Marisawright

We wondered whether we'd be eligible for UK State Pensions...and this is what we've found.

 

Part 7 'Living and Working outside of the United Kingdom' (page 16) asks: 'Did you pay into the social security scheme of that country"; ...

 

THE ANSWERS: your superannuation fund name, address & super member number.

 

 

I cannot see how that can be correct. Superannuation is definitely NOT social security because it does not pay towards services provided by the government. It is money paid by you and your employer into a fund which you can then use for your old age.

Social security would be something like National Insurance - a system Australia does not have. Therefore the answer to that question should be "no".

You are asked to complete the form online, then print it off and send it. Here's the link to the online form:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-claiming-a-state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad

It's a good idea to ask for a State Pension Forecast before you get to eligible age - that way, if your NI contributions fall short, you can decide whether to top them up

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-statement

Agreed. I'd be wary of having multiple tickets for one journey. We've done it in the past and it's a risk. Miss your connection for whatever reason and you're left pleading with the onwards airline to transfer you to another flight. If you've paid for an unrestricted ticket then fine, but presumably the only reason you'd do this is cost and your ticket will be completely restricted and non-changeable. Personally, I wouldn't fancy rolling up in Amsterdam and being faced with $1000+ for new tickets on SleasyJet.

 

It's less of a risk if you have an overnight stay in your connecting city. That may not work for you, but I always liked to see a bit of Europe on my UK visits anyway - so having a few days in Paris on my way to the UK, and a few days in Amsterdam on the way back, was a positive rather than a negative for me, and ensured I'd have no worries about connecting. And I've always been a light traveller.

Zuji has been around for a while, never heard of Travel2be.

Where in the UK do you need to get to? In the past, I've made some good savings by not flying into London. For instance, when I used to go to Aberdeen, I used to book a return flight to Amsterdam, then go on a UK booking site to book a local flight (e.g. Flybe, Easyjet) from Amsterdam to Aberdeen. You could do the same to many European cities - if you fancy a break in Europe as well as visiting relos in the UK, it can work out cheaper AND more convenient.

I'm not aware of any GENUINE agency which specialises in offshore applicants. There are plenty who pretend to be able to get jobs for you before you arrive, but they are often fake, designed to con you into parting with money.

Australian recruitment agencies never ask the candidate to pay any money at all, so that is your test whether the agency is genuine.

The other thing to bear in mind is for you to get UK citizenship before you leave - if you're eligible! Getting back in might be a challenge once you've given up your ILR

I second that! I, like a lot of people, assumed it would be easy to get my husband of 10 years into the UK - it wasn't easy at all!!!!

The cabins are good for night crossings. You can go to sleep early and wake up just before it docks. You can always tell in the morning which passengers have slept in cabins and which ones were in the sleeping chairs lol

I agree, it's great to have a proper bed - IF you don't get seasick. But if you're inclined to seasickness like me, then you'll nearly always feel better if you stay up on deck rather than go down into the hull of the boat. On all kinds of ships - from the Aberdeen-Shetlands ferry to a seagoing yacht - I've always found that to be the case. I've even gone yacht racing and have been fine for hours up top, then the minute I went downstairs for my rest, that set me off and I was sick as a dog (and useless) for the rest of the race!

I recommend Moneycorp wholeheartedly. You need to register for their online service through this forum, then you don't get charged a fee.

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/money-transfer-ask-moneycorp/228295-save-money-transfers-special-offer-forum-members.html

I registered and then got a bit confused about what to do - I rang them and organised the whole thing over the phone and by email, it was very easy.

Thank you Johndoe, that's a great help will phone and find out regarding the state pension, thought as much regarding my NHS as only got a few years, Iam assuming then that this will freeze and I will just claim it at retirement age? In regards to oz pension then does this work the same as UK which means I would be claiming from 2 different countries?

Loulou

Your UK pension won't freeze, it will continue to grow in some way depending on what kind of pension it is.

Yes you would be claiming from two different countries - in fact Australia will make you claim your UK pension first, before they decide how much Aussie pension you get (the Australian pension is means-tested, which means they take account of all your other income to decide how much you get).

As a 30 year old couple with no children I can really relate to your post. We came over here with no jobs or home (which was shocking to people at home).

