vickyplum

Sorry to hear that, but now you are PR, you can stay in Australia regardless of your relationship status.

Hi @vickyplum, nice to hear from you!

 

We are going well, partner arrived in Aus in June 2014, as soon as his visa was granted and we lived in Wollongong for 18 months (i think you also had a connection to wollongong?!)

Just this past January we have moved to Melbourne as Wollongong was a little slow compared to the lifestyle we were enjoying in London before coming to Aus. All great so far! We are both in hospitality management so we have taken to Melbourne well with all its great cafes/bars/restaurants! How have you settled?

 

Regarding the visa, we were pleasantly surprised when it came through this morning! After hearing others timelines, it seemed it was going to take a fair while longer - although it hasnt really affected my partner anyways as the 309 has much the same work rights in his circumstances.

Just to note, we submitted ours by paper to the brisbane office, as we found it easier to be able to lay everything out in front of us to see what we had, make notes on different parts of evidence etc. I wouldn't think that it makes a difference how it is lodged, but just FYI for anyone interested.

 

Hoping for you and everyone that is still waiting for theirs, that Ronnies coming through this morning is the first of a nice wave to come! xx

Hi @NikkiM - yes, my father in law lives in Wollongong, so we stayed with him temporarily (ended up being four months!) when we first arrived. I secured a job almost immediately but my partner took a little longer. Wollongong is not a bad place, but the daily commute via train to Sydney CBD, gets a bit tiring after a while...! Although I know plenty of people do it on a regular basis.

We're now living in Sydney, both working, and carrying on with life much as before really but with different things to see/do/learn. I try to explore a new part of Sydney each weekend, and it's nice being close to my partner's family + friends. Work also feels much as it did before, but I'm pleased to have been offered the opportunity so quickly after arriving in AU, and have recently moved into a new role, so that's a fresh challenge for me!

Pleased to hear you're doing so well with life

Hello everybody,

 

I'm a bit confused about the process for the PR, I lodged an application for the 309/100 last june and just moved over from the UK. In the grant letter it states that the department will write to me in two years from application time to assess me against PR. But reading the comments here, it seems like i will have to write to immigration? could someone please help me shed a light on that.

You will receive an email, asking for more information, at the point when you are eligible to apply for the 100 visa. At that point, you need to submit more evidence, dating from when the 309 was granted, until present day (ie, the time you are applying for the 100). After you've submitted all that, in a similar way to when you did the 309, your new processing time will start and then you get to wait again. The aspiratioal time-frame given by DIBP for this new processing period is 6-8 months, but as you can see from this discussion, some are quicker and some are slower.

:daydreaming:

Hi @NikkiM! I remember you from back when we were going through all the 309 stuff. I lodged my 100 at the end of September but haven't heard back yet. So good for you and your partner on hearing back so quickly!

How is it all going otherwise?

EHIC not valid in UK. My understand is that it's a UK issued card for use in the other EU/EEA countries. Found this link, which *might* be of use...

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/movingabroad/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Both of you could have Dual citizenship couldn't you ? or is Scotland different rules to England?

 

Cal x

We're all British citizens / same passport , so same rules (or same difficulties) apply

My partner is from the area and I know he would say to avoid Albion Park / Rail and Dapto. And probably Unanderra

Weather-wise I think you'll be OK - I arrived here in May last year and it wasn't a problem for me. But I did come from the UK, as some will point out! Just layer up or down, accordingly.

Luna Park - will burn a hole in your pocket!

Taronga Zoo - you can get there by ferry

Any of the ferries from Circular Quay - cheap with Opal card and you get to spy on all the nice harbourside areas

There are lots of child friendly things on Darling Harbour (IMAX, Sealife etc) but not sure they are particularly budget friendly or that interesting for adults

Powerhouse Museum - there's an area for children (and some adults) to interact with physics / science stuff and a big hall full of transport from yesteryear.

