Marisawright

yeah but if i got the year I could do the farm work like i should have.

 

What you think wouldn't work?

In a way its a completely different person/passport and passport number.

Ah, so that would give you two years. It still wouldn't let you emigrate to Australia though.

When you apply for your new passport, you'll be asked to disclose any previous names, so it will be on record that you're the same person.

No I don't think it would work.

Even if it did, it would only get you another year.

It reminds me that one of the reasons we struggled to get staff for our Karratha branch, was that the cost of housing was too high. Which is the reason it's tough to get teachers to stay, too.

The bit about schools is worrying.

I'm pretty sure he would be treated as an international student because you're not a permanent resident.

I wonder if there's a mechanism to report all this? Did you take photos at the time? Perhaps you could get a report from the vet detailing exactly the problem and submit it to the Quarantine people - it may not make any difference but then again, it might, so it's worth a try. If the problem is a couple of lax employees rather than a bad system, then there's a chance those people will be caught and that would avoid other pets going through the same thing.

He actually does love it......my nephew (his son) was there for 18 months and he loved it, they said I would love it also? I have actually googled pics and google earthed Karratha and I'm like hmmmmmmm??? The climate is what's making me dubious really X

I worked for a recruitment agency that had an office up there. I never went to visit, but we always struggled to get permanent staff for it, so we used to send Sydney people up there on short stints. They all hated it - but to be fair, it's probably different if you're just there temporarily, and apparently the air conditioning in the office was dodgy so that wouldn't have helped.

My concern would be the heat, and also the lack of things to do for kids. Also of course, it is going to be absolutely critical for you to get PR before any of your children is ready to go to college or university - because you won't be able to leave Karratha while you're on the 457, and there are no colleges or university within commuting distance. So you'll be separated from your child by a long distance anyway.

Personally I would not be taking children to live in Karratha. If your brother is there I assume he's given you a picture of what it's like?

Thanks Marisa. Yes that is something I have been doing quite diligently..Have a passion to check out cars and now am well versed with the best options. Would you recommend buying a new car or a used one?

As a new migrant, I would never buy a new car. I'm sure you know that a new car loses a large percentage of its value the moment you drive it out of the showroom - so that will present a problem if you don't like Australia and decide to return home after a year or two, because you'll make a huge loss on selling the car.

Ha! Sounds like Brazil

 

Aaargh, no not quite like that! I knew a few Brazilian girls when I lived in Sydney - that's going too far! Definitely not fake tan (except on the legs!), no fake boob jobs and no plunging cleavage, please! The keyword is "polished".

Nothing is carved in stone, but most likely Sydney. I have a friend there and I think it would likely be best for my job (electrician). What you've said reflects what I've read and been told however my partner is terrified of repeating her troubles of finding a job there and I don't blame her.

Her best bet on arrival would be to do the rounds of the recruitment agencies, as in, dress up in her very best suit and present herself at their offices. Sign up for temp work as well as permanent jobs, as there is a good market for temp secretarial in Sydney and who knows, she may get a temp job at a company which will then want to hire her.

Not sure how the EA market is in Canada, but in Sydney appearance is absolutely critical. She must be smartly turned out, nails manicured, hair and makeup immaculate, smart suit, high heels, smooth tanned legs (Australians don't wear stockings). I know it's sexist and sounds like something out of the 50's but it's the way it is!

There are thousands of people like me who have had problems with solar panels.

You are entitled to hold your own opinion - but if electromagnetic radiation is such a problem for you, then I think Australia is the wrong place for you. Australians are famous as "early adopters", meaning they are often the first people in the world to buy new gadgets - more so than America, in fact. So it is very difficult to avoid electronic devices of all kinds, unless you are far out in the country (and even there, solar panels are spreading because it's the most cost-effective means of getting power in a remote location).

If you have a wifi device, try switching it on anywhere in Sydney and you will find you're covered by a dozen or more different wifi networks - even in your own home.

So I think the best you can hope for, if you are planning to stay in Australia, is to find a place where there is LESS of it - you will not find a workplace where it is absent.

As for the experience, certainly I would expect a local person to get first dibs, so to speak. But in Canada it's on another level. I've seen it first hand not only with my partner but with others. It's extremely difficult to get a job without Canadian experience, no matter what the field. I've read it on more than one Canada vs Australia list that this is one of the biggest negatives of migrating to Canada.

Where are you coming to in Australia? You definitely won't get that attitude in Sydney or Melbourne. Many top execs in Australia are foreigners themselves and they have absolutely no problem with PA's from overseas, in fact it could be an asset as she has a greater breadth of experience.

Does anyone know what solid reasons one must have so that you can renew PR visa for another year without the visa being void . I've just renewed back in Oz but as not being there 2 years of 5 years they only gave me 1 year , just wandering if there is any grounds which they can not refuse my visa , ?

They will refuse your visa if they think you're not committed to living in Australia and you're simply holding on to your PR "just in case". If you've got no family and no home in Australia and you've spent hardly any time there in the last 5 years, then that would be a pretty good indication to them!

It may be you've had to spend time away due to work, but unless you're working on oil and gas exploration they don't give you any credit for that.

I suspect if you don't want to lose your PR, you're going to have to return to Australia to live before your 1 year visa expires.

How and why to Stop a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Installation

 

That article is full of statements that solar panes "are known" to cause problems, without offering any evidence or links to scientific studies to prove that's the case.

Secondly, she's been getting on the job training with accounting duties. Primary she's using a software called Quickbooks. A quick google search leads me to believe that Quickbooks exists in Australia too, but I don't know how common it is there. What she'd like to know is if they don't use Quickbooks, what's the common accounting software used in Australia? She's like to start learning it before we go so she's got as much locally relevant skills as possible..

