DeeTowers

1 hour ago, Chortlepuss said:

Hi - Has anyone experience of transiting Singapore Airport with controlled drugs? We are heading back to UK from Australia for a holiday and will be stopping at Singapore - my son is on some pretty heavy medication due to bipolar/ADHD - some of which is not allowed into Singapore without permission. We are not leaving the airport and will get Dr's letter and ensure all medication is labelled - anything else we should be wary of? 

Many thanks for any advice 

Hi there, Not Singapore but I traveled to Mauritius in May carrying Tramadol and Endone (which is prohibited there) and had to get permission from the Mauritian Health Minister to bring them into the country prior to travel. I was given written authority and then had to declare it in the red channel upon landing, then they let me in with it. I also had to carry a Dr's letter and a copy of the original prescription too.

 Appreciate its a different country but I would check with the Singapore health authority on what the process is especially if it is prohibited there. Good luck  

Does the $120k include or exclude super? if its included that annual salary will be 9.5% less = $108,600 per year.

We are originally for the UK and after over 7 years of living in Sydney we are looking to move up to the Gold Coast and was looking for feedback/recommendations of best places to live.

We are a married couple in our 40's, no kids, love being outside and eating and drinking out too. We have a 2 bed townhouse on the harbour in Sydney's Inner West and are looking to cash in, up size to a pad with 3/4 beds, modern, pool etc.... 

Have been looking at properties online in Broadbeach Waters, Mermaid Waters and just wondered what the areas are like or if there are other we should be looking at.

We are spoilt with the Sydney ferries, pubs, bars, restaurants on our doorstep and we love walking out and about in our neighborhood along the foreshore, bur we have been to the gold coast many times and have always said we would like to swap city living for beach living.

With the money in our current house and being able to do our jobs from anywhere we though early next year was the time to change. Would love to hear stories/recommendations good or bad!

Thanks

We opened accounts with ANZ in the UK, transferred money over and then went into the branch when we arrived to collect cards etc...

https://www.anz.com.au/personal/bank-accounts/moving-to-australia/en/

We stayed in a villa with private pool in a place called Niramaya - You can book direct with them or some of the villas are privately owned and advertised on Stayz.

Nice Balinese style villas, 5 min drive from the main town. Fully equipped and amazing to chill by your private pool.

We got taxi's or Ubers to town if we were going to be eating and drinking out - Very cheap for the short ride in.

Oh for the kids (and the big kids) cane toad racing at the Iron Bar in town!

Enjoy

All done - We are now proud citizens!

Applied - 11th Nov 17

Interview/Test - 31st Aug 18

Ceremony - 17th Oct 18

14 minutes ago, whtzau said:

are you from council of city of sydney ?

Inner west Sydney

On 09/10/2018 at 14:56, whtzau said:

Hi mate, congratulation, may i know when you received ur letter of ceremony invitation ?

Can't remember exact date but beginning of Oct for ceremony 17th of Oct.

However I got a letter yesterday saying my citizenship was approved and the next step was for a ceremony which could take 6 months - This letter was dated 31st Aug but only got it yesterday, i had already received my invite to ceremony..... all around the wrong way!

I knew i was approved though as I logged into my immi account on the day after my test and it changed to approved that day.

Applied - 11th Nov 17

Interview/Test - 31st Aug 18

Ceremony - 17th Oct 18 (Next Week..... Ekkkkkkkk!)

Sydney NSW

1 hour ago, ahad12 said:

Even my husband is still waiting, he appeared on 16th aug

Wowzers! All the best!

16 hours ago, Zet01 said:

Mine was approved after 2 days, husband got his approval 20 days after.

Are you from which state? Ours is in Victoria.

Congrats on your approval, hopefully your husband will get his approval soon.

Ahhh that's good to know that they have not singled him out! 

Thank you - NSW - Sydney

Congrats too!

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

That's the common belief, but I suspect some of it is the health funds (and the government) trying to scare us all into getting private health insurance.

For instance, I lost my voice and was referred to a private throat specialist.  He was a horrible man, but he diagnosed a possible cancerous growth and was about to book me in for an op.  He asked me what health fund i was in and when I said I didn't have health insurance, he said, "In that case I'll refer you to the public system".  I didn't trust or like him, so although I thought it would mean a long wait, I decided to take the referral.  Only three weeks later, I saw a doctor at Randwick Hospital. He diagnosed a fungal infection and I was right as rain in a couple of days.

Another example - I had a spinal fusion, too, and I also went to a private neurosurgeon.  I'm very happy with the result even though I was out of pocket almost $10,000.  However, just a few months later, my friend's father had exactly the same op on the public system.  He waited four weeks, and it cost him absolutely nothing.

So, while I'm sure there are long waiting lists in the public system for some things, it's by no means true for everything.

That's really interesting to hear - it was my doctor that said it would be quicker and gave me 3 neurosurgeon names to choose from so I did my research and went with the best but all 3 their admin staff said they were private only.

I am glad I had it done quickly when I did but it would have been interesting to know if I had done it public how long I would have had to wait. I know I will need more at some point so will keep that in mind - thank you!

