nicolac34

Well they aren't being charged any tax at the source at the moment. Hopefully their 173 will be through before June 30 and they can have a TFN and do a regular tax return at that point to sort it out. They were advised they couldn't get a TFN whilst on a tourist visa.

My parents have shifted all their money over to Oz already whilst waiting for their 173. They opened a westpac account in the UK (savings and current) and moved the money through a forex company. Once they got here (on their tourist visa) they went into the branch and negotiated the interest rate - as bankwest we're offering a better one. Westpac matched it and said to come back in when it expired in 3 months time to 'see what they can do' as otherwise my Dad will be moving it out to a better rate. The first woman they spoke to flummoxed them saying without a TFN they'd take 40% tax on the interest, after querying this with a second more senior person they are not liable for any tax on the interest. Hope that helps.

You certanly do have to pay it off even if you live in Australia! They've become much more savvy about chasing people down lately, they send us out overseas assessment forms we have to complete yearly and they decide on a set monthly payment we have to make for the year. It actually can work out quite unfair this way, as if you're in the UK the amount you pay fluctuates with your salary, whereas here it's a set amount based on an exchange rate that's set once a year. So for us we are supposed to pay £244 a month - which is today about $465 per month (and rising), if we were earning the same in UK£ we wouldn't be paying anywhere near as much. And they do chase you for it, we didn't pay it in December (because we chose to clear our 19% credit card instead of this 1.5% loan) and I've got an arrears notice through the post already. We'll make up the payment next month, but it's a myth you don't have to pay it. I know plenty of people who are quite savvy and have the money earning more in a savings account, but for us it's $465 that we'd rather have each month. Having debt in the UK whilst being in Oz just doesn't make financial sense if you're at the whim of the exchange rate.

I don't worry about it as such, it's just annoying - and with the exchange rate heading the other way it's getting more expensive. I know graduates are worse off financially nowadays, but we've paid back our share, I had a £12k loan, other half had £12k and another £20k on a LPC course. Not to mention the tens of thousands we had on various graduate loans and credit cards. Being a student was probably one of the worst financial decisions I've ever made and it's taken me 8 years to pay off all that debt. If I had my time again I would go to work and do a degree by Open University or Part-Time, not blowing all that money at once doing it full-time with hardly any income.

Yep. £6,000 loan at 1.45 was $8,700 £6,000 loan at 1.90 is $11,400 We haven't made significant payments off it because husband was out of work for so long, so only just making dents in it now. Thankfully cleared mine so just his to go!

I think using the current exchange rate to compare wages has long been disputed as a reliable way to work out whether it is worth making the move. It all depends on what that salary buys you. I've not noticed any change in my living costs here due to the rate rise. I do however notice the difference in exchange rate when I have to send money each month back to the UK to cover studnet loans. Having debt still in the UK and paying with the aussie dollar has gone from being cheap (at 1.4) to rather expensive (at 1.9). I hope to clear it all by the end of the year, but it's getting harder, my husbands student loan is now $3,000 more than it was when we first came out!

Friendships are a tricky business I find. I don't think I've got anyone I would count as a best friend share-anything with but I don't feel that sad about it. I speak to two friends from school, one I've known since I was at primary the other secondary - both of whom I lost touch with for around 3-4 years somewhere in the middle. We catch up via email and text occasionally and have a good natter when one of us can be bothered to call/skype. I have one other friend who I met at 16 at an old job (I'm 30 now), still in touch but it's hard being over here and continuing a close relationship. Other than that we have a few couply friends we hang out with that we've known for a year since arriving in Oz. Wow, doesn't sound all that many when you write it down - lol!

Moved for the adventure - although was never meant to be permanent. Came on a WHV and still here nearly 3 years later! I think the weather and the beaches sold it to me when it was always so cold and grey in England. I don't get homesick really, but I do feel a bit of a twinge when I know I'm missing out on things back there, like my best friend telling me this week she's pregnant with her first child. I know I'm not going to be a part of their lives and it makes me a bit sad. But I do love living here, so that's the pay off I guess.

Your 2 years with your employer starts when your 857 was granted, the time before on the 457 is irrelevant. So you're still 8 months away from completing that obligation. Search for 875 / RSMS and you should find some threads from other people having left before the two years, no one on here can give you an answer on how DIAC will view it. Edited to add that I'm also on an 857 and have 3 months to go of my obligation even though I worked for 9 months on a WHV before the 857 was granted. I'd love to leave, and I'm looking, but if I can see it through until May I'll breathe a bit easier about handing my notice in.

Myer wont let people buy online? That's bizarre! I know I've got gift vouchers from family in England from Myers. Think my brother used David Jones when they got married in England last year.

