Happyviolet

I insured with Petsecure when we arrived last year and I would not recommend them, although they seemed good on paper. Having now needed to submit claims I am finding their customer services telephone response times very poor. I write this as I've been on hold for the last 33 minutes and counting, and calls I've made to them in the past month have been similar. We first submitted a claim posted on 26 January, with the first acknowledgment from them dated 26 February. They did not respond to emails I sent during that time, and did not call back to follow up when they said they would. My Aussie vet has said that her impression is that pet insurance companies seem to offer a less good service here than in the UK. I'm considering changing companies - does anyone have any good experiences to share?

Would you be able to share the tips for encouraging lorikeets? I see lots around but they rarely stop here. We had a pair of (I think) king parrots a couple of weeks ago, and we get sulphur crested cockatoos regularly. There are also a pair of crested doves which are quite sweet, and a pair of galahs stopped for a snack the other day. Love them all :-)

Hi littlekitty, I'm currently in Aus on an e676 which I applied for here (in Aus), when it became apparent that the 309/100 wasn't going to be granted before my evisitor expired (I already had this from a trip last Christmas - didn't expect to be back here so soon!!). I checked with my CO and spoke to someone in immigration here first, but all was straightforward, applied online and granted in less than 24 hrs. No problems coming in on evisitor originally, I didn't get asked a single question!!

I agree with Galahad about the house hunting. We found lots of places didn't mention pets in the advert, including the one we're in. When we looked round we didn't mention the dogs until we'd had a look round, spoken to the agent, and convinced him we were excellent potential tenants! It turned out there had been dogs here before. We are in suburbia, but not that close to the city, and in an older area where the blocks tend to be a bit bigger.

Hi, We moved to Sydney this year with our 2 lakeland terriers so can't help with Canberra specifically. We found a rental that was happy to have them with no problem, I think you just need a bit of luck! Lots of people here do rent with dogs. Exercising has been a bit more difficult, I hadn't really realised how many areas around where we are are national forest, and therefore "no dog" zones, or are "on lead only". One of ours is rather antisocial, and both have dreadful recall, so dog parks and off lead areas aren't really great for us anyway. Most of the ones I've seen aren't huge in any case. I would look online for dog clubs in the area you're looking at, for example there is a NSW beagle club that does social walks, and the places they go are on their website which has given us some ideas. Ours are doing fine with little off lead time away from home, although they are obviously smaller than yours! Lots of people here seem to manage, so it seems likely yours would cope. We couldn't have left ours behind, although the financial cost is definitely high. As an aside, have you got the rabies vaccinations underway? We moved unexpectedly at short notice and this caught us out! Best wishes

I just had a short paragraph, only about 3 sentences. Said we'd supported each other through some difficult times at work in particular. That we are both committed to supporting each other now and in the future. And that we'd been lucky to have enjoyed generally good health. It is all a bit cringy, but writing the statement brought back some good memories, many of which didn't make the final draught ;-)

We're with Shannon's too, also after a recommendation from Iron Chef. Not needed to use so far but they've always been very friendly and helpful on the phone.

We brought our tent and all our other camping stuff. Cleaned as well as I could - large tent in the house, not easy! - then spritzed with diluted dettol. No problems getting through customs. Agree that it seems a bit hit and miss what gets checked. I actually brought our dog leads and things in hand luggage as I needed them up to the end anyway. Same treatment with cleaning. I declared them and customs started asking if they could have a look, but as I began unlocking all my excess baggage (at 6am) they just asked me to confirm I didn't have any dog food items and waved me through :-) My wellies got packed for shipping by accident, fairly clean but not disinfected and no problems. Bikes were fairly new and clean and no problems there either. Good luck :-)

Hi Snifter, I applied onshore for 309/100 in June and am hoping for a grant next month :-) Re your questions: I'm pretty sure I sent my passport and a full birth certificate. I applied for the full birth certificate online, was fairly cheap and arrived quickly. 309 v 100: Some case officers seem to say well in advance, mine didn't but I rang at about 4 month mark and have been told 100. Married 7 years, no kids. Onshore v offshore: My migration agent and case officer have both said I have to be offshore (I'm currently onshore on a tourist visa). I agree with what you say about the wording, and as George said, think that perhaps it applies only if you are granted a 100 a couple of years after the 309. It sounds like you have plenty of evidence already. I submitted similar, but no photos and only 2 stat decs - mother in law and Aussie friend who'd lived in UK. I only sent copies of my current and most recent passport too. You'll heave a huge sigh of relief when you finally drop it in the letterbox!

Hi, All very variable! I've been here since August, and actually feel quite settled, although perhaps not quite at home. I'd moved around in the UK a little in the couple of years before coming here which I think has helped! A friend has been in NZ for 5 years, and having just returned from hols in UK, felt she was going home this time! Car: Bought second hand in 1 week. Rental: Found a place the weekend we arrived. Had keys within 2 weeks. (We were on a bit of a mission with both these!) Job: Husband had one to come to. Some colleagues of my husband took about 6 weeks to find a rental, they were probably fussier than us and perhaps had a wider search area to begin with, but we also got lucky! We'd narrowed down areas online and had a pretty good idea what we were after, and what areas we felt we could compromise on. Some other colleagues have just arrived and found a place to live in about 3-4 weeks, got the kids into school in 2-3, once they had an address. They had also researched areas, particularly in regard to potential schools. It is possible to do things quickly, although it's hard work and can be stressful. And the jet lag doesn't help. Satnav is invaluable to me too. But it's all worth it IMO. Good luck :-)

