movingtoaussieland

Quick update - got my invite to ceremony (Boroondara Council, VIC) for 10th March 2020. Approval date was 4th September so 6 months between approval and ceremony. I'm going to have to reschedule to a later one for work/travel reasons but that's ok, at least there's progress!

I don't think they make those kinds of promises! My interviewer told me they would approve it in the system the next day and that the letter would take up to 2 weeks. I was prepared to change my flight and extend my stay if I needed to, thankfully I have a very understanding boss and I can work from anywhere with an internet connection.

Approval date in the system is 2 days after my exam date. Letter in the mail confirming approval took about 10 days. Evidence will depend entirely on your personal circumstances. I took what I felt demonstrated why I was currently living overseas (work and family reasons that are both short-term in nature) and what I had that would show I intend to return (bank statements, superannuation, evidence of a local address). I did everything on my own, not sure a lawyer would have been any help to be honest.

Will do. Also, i was told they are churning through hundreds of interviews a day (at least in Melbourne) and doing extra ceremonies trying to clear some of the backlog so anyone waiting for an invite will hopefully not have to wait too long. On the agent question, I asked 3 agents for help and all said they don’t typically help with citizenship applications! One did offer to do some research into the current rules (for a fee) but never got back to me with a fee estimate so I gave up. If you do manage to find an agent with knowledge in this area I expect a lot of people would want their number.

Yes, I did my interview at the beginning of a 3 week stay so I was still in Australia for the approval, letter arrived before I left. Approval in the system was processed the day after my interview.

Hi all, Just to update on my experience. I pushed my interview/test date back to September (from original invite in April) and flew back to Melbourne for 3 weeks to do test and wait until I received formal approval. I took as much evidence of my intention to return to Australia as I could think of - including bank statements showing I'd left my savings there, statements showing I'm still paying into my Superannuation fund in Aus and a copy of my US visa showing it's a temp visa. I also changed the address on my Vic drivers license and bank statements to a friend's address in Melbourne. At the interview I was asked to explain why I was living overseas and convince them I was returning to Australia and doing so relatively soon (I think they're ideally looking for within 3-6 months, i.e. you'll be living there again by the time you get the ceremony invite). Honestly, I think a lot of whether you get approved or not depends on a) the reasons you're not living there at the moment, b) how much evidence you can bring to show your commitment to returning and c) who you happen to get as your interviewer. I was very fortunate that I had someone willing to listen to me, review all my documents and take my personal circumstances into account - in my case I have every intention of returning once my current work commitment finishes and I was able to clearly explain myself and provide enough evidence. Interviewers seem to have a lot of discretion so whilst my experience was positive, I don't think it's a given that everyone will have the same experience. My application was, thankfully, approved and the confirmation was sent to my friend's address in Melbourne, had I not been able to provide that address I think I would have had more trouble getting through the system as the interviewer said only having an overseas address on file usually means you'll get an email asking for a return date before they'll approve you and get you in line for a ceremony date. I am waiting on an invite for ceremony, which I'm expecting to be sometime early next year, and will have to travel back for about a month to do the ceremony and get my passport.

Hi all, Has anyone managed to find any solutions to this? I got my invite for interview in Melbourne for April, but in the time it took to get the application processed I got offered an opportunity to move to the US to work for a couple of years. I moved about a month ago and therefore no longer have a residential address in Australia. I have no issues flying back to do the test and interview, but I am worried it'll be a wasted trip if my move out of the country is going to prevent me getting approved. Would be great to hear of how anyone else has got round this!

I moved to Melbourne on my own just under 3 months ago - LOVE IT! Sounds like you're going with the right attitude, and that's half the battle. Do some research, find some social groups/activities that you can get involved in to meet new people. We have a Newbies Meetup group here in Melbourne that run events for newcomers, might be worth checking out Meetups.com to see if there's anything similar in Perth? I've found it a great way to meet people. Housemates and work colleagues will also be a good starting point. Jump into it with a positive attitude, be prepared to put a bit of work into making new friends and you'll be just fine. Totally with you on the walk on the beach - I do that whenever I start feeling a little homesick. Best of luck with the move guys!

