Maruska

Either one of you will be fine, you`ll get enough points just due to age :biggrin: and degree. I assume this is for PR visa? It appears that your wife has more of a consistent experience, I think that she should be the primary applicant to give you more points.

At the time of validation I only had a tourist visa. I got my PR 2 weeks ago :jiggy:. AHPRA needs the passport to see the date of entry to Australia (requirements are different for people who have been residing in Australia for more than 6 weeks). Visa doesn`t come into the AHPRA process, I guess they assume since you`re in the country, you are there legally :biggrin:

Same here, I don`t feel at all "christmasy". I didn`t buy any gifts yet either and we usually pick up our tree in the week before Christmas. As a matter of fact, we still have 2 pumpkins at our front door, spider decorations in the playroom and bats on the chandelier:chatterbox:. It`s all going down this week - after I`ve worked on my CV`s, sent job applications, went to work, took care of the kids....... maybe next week then :cute:

Hello Ben, we applied for 176 ( also PR) on 27th June 2012, CO assigned 26th July 2012, visa granted Nov 22nd 2013 so for us it was a long way of 17 months :confused:. The reason was a lengthy security check because we used to live in the Middle East. We applied as citizens of "low risk" country ( USA) but they still determined it was necessary to check. If you`ve never worked, lived or even traveled to "high risk" countries, your visa should be coming next week or so :biggrin:

Hi there, they conduct their own police check, not you. When you go to AHPRA office, you need the eligibility letter, passport and proof of address ( we opened a bank account with an Australian address - friend`s address - and gave them the account statement). We offered our US driver`s licenses and they photocopied them too but as far as I know, 1 photo ID - passport - should be enough. Good luck.

I am wondering if the move is in everyone`s best interest right now. Your daughter has found a place where she`s happy at the moment, your other daughter has a good network of hearing-impaired friends ( although it seems that with her attitude she`ll be able to make friends quite easily again) . Since all of them are Australians, could they sponsor you for a visa in couple of years if you all still want to go? Mental health is no joke, you need to be very careful, especially during the sensitive adolescent period.

Hi, I`m looking for advice regarding a nursing job. We are planning to make the move probably in August next year. A position just came up that I think I might have a real chance of getting ( brand new unit opening, my specialty, several positions required). My dilemma is, if I apply now, isn`t it too early? My resume/CV would remain in the system for 1 year in case of future vacancies. What I don`t want to happen is apply, get the job and be forced to come to Australia earlier ( we already have travel plans in place for the summer). How far ahead is it reasonable to apply?

Some nice photos, I really like the one of Wilson`s prom the best :biggrin:

Congratulation :wubclub:

Thanks for all replies :biggrin:

So I could get a ticket US - AUS with a stopover in Vienna and the stopover could be several weeks long? I didn`t know that was possible, will look into it. Appreciate the advice.

Hi, we will be moving to Australia next year from the US, planning to go in May. We want to visit family in Europe on the way and I`ve read that some airlines sell RTW tickets that might be cheaper than booking separate flights. We need to go Houston - Prague ( or Vienna) and Prague/Vienna - Australia ( don`t have a job yet so unsure where in Australia). Initially we wanted to go Prague - Beirut as well to visit husband`s family but for safety reasons we won`t. Anyone did a long stopover ( about 6 weeks) and than continued to their destination? I am aware that RTW ticket would need to end up in US but it might still be cheaper even if we don`t use it? Any experience/advice?

I`m very much looking forward to visit New Zealand once we`re close to the area . We thought about NZ too but at the end applied to AUS . Deciding factors were job availability, economical stability and no earthquakes in AUS :wink:. We have friends in both AUS and NZ and I could easily see us living in either.

One of the requirements for permanent residency is a chest X ray. If the chest is clear than no problem. He will always test positive on the skin test and that`s normal. Don`t worry, it will be fine.

Beautiful photos , got more? :wink:

We have a fold-out sofa from IKEA that stays in our living room. When we have visitors, we open it up ( it`s queen size) but we put a proper mattress on it ( we take the thin sofa mattress off). The spare mattress stays in our bedroom under the bed when we don`t have anyone staying with us. If you don`t have a lot of space, multifunctional piece could work .

The state of Texas alone donated more than China :daydreaming:

I`ve read that the reason is a territorial dispute between China and the Philippines. Donation is a voluntary thing, nobody can make them give more but it`s strange considering how much they contributed in the past for disaster help in different countries.

Have fun :biggrin:

They are already a huge problem in the countries they immigrated from. They get appalling amount of benefits, usually based on the number of children they have. Those kids don`t usually do well at school, I guess there`s no motivation for them at all, when they see their parents uninterested. And vicious circle continues when they become parents themselves. I remember that not long ago ( maybe 10 years or so), the Roma were claiming that they are being discriminated against in the Czech Republic and they were seeking asylum in UK and Canada. Brits and Canadians quickly found their crime statistics soar while disappointed Roma realized they would actually be expected to work and a large number of them moved back, unfortunately. After so many negative experiences I wonder what the chances are if a Roma person actually tries to break out from the crowd and become a decent society member. I know of ONE, yes ONE. He works as a town policeman and had been working in this position for the last 15 years. He`s got 2 kids that go to school and as far as I know they are well accepted by other kids. Pity that that`s an exception. I consider myself far, far away from racist but I wouldn`t want to live close to Roma neighborhood, wouldn`t feel safe.

Why should atheists congregate in a church when there are pubs and café`s? :err: As for doing good deeds, there are several places available to atheists and believers alike - Doctors without borders, Amnesty international, UNICEF for example.

That beach looks absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy your trip!

As you know from the news, last night the Philippines got hit with typhoon Haiyan/ storm Yolanda for locals. The destruction is unbelievable. Just one month ago they had a strong earthquake from which they are still recovering. Large number of my colleagues are from the Philippines and my very good friend is a Filipino so for me it became somewhat personal. They have a very large expat community in the US so I have no doubt financial help will be soon pouring in. If you consider making a donation, it can be done via Red Cross here: http://www.redcross.org.ph/ here is a link about the typhoon: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

There is, it`s called supportive/palliative care. Means no treatment of disease as such but comfort oriented only - pain management etc. In case the patient becomes unable to make own decisions, the legal next of kin is the one who makes the decision for him. There were several times during my pediatric ICU experience that we offered a withdrawal of support to the parents - meaning that the child will be disconnected from the ventilator and won`t be given drugs to maintain blood pressure ( in cases where it was clear that the brain function is damaged beyond repair). This doesn`t qualify as euthanasia in the US. Young children don`t have a concept of death and don`t understand it. The parent should be the child`s advocate in that case and decide what`s the best thing to do for the child IMO.

Hi Ben, if you`re not looking into emigrating earlier than Christmas 2014, definitely wait until the CO asks for police checks and medicals. When you`re issued a visa, the entry date is ( almost always) 1 year from the police check or medical, whichever was first. Additionally, when your CO asks, you have 28 days to comply with the request so it depends how fast you get the medical/checks call. We frontloaded ours last year and then we had to go through external security checks. They took 15 months to process. Now we have to repeat police checks and medicals ( because the previous ones are more than a year old) and it costs quite a bit ( especially the medicals). Hope this helps.