Manly or Bondi beaches - you can get the ferry to Manly, and plenty of trains to go Bondi Junction (and then walk or bus down to the beach).

Westfield Sydney Tower / Eye / whatever it's called (tall tower with viewing area attached to Westfield in the CBD).

I just created the extra page in Word (using the same layout) , saved it as pdf and made reference to it on the main form.

you can get free software that combines multiple PDF docs into one (think it's called Ice Cream split and merge). Or dump all your screen shots into one Word doc and PDF that.

If there were no buy to let landlords you renters would be homeless.

Will I get banned if I tell @parleycross to sod off?

You have my sympathy, my daughter is in Sydney, I was just reacting to the comment "bye to let brigade"

Hope things work out for you.

Thanks @ramot. It's not a big problem at the moment as we have a great unit in a good location (not sure of market value but probably way overpriced for what it is!), but I would certainly hope not to be still renting in 2-3 years time -- be in in Australia or back in the UK! Partly it's of our own making (from before we got together) as opportunities were missed... but such is life :-)

@ramot and @Keith and Linda - my reply to the buy to let comment, was purely from my own point of view, that any glimmer of hope would be welcome - as a couple in our late 30s/early 40s, we missed the boat when UK prices were more affordable (due to various reasons) and even with joint income, would struggle due to the need to pay rent for somewhere to live in the meantime and save for the deposit at the same time.

I certainly wish no negative feelings on those who buy to let or have a mortgage in any form.

Trouble is, no matter how much you spend, you are still living in England.

Good thing you don't have to live there then.

A few nice houses hanging around on the market in Lewes as prices went into the stratosphere last year. I think even Londoners draw the line at just under £1 million for a new build 3 bed terrace. Hopefully the buy to let brigade will start shedding the smaller houses and give a glimmer of hope to young families.

Some of us more mature types are hoping this will happen too :rolleyes:

The rental agreement is until June.

Part of me thinks the agents are apathetic about the situation. I think 6 weeks is sufficient time to find another renter tbh!

I suspect they would be moving more quickly if the property was empty and no rent being received!

sounds lovely - everything that life in the UK should be! Where are you currently living?

We pay over £1200 a year in north east England The rates are worked out on a band level ABC etc depending on the area your in not the house size

oddly enough my son in Oz is moving onto a property on acres and will pay less in rates that's his current suburban home

Council tax is based on the value of the property in 1991 with new builds being given an assumed value for that year. The reasoning behind the costs for each band is explained on Wikipedia (fairly long winded).

Can't remember what our most recent gas and electric bills were... a couple of hundred each perhaps; certainly nothing that made me fall off my chair! (Not like in the UK when I had those damned storage heaters that were supposed to be 'efficient'!).

We live in a two-bed unit, so only the air-con to gobble things up really and we try not to go overboard with that (although some days I crack it up to max. for 5-10 mins before the OH gets in...).

... I was hoping to be granted PR in December 2016 (so 2 years after I applied for 309)...

You become eligible to apply for the 100, two years after you applied for the 309. So it wouldn't instantly happen two years later anyway, not that I am trying to make excuses for the DIBP!

I have just emailed DIBP using the web form enquiry for people who waiting for the 309/100 permanent visa. Said that their website current states six months for onshore (low risk countries) and could I expect visa grant in the next 1-2 months. Will be interested to see what they come back with! I was really expecting PR in the first half of this year but from what your friend says, it may happen in the first half of next year instead...!

Had a standard response back saying that the processing time is 6-8 months from the time you became eligible to lodge the 100 - but that these timeframes are aspirational! So could be any time between now and 2020 really... @Nemesis FYI.

there are a number of recent discussions on this subject - look under the forum/section you just posted in, and there will be 2-3 already.

General consensus is: for less than 5 days a week or for a fixed time period - yes. Indefinitely - no.

Hi there. Would interested to see what TVs you've got... Will PM.

I think @Eera is also in Mackay.