This might be of some use: Adelaide: The Moon rises at 5.48pm; total eclipse ends at 5.55pm; the eclipse ends at 7.03pm. Brisbane: The Moon rises at 5.27pm; maximum eclipse is at 5.46pm; total eclipse ends at 6.25pm; the eclipse ends at 7.33pm. Darwin: The Moon rises at 6.41pm; the eclipse ends at 7.33pm. Hobart: The Moon rises at 5.33pm; maximum eclipse is at 5.46pm; total eclipse ends at 6.25pm; the eclipse ends at 7.33pm. Melbourne: The Moon rises at 5.49pm; total eclipse ends at 6.25pm; the eclipse ends at 7.33pm. Sydney: The Moon rises at 5.28pm; maximum eclipse is at 5.46pm; total eclipse ends at 6.25pm; the eclipse ends at 7.33pm.

Congrats aussie!!

I flew Singapore Air business class and got 40kg baggage, I had tried to see if they would give me any extra as I had a one way ticket but as I'm on a temporary visa they said no. However, I checked in with around 47kg plus another 10kg hand luggage and they didn't bat an eyelid. Their excess baggage charges are extortionate though (can't remember exactly but they charge per kilo and I think I worked it out as being about £40 per kilo?!?) so if you take a chance at going over your allowance, be prepared to pay a fortune or jettison some stuff at the airport if they try to charge you. Have you looked into air freight as an alternative? I had 2 boxes sent by air with things like towels, shoes and some warmer clothes sent by air freight to arrive about a week after I landed. It's more expensive than a container, but quicker and usually cheaper than excess baggage.

I got a shellac manicure yesterday for $30. The suburb I live in appears to have more nail and hair salons than anything else, that should mean they're all pretty competitive on price.

Congratulations! That didn't take long. :-) Perth's amazing - hopefully you can make it over before the winter kicks in. Good luck with the departure planning - it's stressful, but absolutely worth it (in my opinion).

If it helps in terms of the law stuff (can't help on the hairdressing) - I have a UK law degree and legal practice course and also studied law for a year in WA, none of these would allow me to practice as a solicitor or barrister in Australia. If you're looking at Adelaide, you need to contact the Law Society of South Australia. They are likely to want to review the details of what you studied as part of your degree in Serbia (so you would need transcripts, module summaries etc.) and then they would recommend additional courses you would need to undertake to be able to practice law here. That's if you wanted to practice as a solicitor. Remember that each state/territory has it's own law society and own requirements so you'd need to be pretty sure about where you want to settle. If you're not looking to practice as a solicitor - you may be able to find other work using the skills from your degree, but from what I hear legal jobs here are pretty competitive and they generally prefer candidates with an Australian law degree and/or some local experience. I'm not sure having a masters would help, unless you did it here. What type of visa are you planning to apply for?

Welcome! Whereabouts in Melbourne are you based? There's been talk of a get together for all the newbies on the Lifeinvictoria forum so get on there and join the thread (if you haven't already) and hopefully we'll get a date in the diary soon.

Have a look at bundled TV/Phone line/Broadband packages from Telstra (with Foxtel), iinet and Optus (both with Fetch tv) as an indicator of costs for those. Depends largely on what you and your family would need in terms of channels, broadband usage caps, any international calls etc. Telstra with Foxtel would be the more expensive option.

Any news yet? Best of luck! My timeline's below, probably not the best indicator of waiting time, but it's something!

Hi, To my knowledge, nobody from immigration or the agent we used followed upon my references, but I'd worked for the UK branch of the company that sponsored me for 2 years before I applied so perhaps there was an assumption that they'd checked my references and if they were satisfied, that was enough? My agent did tell me that immigration can and sometimes do check up on references, for example if they relate to a dual role where they want to check that the majority of your job was related to what you're being sponsored for, or if your description of what you did there is a bit vague. I'm sure the agent will be able to give you advice on what the reference should contain and what to do if that person isn't available to give an updated reference. Might be worth speaking to an agent sooner rather than later and getting a reference now just in case?

