MacGyver

In Australia I've tended to notice on the hottest days of summer that shopping centres and cinemas are very busy (or people stay home). It seems counter-intuitive, but its similar (and opposite) to the UK where shopping centres and cinemas are very busy on the wettest, coldest days of winter (or people stay home). Yes it gets a bit hot sometimes but people adjust and can hide in the aircon for a month or two, much like you can hide indoors with the heating on in the UK during the coldest winter months. As marissa says, humidity is the killer and I personally wouldn't consider renting anywhere in Sydney without aircon as it makes summer nights so much more pleasant/bearable.

2 hours ago, Phunt said:

A refusal is most likely but it gives us time to figure out another option. Lovely to see everyone’s not on here to further their own agenda. Lol

You misunderstand concern, for an agenda. I am not an agent, I'm just a pleb that made mistakes and learned from it. As I said above, I spoke with an agent in Australia that told me everything I wanted to hear and I was so delighted I almost wasted $8k based on their bad advice. If wrussell has felt compelled to comment several times it implies an issue with your current strategy and it really is worth considering his comments.

Search through the forum over many years and you will find repeatedly positive reviews/comments about the services of wrussell and others that post on the forum. They offer a lot of free advice and of course do so in order to advertise for paying clients, nobody is foolish enough to think otherwise. But that doesn't mean the concern isnt genuine, nor the advice bad. In any event, initial consultations are free so its challenging to see the risk in getting a second opinion. Who knows, they may have suggestions as to how you can make an application without returning to live in the UK. I dont know, but they will.

Good luck with whatever you decide and I hope you have success as I know from personal experience it is a very stressful situation to be in.

If wrussell is unsure of this visa strategy, it's worth taking notice of his query.

In the past we took what we thought was good advice from an agent in Australia (MARA registered) which turned out to be extremely flawed advice. We then consulted Wrussell who helped us develop a new visa strategy that led to a successful application. Wrussell is among many agents that regularly post on here who have excellent reputations (others include paulhand, raul senise, alan collett). Given wrussell has queried your strategy, it may be worth consulting him (one of the other agents) for advice. Initial discussion is normally free and invaluable, with ongoing fees outlined at that time.

I say this as someone that came very close to spending almost $8,000 on an onshore partner visa that would have been doomed from the outset due to the visa my partner was on prior to the application.  

I don't know about the tax implications, but from a practical perspective you could look at transferwise borderless accounts for salary payment. You could get paid in AUD into your Australian account and at the click of a button move it into your linked GBP account.

I use this setup for travel purposes as the card functions as a local visa debit card in various countries. I think it was originally designed for use by contractors/freelancers so they could be paid in various local currencies. Revolut offer a similar service but I find transferwise better.

Might be one less hurdle to overcome as you won't need to convince your employer to pay you in GBP but will also have instant access to funds in your linked GBP account.

Just to add to Marissa and Quoll's comments - we packed anything that might need inspected last. The idea being they could open the box, find it immediately and not have to hrow the contents around looking for it. In the end we were fine but might be worth leaving the snacks as the very last thing packed so that they are easily accessbile to quarantine

31 minutes ago, Chris 2020 oz said:

It's a big box. Top and bottom box weigh 360 kilos together. I can split them. Bottom box is 222kilo. I'm going to go for a large cube. Get some friends to help lift it. 

When we used the movecube there was a maximum weight limit. We missed this/didn't realise until the driver sealed the cube and said they go straight to weigh it. Can't remember the limit though, maybe 1.25 metric tonnes (I think). In the end we were just under but something to be mindful of if loading heavy items inside

Perth is beautiful and the 'isolation' often mentioned isn't noticeable in day to day life. The only time it becomes an issue is when you want to go for a short weekend trip somewhere as there are no (city) options nearby. For me, thats what it lacks. If Perth was on the East Coast it would be very difficult to beat. Or if there was another large city on the west coast to visit for a change of scene every now and again. It has beautiful beaches, fantastic weather, incredible wineries, very easy pace of life. If it just had another city like a Brisbane, or Sydney or Melbourne a few hours flight (or a long drive) away it would be perfect. Yes its close to Singapore, Bali etc, but the absence of another large population centre nearby means less interesting towns dotted across the countryside between cities (in my opinion) with a few exceptions.