Glad you are ok and the throat thing was not a growth! How wrong could he have been - yikes!

Like i said it took me ages to understand it all, perhaps I never will ha ha! 

All the best!

Did my interview and test on Friday (31Aug), 100% on the test and my immi account changed to Approved straight after. My husband did his yesterday (3 Sept), 100% but he is still showing as received in the immi account. Both the same application, same country, same docs etc.... weird!  

To give you some other context I have had 2 spinal surgeries in the last year and was refereed to a Neurosurgeon who does not work in the public system - most don't but if they do there will be a long wait.

Medicare have codes and set fees for each procedure and rebates you 75% or 85% for that procedure depending on your status - Your private health fund is there to cover the remaining 25/15% gap - However a specialist can charge whatever they like so for example my first surgery my surgeon charged over $7500, I got about $2800 back from medicare and my private health fund. Also there was the anaesthetist, assistant surgeon, etc... who all charge their own fees - so after claiming back from medicare and from my private health fund I was still out of pocket just over $9500 for one procedure - not to mention the many CT scans too!!

My private health fund did pay fully for a private hospital room, the theatre, intensive care etc... for a one off excess of $450.

Due to the severity of my spinal symptoms, waiting was not an option - 2 weeks later and procedure number 1 was done. 

8months later I did it all again..... I have spent a lot of money but I have had the best Neurosurgeon and team look after me and have not had to wait in crippling conditions for the procedures. If I was in the UK I would still be waiting for my first procedure on the NHS.

It took ages for me to get my head around it all as I had private healthcare in the UK which covered everything with no extra out of pocket expenses - the whole medicare/health fund/Gap thing took some understanding to say the least!

We had a set fee which didn't include the visa or flights, they paid for them separately. The fee was to set ourselves up here whatever way we wanted to - we just had to spend the money from our own pocket and claim it back which didn't take long at all.

We used the money for the first 3 weeks accommodation and then when we got our rental (which we paid for) we furnished it fully with the relocation money. This meant we came with just checked/carry on bags and cases (10 in total).

We rented out our UK home and put our belongings and furniture in storage until 5 years later when we sold the UK home and purchased here.

We (husband and I) got emails about 24 hours apart inviting us for our interviews and tests in Sydney - I have mine booked for this Friday and his is on Monday - we linked the applications and asked for the ceremony to be together so lets hope it is!!! ha ha! 

6 hours ago, crunchy said:

Hi Guys , 

Anyone waiting for a test invites fro November 2017 ? I applied in last week of November and haven't heard anything since .

 

Yes I applied 11th of Nov, got an email earlier this week for tests beginning of Aug - Sydney CBD.

• Applied 12th Nov 17 
• Email received today (13 Jul 18) with test date on the 3rd of Aug 18
• Moved Test to the 31st of Aug as we are away.
• Sydney CBD

Nearly there

1 hour ago, Melanie GW said:

The first post on here, think it might become my second port of call every day following my daily date with the immiaccount website!

Our timeline is as follows. Arrived in Oz on hubby's 457 visa in Feb 2015, and applied and nominated for 186 visa (transition pathway) both on 18th April 2017. 

Have just uploaded details on the spreadsheet, and noted it seems to average about 6 months+ for the application to be approved.

I think the worst part for us is the waiting, as you can't plan your life until you get the decision, and it's so difficult as that decision will impact on you for the rest of your life. So, I'm hoping that as I'm writing this post, the case officer, who will eventually be assigned to us, is just about to open our application. I can but dream!

Wish everyone on here well in the old waiting game!

How is everyone else coping with the waiting?

Hey @Melanie GW - Welcome and congrats on lodging your PR sponsorship! Sounds like your 457 journey was pretty smooth and now you have PR in your sight which is amazing and doesn't always happen for a lot of 457 holders. It took us 3 x 457's and 5 years before we could apply for PR due to redundancies but we go there and its an amazing feeling!

We got ours last year and were prepared for a long wait 6-9 months which they were saying but for some reason it took 3 months and 2 days from submission to approval - I have no idea why, maybe luck was on our side OR they picked up the wrong file - All i know is that feeling of PR granted is the best!

Stay strong!!!!!

10 hours ago, Zatara80 said:

Thanks again,

Been reading up on everyone's stories so far and appreciate all the information.

We won't loose anything by going except a little bit of inconvenience should we have to leave Australia, we are treating it as a once in a life time work/extended holiday experience, we are cautious and will keep up to date with any changes and seek necessary advice should we need to.

Would be really nice to hear from any UK Social Workers who have relocated on this VISA and get a feel of how your experience has been so far.

Sounds like you have your head switched on and have done your research etc.... exactly what we did! We treated it as a temporary experience but I won't lie, the longer you are here and the more settled you are it's hard to face going back if you have no other choice - we were close to it twice! 