So did we. I don't know why people find the idea so frightening. In your twenties or thirties, you can afford to take a step back in your career or lose money, because you've got time and energy to build back up again. And you don't have the responsibility of providing for your kids' futures. The older you get, the more you have to lose and the less time you have to recover - so IMO you did it at the ideal time. Even if it hadn't worked out, you'd have had a great adventure.

think we ha about 120mm of rain in six months where I was in moree, great soil there though which retains it well, will try and bring some rain, it does usually always rain when I move somewhere new!

 

Not looking forward to the ferry journey, my last ferry journey was to the isle man for the tt races and I spent the whole time spewing lol, have booked myself a cabin so at least I can spew in private and have a shower afterwards lol going to stock up on heavy duty sea sickness meds!!

Buy some ginger - some health food shops sell seasickness tablets made of ginger. I once had a boyfriend who was a keen sailor but also got seasick on the open ocean - he took ginger tablets for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and said they were great.

Also DON'T use that cabin! You'll always feel worse down below than out on the deck in the fresh air.

I agree with everyone else - a partner visa is straightforward and any attempt to short-circuit or speed things up, is likely to have the opposite effect!

and we have looked at houses she may be able to get yes they are smaller but she dont like big says no need when kids have grown up now so happy to downsize its just how she would buy as guessing be hard to get a mortgage.

Impossible to get a mortgage, more like.

I'm looking to come to oz next summer for around 3-4 weeks to travel and see what it's like - in 2017 I am making plans to come for the full year on a WHV....

Is this a practical idea?

Honestly, I don't see any point in coming for a few weeks. If you're going to do a WHV, do a WHV - the month's holiday is going to cost you in fares and hostels and won't help you prepare for it. Just do it!

The state sponsored visas that specify that the applicant should have a job or job offer are not really targeting overseas applicants. Rather they are providing a pathway for somebody that is already in the state, working on a temporary visa, wants to go permandnt but has no other way (i.e. Employer not willing to support the permanent employer sponsored visa).

...yes, so I guess what the OP would say is, he could come on his student visa and hope to find employment so he could apply for a 487.

That's a possibility, my personal opinion is that so long as he's aware it's a very long shot and he's prepared to come home at the end of the course, then why not?

but surely if you have to find an employer to sponsor you on oa state sponsorship visa whats the poiint of a state sponsorship visa? why not just get a 487 (employer sponsored visa?)

A 487 is temporary and you have to live in a regional area - and it's going to be much harder to find an employer in a regional area. A 190 lets you stay as a permanent resident and you can ultimately live in any state you like.

after a quick google searchg ielts test are only valid for 2 years

Why is that an issue? You do the ielts test when you're applying for the visa.

Australia makes it hard for people to migrate, I'm afraid! Basically this is the situation:

If one of you fits into a profession that is on the SOL, then you just apply for a 189 visa from the UK - there is NO advantage in moving to Australia before you apply, and in fact it can take even longer if you do. You also need to pass the points test.

If that doesn't apply to you, but one of you fits into a job on the CSOL, then you can apply for a 190 visa, BUT you need to find an employer to sponsor you. That is very difficult, unless you're in a job that is hugely in demand. The funny thing is that just because a State has decided to list a job, it doesn't mean employers are desperate enough to go through all the hassle of sponsoring someone - in practice, they're more likely to settle for a less qualified local applicant because it's quicker and less bother. There are people on these forums who've managed to land a job while still in the UK but it's not all that common. You can get an idea of job vacancies by looking on seek.com.au and ringing some agencies.

If neither of you is on either list, then you're stuffed. You could certainly come on a student visa as a way to spend a bit more time in Oz, but you'd have to come home at the end of your course, because if you're not eligible then you're not eligible. An employer can't sponsor you for a job unless it's on the list.

Hobart is actually the second driest Australian capital (after Adelaide). It averages about half the rainfall of Sydney and a third that of Brisbane.

 

It's more showery rain than the heavy tropical type - and sometimes that Scottish "mizzle.

I noticed that too. I'm so used to Sydney downpours, and suddenly I was using all the different words for water falling out of the sky I learned growing up in Scotland, instead of just "bucketing"!

could we sponsor her?

