canadianaussie

I think you can survive on that. Even with a family. It would be tough, you wouldn't go out much and wouldn't be able to afford flights back to the UK. It wouldn't be a great life. But 'survive?' Definitely.

I think NZ is fantastic. If you can get work away from Auckland (which is very expensive) then I think you can have a great quiet life in NZ. I was there a few months ago and found housing quite reasonable in some fantastic places - Nelson, Tauranga, Dunedin etc. Of course the same could be said for Australia - regional areas like Orange, Port Macquarie etc. I think the key is being able to live away from the overpriced large cities, unless of course you're on a massive salary.

Where in Queensland?

It means if you don't leave Australia at all after arriving in June 2013, you can apply for citizenship in June 2016. If you have, say, 2 months holiday back to the UK in that 3 year period, it gets pushed back by 2 months - meaning you can apply in August 2016.

I used them in the UK to set up a bank account as I had no UK address. They wrote me a letter 'claiming' that I was working for them. Seemed to work as I opened an account hassle free with Lloyds. I think it was about 50 quid for the letter though which is a bit steep..

Can I ask how involved the process was to get a RRV? I thought it was very difficult if you have not been resident for 2 out of the last 5 yrs? Do you have significant ties to Australia still? Cheers. Oh and congratulations!!

Its a nice place. Personally I prefer towns further south - Narooma, Tathra, Merimbula etc. However B Bay is a nice place and assuming you have work, would be a great affordable place to have a nice quiet family orientated type of life.

An interesting fact - every spot on the earth, ranging from the arctic to the equator - gets the exact same amount of daylight hours over 1 year. So if they do run off daylight, not sunlight, it shouldn't matter where they are in Australia.

Ugh I can't imagine arriving after that long flight and then having to do it again in reverse immediately after!! Stay at least a day or 2 - find a cheap hotel/airbnb and have a few beach days!

My mistake. I assumed that you when you switch employers you get a 'new' 457 and the 4 yr timeframe is reset; I guess not. In terms of who pays of it - for mine I paid for my own part of the visa and my sponsor paid for their portion/nomination. Not sure if this is standard/normal or not.

Umm....has he been working for this new company for a whole year on the original 457 visa? Because is so, that's illegal. It sounds like it. He should have applied for a new sponsored 457 with the new employer before commencing work with them - and if he had done this there would still be 3 years left on it. You might be in trouble here.

1 other small point - the area surrounding Warrnambool is the largest dairy farming region in Australia. Great if you like fresh milk, but a bit smelly if you want to live out of town!

I've been there twice and quite like it. Some nice pubs in the centre and for a small city/big town seemed to have a good vibe. One negative - I think it would be one of the coldest coastal locations in Australia. I'd imagine the wind blowing from the southern ocean would go right through you. I think their nights are always quite cool as well, even in summer. Close to the great ocean road. And usually quite green!

I don't know why you would. Its expensive and a long way away, what if you don't like it? The only reason I would ever do it is if it was a 'posting.' IE I was send there temporarily as part of my job. Otherwise, permanently? No way. Not without a good long visit first to scope the place out.

RE prices are one of the main reasons I'm leaving Australia. I'm ready to buy a house and could never afford to do it here. Much cheaper and better quality in a number of places I'm considering back home.

Incredible place; particularly the south island. I've been to NZ 3x and cannot rate it highly enough. Its got all the best parts of the world (English green countryside, Canadian mountains, Australian beaches) in 1 little country. I would live there tomorrow if I had any connections to keep me entertained. Fantastic people as well.

I arrived on a WHV and loved it. Within months I had applied for a permanent visa. However, I think I rushed things. I've been here just over 3 years now and I'm 'over' it. I appreciate the weather and space but I'm fed up with the isolation, expense (of housing mostly) and what I feel is a lack of a future here. I also deal with the general public at work and find the Aussie public exhausting. (They just won't stop talking about irrelevant information!! Just stop talking!!! Endearing at first but has recently become a real grind) I think I first started to feel like this after about a year and a half. The honeymoon phase had worn off and after an extended UK visit it confirmed what I have been thinking. 7 months to citizenship and then I'm gone. Still wondering if I can last that long!!

You can actually fly from Sydney to Leeton with Rex. One way flight look to be $166 if you book ahead https://secure.rex.com.au/RexOBE/RexOnlineBooking.aspx

BTW is it 1600/month or 1600/4 wks. Not a major difference but a low salary those few extra days can be significant..

Its doable; a year ago in Sydney I was spending $600/2 wks after rent and transportation. This more than covers food, eating out once a week and other incidentals. No room for saving or 'big ticket' items however. I also did not have private medical insurance.

Veterinarian. UK 220 pounds per day (10 hr days). Aus $390 per day. Feel a bit underpaid looking at some of the above wages!

If you're a rich hippie - Byron. If not - Cairns.

Well thats not very nice Do you have a guarantor - family member etc who can 'co-sign' for you? How about looking for a private rental instead of through an agency?

I don't know about eating out - thats one area I was surprised to find comparable to Australia in my opinion. As an example, I've just spent $16 on a fantastic breakfast that'll last me the day, and $4 on a great cup of coffee. It would cost you 10 quid at least, for the equivalent in the UK in my experience. Same thing for evening meals - $20 can you get you a great thai take away; in the UK I was getting the equivalent down the street for 9 pounds. With the exchange rate now 2:1 I think its a wash.

Huh. Wish I had enough free time to do such things Quinkla! :wink: