JoannaAch

I do live in Sydney, have done for four years and I rarely need to use tolls, as I said. If we do use a toll road, we just pay as you go, like a tourist would. Anyway, I am sure there is no downside to having the pass, but your first post made it sound like it is essential.

I guess it's not essential, but makes life a lot easier. I can't imagine driving and at the same time looking for these signs for the number to call and than talking on the phone at the same time... Also, can you get back what you paid for M5 if you don't use an e-tag?

So how do you pay for toll roads? There are no cash booths anymore and the only way to pay is through the e-toll tag or pass. I think you need one if you live in Sydney, as you need to pay toll on quite a few roads and tunnels. Also, you can claim back what you paid for traveling on M5.

Right, I forgot bout the CTP as I haven't bought it yet myself.

The etoll thing is that tag that beeps when you go on toll roads?

Hi,

We recently bought a car ( 6months ago) from a Toyota dealer in Parramatta. I would say that it's a most popular region for car sale companies - there are so many of them there...

The costs you mentioned look okay, the only thing is that the car history check is usually done by the dealer and you can check it when buying. I am not sure about the motor vehicle tax, I can't remember paying anything like that?

And if you want a comprehensive car insurance and you don't have a history of driving in Aus without a collision - you might have to pay a bit more, we pay 150$ per month, but our car is/was worth around 20k.

Have you considered paying extra 6-8k and getting a car with still a bit of warranty?

Also, remember to get the e-toll thing - you can get it either at RMA when registering a car or order online (you will have to wait 1-2 weeks for it, but you can start driving on the highways just after you registered).

It's a good salary, however I am not sure if it's gonna be enough to support 3 people... Does your wife plans to find work in the future? And also, if your mother is not covered by Medicare it might be very expensive for her to live here.

Also, did you sign any state commitment agreement with Victoria during your visa application? If so, do you intend to, at least, fulfill that? Did you ask Vic State's permission that you can be released from that commitment (if you did signed any).

Because we wouldn't know the implications (e.g. citizenship, rrv renewal, et al.) of not fulfilling that commitment unless someone here confirms that it's fine

We know the "implication", because nowhere in the requirements for citizenship/rrv it states that 190 visa holders have to fulfill the 2year commitment to qualify.

Also, did you sign any state commitment agreement with Victoria during your visa application? If so, do you intend to, at least, fulfill that? Did you ask Vic State's permission that you can be released from that commitment (if you did signed any).

Because we wouldn't know the implications (e.g. citizenship, rrv renewal, et al.) of not fulfilling that commitment unless someone here confirms that it's fine

As far as I remember someone did confirm that in that thread.

I signed the agreement that I am committed to living in Victoria if I receive the state nomination and at the time I intended to fulfill it. I haven't asked for "release" as it is not a real obligation, but I have informed them that I am not living in Victoria via the every-6months-survey.

I have just moved 6 months ago and as I pointed out - in 3.5 years most probably I won't be checking this forum:)

Hi @jmartin8010, thanks for sharing your experience. Although I was hoping to see similar testimonies from SN 190 visa holders, as a lot of people asking this question are those granted with 190 and either have not set foot in AU or they are already in the state that sponsored them but having difficulty landing a job.

 

I couldn't help but ask you this.. you said you we're in 886 state sponsored visa? do you mind sharing which state have sponsored you? and which state were you at when you applied for 886 visa? As you mentioned in your initial post that you haven't even seen the airport of the state that sponsored you (?). Because as I understand 886 visa is a PR visa pathway for those with student/temporary visa. So if, for example, you are in Sydney with student visa, I would assume you will be applying for 886 visa with NSW as the sponsoring state and NOT any other state. I'm a bit skeptical about someone currently in one AU state and applying for state-sponsorship from another state. I have read some people who did such and ended up having their state sponsorship applications rejected, as the state requires you to be in their state at the time of application. Hoping to hear from you.

I also can't really understand what are you asking about...

But if you wish that more people that got citizenship w/o living in the sponsoring state would share their experience here, you have to consider that most people won't be checking the forum after they got their visas/move. Also - there is no single case when someone was refused citizenship based on that.

P.S. I have a 190 visa for Vic and I live in Sydney (never been to Victoria yet).

I remember that in the forms for shipping our belongings there was a question if anything was bought less than 12 months ago. I just marked "no"

We were able to chose when signing the contract in Sydney how we want to pay and we chose monthly (just after the pay day, so that it is easier to manage the monthly budget).