You could also delay your travel to Australia and apply for a 309/100 partner visa offshore. 

I've become pro migration agent over the years but particularly in the current climate I would consider an initial discussion with an agent. They will be able to advise on strategy to keep you right.  A partner visa is not a small financial investment and solid professional advice is worth it

2 hours ago, Indu1 said:

Hi all, 

My friend will be travelling to go to the airport once restrictions are ease and she have three kids. Can anyone suggest is there any taxi company in perth who can supply two or three baby seats and she will need a big taxi because they are five passengers plus surfboard and lot of luggage. Thank you heaps

I am unsure if any companies provide baby seats. But I believe that legally taxis are able to transport children Under 7 without baby seats. Whether that is safe or not is up to parents to decide, but it is legal in taxi and rideshares.

If you are asking for safety, my answer isn't helpful. If you want to know that your friend will be able to travel, I believe they can. Maybe call Swan taxis (13 13 30) or a competitor rideshare company and ask, just to be sure. 

43 minutes ago, Lavers said:

Thanks for the info.

I am going to contact home affairs today and make sure that we are good to travel.

I checked the flights again last night and if we fly Manchester - Melbourne its £3100 which is a lot better than the £4400 for Manchester - Adelaide.

I like the idea of driving between states and it gives us chance to take in some of the scenery.

I will definitely bear the 14 day isolation in mind and look for somewhere more spacious for the kids.

I can't speak for SA, but in WA grocery deliveries (Coles and Woolworths) seem to be mostly back to normal now. A lot of businesses have also adapted to current conditions with fresh veg, fruit and meat deliveries, even some places delivering beer/wine etc.

If you're reasonably central you'll also be able to make use of uber eats, Deliveroo etc for weekend treats. They're doing no contact delivery option where they leave it on your doorstep, knock the door and step back a few metres. That would allow takeaway treats without breaking isolation.

Unrelated, I don't know if you have banking set up for arrival. A good temporary option is to open a transferwise account while in the UK and order a card. It then allows you to open borderless accounts with local bank details for whichever country you choose, all using the same card. It would enable you to use that card as your local bank card until self isolation is completed and you are able to collect bank cards from your bank. Or alternatively you could arrange to collect from Melbourne after quarantine I suppose.

Yes you will have a mandatory 14 day quarantine in Victoria on arrival from overseas. The simplest solution would then be to buy/hire a car and travel to South Australia.

By chance I was reading the SA guidelines last night (very exciting life I have). As far as I understand it, interstate travellers are required to self isolate for 14 days rather than spend time in enforced quarantine. You have to show documentation that you have a suitable place to do this and will take the most direct route there. Police apparently take deatils and do spot checks later. 

So if you were able to book a nice Airbnb suitable for the purpose (spend a bit more to get more space, a garden etc) then you could provide that documentation on entry to South Australia.

I wouldn't count on flights interstate for a few months (although if they do become available you could cancel the car hire and book a flight instead. Avis etc take no up front fees for car hire so you wouldn't be out of pocket).

Edited to add - I'd be inclined to email the relevant authorities each step of the way to "confirm" you are ok to enter based on the above. That would then give you written documentation to present en route/at border checks if required.

1 hour ago, john29 said:

Thanks Ali.

I've sent a few emails out to some that where recommended in another thread but I'm unable to send messages to members on here.

Presumably I need to accumulate a certain amount of posts before I can do that?

