Wanderer Returns

Thanks for the clarification - most appreciated.

That's helpful - thank you for that. I was just concerned that my wife's visa might be cancelled after they had received her application. I recall reading something about needing a 'bridging visa' somewhere if you wanted to go overseas, but maybe that was misinformation. It would seem that the best time to go away would either between now and the test, or after approval and waiting for the ceremony, but not between taking the test and waiting for approval - as you have said.

My wife has recently applied for citizenship but we haven't heard anything yet. Is it okay to go on an overseas holiday in the meantime, or for that matter at anytime during the citizenship process up until the ceremony? Her British passport and RRV are well in date. I had a look at the Immi site and there doesn't seem to be any restrictions, but further clarification on the matter from those in the know would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

A couple of quick questions, and apologies if this gets asked frequently but I wasn't able to find answers by searching the forum. I am currently helping my wife complete her application for Citizenship Firstly, is it okay to request the Citizenship appointment in a different location to ceremony? On page 12 of the online application form I have entered the preferred citizenship appointment location as Maroochydore because we live on the Sunshine Coast. Then on page 13, I have named the applicant's local council as Brisbane because that's where my wife wants to attend the ceremony. The reasons being that we'd heard the citizenship ceremony takes a really long time on the SC due to a backlog of applications and infrequent ceremonies. However, I was wondering if we should just make it Brisbane for both the appointment and the ceremony in case it looks a bit odd? Secondly, is your birth certificate required for the Citizenship application? For the first identity document (page 18) I have entered my wife's QLD driver's licence, and her bank statement for page 19 (evidence of residential address). For the second identity document required on page 20, it gives the option of 'Full birth certificate' or 'Other'. I have selected 'other' and entered her UK passport details because her birth certificate is in a language other than English, so we'd need to get it translated. I'd heard other people say that you definitely needed your birth certificate for the Citizenship application but unless I have completed the application form incorrectly, it seems like you don't? Many thanks in advance for clarification on these points.

Absolutely. Be my guest...

I certainly wouldn't argue with a RMA, but when I log into my wife's ImmiAccount there's a link to request visa cancellation.

I read the thread, Einstein - I was actually the first one to comment on it. The OP stated he is looking to travel to Australia with his family for Christmas, and later on that his wife is desperate to visit her family there. Your initial question and subsequent ramblings about exemptions weren't relevant because they were about leaving Australia - not travelling here. This was already pointed out to you on several occasions by Marisa, although you didn't seem to be able to get a grasp on that as you were too busy bagging the Australian government. I agree, renouncing one's citizenship or cancelling your a permanent visa is a drastic measure, and one that most people would never consider, but I was stating it's an option if the government wouldn't allow you to leave otherwise. If you never want to come back here to live, then what have you got to lose? (That's rhetorical, by the way) My original point still stands. It's poor show hijacking someone's else's post and then arguing with others about unrelated topics. Just start you own post in future. If you're finding life hard in Australia then God help you when you return to the UK - you attitude stinks. Although I believe they need a few truck drivers by all accounts I'll pipe down now.

And quite rightly so. I'd ordered from M&S online so was excited to receive an Aus post text saying it'd arrived after about 2 weeks, but when I returned home the package was for someone else who live a couple of streets away. I took his parcel around, so at least one of us was happy. My socks and grundies turned up about 10 days later

@Mmmbop In all fairness you would have known this had you taken time to read the thread from the start, rather than hijacking someone else's post for your own question. It's fine if the question is closely related, but clearly not if it leads to antagonistic debate about an unrelated matter. I've been a PiO member for nearly a decade and I've found it to be an invaluable source of information, and most members extremely helpful. Of course, if you come here looking for an argument then you will surely find one, but that's true of any forum. I appreciate not everyone is happy with Australia's travel restriction policy and some see it as an infringement of their civil liberties, but I'd suggest the 'Chewing the fat' section of the forum is the best place to discuss that. Any naturalized Australian has the right to renounce their citizenship, and any permanent resident can apply to have their PR cancelled - after which they can leave these shores without any restriction. That option has always been available to those who wish to leave Australia permanently, which makes the whole discussion about obtaining travel exemptions irrelevant. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/cancelling-a-visa