We have not paid for any of our visas and still had 2 redundancies - when we moved here with the first visa we too had a full relocation package so came here with the clothes on our back (and several suitcases), no furniture or anything as we used the package for rent, car, furniture etc.... my husband was only a few months in when he got the redundancy news so it doesn't matter how much a company has paid for you, if they don't want you or it's cheaper to offshore your job then they will do it regardless. 

All the best and I hope it all works out for you - enjoy the adventure!! :-)

14 hours ago, Zatara80 said:

Hi Everyone,

My husband has just passed the final stages of securing a job with the Department of Victoria as a Senior Practitioner Child Protection Social Worker, there is a very generous Relocation Package on offer for him and our family, however, the only thing that is slightly concerning me is the 457 Visa.

As non residents, we will as I understand from researching have to pay about $5100 AUD/child for school fees (we will have 2 children) and no access to nursery fee rebates (1 child).

McArtur agency has now offered to help me (the spouse) find work in a criminal justice field (I have 10 years working with the police and a Criminology degree) in order to help alleviate some of the worries of not being able to secure work on a 457 Visa.

We are a family of 5 and husband will be earning $89000 AUD with the possibility of upgrading his job title and earn in the region of $109000 AUD, this might sound much (or not) but don't feel much if you take into consideration the cost associated as a non resident with three young children. Therefore it would be paramount for me to secure work ASAP in order for us to survive until we can secure permanent residency.

My understanding is that we will have to wait 2 years whilst working in Australia (my husband at least) before we qualify to apply for permanent residency, but I am wondering if there is a better way once we are out there to apply for permanent residency straight away?

We just got an offer on our house so could afford to finance the Visa once the house is sold but it seems there will be a lot of financial sacrifices for the first three years that we arrive in Melbourne, Australia.

I am not even sure we are making the right decision but with Brexit looming, I do not think anything else could be much worse than to watch the UK crumbling into an absolute abyss.

Any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated, in order to make our move to Australia both financially and emotionally less stressful.

Many Thanks!

Hey there, Sounds like an exciting time for you but as a previous 457 visa holder I would strongly recommend not selling your house if you do not need to - Can you rent it out? 

You know the 457 is temporary so will not harp on about that as you have done your research but what if you do not get PR? What if your husband gets made redundant and cant get another sponsor???

I speak from experience, we came over 6+ years ago on my husbands 457 and within months they told him he was being made redundant. The only saving grace was that it was not immediate and he had 6 months to help them transition the department overseas and then would need to leave - he also was offered a golden carrot for staying the 6 months so we stuck it out and in the last couple of months he started looking for a new sponsor - If he didn't get one we had 28 days to leave!

Thankfully the company I worked for (defacto 457) agreed to sponsor me for my own 457 so we did that and I became the main visa holder and husband the defacto - We were saved! YAY...................... nearly 2 years went by and I was about to speak to my company about PR sponsorship via the pathway (had to be on the 457 for 2 years in the same job/company) and guess what.... I was made redundant!!!! Thankfully the rules had changed and we have 3 months to find another sponsor or go back to the UK.

My husband had been with this employer on the defacto 457 for 2 years since his last redundancy and spoke to them about being sponsored for a 457 - and guess what they sponsored us ........... Are you keeping up? We were 3 years in and on our 3rd 457, but the clock for PR started again as it was a new 457/applicant /company.... it meant we could not apply for PR for another 2 years and had no idea if the company would even sponsor us for PR after that time.

We decided this was our last shot, we loved living here in Sydney but it was too stressful and the uncertainty was awful - We knew the pitfalls, we knew it was not permanent SO we rented out our UK house, put our furniture in the attic and shed locked away from tenants and put our car in storage - IF it all failed in OZ we have EVERYTHING to go back to albeit jobs. I would never come out here on a temporary visa and selling up - there is too much risk but most people think it wont happen to them - we thought it would not happen to us but it did and were were covered if we had to leave.

Anyhoo..... that's my 457 story but there was a silver lining - After 2 years on his 457 visa my husbands company sponsored us - We got our PR!!!! We have since sold our UK house and have our own piece of Sydney real estate - Loving life right now!

So not only do we have the experience in the pitfalls of the 457, we are also a success story in gaining PR from a 457 albeit with a bit of stress along the way! By keeping the UK house and all our possessions it made the stress easier knowing we had it all to go back to.

If you can rent it out I would strongly recommend it as security especially with children, but I know some people can't due to personal circumstances.

All the best and enjoy your journey!!!!!! 

Hi DeeTowers, is your home country in low risk country list? That's really Quick

Yes Low Risk

Fair Enough!! Did you or ur employer request for priority processing.

No, all docs, medicals and police checks were submitted all at once with the nom and visa on the same day - they only asked for one extra thing on the 11th of June when the nom was granted and we got the visa on the 1st of July.

To be honest we were expecting a 6-8month wait and didn't know they were picking up March files so we are thankful for the short turnaround.

May I know ur occupation?

Management Consultant

Any PR grant today?

 

is that true some feb files got PR in Just 3 months

It does happen, my nom and visa were lodged 29 March 16, nom granted 11 June 16 and was asked for some additional info, visa granted 1st Jul 16 - 3months 2 days. Have hope people!