Thanks for all the feedback guys :-) And M2M - love the website name "deadfleaz" lol

Hi Shelley, Yes - I love it :-) Hope this continues when I start work, it's obviously less stressful being a lady of leisure! Really happy with our rental house and our suburb. Husband has great work colleagues so social stuff going well. I've joined a bushwalking group who are really friendly, and also started an art class. Have found both through the free local paper delivered weekly. Love the big gum trees and all the birds here. There are lots of differences, things I didn't expect, like house layout and style I found odd when I first visited. Shopping is different too, have found prices vary greatly from shop to shop, product to product, and what specials are on at any give time, so am mostly using local grocer, butcher and IGA supermarket which are within walking distance. Occasional trips to Woolworths in the car. This is fine at the moment when I have plenty of time.... Also means I'm never sure what I'll come home with as I tend to get what's best value! I'd had a few holidays here but had only spent 48 hours in Sydney when we accepted the job, so didn't exactly know it well! Thought Brisbane was lovely when we passed through there, I'm sure you'll be fine!

Hi Shelly, Are you applying for the spouse visa 309/100? I'm currently waiting for mine to be processed! Totally agree with the advice about just getting started - it seems really daunting, but it is do-able! My best advice would be to get going with it and submit as soon as possible, as the processing times have gone up this year and I believe are now 8-9 months :-( I've actually entered Australia on a tourist visa while I'm waiting, but will have to leave when it's ready to be granted. Obviously this means I can't work at the moment though! Good luck, Fiona

Hi, I've seen a previous thread about heartworm prevention, and our dogs are covered for that by an annual jab, but wondered what others were using for flea, tick, and worm prevention. In UK we used Advocate which was a monthly topical treatment for fleas and worms. Here the vet recommended Advantix for fleas and ticks, but it's needed fortnightly for the ticks, which obviously increases the overall cost! He gave us a separate worming tablet which was fairly cheap. Would love to hear any effective and cost efficient combinations that anyone has found! Thanks, Fiona

Re registering dogs, don't know if it varies from state to state, or council to council. For my local council in NSW I looked up the process on the website and gave them a ring to clarify a couple of things, then: Took them to the vet as soon as out of quarantine. They scanned their microchips and filled in a form to certify this. Also got a letter saying they were desexed. Easy for the boy! For our little girl he was happy to confirm based on scar and lack of development. It might be worth getting a letter from your current vet if this applies while you're still in UK. Downloaded and filled in form from council website to register a companion animal. Took everything to the council office. Needed to fill in another form as the microchips were from UK and not linked to any Australian database that identifed an owner! Paid $40 per dog and got a receipt. (This is a lifetime fee. It's more for dogs who aren't desexed) Got paper certificates in the post a couple of weeks later. A bit convoluted but relatively painless. And the staff at the council were really helpful.

Our dogs were fed on Advance in Sydney quarantine and seemed fine on it. I think if you want them to have something different it's ok to order it in Aus online and have it delivered to the quarantine station. I've been buying food from Petbarn here in NSW - it's similar to Pets at Home in UK.

I believe it's much quicker to get a partner 457 than the 309/100 partner visa so the processing time you've been given may be correct. Good luck :-)

We used PetAir, they would be able to give you a quote based on the size and weight of the dog. There are several other companies too which people on here have used.

Thank you :-)

From reading posts on here, the dogs seem to cope better than we do! I was really impressed by the quarantine officers looking after ours in Sydney. Our "family" will hopefully be complete tomorrow when we pick up (fingers crossed) my husband's Subaru! We also had a few months apart, it seems like a distant memory now! Fiona

Hi, I remember how excited I was when our dogs landed in Sydney a couple of months ago. The time in quarantine went really quickly and they coped fine. It'll seem no time at all before you're all back together :-)

Hi, We have 2 lakeland terriers who both seem to suffer from separation anxiety. They survived the flight here to Sydney (arranged by PetAir) and the quarantine period just fine and are now happily settled into their new home. I was so worried about them, and really needn't have been. Good luck!

Brilliant - thanks! Has anyone ever had to pay duty on things they've ordered from overseas?

Managed to speak to my new case officer last night (RN, replacement for MC). Contact number was on MCs answering machine message. She was really patient and helpful. Not able to give me definite grant date but hoping for about 6 months after my application date in early June. She said I can apply for a tourist visa (I think 676) and stay onshore (my evisitor expires at the end of November!). They will notify me by email when it's ready to be granted and I can make arrangements to leave. It wouldn't matter if I was onshore on that date, the 309/100 visa would be activated when I left and I'd then come back in on it. And she told me it would be a 100 - hooray :-) Ems4321: Re granting 100 vs 309 I believe they look at length of relationship, but not sure if other factors are also taken into account. We've been married 7 years. Re working on WHV while waiting for 309/100 to be processed, I'm not sure.

Hi, Wondered if anyone could help answer this question? I'm currently in Aus on an evisitor waiting for my 309/100 (applied offshore in June) to be processed. Done through agency (via husband's work) but not finding them very helpful or proactive - just declined to give me my new COs contact details :-( When the visa is ready to be granted how much notice will I be given? I obviously need to get offshore but don't want to book flights if the date is then going to change. How have others managed this? Also just to confirm that if a 100 is granted that I still have to be offshore? On the immigration website http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/partners/partner/309-100/how-to-apply.htm it says "You must be outside Australia when: · you apply for this visa · your Partner (temporary) visa (subclass 309) is granted. You may be either in or outside Australia when your Partner (permanent) visa (subclass 100) is granted." - is this just if the 100 is granted a couple of years after your 309? Thanks, Fiona