For state schools, check the ICSEA rating on the MySchool website. Any school rated 1050 or above is usually a decent school in a good area. https://myschool.edu.au/

Good move! I'm sure you won't regret it. There aren't many bad suburbs in Brisbane (it's not like Sydney and Melbourne), so it does comes down to what you can afford. Be warned there appears to be a distinct lack of affordable rental accommodation in S E Queensland at the moment (if you listen to the media), so I'd plan in advance. What's you rental budget? North-west and western suburbs are the most affluent, but not that far west that you reach Ipswich - that's a place to avoid. Also avoid Inala, Springwood, and Logan - and any suburbs in the surrounding areas. Brisbane is 1 hour drive from the northern end of the Gold Coast or 1.5 hours to the Sunshine Coast, so many choose to live half way between to be closer to the coast for the weekends. However, once you get into the Morton Bay areas (either north or south) it can get a bit rough - particularly the schools - so that's worth bearing in mind. This map is a few years old, but it might help with the suburbs.

Actually, that would surprise me very much because with the exception of NSW and VIC, the rest of Australia has contained the spread of the virus extremely effectively - even the delta strain. There's a much lower population density across the rest of the country, remember - Sydney and Melbourne are something of an anomaly in that respect. And if you tried to get across the NSW-QLD border at the moment without a permit, you'd pretty much be shot on sight!

They don't. The airline verifies this with the Australian Department of Immigration when you check-in at the UK airport. It took my wife 45 minutes to be verified, so he will need to arrive at the check-in very early. Booking Business of First Class flights seems to be the only way of ensuring you don't get bumped off. I wouldn't book flights with any airline that hasn't been flying to Australia in the last 18 months, and there aren't too many of them; Qatar, Emirates, for example. We faced the same dilemma just over a year ago. I was in Brisbane and the wife was in the UK. She finished work on the Wednesday, the shippers came in Thursday and Friday, and she was on her way to Manchester Airport on Saturday morning. You father is going to leave his job anyway, so I don't see that being unemployed for a week or two as being a major issue. He could end his lease after he was due to fly, so if the worse came to the worse, he'd have a short-term roof over his head (albeit an empty one). There's no easy way around it really - it's a case of paying your money and taking your chances.

You are very fortunate to be able to afford to do that, but I think that for most folks a visit out here every 2-3 years would be the norm. Hope it won't be too long before you get to see your new grandchild in person

Totally. People miss what they can't have in that moment in time - it's just human nature.

Yes, I can imagine - my wife and I were separated for 6 months last year due to this whole sorry mess. We thought it would only be a couple of months at the time, but then there was that 3 month lockdown in the UK! I wonder when all this is over just how many people will return to Australia permanently from the UK - and vice versa?

My mum and I were thinking of doing something like that about 15 years ago, and when we looked into it I recall the whole 'gift with reservation of benefit' issue cropping up. In addition, there's always the danger that the offspring might end up with financial problems, get sued, or simply decide to turf the poor ageing parent out on the street - stranger things have happened!

I don't think there's been a supply issue from the beginning if you didn't mind getting the AZ jab. The problem here in Queensland was that the centralized booking system was a complete failure, and most people ended up booking their vaccinations at a local surgery.

To be honest I think the Australia government would still be pushing 'covid zero' as a policy if it wasn't for the current outbreak in NSW and VIC, which clearly isn't going to be contained through lockdown measures. It's sad that there are now people dying every day, whereas Australia went without any fatalities for months, but at the same time I think it's been the wake-up call the nation needed to get everyone vaccinated.