In Australia I suspect she'd be regarded as a bookkeeper rather than an accountant. I'd say she'd be more in demand as an EA than for her ability to use Quickbooks or similar.

In Oz, with private health insurance, you'll need to get additional cover for opticals and dentals....

We currently are with BUPA, but because where we are located BUPA doesn't have that many affiliated dentists, optoms etc, we decided to opt for a different company, one that did not have restrictions on whom we sought treatment from.

 

It's not compulsory to take extras cover. Also it's never compulsory to use the "affiliated dentists, optoms etc" - you can go to any dentist or optometrist you like. The health fund may offer you some extra benefits if you use their providers, but that's not always worth doing: for instance, I was with HCF and went to their optometrist instead of SpecSavers, thinking it would work out cheaper. In fact it worked out far more expensive!

I understood this may reduce visa and moving costs? this is all new to me. Are you getting work before you move?

No it doesn't reduce costs. If you're going to be working for a government authority, they won't pay the costs anyway. If you go for the 189, it gives you a lot more flexibility - if you can qualify for that I wouldn't even consider anything else.

Fly from Brisbane, it's only about $130. Drive to Brisbane from Sunshine Coast...90 mins tops? No biggie. Used to distance in WA

Agreed Brissie to Sunshine Coast is no biggie, I was more worried as I thought you might be driving north - didn't occur to me you'd go back to Brisbane to fly

I said we would avoid Brisbane and Gold Coast and concentrate on cairns and surrounds and Sunshine Coast highlights. Isn't SC North of Brissie?

Yes, but how are you going to get from the Sunshine Coast to Cairns? They're about 1,500 km apart which is 18 hours on Google maps - and in summer that would be hot sticky driving too. Brisbane to Cairns is almost twice as far as Sydney to Brisbane!

If you're semi rural in the UK, are you prepared for the Australian city lifestyle? Australian cities are very spread out, so it's just not possible to live in the country and work in town without a long commute.

I always remember when I lived in country Victoria - it took us three hours to drive all the way to the edge of Melbourne, then over an hour to get to the CBD!

Victoria is far more densely populated than other states with more reasonable-sized towns, have you looked at employment opportunities in regional centres like Ballarat?

Your not Ill , you made a mistake , it's how you put it right , don't get sucked into the ghastly Australian health care system which only wants to take your money speak to your husband , tell him you want to do , a counsellor may be able to help but if you know what you want save yourself the time and money

 

The OP posted months ago so let's hope she's on the way to resolving her problems now. However I don't agree with you about counsellors being a waste of money.

The big issue for the OP is that she's got no friends in Australia. When women have trouble in their personal lives, the first thing they do is sit down and talk it over with their best friend. The OP can't do that, so she needs a substitute. Forums like this can play a part,but there's nothing quite like talking face to face with another person.

I had never seen a counsellor until I was made to go by my employer, after one of my staff died suddenly at work (we were all sent for counselling). I didn't think I needed it and was surprised when I ended up bawling my eyes out about something totally unrelated. I was also in a situation where I had no close friends around, and I didn't realise how much I'd been bottling things up rather than upset my oh.

Hi Pom Queen, based on your experience would you recommend taking the private insurance then?

You'll notice she said that if she was living in Melbourne, she wouldn't bother. So it partly depends where you are.

For many people, private health insurance is a must - not because of health, but because you'll suffer tax penalties if you don't have it. Most professionals in Australia have it for that reason alone (but you can get special minimum-cover policies from the health funds if that's what you want).

Medicare in Australia is not really that different from the NHS If you're sick, you'll get good treatment in an open ward in a public hospital, and have a specialist chosen for you. If you need an operation, you'll get the operation. Like the NHS, if it's not considered urgent, you may have a long wait.

The difference is that Brits just accept all that. It doesn't occur to British people to join BUPA unless they're wealthy. But the health care providers have done a great job of convincing Aussies that's not how it should be. Sleep on a big open ward - horrific! Be treated by any old specialist - appalling! Wait six weeks for an op - disgraceful! Take out health insurance and you can choose your specialist, stay in a nice private room and have your operation when you choose.

They don't mention that it will end up costing you money. Get treated in a hospital under Medicare and it's free. Get treated in a private hospital and there is always an excess to pay - and it can be substantial. You have to pay the doctor, the anaesthetist, the pathologist, the radiologist, and the hospital - plus extras like phone calls or satellite TV or wifi or special food.

If you've got a serious medical problem then having insurance does feel good - you feel much more in control. But it doesn't mean you're necessarily getting better or faster treatment.

A couple of years ago I had a spinal fusion. I was glad I had private insurance because it was done within a few weeks, my specialist was one of the top men in his field, and the outcome was excellent. It cost about $35,000 of which I got about $25,000 back from the health fund. I thought it was worth it.

Then my friend's father had the same problem. I was so worried about him because he had no insurance. Six weeks later he had his op, on medicare, done by one of the top men in the field. His outcome was excellent. It cost him nothing!!

Yep, still the plan:)

Why are you asking about accomm on Sunshine Coast then? Wouldn't you fly straight into Cairns?

What CaptainC said. You're not obliged to work in the occupation you get the visa for - the important thing is to get the visa!

You don't need qualifications to teach in community colleges and even some private schools. To teach at TAFE in most states, you need a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

I'd second GoMatilda. It's pointless unless you use someone who knows both Australian AND UK tax and that's a fairly rare thing.