Grecia

From the VETASSESS website: [h=3]Drug and Alcohol Counsellor (ANZSCO Code 272112)[/h]This occupation requires a qualification which is assessed as comparable to the educational level of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Bachelor degree or higher degree, in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation. In addition to this, applicants must have at least one year of post-qualification employment at an appropriate skill level completed in the last five years which is highly relevant to the nominated occupation. If the qualification(s) are not at the required educational level, or if the employment has been completed prior to the qualification, then the employment will be assessed below the required skill level.

And yet the post is back now... Thank you both for restoring it.

You might want to make the effort in the case of the thread started by Suzuki Scottie's widow, and all her messages of condolence. It's a bit tasteless to just leave that deleted that like it never happened...

I do wish they hadn't got rid of the 'like' button - that is one of the most useful things I have read on here. Thank you, Ozzie!

You can change your address for correspondence with a Form 929 (or do it online). Not sure if that would help - maybe that and an explanatory letter...? I'm sure the idea of the biometrics is not for people to have to fly halfway around the world to get them done.

I thought (and the DIBP website seems to confirm this) that it was where you lived, rather than your nationality. So, my British father living in France had to do the biometric checks for his partner visa; my British partner living in the UK didn't. Unless she put a South African address on the application, the DIBP may have made a mistake: my OH was asked by his case officer to do a police check for Australia when he had only been on holiday there for 3 months. The CO was quite nice about it when he pointed out the error. Good luck!

For this type of yes/no question I've found it easier to just call the visa helpline at Australia House. Although it's not unheard of (lol) for DIBP staff to give out wrong advice, for simple questions like this I've always found them really helpful.

You can put your (proposed) details into Compare the Market's Aussie website and they will give you the electricity and gas costs from various providers, like they do with insurance.

My OH had awful trouble getting somewhere in Sydney on a limited budget. In the end, the same estate agent kept seeing him week after week at viewings and felt sorry for him. She put in a good word with the landlord, and advised him what to do to beat the other potential tenant that the landlord favoured. If it wasn't for her he'd probably still be living in dodgy houseshares. So befriending an estate agent can't hurt - it works for Phil and Kirsty after all.:wink:

Born in South Africa. Raised in Brisbane. Living in London. Also heading to Melbourne :wink:

Not Italy, but I and my immediate family have bought and sold several properties in France - plus three "near misses" where the properties had hidden defects and we had to extricate ourselves from the purchase. Looking at this article, the Italian system seems to be a mixture of the French and UK ones: http://www.detulliolawfirm.com/property-selling-guide/ I've found the most important thing is to get a good bilingual property lawyer (although my French is pretty good). The one I use currently charges EUR 300 an hour and is worth every penny. He has saved me many times over what I've paid him in fees. Even if her Italian is perfect, it would probably be helpful to your friend to use someone who is used to dealing with non-residents. It is no problem being out of the country when the sale goes through, either - you simply give power of attorney to your lawyer to sign the contract for you. There aren't any 'budget' estate agents in France that I know of (the sector is heavily regulated), so I'd be surprised if these exist in Italy. If her BIL can show people around, why can't he let the local estate agents in to give a valuation?

I got a banking job through Robert Walters while I was still in the UK, so I can recommend them. In my experience the international agencies are best, because they often employ people who have worked in recruitment in London and understand the difference between the UK and Aus markets.

:eek: Sydney Heat: "I took these photographs of a dog sitting in a crate on the tarmac at Sydney Airport. The dog has been there for over half an hour in this heat. I'm taking photos from my plane. This needs explaining it's so hot out there. It's a German shepherd inside the crate" - 7 News viewer Carissa Lindfield.

OH had endless problems with the website too. All you can do is raise a ticket with the IT helpdesk, and they will either sort it out for you or suggest a compromise solution.

Compare the Market now gives quotes for utilities and phone/internet providers as well as insurance.