Same here. We wanted to go to NZ in January but we'll be lucky to get to Tassie at this rate!

The statement yesterday is great news but I think you are really jumping the gun here. It's a classic 'Scotty from marketing' statement from the federal government in the light of growing criticism and political pressure to reopen Australia to the rest of the world. The reality is that here in Australia the State Premiers run the show - not the Prime Minister. QLD and WA are light years away from reopening at the moment - even to other states. When they eventually do, I'm pretty sure hotel quarantine will be on the cards for a long time to come because being fully vaccinated doesn't mean that you still can't catch the virus, and pass it on. The Premiers are first in line of fire, and when they get it wrong for whatever reason the media doesn't hesitate in hanging them out to dry - as we've just seen in NSW. People overseas don't appreciate the covid mindset here, which is probably about where the UK was this time last year. There are a significant percentage of people who'd be happy if the borders never reopened! Personally, I'd not be booking any flights here at the moment unless I was returning to Australia to live permanently. There is a huge backlog of permanent residents and citizens who are also desperate to return, and they will likely be given priority over visitors when things finally get moving. If you're going to throw caution to the wind and book flights anyway, then make sure you do it directly with the airline and ensure your tickets are fully-flexible and refundable. Sorry to rain on your parade, but honestly, I'm telling it like it is.

Oh that's good - it'd seem likely you won't have any issues with FIRB then Having recently purchased a property here, I'm reasonably informed on available concessions. The $15,000 Queensland First Home Owners’ Grant is still available, but you only get it if you are buying or building a new house, unit or townhouse, valued at less than $750,000. This also includes homes you can buy 'off the plan'. If you are a first-time buyer you can get a transfer duty exemption (same as UK stamp duty) called a First Home Concession on property up to the value of $500,000, and then there's a sliding scale of exemption up to $550,000 (if the property costs any more than that, you don't get the concession). This may well apply to you given your likely budget. There is also a general Home Concession on transfer duty which almost everyone is entitled to at the moment, if they live in their property for a year, and they don't rent it out during that time. These concessions aren't guaranteed, and can of course be removed by the government at any time in the future. Here are some links to the Queensland government website, which should prove helpful... https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/financial-help-concessions/qld-first-home-grant https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/advice-buying-home/transfer-duty/how-much-you-will-pay/concessions-on-transfer-duty/concessions-for-homes/first-home-concession https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/advice-buying-home/transfer-duty/how-much-you-will-pay/concessions-on-transfer-duty/concessions-for-homes/home-concession

Yes, we bought a place in Caloundra back in June. We put down a $250k deposit and have a $450 loan, and our home is still pretty modest by Australian standards

I should've said congratulations on getting your partner visa. The wife and I have been through this process, and it's a big deal to get it Now the not-so-good-news... You'll be a temporary resident for two years, and I believe there are restrictions on buying property that means you'll incur a lot of additional costs. I will stop there because I don't want to give you any misinformation, and there are others on the forum more informed on this matter. $50,000 is a pretty small deposit. Even with a 90% mortgage, which you'll need to pay LMI on (lenders mortgage insurance on loans greater than 80% is a requirement here), you'd be looking at a $450,000 property. That will just about buy you an apartment in Brisbane's inner suburbs, a townhouse in the outer suburbs, or a new-build if you're prepared to live a long way out from the city - like the Moreton Bay regions (North or South). Being polite, some of these areas aren't that great, even though they make the houses look amazing in the advertising material. A lot depends on where you end up working. If you are limited to finding work in S E Queensland then I'd suggest you rent until you can save up a big enough deposit to buy in the area you want. By then you will also have a much clearer idea of where you want to live too. If you are flexible and are happy to live in a regional Queensland town (personally I quite like Bundaberg and Maryborough), then you will still be able to afford a property with $50,000 deposit, at the moment. A lot depends on how much you want/need to live in/near Brisbane, to be honest.