Booma

It probably does speed things up with places like the UK but not so much with a lot of other countries where lots and lots of people are trying to come to oz from.

The remaining relative visa eligibility seems fairly clear and the half siblings existence mean she isn’t eligible for that visa because they are her relatives. Even if she had been eligible for the remaining relative visa she would be old by the time it got issued. You might be better speaking to a registered migration agent about if there is a visa she would meet eligibility for that is also practical.

It's just a holiday visa that lets you do some work while you holiday so it's pretty simple and fast ?

There's a few. Akubra, RM Williams and Drizabone all make good ones. My husband only buys from those 3.

That story is freakishly similar to Brett Spies and his children that died when a gas cylinder exploded in their tent in Mandurah in 2011. It was in the news again not long ago because the Spies mother died earlier this year. The Spies family though were renting a house they didn't pay the rent on for approx 12 months and so were evicted and the children were teenagers.

Your 20's are for exploring the world, new experience and making mistakes. I'd backpacked in oz and loved it so didn't hesitate to move here when my ozzie husband wanted to come home. I were surprised when I didn't settle. We ended up going back to uk only to realise after a few months that I didn't like living there at all and oz was really where we both wanted to be. It cost money going backwards and forwards of course but we got a wonderful life in oz in the end and with some hard graft we got back on our feet so I'm not sorry we did what we did. You might go on holiday and decide UKs not for you anymore or you might decide it is and even change your mind again later or not. It doesn't really matter if it helps you work out what you really want ?

The Scottish system used to be brilliant but a new curriculum was introduced in approx 2010 and it's been going downhill ever since. I was at a training course in Sydney not long ago and got chatting to 3 other teachers who migrated from Scotland in the last year or so. From what they were saying the new system there is a complete shambles and experienced teachers are leaving from all over. One of those things that looks good in theory but doesn't actually work but Govt isn't listening to teachers so it's unlikely to get any better. Such a shame.

That must be so awful for you. I know your father and his wife are upset but they don't seem to be considering what you and your little family want at all. It's all about what they want and they seem very controlling. I would tell them if they don't stop trying to emotionally blackmail you that you won't be able to see them again before you go because it's to upsetting. Its a really horrible thing they are doing to you and them being upset isn't a good enough excuse. My parents were sad I was moving but they would never put what they want above what I want. I also don't agree with what some others have said about it being up to you to think about your father and his wife's care later on or that you have to make sure you do visits etc. Family is important to me but I was raised to believe parents are responsible for there children and not the other way around. Your husband and children are your main priority now and don't let anyone tell you any different or make you feel bad for the choices you make.

My parents just decided to apply now because they are worried about it getting harder and harder to get in to oz and they don't want to miss out on there chance. They love oz and found it very hard to leave last time they visited. There is a bunch of other parents posting in a thread on this site that would probably be helpful to you. They tend to stick to there main thread and don't tend to come out of it to post on any other threads much that I've seen. It was interesting what Marisa said about her friend. My parents aren't the type who would let having to drive somewhere stop them from doing the school run if they wanted to do it and they would come to sports events when our boys are old enough to do sport and they would adapt to doing different things with the children and us as our family changed. If you are like my parents I can't see why it wouldn't work. But if you are set in your ways and want the family to revolve around doing the same things year after year that they do when the children are small it might not work out so well.

Sorry I didn't mean to touch a nerve with my comment. I'm sure you have a lovely life in Scotland. It just isn't the type of life I want to live.

Lifestyle. In oz I've got a lifestyle I used to have to go on holiday to get.

Oz is so big and so diverse you could spend more than one lifetime travelling and still not see everything there is to see. Favourite places so far were the typical tourist places like the Whitsunday Islands, Uluru and just about anywhere in the NT but there is so many brilliant places to go it's almost impossible to pick. Sometimes we fly to places but the best holidays were when we drove because there is always interesting little spots to see on the way that you wouldn't know about from travel sites. When we do go overseas we tend to go to Asia or the pacific islands. My favourite countries so far were Japan, New Zealand and the outer islands of Fiji. I also like Singapore and Indonesia which has a lot more to offer than just Bali. Although Bali is very cheap and appeals to some people. People in oz travel all over the world but one thing that's brilliant is you can have any type of holiday you want right here in oz. You don't have to leave the country to feel like you went somewhere different and interesting ?

The thing about being a parent though Marisa is that you put your own wants and needs after your children's wants and needs. It's not even something good parents do consciously.

I've been googling & all I can see about people living in oz for a long time is people on temp visa being sent away. the most interesting was the old man who were living in Cairns for years. he arrived on fake passport with fake papers & hid out up there so no right to be in oz at all not even temporarily ?

my ozzie relatives & lots of my ozzie friends are animal lovers but none of them let any animals in the house not even cats or little dogs. they seem to think it's dirty & animals belong outside. I didnt know lots of ozzies think that & i let my in laws dog inside once when i just met them for the first time. my mother in law nearly had a fit. I suppose the climate is generally better in oz than in uk so that might be why its not as common to have them inside. all the dogs seem to have shelters & blankets etc though. my husbands uncle has a farm with working dogs & you arent allowed to pet them or anything & they sleep in big kennels. he loves them & looks after them really well but they dont get treated like pets & they know not to even come near the house.

I suppose its confusing because the health forum is listed in the life in oz section. i thought it was for stuff in oz like the health system or how things in oz are done or accessed etc as well.

that's not correct. my husband is a builder & our solicitor called off a settlement on a house last week because the people got our company name slightly wrong on the bank cheque they got to pay him. we couldnt of banked the cheque in our company account with the name not matching the account name.

yes i think all media is the same these days wherever they are from. it doesnt bother me though. I just ignore it.

how very proper & british ? the old lady next door to us growing up used to say that all the time. usually muttered under her breath but load enough for us to hear when we were a bit older & playing out. she was a nice old thing but very proper & stiff upper lip no nonsense kind of thing ?

ive been thinking on this comment from earlier. why do you think the ozzies should tone down there enthusiasm in there own country?

I agree. we don't even have patrolled beaches where we live but the locals swim safely all year round. when we moved to oz my husbands family spent a lot of time teaching me how to swim in rough seas & how to survive if i ever got into trouble in the sea or got stuck in a rip. i don't swim as well as they do & tend not to swim without them there but they made me practice so much i know i wouldnt panic now & they say its the panic that kills people.

making minimal effort is a insult to the spirit of competition. if you arent fit & ready to compete you should stay home.

when i were backpacking i was around cairns for a few weeks everyone kept saying about snakes & didnt see a single one. not that im complaining mind you ?

funny how people see things differently. i thought it was more of a compliment to england & nz that whoever made the ads thought those counties might put up a bit of competition.

33 here today with a lovely onshore breeze. spent the morning at the beach with the children who had a ball. im so glad i only work casual now & get to enjoy a lifestyle we used to have to go on holiday to get.