Bridgetjonhannahdaniel

Hi - thanks for the posts Raul. Our situation is resolved now and we head back to Oz at the end of Oct. I will outline what happened.... - We continued to harass the employer about the situation and I like your comment about the problems of the employer doing the application...... - Then my husband did his tax return on line and the next day we had an email from immi saying that the visa was cancelled - The email told us that we could appeal the decision to cancel and so we emailed them explaining the situation. - They were very helpful and once they had a copy of the job offer letter and details of the nomination they reinstated the visa We have copies of all the correspondence and today we booked flights and the container. So we got there in the end!

Hi Just to clarify a couple of things... - yes we did leave Oz at the end of Feb and the new employer was in contact with immi about nominating him for the new role (ie employing him) before the 90 days expired also we understand that the old employer notified immi that his contract had expired. Old employer said that there was no need for us to contact immi as they would do. - I am afraid I don't understand drewtby comments about not being able to transfer from employer to employer. My husbands new employer is nominating him for the role. Hopefully will hear soon

Hi - just wondering if anyone had any experience of this..... My husband has a 457 visa which we are wanting to transfer. We are currently back in the UK having spent 12 months in Oz. We are wanting to go back and my husband has a job offer from an employer there and they are attempting to transfer the visa. The new employer already has SBS status and experience of 457s etc. On 24th July the new employer told us that immigration was 'progressing the transfer of the occupational visa' and that it should be 'linked to our current visa by the end of that week'. Well.... it doesn't appear to have happened yet (today is 14th Aug) and the new employer is chasing immi. My question is at what stage in the process will immi contact my husband? or will they just contact the employer and say that it is done? And finally that 'how long is a piece of string question' any ideas on timescales??? Immi have our up to date contact details. I have checked our visa status through vevo - but the visa just looks the same as it always has done. Any thoughts would be appreciated

Hi Just wondering if anyone can help! My husband and I (and 2 kids) had a fab year in OZ from Feb 2013 to Feb 2014. We went on a 457 visa and came back after 1 year. My husbands job was just a 12 month contract and he was able to take a career break from his UK employer - we always knew it would be just a 1 year thing. Anyway we are back in Blighty and keen to get back to Oz. He is in the process of applying for a job there and if successful we will come out again on a 457 visa. My question is this.... the 457 that we came out on in feb 2013 was valid until Feb 2017. Is it still valid or did it expire when we left Oz in Feb 2014? Obviously for the new job we have to go through some application process again and the employer will have to 'prove' that the job cannot be done by an Australian. I was just wondering if the process will be shorter or if some kind of 'transfer' can be done? Also if we get a 'brand new' 457 I assume it will be valid for 4 years from issue i.e summer 2014? Any thoughts? Thanks BRidget

Hi Melza - it is starting to go now! Aliciainoz I have send you a message regarding the furniture.

Being a bit cheeky here replying to my own post. We go back to the UK in mid Feb and have the following to sell.... - queen size bed -IKEA sofa and foot stool - garden table and chairs - crockery - a Honda CRV and a Honda Jazz - a fridge freezer - washing machine - Gas BBQ ideal for anyone arriving, let me know if you are interested! Bridget

When we arrived in Sydney in Feb 2013 we bought a whole house of furniture from a family who were moving back to the UK. We go back to blights in Feb 2014 and wondered if there was anyone planning to come out here then who might be interested in a 'job lot'. We have the following available.... sofas, dining table and chairs, fridge freezer, queen bed, 2 single beds, crockery, BBQ would suit someone coming temporarily or whilst waiting for a container. Please let me know if you are interested. Collection would be from Beecroft. Bridget

I hope someone contacts you Dianne. I made a similar post on PIO in jan before we arrived in feb and I was lucky to get a reply and buy a hours load of stuff from a family returning to the Uk. It worked well for both parties. Gumtree is excellent and some people advertise that they are selling the whole contents - could be a good opportunity to buy it all at once and save 'shopping mall overload'. In terms of when you get here - I think Kmart is the cheapest for crockery, linens etc... hope all goes well!