I think you need 3 posts before you can send private messages. Reply to this with a one word answer and see if that gets you over the line

On 18/04/2020 at 00:07, Sunseeker20 said:

Due to move in July...the idea was to let the kids finish their school year.  I have a job in Oz to start 1st Aug.  Sold our U.K. home and currently in rental.  Partner resigned and will likely be on furlough for rest of notice period until end of June.  I’m a key worker so still working.  2 removal firms we got quote from now closed, the third has upped their quote by nearly £1000!!  We need to book flights that tie in with removals.  As it currently stands will have to do 2w quarantine on arrival in Melbourne then another 2w in Hobart (we are migrating to tas).  Currently thinking we will need to leave end of June to make my job start deadline but it’s really scary with 2 kids as well not knowing what the situation will be when we get there.  If they relax quarantine where do we stay if hotels all closed?  Airbnb’s shut so can only get a proper rental so how do we managed in an unfurnished apartment for weeks until our stuff arrives if shops are shut??

no point staying in U.K. now house sold and jobs resigned.......

regarding quarantine - it seems extremely unlikely this will be relaxed by June and press conferences with the PM suggest border closure (and therefore quarantine) will remain in place for at least 6 months, possibly longer. 

As others have said, a number of stores remain open in Australia. In Perth IKEA remains open, as do JB hi-fi (electrical goods), David Jones (department store), Kmart, target etc etc. If Tasmania is similar you should be ok for buying household goods. Chemists are open, same with supermarkets and some retail outlets.

I live near a hotel in Perth and there seems to be a regular supply of guests. From where I have no idea, possibly FIFO workers from the mines, but the hotels remain open. 

On 18/04/2020 at 16:37, Alrsv1 said:

Apologies if this has been asked before.
Current situation is that I'm in the UK and my wife is stuck in Australia, we had just submitted our UK spouse visa application and had the biometrics scheduled but then it got cancelled due to them closing the VSF visa centres... now stuck in limbo, like many others I'm sure.

My question is can my wife travel to the UK for a visit (assuming she can get a flight) whilst we have a pending application in place?

The visa agent we were using suggested we could but then went off-grid and I assume is not working atm, and never got the chance to clarify.
I wasn't sure if a pending application means you have done the biometrics part or not, we have not yet so she still has her passport.

Just wondered if anyone had done this or knows what the regulations are.
Would love her to visit as who knows when this will all be over but don't want to do anything that may jeopardise our application.


Thanks in advance and stay safe people.
Al.

I don't want to give bad advice as I'm not an agent, but when we previously applied for a UK spouse visa for my partner, we were told that she should NOT attempt to visit the UK while the application was processing. I am not confident as to the accuracy of this, but we also used an agent (UK based lawyer) who seemed quite competent at the time.

I realise my uncertainty isn't helpful, I just know how stressful the process is and would hate to see any issues arise for you.

This forum was always my primary resource for questions and queries and is far superior to any others I found, but I also made use of another forum where a couple of posters had good knowledge of the UK application process. It might be worth having a look there too. It was a forum for british expats, google will know.

4 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

Also worth taking into account that the UK Foreign Secretary issued a very forceful call yesterday that all UK citizens overseas should return as soon as physically possible.

This basically means the UK Government is saying it's your choice if you choose to stay away from the UK, but if you choose not to heed our warning we won't be breaking our backs to help repatriate you if required.

I would think very carefully about where you would want them to be in a months time when they are no longer covered by the medicare agreement for treatment of a British person because their visitor visa has expired. The safest thing to do here is to return home...

It may be tricky/almost impossible for them to get home even if they wanted to, given airlines grounding their fleets and borders closing. If the whole family is self isolating and staying home (Which it sounds like they are), it may be safer to stay put.

Very tough call, I'd personally be worried about any family members with health issues flying anywhere at the moment. 

Reading between the lines it sounds like the border will be closed completely in the near future. If the decision is to travel and it's at all possible, I'd look to do it asap:
 

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/coronavirus-all-australians-should-return-home-from-overseas/12065050

What part of Australia are you heading to?

7 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

Please can u tell me how to do this

Raul is a registered migration agent and like others on this forum, gives a lot of free and helpful advice. For detailed information on the application process (if the infromation cant be found online as suggested above) it would be best to contact him (or other agents) directly to discuss their fees (which I'm sure are not excessive for what you describe). 

3 hours ago, Toots said:

It reminded me of a friend of mine whose parents came to Australia from the Ukraine after WW ll.  They thought that they were going to Austria and couldn't understand why they were put on a large ship.  Nobody could speak English and after the chaos of everyone getting on board they realised that they were heading for Australia.  They were newly married and only 20 years old.  

I dont suppose they ever wrote about their experience? Sounds like a fantastic story I'd love to read about

A migration agent telling you what you need to hear is worth ten migration agents telling you what you want to hear. 

I wish you well in your journey but please seek opinion from more than one company before parting with your money

3 hours ago, Quoll said:

Actually, check in in Australia couldnt give a toss about your UK passport, they will only want to see your Australian one.  One time I did have a newbie on the check in desk and for some reason she thought we needed to link our UK and Aus passports - I have no idea what that was all about but she went off with them (and her supervisor) and then assured us it was all OK - gave us duff information that we could actually exit on our UK passports because they had been linked.  Never had that problem before or since. 

As the OP is going to live in UK it would be confusing for them to enter UK on an Aus passport and get it stamped with a 6 months visitor visa, it's very easy to just change passports during the trip, I've never had an issue.

My mistake, I missed the part about going to live in the UK. Apologies

As others have said, take both passports. Show the checkin desk your UK passport (to evidence you can enter UK), show your Aus passport at border control (or whatever it is) on the way out of Australia. On arrival to UK use your UK passport at immigration.

When returning, show your Aus passport at the checkin desk to evidence to the airline you can enter Australia and show your UK passport at whatever border control there is on the way out. On arrival to Australia use your Australian passport at immigration/border control.

Sounds complicated but its very straightforward

Edited to add - you can also just use your Aussie passport the whole way there and back since Australians dont need a visa to enter the UK as a tourist. Tehcnically you should do the above but for ease you could just enter the UK as a 'tourist' and stick to one passport. You should also be able to update your passenger info online prior to travel?

Speak to Westly (wrussel) above, he's very good. You'll get a free consultation and excellent advice on possible options/pathways available to you. 

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I'm astonished at McGyver's list.  For proof of relationship, we supplied our marriage certificate and that was that!   For UK address, just a letter from my sister with no proof of her ownership of her house.  However that was four years ago, so maybe they've got a lot stricter in the meantime. 

Good point about the bank statements - the bit about them needing to be on the bank letterhead, not just printed off the internet, is true. 

Hi Marissa,

Our application was for an unmarried couple so the evidence requirement may indeed be less extensive for a married couple. I remember reading about it at the time but can't for the life of me remember at the moment.

I was also surprised at the burden of evidence for the accommodation requirement. We tried very hard to avoid the council tax evidence, property inspection report etc, but eventually chose to take the advice we were given. The lawyer (as opposed to agent for UK purposes) felt very strongly about including these documents given previous experiences with clients. Much like Australia these days, it seems the Home Office is becoming very strict with meeting the evidence requirements, with no second chances given.

I would only add that we eventually enlisted the support of our MP due to delays in processing and discovered that MPs have a contact number to escalate issues to the home office. Within one day of contacting our MP the visa was granted (32 days total processing time)

Edited to add - the property condition report can be undertaken by the local authority/council area. My brother made contact on my behalf and within 1 week they had completed the assessment, the cost was minimal in the grand scheme of it all. This is to evidence "suitable" accommodation, primarily in relation to size of property and number of occupants

On 29/01/2020 at 11:45, John Lomas177 said:

Hi All,

 

Having just joined this forum, I've not had much time to filter through past posts so apologies if this is a repeat topic!

My family and I are facing the prospect of abruptly leaving OZ after 3 years due to visa/job difficulties and have chosen the UK as our destination. I'm a British citizen but my wife and kids are South African and thus will require visas. I've discovered that the spouse (settlement) visa takes 3 months to be processed, does anyone know if this can be expedited quicker? We have been married for 14 years so it certainly isn't a marriage of convenience but I'm assuming this doesn't affect the processing time? One last question, does anyone know if it is possible to enter the UK on a visitor visa and then apply for the spouse visa? I am assuming not but awkward (but practical) questions like this are not addressed on the gov.uk website pages!