Hmmm yeah might be a bit hard to prove defacto if you didn't come to Australia until March 2013 - doing regional work for your second year would have given you more time, and if it is an ongoing lasting relationship then living together for that year would prove that. As it is it does look like gaining sponsorship would be your only option - otherwise returning to the UK with your girlfriend and living together there for a year and applying then for the defacto visa. A student visa could work, but the fees for international students are rather prohibitive - you'd need deep pockets and really this would only be a time delaying tactic until you could gather enough evidence for a defacto visa application.

Ideally yes, but if you can prove you are in a long-term committed relationship - with lots of evidence, then you might be able to. Worth speaking to a migration agent about your options I think. Have a read of this http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/35relationship.htm

If you came over to be with your girlfriend what visa is she on? Is she aussie? If she has PR or is an Aussie then you could get a de-facto - assuming you are still together!

Ugh, I would have been gutted to see that if I was the previous owner!

Well done, that's great news. I really wish I'd had the same information back when I was off work waiting for my visa to come through!

Wow Blossom that's really impressive!! You could market those skills :biggrin: I've a cat I brought over from England, I was quite paranoid about her going out at first and kept her inside for about 2 months when she first arrived. She goes outside now and when I try and keep her in (like when it was 44 degrees at the weekend!) she isn't happy about it. I try to be a responsible owner, she's chipped and registered, yearly vaccination visits to the vet, she's in before it gets dark outside. She doesn't go far from us, but I'm sure she probably does roam in the neighbouring gardens. That said there are around 2-3 other cats around us that also pop into our garden now and again (not for long mind, Milly soon sees them off!) The only think that she manages to get hold of are tiny lizzards, and she doesn't kill them, just brings them back and drops them at my feet. So a cat enclosure, whilst I don't feel it necessary for us, might be what you want for piece of mind.

We were in the same situation, came for a year on a WHV and then intended to go back to England and start again in our home town nearer families. After 4 months I got offered sponsorship and we had to weigh up what was best for us. We stayed, but it was a hard decision and we still aren't convinced Perth is 'home' despite being here 2.5 years and having bought a house! I've always wanted to be in Australia, and being offered PR right off the bat, we figured 4 years wasn't a long time to get citizenship and see where we wanted to be after that. But really, you have to make this decision - if you miss home and friends and family loads then you might not make it - I don't miss people that much!

It's not a bridging visa, it's an application to extend your work rights. Are you going through an agent? If you type in "Extending working rights on 417" into google the first document that comes up is the application. Good luck, my agent wouldn't apply for it for me as he said there was no point (so I had to stop working for 6 weeks) but I have since heard of quite a few people being granted this permission if there is an application pending.

Business class all the way if you can afford it! I've seen older children in business, but not usually toddlers. But if you pay for the seat then there's not much other passengers can do about it to be honest, so if it was me I wouldn't have any hesitation in taking children into business if it meant we all arrived rested. And it's not like children cry the ENTIRE journey, people will get over it, do whatever you want!

I looked a while ago and couldn't find any policies that would cover you in Australia - all the income protection ones were for injury. I have seen adverts recently though.

You get a year to enter from the date of your medicals or police checks whichever is the earliest. Yes, crystal balls would be wonderful! My plan was to emigrate under Company Secretary, but 6 months before I qualified they removed it from the SOL. Was gutted. But where there's a will there's a way - came out on a WHV a couple of years later and got employer sponsored under the same occupation on a RSMS 857 (187 now I think).

MsAKW is correct I'm afraid - it's not as simple to just apply as a lawyer because it is on the skills list, you have to be eligible for admission as a lawyer in Australia before you can pass the skills test. For this to happen your partner would have to apply to the legal board of the relevant state in which you plan to live - he'd have to send all the details of the law courses he's studied, grades achieved and maybe even the course syllabus. Then that society will reply stating what courses/units will need to be undertaken for admission into that State. Once you know what courses need to be completed you can then try and undertake them - I think you are given a year from the date of the assessment to get underway with them. I'm not sure how you go about studying the courses from England, but the Law College of London might be able to help as they also have a branch out here. My husband went through this process with the WA law society, they wanted him to complete 6 additional courses and sit the PLT in Australia (he has a law degree and has completed the LPC in England but hadn't completed the training contract). This was going to cost upwards of $20k which we decided just wasn't worth it. A way around this is to come to Australia on a 457 visa as a lawyer and then study to be admitted once you are in the Country. I know of one person doing this here in Perth, however she was a few years post qualification and specialises in construction law.

What?! I'd be speechless if they fined me for that!

Is that just QLD then? Bizarre law, but then I'd never leave my windows open on purpose anyway. What do they say about people with convertibles who leave their roofs down?!

It's out of date for WA, first time buyers now get $3k for established and $10k if buying a newbuild.