?

That is true for 186's not 187's CAN THE RSMS VISA BE CANCELLED? RSMS visas can be cancelled by DIAC if the nominee: does not start employment within six months after the visa is granted; leaves the position within two years of starting employment for reasons within their control. Visas are not cancelled where genuine effort has been made to complete the contract. The onus is on the employer to inform DIAC if the nominee does not commence / complete the two year employment contract. Failure to inform DIAC may impact on the genuine need assessment of future RSMS nominations.

If you search for RSMS or 857 (the old visa number) you will find a heap of threads all asking similar questions. Basically if he leaves his job before his 2 years are up his visa COULD be cancelled. There is no definitive answer on here I'm afraid and I would certainly not take the word of some random person at immigration. It's clearly stated in the Migration Act that immigration has the power to cancel the visa if the employee does not fulfil their obligations. People have been in similar situations and have left their jobs and have been investigated and haven't lost their visa - but that's not to say someone won't be the first. I'm on an RSMS and have wanted to leave my job since the visa was granted, but I wasn't confident enough that it wouldn't all end in tears and my visa would be cancelled. So I've stuck it out and I'm now 7 weeks away from completing my obligations. Can't wait.

Lodgement date and acknowledgement date are different things. So my parents physically lodged their application at the visa center on 16 August 2012 but didn't receive acknowledgement (letter/email) until 6th September 2012. In all timescales it's the acknowledgement date they use to calculate how long you'll be waiting. My parents have only just received a case officer - 19th of February 2014. They've now done their medicals, police checks and Form 80 and are waiting. So acknowledgement date to case officer was 17 months 2 weeks. Still waiting for a visa grant at the 18 month point I'm afraid.

Yangebup, near Cockburn Central station

Misplaced reputation? Unknown suburb to most immigrants? No 'top' schools? I can't see it featuring in the top suburbs to live anytime soon, but for affordability, potential growth and 20 minutes to the CBD we think it was a good buy. The neighbours are nice and welcoming, no noise on a night, people say hello in the street and the gardens are well maintained. Schooling might be be the thing letting it down - but year on year it's improving, and we don't have children so not a factor right now.

Is 23 km far out though? I'll admit when we first moved from Subi it seemed like the end of the earth, but really it's 15 minutes on the train from the CBD and 15 minutes drive from Freo. In Subi our landlords wanted $565k for our damp run down 2 bed flat - too expensive for us at the time.

I also don't consider my 4 bed house on 700 sqm 23km south of the city, 3km from a station and 3 km from the beach a hole and we paid $420k 12 months ago. You just need to look harder.

Haha - maybe! Although my car has never set on fire due to only being serviced once a year.... and I do check the oil regularly to make sure there is some in there.

Rego is your road licence and tax effectively - you also get 3rd party insurance with it. Can pay 6 monthly or 12 monthly and it depends on the type of car you have as to how much it is (I have a Mitsubishi Lancer and it costs me $260 every 6 months). Then you've your insurance on top. There is no MOT here so you just pay to have it serviced. The seem keen on doing it twice a year here, but I still take it just the once. Service cost me about $200. Sorry - also you have to pay stamp duty when you by a car - a percentage of the value. They send you a bill a few weeks after the purchase.

Hmm I don't think I'll be convincing him somehow! He wants some addidas ones as they are the only one's that work with his 'style' of play.... or something.... wasn't really listening to be honest!

Haha my husband disagrees - he's desperate for some rain!! He started football training again last month, been going to training sessions twice a week, came back last night with his hard ground boots wrecked and split already. He's going through those type of boots so quickly - another $150 to fork out, he blames the lack of rain!

Go Matilda is a reputable agent that is used by many people on here (including my parents), I would give them a call and discuss your options. I wouldn't be using one based in Switzerland - you need to check whether they are MARA registered. Have you looked into what the fees would be if you did it yourself?

Do you have an employer to sponsor you? As you need that before you can apply for either of those visas. If you do, then go for the RSMS as it's a permanent visa and gives you more rights. $10k is a lot though, I paid $8k a couple of years ago (well my employer did).

That would be true. I used to commute from Windsor to Chiswick on the M4 each morning - would take me an hour + to get to work, crawling all the length of that stupid bus lane (was better once it was removed). So for me the Kwinana really isn't that bad.

In my experience it looks worse than it actually is. Can't comment on the Mitchell Freeway as I'm coming up the Kwinana in a morning. But our 23km commute from around the Cockburn area to Subiaco takes us about 40 minutes in a morning. We generally leave the house between 7.30-8.45 and get into work at around 8.10-8.20. If we got the train/public transport it would take us a lot longer and cost the same, so we drive.

You have to change the location of your phone in your itunes account and resync it. Go to your account in itunes, find settings and set the location as Australia. It will ask you to update your payment details to an Aus card as well. It does mean that some UK apps may not function - although I think with mine it was only the Sky News app I had to download again from the Aus app store.

My Dad is 58 on Monday and Mum is 56. Medicals booked for Thursday, earliest they could get in! They're now flying out to Fiji at the weekend and are debating how long to stay.... how long is a piece of string!

Not at all, it's nice to hear some positivity as it feels lacking sometimes!