Marisawright

I'm not debating the rights and wrongs of your view on the health system. Did you not read @dilby's post, where he was so fed up of the long debate about the health system, that he has felt obliged to unsubscribe from his own thread? DrDougster had the grace to apologise for taking the thread off-topic, whereas your response was to try to keep the debate going. How rude. I am disappointed in you as I thought you had some courtesy.

@Blue Flu, I was waiting for your apology to the original poster, who has had to unsubscribe from his own thread because you're intent on arguing with someone about a totally different subject. But oh no, you've got to keep on thumping away. If you have an argument with another person on someone else's thread, take it to the messaging system. This forum is not your personal soapbox.

I second Waz05's advice but don't waste your time with a free consultation. There are agents that will do a free chat, but usually it's very preliminary and won't give you a clear enough idea. If you're serious about migrating, invest the money in a proper, paid, one-off consultation with a MARA-registered agent. Try Suncoast Migration, Go Matilda, Andre Burger, or Pinoy Australia. That's especially important for you, because you don't have time to waste. The older you get, the harder it is to migrate because the points system penalises age. The cut-off is 45, so you don't have long to get your ducks in a row. As Ausvisitor says, you need a 4 year qualification to teach in Australia. If you don't have that, no amount of teaching experience will compensate.

Yes you can get a bridging visa but no you won't be able to work. Bear in mind the department states it will take at least seven years, so it is likely to be longer.

No. He might be able to apply for a 190 visa though, because points are less important for that visa. Best bet is for him to book a one-off consultation with a good agent, who'll be able to work through his options. Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matilda. Once he's got a permanent visa, he's not limited -- he can do any kind of work he likes. It may take a year or more to go through the process though.

It will depend where you end up, but your description of the rental market doesn't sound very different from Australia. In Sydney and Melbourne, you'd count yourself lucky if only 20 people showed up for a viewing. We started out in the countryside and found finding a rental extremely hard, not because of the cost but because there weren't many available. Investors are more likely to buy city properties to rent out, because they offer better profits. We ended up house-sitting for a few months. The rental, when we eventually got one, was an old run-down weatherboard house with a neglected garden. Check out domain.com.au and realestate.com.au to get some idea, but be aware that agents photoshop the pictures shamelessly, so the property won't look as nice as it does in the photos.

I'm wondering why you're not applying for a permanent visa right now? The fact that an occupation is on the list doesn't mean employers are desperate, I'm afraid. The lists are supposed to reflect occupations in demand, but they always lag behind reality. I don't know what the demand for midwives is like but someone else may know. Having said that, the reason DAMA exists is because it's so hard to get staff to work in remote areas, which often have a lack of rental properties, poor infrastructure/lack of schools and often a challenging climate as well. Have you seen a good migration agent? As you say, you can get a distorted view from recruiters because of their payment structure. You don't have to hire the migration agent, just pay for a one-off consultation. Then you'll know exactly where you stand, which will save a lot of time (and at 43, time is of the essence!). Get quotes from Suncoast Migration and Go Matilda.

Dentistry is the main reason people have Extras cover. They're expensive. You'll notice that just scaling and cleaning costs over $100, and that's normal. Of course, because this dentist did X-rays etc, he discovered things your old dentist would've been unaware of. It may seem better to you not to poke around and find problems, but that can result in those problems festering and turning into much bigger problems down the track. You've got a fractured tooth for instance -- if you do nothing, you'll eventually end up in a lot more trouble (and expense) than if you get it fixed now. You might see if there's a dental hospital anywhere near you.

I agree and I had no problem with Kevin Rudd's apology. The referendum and proposed advisory bodies are not about saying sorry or even making reparations. Like I said, let's see how much the referendum and the advisory body, once established, will cost. Government advisory bodies always cost a lot in printing, accommodation costs, admin support etc. etc. I think the money would be much better spent paying ACTUAL reparations that make a difference to communities, and there are many First Nations people who feel the same way.

I think we've got all the detail we need. It's been stated several times that it will be a purely advisory body. Its job will be to comment on how government policies affect Aboriginal people. They won't have any power. I'm still against it. Just window-dressing to make it look like they're fixing Aboriginal issues. All the money that's going to be spent on the referendum, legal advice on the constitution, not to mention all the expenses of the advisory body when it's created -- trips to Canberra, junkets etc. It would be so much better spent fixing the problems that have ALREADY been identified many many times.

Just to state the obvious, that DOESN'T mean you can leave Australia and then just apply for the RRV when you're ready to come back! You must have the RRV before you leave.

You've got the names now. Google it.

Cassidy Hutchinson and Alyssa Farah.

Why do you think it expires? I think you're misreading it. It's only the "travel facility" that expires, not the visa. You just need to renew the travel facility, which you do by applying for a RRV (Resident Return Visa). That will give you another five years' travel rights. You'll need to keep applying for a RRV every five years from now on, unless you get citizenship. Be aware that if you leave Australia for any reason (even a holiday) without holding a RRV, you won't be allowed back into Australia, even though your home is here. So it's important to make sure you keep it current, unless you're planning never to travel again!

Do you really think so? It seems strange that someone in his position could possibly hold that belief, when it would be so easy to find proof that he's wrong. It means he is either a fantasist who is able to delude himself, or amazingly stupid. I think the truth is that he is cunning. He's discovered that what Goebbels said is true: "Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth". And he applies that principle again and again.