I'm currently weighing up the two options as well so would be interested to see people's views - did a spot poll in the office at lunch and most people here said they have Foxtel but it's expensive and they probably only watch a few of the channels they pay for. Fetch has less channels available so I guess the question is whether the few channels you would watch are included in Fetch or not?

I used a relocation company for my relocation but mostly because the company were paying for it and had I not used them I wouldn't have had access to a relocation budget which has covered things like my first 6 weeks' accommodation (which they found, booked and paid directly for) and shipping (which they arranged and paid directly for). I also had a property agent to arrange private viewings for lots of properties (we scheduled 12 in one day) and drive me around to the viewings which I would have had to hire a car to do otherwise. Given that I took no time off work during this whole process other than the day before I flew and a day to go house hunting, I can certainly see that the relocation company provided a lot of value to the company, but I am pretty certain I could have done everything by myself with a few days off work and a bit of internet research. I am also pretty sure I could have done it all for a lot less money because using the relocation company generally means you're tied to their preferred suppliers (my temp accommodation is extortionate!) I sorted out medicare, bank account etc. by myself without any trouble. On balance, it has probably been more efficient to use them, but it's definitely not necessary and I probably wouldn't use the services offered if I'd had to cover the cost myself.

Ok, so, most of the agencies I saw today (10 properties in one day - my brain hurts) use the 1Form online application portal which you can complete all the application info in and then just fill out the property specific bits as and when. You can set up an account without having to submit any applications - so might be worth doing that to get a head start, uploading copies of documents (there's a list) and then you have it all in there saved and ready to go when you need to. I uploaded 100 points of ID (passport and drivers license) and then a copy of my employment offer as proof of income, a copy of my medicare card and a copy of a utility bill as proof of my previous rental address. Different agencies will have different specific requirements, but that should give you a rough idea. Hope that helps!

Hi Kezzles! I'm going on a property hunt tomorrow with the relocation agent (EXCITED!!!) and she asked me to bring the following: · Identification (eg. Driver’s Licence, Passport, Medicare Card) · Details of your current living arrangements (eg. If you are renting, your current agent’s details, if you own your property, your land and water rates notice) · Details of your employment contract and housing allowance details (as applicable) · Contact details for two referees (eg. your HR contact and your Manager) I've contacted my previous letting agency in the UK for a reference but after 3 weeks I've had no response (helpful as always!) so I'm hoping I won't need one. If I get any more useful tips from the agent tomorrow I'll let you know. Hope things are going well! x

Hi, I was told it had to be on one of those lists (mine is on the CSOL) - you may find that the job title specifically isn't on the lists but if you check the ANSCO site for a description of duties/experience/skills needed for certain roles that might be similar you may find you can apply under a related code? For example - I'm an in-house legal advisor but I don't practice as a solicitor or barrister so I couldn't apply under those ANSCO code. But there is an occupation on the CSOL list of "judicial and other legal professionals (NEC)" which is what I applied under and obtained my 457 visa a few weeks ago.

Hey goto I suspect it will vary a little depending on the company and which state you're applying to, but mine took about 4 weeks I from when they lodged all the paperwork (took ages for them to get the paperwork together though). My timeline for the whole 457 process is below, bear in mind immi closed for Christmas and it's not too bad. Good luck!

I had just over an hour layover this time round and it was fine, in fact I could have done with a little longer as it would've been nice to have a shower and a bit more of a walk around to stretch my legs after the 14 hour London-Singas leg. Last time I was there I spent half an hour or so wandering around the butterfly garden and koi pond (they're tucked round the back but worth finding) and there are plenty of things to do for kids and grown ups. There's a city tour booth in the info centre - think you'd be fine fitting that into a 6 hour layover. A friend of mine always books a long layover, checks into the transit hotel for a few hours kip and a shower and says it makes a huge difference to how "with it" she feels when she arrives in Sydney. So definitely worth thinking about that.