Thanks

John

I posted this in another thread, it is an indicative list of evidence required. Working through the list gives an overview/idea of the requirements for the UK spouse visa (note - this is for an unmarried couple, using emmployment to meet the financial requirement). I am not a professional in this field and the information below was provided to us during our own application. I found the process less clear than the Australian spouse visa process, although the UK process is much quicker. We also paid for the 30 day priority processing (not cheap!!):

1. Financial Documents

Current Employment (Australia):

• Sponsors bank statements dating back six months from the date of your application showing receipt of salary;

(You can print these from banking service provider’s website or ask the bank to print them.  If, however, they are not on original headed bank notepaper, the bank MUST certify (stamp) every page or provide a signed letter on bank headed notepaper confirming that they are genuine and authentic.)

• Sponsors original signed and dated employment contract;
• Sponsors payslips for the six months immediately prior to your application being submitted;

(These payslips must be either (a) original formal payslips issued by his employer and showing the employer’s name  or (b) accompanied by a letter from his employer, on their headed paper and signed by a senior official confirming the payslips are authentic.)

• a letter from Sponsors employer confirming their employment and gross annual salary, the length of employment, the period over which they have been paid the level of salary relied on in the application and the type of employment.

New Employment (UK):

• a letter from the new employer which confirms the job offer, the gross annual salary and the starting date of the employment which must be within three months of Sponsors return to the UK; or
• a signed contract of employment, which must have a starting date within three months of sponsors return to the UK.

2.  Accommodation

• a recent Council Tax letter for the property that the Sponsor owns in the UK (NOTE - accommodation owned by friends/family may be used to meet this requirement with some exceptions);
• either a copy of the Title Register from the Land Registry for the property (which can be downloaded online for £3), or a recent mortgage statement to prove ownership of the property; and
• a property inspection report. 

 [the above can be replaced with a letter from eg a family member with whom you will stay, plus the above documents showing they occupy the property, plus a property report showing it does not exceed occupancy limits]

3.  Relationship (requirements for married couple may differ)

• photos of the couple together over the course of the relationship;
• six items of correspondence addressed to applicant and sponsor at the same address as evidence that you have been living together from the date you first started living together up to a maximum of two years*;
• evidence of communication between applicant and sponsor over the course of your relationship;
• a letter from the applicant regarding your relationship and a letter from the sponsor confirming that he/she will support you when you are here as his/her partner; and
• statements from friends and family to support the fact that you are in a genuine relationship. 

*I understand that you might struggle to find six items of correspondence addressed jointly but that you can evidence multiple official documents from individual accounts at the same address.  This is fine.  For example – you can submit four items of correspondence in joint names to the same address and two items addressed to each of you at the same address so that, in total, eight items would need to be submitted.  Or, as another example, you could submit two items of correspondence in joint names to the same address and five items addressed to each of you at the same address so that, in total, twelve items would need to be submitted.  Note that the dates of the items of correspondence should be spread evenly over the whole period you are relying on and should be from at least three different sources.

4. Additional Documents

• Applicants current passport;
• Applicants previous passport(s) if any;
• Sponsors passport;
• two recent and identical passport-sized colour photographs of applicant with your full name written on the back of each;
• one recent passport-sized colour photograph of the sponsor with his/her full name written on the back.

5. Appendix 2

• A completed Appendix 2.

I often read (valid) opinions that if you dont eat healthy in the UK, or spend much time outdoors, you therefore wont in Australia. While I partially agree with this, something that is often overlooked is how the climate impacts on your desire to do these things, rather than an ability to do them. You have beautiful countryside for long walks in the UK and healthy foods are abundant in supermarkets. The difference I found though (particularly living in Scotland) is you sometimes dont want to eat healthy or go outside. When its cold and miserable your body demands inside warmth, lots of carbs, hearty meals. In parts of australia, the heat can make you desire different things and you want to eat lighter meals wtih smaller portions, you want to get out into the sunshine etc.

For me thats the difference, not the ability to do those things, but rather the natural tendency to do them given the respective climates. My Australian diet is far, far healthier than my Scottish diet. My Australian lifestyle is far healthier than my Scottish lifestyle. I'm the same person, I want to be healthy in both places, I just find it comes more naturally in Australia.