As Bungo says, that contributory visa IS with a sponsor. Without a sponsor, she wouldn't be able to migrate at all.

yeah i seen the sum was around $50,000 she would be selling her house to move over so that not much of a problem.

Has she looked into the cost of houses where you're going? Like I said, the problem is that she may easily afford that money from the sale of her home, but then she might struggle to buy something in Oz with what she's got left over. She'll certainly have to settle for something smaller than what she's got now.

It may or may not be an issue for you - it all depends how important that mother/daughter relationship is to your oh. Since being on these forums, I've been surprised how differently people can react.

I was always very independent of my family and while I missed my Mum, I was quite happy to emigrate so long as I could see her on the occasional holidays. Whereas some people are so close, they find they're desperately unhappy without mum - to the point where they'll head home and even break up their marriage! So do have that conversation with your oh, so you know where she sits on that scale!

God knows where I'll end up. Maybe a tent on the beach lol

I'm sure you'd rather be in Glebe YHA

I think it would be very, very dangerous to make any decisions based on what people tell you on a forum. You say you've already talked to an agent - the easiest solution to your problem is to go back to that agent and say, "there's one more question I forgot to ask", and ask it.

Just make sure the agent is a MARA registered agent, there are a lot of shonks around who will tell you what you want to hear, not what the reality is.

My personal view that everyone living in a rural community should do their bit to protect that community. In your case volunteering with the rural fire service in Dayboro would also allow you to meet people and begin to feel part of the community.

 

http://www.daybororuralfire.com.au/index.php?page=home.php

Great idea. One of my friends moved out to the edges of Sydney. Her new husband had an established property out there and they had a baby on the way so it made sense to do so, but she loved Sydney city life and was really worried about the move. She joined the rural fire service even though she was dubious about doing so (she's petite and not exactly a weight-lifter physique!), but she now says it was her saviour. They do a lot socially together as well as regular training.

You seem to know what to expect here Lochstock and I wish you all the very best. I'm from Scotland too and probably would never have come to Australia but I married an Australian. I've had a happy time here. As everybody has already told you, the weather here can be fairly extreme but even I got fed up of the damp weather in the UK. Have to admit I don't like very hot weather either and really dislike humidity. However, we live in Tasmania now which suits us really well.

 

 

We were there for two weeks around Christmas and it rained almost every day - not always for very long, but long enough to make me wonder!

I'm also glad to Ggs for pointing out possible tax implications of renting out.

The tax implications may not be too bad. The first thing you do is get a Depreciation Report on the house from a qualified valuer. Then each year you can claim a set amount of "depreciation" off your tax. It works best if it's a new property - when I owned my investment property, my depreciation was so high that it didn't just offset the tax due on the rent, I got a refund on my regular tax as well! If the property is old, it may not be much - but every little helps. You can also claim all your expenses, like advertising for tenants, agent's fees, rates etc.

Of course, renting may feel like dead money, but then you'll have the rent coming in from the house.

On another note, it seems to me that your problems are made far, far worse by the job you've got. Have you thought about looking for a job in Brisbane instead? You'd have to settle for something more junior, or perhaps something outside your usual career altogether - but IMO that would be a small price to pay. I believe there's a train to Brisbane, the station is about 20 minutes from you and your total commute would be an hour or so. Then you'd have the great advantage of being IN Brisbane when you knock off work, and therefore it would be easy to stay on for the pub, clubs etc.

Yes, I know. I drove down to the bottom of Glebe Point Road a couple of months ago, and went for a walk, crossing the tramline, up and down a few of the streets, lovely homes

That's the end where the YHA in Glebe is - lovely.

Some people actually want to live near their grandchildren, rather than the other side of the world.

Of course they do, parley, why would you every think otherwise? The question is, are you so desperate to be near them that you're willing to give up all your friends, risk being unemployed, risk being in poverty in your old age? Some people realise that their grandchild is their child's child, not theirs - so if they move to Australia, they still can't expect to see that precious grandchild every day, or even every week, so they need to have a life they can enjoy in between. Everyone will weigh that scales differently.

And BTW, no one was having a go at the parents for wanting to migrate. The mother is thinking about it, the father is NOT keen - the OP is asking us to suggest ways to persuade them to do it.