I will put the disclaimer first ..... these are just our experiences others may spend more or less:) Its a bit of a random list.... Food Shopping We are a family of 4 - and I have found it cheapest to buy my staples (cereal, pasta, milk etc) at either coles woolies or aldi. I then tend to go to Fruitland (or any specialist greengrocer) for veggies and fruit and then to 'chicken shop' or 'bush meats' for meat. We typically spend $350 per week. This is all in and includes a meaty BBQ, beer wine and packed lunches for kids and husband. I tend to buy what is on 'special' and will buy in bulk and freeze excess - particularly bbq stuff. Aldi is definitley a cheap place to shop - so I tend to go there first buy what I can then do coles then fruit/veggies then meat. I am not working so I have the time to do this. Swimming lessons Generally $18 per child per lesson. This is 30mins and in a small group. Some are paid monthly, some termley. Dancing lessons $185 per 10 week term for my daughter to prance around imagining she is Darcy Bussell.... Toddler Activities Activities for toddler (like Tumble Tots in the UK) all seem to cost $170 per 10 week term. Lots available Jamberoo, Ready Steady Sport etc.... Eating Out This varies massively - we paid $180 for a rubbish italian meal (2 glasses of wine, 2 risottos and 2 kids pasta and sauce - rip off!). We have also paid $60 for a 'steak and chips' type meal for 4 and thoroughly enjoyed that. Generally if we are out as a family we try to picnic - everywhere is geared up for that. Eating out in touristy areas can be better value - if you are eating as a family and not after a gastronomic experience! Coffees etc ..... About $3 for a flat white and $3 for the obligatory banana bread (to share with the children of course!)! $3 for an icecream at the beach School Uniform Have just paid $200 for 2 tunics, 2 blouses and 2 pairs of tights! Haircut for husband - $20 for him and $15 for kids. I shan't be sharing mine - incase he finds out! Will try to add more as I come across them...Let me know if you have any specifics Bridget

Dreadful spelling and grammar - very sorry!