The salaries we received went to the German bank account (not that we even used that money - went straight to pay back the credit card:/) and anyway it's to late - I already received my tax return. It's weird though that the tax agent didn't even ask for income from overseas... I had all the documents with me but he was not interested.

Does this apply when your recieve a final payment from your UK employer after the date when you landed in Australia?

 

e.g. Finished up with employer on 8 april. arrived Australia April 30. Final salary payment from uk employer 10th may?

I would say it applies, as the UK income was still earned before you arrived in Australia (even though it was transferred to your account later). After we arrived in Aus, we were still getting some payments from previous (German) employers, but as it was for a month before we came, I didn't mention it in my tax return.

I also arrived mid-tax year and have just done my tax return. Don't you only declare the income that you earned while being a tax resident in Australia? I have done my taxes through a tax agent and he didn't ask me for any income from outside Australia (and from before we moved here)?

Hi

 

Mungo the dog is booked to fly to Sydney on 19th August. Gets in to Sydney at 6 am ish on 21st August. Does that count as day 1 of quarantine or does the 10 days start the next day (when it's a full day )? And do they come out on day 10 exactly or day 11 when they've had full 10 days in there.

 

Just trying to work out when to arrange his onward flight to Brisbane.

 

Also, can anyone recommend how / who to use for the flight for him from Sydney to Brisbane ? Would love to drive and get him myself but can't due to work commitments.

 

Many thanks in advance x

Hi,

The first day doesn't count and you will be able to pick him up on the 10th day. For you it should be Sunday 31 (check the opening hours, they are slightly different on weekends). I can't help with the onwards transfer, as we are from Sydney so just picked our cat ourselves.

Thanks! That's a relief as his passport is actually from Poland and it takes 6+ months to get a new one through the embassy plus at least 2 days wasted as you need to do everything in person...

Might be a stupid question, but: Do you need a valid passport to live in Australia? My partner's current passport expires 6months before we will be eligible for Aus citizenship. If he doesn't leave the country, would we need to apply for a new passport at the embassy (long and complicated process) or can he just wait until he can get his Australian passport?

Generally I would think that you always need a passport, but is the visa valid if the passport is expired?

We arrived a week before I started at my job. Within that week we managed to find an apartment, get everything sorted out (even buy some furniture) and enjoy a day at the beach;)

My understanding was that I can claim all my experience that are assessed by Engineers Australia. If they feel some particular experience is not appropriate, they will take decision based on the rest of the experiences, rather than refusing the whole application. As in my case, if they think my research experience is not appropriate, they will consider the rest 3 years of my experience. With this 3 years of experiences, my total point is still 60.

please correct me if i am wrong

That is not correct - if you received invitation with 65points, your visa will be refused straight away if you can't prove these 65 points. It does not matter if you still have 60 points or not (esp for 189 visas, as you received an invite based on highest points and someone with 60points might be still waiting).

But regarding your experience that you claimed points for - if EA stated that it is skilled, you should be able to claim points for it. However DIBP considers only post-qualification experience (does EA has the same requirement?), so that's where you might get in trouble. Most probably you are right in claiming points for your full experience, but I will still check with a migration agent. Better safe than sorry:)

Hello,

I have just got invitation for 189 visa. At the same time I am little bit confused about my point claims. As per SkillSelect my EOI point breakdown is as follows

Age: 30, English: 10, Education: 15, Experience: 10 (TOTAL: 65)

 

I claimed points for research assistantship (RA) during my masters study which added 5 points. Apart from this I have 3 years experience which is assessed by EA.

My confusion is

1. If I lodge visa and provide all documents of RA, will it be considered as an experience? (I heard somewhere that RA is not considered as experience)

2. If they don't consider it, I still have 60 points. Will they issue visa based on that?

 

I am now thinking if I made any mistake including RA as an experience. I am confused if I should lodge visa or not, as I will lose the visa fees if it is refused

I am eagerly waiting for your cooperation. Please provide your expert opinions.

 

Thanks

mwn

I believe RA position is skilled employment (at least in Australia), but you were doing a Masters degree at the same time? Was it full-time work? Were you paid a normal salary, paid tax and had full responsibilities etc? If that experience was a part of your Master degree than it's not work, but if you were studying on weekends or online and working during the week, it should be ok... In general, all employment at the appropriate level after getting an appropriate qualification (Bachelor in your case) counts as skilled employment...

I am not sure how they will look at it and it will be very costly if it was a mistake to claim points, so I would also recommend a migration agent to have a look at it. You don't have to pay for a whole visa application, some agents will agree on a 1-2 hour consultation.

Done.

 

They did not issue a "release" letter, they just let me go. I guess they analyzed my situation, and the fact that I was not moving to anther state to "look for something", but I had a written proposal (offer of employment, in my case).

 

They wrote me "...we encourage you to stay and work in WA..." ("encourage" doesn't look compulsory at all), ..... "...If you move to another State, please continue to keep your contact details and email address up-to-date..... "

That's (more or less) the same letter I received from Vic, when I informed them that I moved to another state.

Hi all!

 

I finally submitted my 190 visa application yesterday and today I can see the list of required/recommended documents. I am just curious about the health check as it says "recommended" but not "required" like it does for my other documents. However, there is a link to "organise your health examinations" at the bottom. Can anyone else enlighten me on this one? Does it always say recommended when you get to this point rather than required? I thought they were mandatory but if I can avoid shelling out even a few more hundred bucks I would

 

Cheers

I wouldn't pay to much attention to these statuses. The health examination status will probably change to 'requested" when CO is assigned and if he chooses to update it. Anyways, you definitely need a health check, better do it now if you want your visa asap.

Guys,

 

We were nicely surprised today to receive the positive assessment from ACS for my partner after less than 3 weeks from the submission! Since they acknowledged all his experience (only deducting 2 years) we are now able to claim 5 pints for it and we don't need to wait for my assessment to be completed to lodge the EOI.

 

I am now wondering does it make sense to take one day off from work and try to find our way through the EOI today... I am struggling to assess the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. If I fill the EOI today does this mean that once we receive the invitation we will be subject to the current visa fee or the new one that will be introduced after +-8 hours?

 

Any advise is welcome!

 

Thank you in advance!

 

----------------------------------------

Me: Occupation code: 224112; IELTS: 28 April 2014: Overall 8 (7+ each). VETASSESS documents submitted: 9 June 2014; changed to In progress on 19 June 214

Partner: Occupation code: 261311, IELTS: 28 April 2014 Overall 8 (7+ each). ACS documents submitted: 9 June 2014; changed to stage 4 on the 10 June 2014, Positive outcome: 30 June 2014:smile:

I am no expert, but if you don't have an invitation right now, wouldn't you have to wait until the next invitation round which will be mid-July? The fees are based on the time you apply for a visa/get an invite, not when you submit the EOI. I don't think you can do much in the next few hours to be honest...

Hi Joanna,

thanks for that. We have no debts, no credit cards, loans and only rent our home currently so officially we have no credit history even though we have been here three years. Going on Veda won't really help us but thanks anyway. :wink:

You will have a credit file on Veda just because of your bank account, utility bills (AGL does checks), phone contract, maybe even the real estate agency etc. Your credit score should be average or good (depending how old is the file). As long as you don't forget to pay any bills on time, don't apply for credit and so on your credit "score" will only get better.

And as other mentioned - you don't need a "solid" history of paying back debts. Banks look at income/savings and if you don't have any defaults on your file.

Hi, does anyone know how to get a credit rating history from UK transferred over to Australia for the purpose if getting a mortgage? Apparently it's too hard to get a mortgage without one and since we have no credit history here in Oz we are not sure what to do? Cheers:wink:

I heard that only credit history in Australia counts and you can't transfer it from overseas?

But your credit history starts the moment you arrive in Aus, so after a few months you should have enough to get mortgage. You can check it on Veda.

Hi folks,

 

We've been here in Oz for 7 months now and it's nearly time for our first tax return!

 

So, I have a question - do money transfers from the UK (i.e. the funds we sent over prior to our arrival, plus money that members of family have sent to us to support us) count as "Tax-deductable income"?

 

If yes, I have another query. We have a joint bank account, so would we both need to report this, or just one of us?

 

Finally, we arrived in Oz on 09/12/2013, so our time as resident for tax purposes at tax time will be 6 months and 22 days - does this count as 6 months residence or 7 months residence as far as ATO are concerned?

 

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I can't really answer your questions, but I was advised by my friends that it is worth to ask a tax agent to do your first tax return because as a part year resident you paid to much tax and agent can help you get the most of it back:)

As for transfers your family sent you - I don't think you have to report it, as it is not "income", but there may be a limit on how much you can receive w/o reporting it... As for your own savings, I would guess they were already taxed with your salary? You can't pay tax twice (at least not if going from UK/Europe to Australia).

This will be my first tax return in Aus (arrived 4 months ago), but I have been receiving support from my family previously (in Germany) and I never declared it...

But hopefully someone else will be able to answer?