nadrim

I transferred money from the UK last week for a home deposit in Aus. I got it at a reasonable rate and wanted to insure against further AUD appreciation which had been happening. I was worried about not having the deposit I needed for preapproval on a mortgage and to look for houses as I only have a small deposit which could make getting a good house tough if the aud appreciated much more. Now I'm stressed that I should have held out longer as the market reacted to poor china data and the pound appreciated. I don't know how stressed other people get but I know the important thing is to know what you need in Aus and base a decision on that and not be greedy as you could get burnt. But I've never exchanged such big sums before and it's made me feel a bit sick! And I keep looking at the fx ticker frustrated.

I don't know the rules, but my agent made me supply my travel insurance documents covering health upfront. That's ok if you are from the UK as there is reciprocal health cover.

I've been reading this thread a bit nervously given people's experiences. My works migration agent applied on 5 September and I have just received approval on 26 September. That's only 3 weeks. Mine was a decision ready one so may get priority and I've also got a job with good pay so that may help.