Having enjoyed reading other people's experiences I decided that I should do an arrival report. just a bit of background. We (husband Jon, me and a6 year old and 3 year old) are here for 1 year. Husband has taken a career break and is working in Westmead hospital and I gave up my job in the uk. Our house in Yorkshire is rented out and all our furniture in the u k in storage. We travelled to oz with just 4 suitcases. we did loads of research (mainly on PIO) before coming out and Jon's new boss recommended good schools in the area close to the hospital so we were able to limit our searches for houses to the catchments for these schools. Also Jon came on a visit to sydney in nov 2012 and confirmed that these areas were suitable. The most helpful thing that happened was my post PIO in January where I asked if anyone was moving back to the uk and had furniture to sell. I was PM'd by a lady whose was moving back and had a houseful to sell - beds,sofas, pots, pans - even pegs and an ironing board! This was fantastic - we agreed a price and to meet up when we arrived. We are so glad we were able to do this as it saved hours of shopping! so here goes.... Arrived 20/02 in the morning from Manchester, via Heathrow and Singapore. We went straight to the serviced apartment in Randwick which Jon's employer had booked. We were there by 9am and at 2pm we had an appointment at NAB to activate the bank accounts. The money via moneycorp arrived soon after. W planned our arrival so that we got there at the beginning of week so that dull stuff like this could get sorted. Doing all the paperwork in advance meant that we could pick up our cash cards and order debit cards straight away. Having 2 jet lagged kids in tow we wanted to be as quick as possible. We then went to a shopping mall and bought 2 pay as you go sims to get our mobiles working. I don't think we got the best deal but now we are settled we can change provider packages etc... We got our phones unlocked in the uk and I would recommend doing this before travelling. Wednesday 21/2 we collected a hire car from Bayswater car rental (cheap but rubbish service and rude staff) and made appointments to see 6 properties in the beecroft / cheltenham/ carlingford area the next day. We also found time to go to the beach at Cogee and get a parking ticket! Thursday 22/2 we went out to the area which we were going to live in. Of the 6 properties we saw - I would have been happy in 5 of them. The impression we got from the agents was that if we got our application in they wouldn't have the hassle of an open house at the weekend. Again if I was doing this again I would try to see places mid week and avoid an open house. I don't think the property market is as competitive in this part of sydney as more central area. So at the end of the day we chose a lovely house in Beecroft. We had got everything ready in the uk photos of our house, copies of visas, Jon's job offer letter and I got my ex boss to email the agent with a reference that evening. So within 3 days we had a house! The next thing to do was arrange moving the furniture and buying a car. Saturday 23/2 on our way to visit my cousin in Frenchs Forest we called in at the Subaru dealership to have a quick look. We ended up test driving a second hand Honda CRV which we bought. The staff there were so helpful - plying the children with babychinos and helping us to fit the car seats when we collected the car a few days later. Couldn't recommend them highly enough. The next few days were a bit of a blur. Jon started work and I took the kids on various outings - the playground at Darling Harbour being our favourite! We also went to look at our daughters school. i was 'blown away' by the facilities and resources - we really had landed in an excellent area. ON The Thursday 27th we moved into our house. It's not the smartest place and I think it might be a bit cold in winter but we wanted to make sure we had spare money for weekends away and I am not working anyway. Our daughter started school the Monday after ( 2 weeks after arriving) and I managed to get our son a place a preschool a few days later. Both have settled incredibly well, we are so pleased with the school. So a month or so on we are all feeling very settled, loving it and hatching a plan to stay on! The area that we live in is lovely. It might not be close to the beach or in a trendy suburb but the people are so friendly and welcoming. I have met loads of other mums to chat too in the playground parks etc... And have been overwhelmed by their genuine helpfulness and friendliness. I never turn an invite and most days have something planned after dropping my daughter a school. My advice to people coming over is research, research and then do some more. We knew we wanted a house and to get the kids in their normal routine asa soon as possible so we made decisions quickly - eg. The house and the car. That said I think the fact that we were thinking 1 year made that easier. Also being able to get the furniture and furnishings in a job lot made life easier. That said nothing can prepare you for the number of decisions you have to make in a short space of time. I remember clearly being in Target trying to buy a dustpan and brush and not feeling that I couldn't face making 1 more decision. in terms of the exchange rate and money - it does feel like it is fłowing out of your hands like water those first few days and weeks. It is expensive here but salaries for us are higher. In the end I decided to make ups my own exchange rate ! There are not many posts about the carlingford/ pennant hills/ beecroft area - so if anyone. Wants any info please getting touch. So all in all 8 weeks in we are having a fab time, feeling very settled, and have a good circle of friends. bridget Ps - the shops here have fab names ..... The dentist called Custom Smiles, restaurant Thai-tastic and Thai-rific but best of all the local tennis shop called 'the merchant of tennis' love it!

Hi Cam Kingswood is not a problem - happy to hire van to collect stuff. We are hoping to find somewhere within a week and move in the following week. That might be naive looking at some posts - but we have folder of references, bank statements, copies of visas etc all ready. Also don't think these areas as popular as some. If you could let us know what you have and how much that would be great? Are there any temporary storage options around Kingswood. I know in the UK short term storage places are popping up all over the place? BRidget

That would great. WE arrive on 19th Feb. We don't have anywhere to live - we have a serviced apartment for a couple of weeks. Finding a house will be a priority as we want to get our daughter into school asap. We know the areas we will look in Cheltenham/Beecroft/West Pennant Hills etc... And hope to have something by the end of FEb. If you want to do a list of stuff that you have and how much you want for it that would be great. Ps - I think I have messaged you as well! Many thanks Bridget

Hi yes I did get the documents certified. We have a solicitors firm on the top floor of my office and I just took them there. He charged £30 (asked for cash and never gave a receipt - lol!) I then scanned them in. I think it probably depends on how fast you want stuff to move. We'd been waiting ages for the job offer and wanted everything in place to be able to apply and go as soon as poss! i think you can get documents certified at the post office - but it was more expensive than the £30!

Hi all Have just done my usual daily stalking of the immi website and checked progress of our 457 visa app and it said 'approved 22/1/13'. No email though. We submitted on the 10th Jan, got asked to reload the kids birth certificates on the 18th which we did within 5 hours and hey presto! It really pays to get all your documents ready. I am now dancing around the house... and will stick a bottle of bubbly in the 12" of snow outside... Bridget ps - should arrive mid Feb and hoping to live in Beecroft / Cheltenham area of Sydney. OH working at Westmead Hospital. ANy feedback on these areas would be appreciated.:biggrin: