Marisawright

...and the decision not to allow non-residents to OPEN accounts happened long before Brexit (2015). I don't see much point in questioning the situation unless you're planning to take one of the banks to court over it. https://www.monito.com/en/wiki/open-bank-account-uk-even-without-proof-residency#high-street

No idea. I was told by staff at Barclays, Santander, HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds that it was out of their hands, and that they were simply not permitted to open bank accounts for non-residents. Legislation may be the wrong word, maybe it was "regulation", but the point is, they all said it was a rule imposed upon them. At the time, none of them had any problem with letting you keep an existing account open if you left to live overseas.

As noted above, that's not possible. British banks are not allowed, by law, to open new accounts for non-residents. That's been the case for at least 8 years. Nothing to do with income or assets, it's the law. If you still have an account with a British bank, you'll find you can't even open a second account with them.

When we were in the UK in 2015, it was already illegal for ALL British banks to open accounts for non-residents. I know one or two members here who've managed to open one with a building society, but I suspect that was just through the ignorance of the local staff! AFAIK there is no law that says non-residents can't continue to hold an existing account, though. The only reason banks might decide to close them, is if they're worried about potential hassles.

You say it yourself: Einstein would have been assessed as high-functioning autistic and therefore not requiring long-term disability support, therefore his parents' visa would likely have been approved. Whether high-functioning autistic children should have long-term support is a different question. If Australia becomes desperate for migrants then I'm sure there will be a change of attitude. They'll open the door to more parents and dependents, even infirm ones. But right now, there are far more people applying for visas than there are places. Given the choice between two equally-qualified doctors, they'll pick the one with the lowest cost burden. It's a sensible business decision.

This might help: https://londonerinsydney.com/how-i-applied-for-801-permnent-defacto-visa-in-3-days/

Contact the International Pension Centre and ask for a pension forecast. They'll send you a letter telling you what you're entitled to and also an explanation of exactly how to pay. https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre

However, I think that for a lot of migrants, it's the thought that "we've worked so hard to get where we are, how can we give it up now?". Again, it's human nature. We make a big expensive decision and then realise it was a mistake -- but rather than admit it was a mistake and undo it, we'll keep throwing more money at it to try and fix it.

@Parley, I like this trailer better. I love the way she steps out of her heels and her feet are still in the same position.

Bulya moved in 1973! The whole education system in both countries was very different 50 years ago, so I don't think you can draw any reassurance from that.

Children are resilient. It will start to be a problem once they're over 15, when moving will begin to disrupt their education. So you have a window, I think. However I think you have to sort out your own feelings before you spend more money moving around Australia. One thing I've learned from these forums: Some people are nomads, like me, who can make anywhere their home. We're the minority who can migrate around the world without a qualm. But most people feel an attachment to their homeland. It's not logical, it's not a choice, it's just how most human beings are made. There's a sense of "belonging" that most people aren't even aware of, until they move to another country and realise that it's missing. If that's truly how you feel, then please talk to your partner seriously about moving back to the UK in the next two years. I say two years, because once your oldest is in Year 10, you'll feel the pressure to stay, "just until they get their HSC". But if they want to go to uni, then you'll have to stay in Australia for them to do that, because youll have to pay full international fees if they go to a British university. By the time they're finished uni, chances are your oldest won't want to move to the UK -- they'll feel 100% Australian, they'll have all their friends, a boyfriend or girlfriend, they might even be married. Plus your younger child is getting to a serious point in their education, so you're stuck again...and so it goes on. Eventually they're both old enough not to need you, so you could move back in theory -- but would you want to be separated from them? From the grandkids, if there are any? Maybe that's the question to think about. If I said to you, "Either move back to the UK before 2025, or you'll be stuck in Australia till the day you die" -- how does that make you feel? If it makes your heart sink, then I think you've got your answer. You may be better off financially in Australia but money isn't everything. I know that sounds dramatic but just take a browse through the UK Chat section and you'll read some heartbreaking stories which reflect exactly that experience, so please don't underestimate it.

I did some Googling and so far, I think Barclays is the only bank doing this. UK banks are extremely strict about proof of UK address when opening a new account and I know that's due to UK banking legislation, not a choice by the banks. However it seems Barclays is the only one that's not allowing you to keep your bank account once overseas, and I'm not aware of any good reason for their attitude. https://www.barclays.co.uk/important-information/living-outside-the-uk/

I have my state pension payments paid directly into my Australian bank account. Also look into Wise accounts.

I know you're a teacher so it's more difficult, but what's more important?

I would assume there is. I've heard of several people have been caught out, like @FirstWorldProblems, thinking they had plenty of time -- and then getting a reminder letter saying their time had almost run out. After all that effort, you don't want to risk them putting your file aside because the medicals haven't been done. Once it's put aside you can end up at the bottom of the pile again. Or worse, they could reject you because you failed to provide the medicals, and then you've wasted all that money! I know you're a conscientious worker but in this case, I'd be taking a sick day to get the medicals done. There's far too much at stake.

I think non-driving anywhere in Australia, outside the capital cities, would be very difficult. No trains or trams and very few local buses. I recall when we arrived in country Victoria. We got a train from Melbourne to Ballarat and then the headmaster had to come and collect us, as there was no bus to get to our country town. Then we were stranded there, until one of the other teachers gave us a lift into the nearest big town to buy a car.

....and the debate isn't relevant anyway. Are you seriously saying that if someone is talented at something, like Rolf Harris, all of his life's work gets trashed when he's found to have feet of clay. Whereas if someone is supremely talented, they're forgiven everything? The big problem, really, is that most exceptionally talented people DO have feet of clay, in some form or another. Exceptional people are rarely perfect in every sense. Society used to separate the art from the person, so it was easy to overlook, but nowadays thanks to the cult of celebrity, their personal life belongs to the public just as much as their art. Whether that's a good thing is debatable. There are people who won't enter public life now because they're afraid of past scandals being discovered, while others are drummed out because of scandals (except for teflon Trump and Johnson of course). But Gandhi hit his wife and possibly sexually abused his grandnieces, John F Kennedy was a notorious womanizer, the list goes on. Nowadays I wonder if they'd ever have got the chance to do any good.

That's bad news about the dyslexia. 65 points is what you need to be eligible to apply for a permanent visa, but that's like saying you've only just achieved the pass mark in an exam. Immigration favours those who have higher points scores. He'll be up against people who can offer the same skills and experience as him, but they've also done the English test, so they'll have scores of 75 or 85 points. However he may be in luck as tradies are in short supply currently. A good agent will have an idea what the competition is like at the moment. Age is at time of invitation, so it's important he gets his skates on. His other option is to get sponsorship on a 482 visa as a carpenter, which is a short term (2 to 4 years) visa, with the possibility of transitioning to a permanent visa later on (though that's not guaranteed). The catch, from your point of view, is that if he's sponsored then he's obliged to work full-time for that employer. Of course there's nothing to stop him helping out on the family farm in his free time (unpaid, though what you give him cash-in-hand is your business).

Interesting email from the Barefoot Investor. Apparently there is a new report from the government on the performance of superannuation funds. Apparently it's long and boring so here is the analysis from the Barefoot Investor. According to him, the worst super funds are hoping that you never read the report: "OnePath was like my Year 8 report card: a total and utter sh…earing show (as my father would say). OnePath was singled out by the regulator for having no less than 33 dud super funds. Thirty-three! OnePath was joined in veggie maths by BT Funds Management, Colonial First State, Auscol (Mine Super), Perpetual Super, MLC Super – whose report cards revealed “significantly poor performance”. Some of the funds that were singled out for charging high admin fees include Verve Super (who market to women), Spaceship Super (who target millennials), Student Super (who need a detention), and the ironically named Cruelty Free Super (well, except for their barbaric admin fees). And last but not least, Equity Trustees appear to be really struggling with their pencil grip, after being singled out by the regulator for both high fees and poor returns." If you're in any of those funds, I'd be studying the report and looking into moving funds. I msut say that judging by past experience, BT Funds Management and MLC are both useless, which is surprising when you consider what big names they are. https://www.apra.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-04/Choice Heatmap Insights Paper.pdf

It's interesting to read the stories about how much they're worth. The most conservative estimate is that Harry was "only" worth $10 million and Meghan about $5 million when they married. No wonder they had to go out to work. He got a $20 million advance on the book, so perhaps they can stop doing interviews now?

APRA only looks at the default funds for each provider. I wouldn't be happy if my fund had been bought by IOOF. It's had more than its fair share of scandals and dodgy trading in the past. https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/ioof-knocks-off-rival-amp-as-worst-super-provider-20211007-p58y0z

He must make the basic 65 points, that's not negotiable. And to be honest, if he's only got 65 points, I wouldn't fancy his chances even for the 190. Are you aware he can take the English test, even though he's a native speaker? It's actually not an easy test, even if you speak English, but if he can get a decent score, it's a good way to increase his points. To prove his employment, tax records are the first step but again, an agent will advise about all of that (and also about how to take the English test). Yes the full fee is payable no matter where or when you apply.

Depends on where on the GC surely. And that assumes they're driving. There is a train.

That there is a big difference between being anti-Israel and being anti-semitic, I think.

Why haven't all Picasso's paintings been removed from galleries?