irishmecho

I just have to comment ;-) My partner decided to buy a robot vacuum a couple of weeks ago. It is fantastic! I was skeptical at first and now love it. We got a samsung one - not top of the range, and cost about $400 BUT it is definitely worth it! We have a black dog too and light tiles and I love not having to see the hair on the ground nor drag the old vacuum out of storage. Can't say how much easier it is.

Thank you all for replying :-) Not sure why the thought of handing my UK one in was annoying me, glad I can keep it too :-)

Hi All, Just a quick question, when we exchange the UK license for the QLD one - do we have to hand over our UK license and not get it back? I suppose it doesn't matter, but I would like to keep my UK photocard for ID purposes- it's valid til 2019.

Hi, this might be the wrong forum but... Last minute got a ticket to a Ladies day tomorrow at a footy club and the dress code is cocktail dress, just what constitutes a cocktail dress in Oz? Is it like a garden party dress? Or fancier? I've been to formal dress occasions but never cocktail dress... living in a outback town and won't have a chance to buy anything new, so hoping it's not too fancy.

I now have my 801 subclass visa, All my migration issues are gone- just a wee farewell and hope it all works out for you to :-) ps. the DIAC is not the easiest website to negotiate but it can all work out!

If i apply for the spouse visa- that's substantive, so even if I resign the 457 I can then still apply for the Spouse visa within the 28 days and then still stay in Oz on the 457 visa rules? Is that what you're saying?

also.. I was 'informed' in January by immigration that no guarantees about which bridging visa that would be allocated when 457 is resigned, I could possibly get E but also could get A depending on circumstances. BVE doesn't bother me right now- staying with my husband and in Oz is my prioity. Now very muddled.

Hmm I may be confused then, I thought if i cancel the 457 i have 28 days to find a new job- technically the 457 is finished but I have a month to find a job or leave (or get a new visa). I am applying for the spouse visa but I don't have a tourist nor any substantive visa therefore applying for the spouse without the 457 means I actually have no valid visa at all- i think that's what I was trying to get at... or maybe i am more confused than i thought...

Thanks Blossom, I'm going to start ringing visa dept tomorrow and hypothetically sound out my options, unfortunately I can't stand working where I am any longer, so as long as i am not made to leave the country I'm sure it will all work out (somehow). Sounds bad, but I'm actually not too bothered about not working at the moment, been a hard, demoralising slog since I got here :-) Loving Oz though!!!

Thanks for the replies, I am kicking myself about not applying for the spouse visa back in the uk- there was just so much going on with renovating and moving- I took the easy road. Not so easy now though, I don't want to leave and come back to Oz, I again want an "easy" solution, but realise I probably will apply when the 457 is still active, then resign and see what bridging visas I can get, I'm in no real rush to head back to UK any time soon and my husband should/will get a decent wage that could potentially support us both should I not get work rights, as long as they don't kick me out after the 457 we'll get it sorted. Oh btw I meant having a visa of any sort would probably be better than finishing 457 and hoping the Spouse visa enables be to stay. Cheers for the help!

Hi all, A bit of a dilemma, need some advice if possible... We've been over in Oz for 4-5 months, I am sponsored by a small engineering company but my husband is an Aussie citizen, I was originally going to apply for the Spouse visa from London but the company wanted me out much earlier, so we went the 457 route. I am not enjoying the job at all the owner is very abrupt and irritable and I suspect either narcissistic or bipolar... anyway, my husband is also working there and is ready to leave and get paid a lot more. He's applied for jobs all over Oz and seems likely to get a job soon- he's got 5 interviews next week, but I really don't know when to apply for the spouse visa. I know the automatic bridging visa is canceled when I quit the job on the 457 and then I will have to apply for a new bridging visa. Is it better to resign then apply for the spouse, and therefore get the automatic bridging visa A? Or to apply knowing I will be leaving the job but the week I apply I will have the substantive 457 to my name and this may potentially ease the Spouse visa application. Any (or all) suggestions appreciated :-)

Hi again Anna, I've found the move to be good- definitely a more outdoor lifestyle. It's a public holiday here today so just about to head off kayaking again, it is really beautiful in the sun around here. I think we'll head fishing in Patonga again as it was quiet and pretty heading up the creek. My biggest regret is the time difference- it's really hard to co-ordinate skype and phone calls to UK when it's our morning it's your evening and vice versa, I love chatting to people when I'm finished work for the day, but of course they are just heading to work, makes it difficult, but thankfully my best friend at home works night shifts occasionally and we kinda of end up in similar mind sets on those days. The traffic isn't too bad, nothing like in round London, we only have one car but we manage very well, though it does depend on the road your are travelling to get into Gosford. Good luck with the final week, ooh one wee piece of advice, if you are flying out on a night flight with a short stopover- do not sleep until after the connecting flight- watch movies, eat, drink and enjoy the first leg and try to sleep on the second- means you land in Sydney in the early hours of the morning after just waking up- otherwise jet lag (might) be really bad. I've stuck to this every time I've made the journey and it really makes a big difference to the first couple of days here. See you soon for that girlie drink! Best of luck, Quinnie

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PM doesn't work for you for some reason- so I'll just reply here again :-) Hi Anna, I'm a mechanical engineer, so I work with blokes all day, hence starting the thread. Are you getting excited about the move? I think I moved in a daze for weeks beforehand and weeks after, there is so so much to do and get sorted. If you haven't already sent your stuff off, I'd recommend jeys fluid for anything at all outdoorsy, and that all shoes etc are packed sole upwards at the top of the boxes, I read many many horror stories and was panicking about the potential custom charges as I said before, but we got away very lightly. We sent our stuff in two batches, first one cost $200 and second one $180 in customs so we were pretty happy, and only thing that was broken was on kitchen dish that I have no idea why I even packed it. How old is your daughter? Is she too young to understand or is she a bit older? Good luck with your packing and last minute things, any help I can give, let me know. Oh, I'm in Niagara Park, just outside Gosford, it's quite nice where we are but there are some suburbs we were warned about, but you'll soon work that out. Quinnie

Hi Anna, I'll try sending a pm, hope eveything is going well with the packing etc.Not long now :-)