Lynsey Nicolson

hi

you are right that you can only work for 6 months for the one employer in a year but you can have as many jobs as you wish over the duration of your whv

I don't understand where people get these prices from emirates. I just got my visa today and iv looked at my flight for August 18th with that code and it's only £740. I havnt done anything other than use the search facility on the home page. Havnt chosen a special migrant fare.

 

It just irritates me seeing all these fit and healthy looking young people who are on disability benefits and still begging for yet more money to buy drugs and booze. Most of that 'disability' is alleged mental illness like depression and anxiety.

 

It's tough to be out of work. I've spent six months at a time, submitting endless applications, took me to well over 100 sometimes to get something, and I know there are many genuine people, like me! But I do hate the 'lowies', the ones for whom a disability pension is a lifestyle decision. Find a friendly doctor to sign the forms, or even bribe him to do it and you are set for life.

if I was to start on one my opinions would just keep spilling out and I might get into trouble.

Is alleged mental illness what I would call lazy?

My gran, mother and father have all worked for the benefits system over the years. My gran must have worked for over 40 years in it. My mother now works for the police force. In both of my mothers professions she has seen generation after generation following in family footsteps in collecting benefits. Families that my gran would have dealt with years ago!!

The reality of it is that it's easier to have a life on be benefits than to make one for yourself. I'm sickened by the amount of young girls who get pregnant for the benefits!! The above families even encouraged it!

I came home fro australia at the end of February this year and started looking for work. I was told that as I had been out of the country for more than two years I wouldn't be entitled to claim Jobseeker's Allowance until after 3 months and then have to take a residents test. I never signed on once after that 3 months was up. I applied for every job going. Took trial shifts. Part time work. But not once did I apply for dole. Why? Because after my first time travelling I came home and signed on and the attitude and disgust I recieved from the job centre and benefits officer made sure I never went back! She treated me like one of the ones who think they should be entitled to it for nothing. I have never felt so humiliated in my life. I can see why she had an attitude because of the ones she obviously sees on a day to day basis that claim disability when there is F all wrong with them. Or the ones who claim job seekers and have help getting interviews set up and never turn up!

Personally I would fully support an initiative like this in Scotland. Jobseeker Benefits is not a wage or a lifestyle choice. It is an aid to help you transition from on job to the next. This seperates the people who actually want to work from the people who choose not to work and see it as something they should be entitled too.

I'm sure an employer would look more favourably on a person that has been involved in a back to work scheme for x amount of hours a week than someone who is sitting on their backside doing nothing. Even volunteer/charity work goes in your favour and always looks good on a cv. Do that as well as looking to your 40 jobs a month.

The benedit system is bled dry in the uk from people who are not entitled to it and others suffer from it. There has been a reform on it years ago and another is under way and hopefully in years to come benefits are given to people that properly need it.

In Scotland at the moment a Jobseeker has to prove that they have applied for so many jobs every 2 weeks and I think that's right. It's not money for nothing.

Iv had to take out insurance for my 457 and I took the 457 bupa insurance. Worked out at just under $100 and that was the full cover. My agent told me that travel insurance wouldn't cover me. I did check with immi and constulted this board and was advised that travel insurance would cover. The reason I chose the bupa was to cover all aspects that my case officer would be looking for. I didn't want to have something like that have be turned down because of a case officers decision. Once I arrive I'll be signing up for Medicare but keeping the private insurance. I've had to use insurance for emergency medical surgery and I wouldn't want to be caught out and not have medicare cover it!

I havnt read anything about a refund being given if my visa isn't granted and iv paid 3 months of it so far!

best weather scotland has seen all year! Glorious all week. I enjoyed the mens swimming final. The reaction on Ross Murdochs face was brilliant. Michael Jamieson was a bit of a sore loser though.

I imagine it will affect your tax return as you will be on the same tax file number. Can't you just wait until you come back and then file at the end of next year?

I left on February and went through an agent and they put my tax return in on an early release form and I signed a form declaring that I would not be back in the country before the end of the tax year so that I wasn't able to do another tax return before the end of the year.

I don't know any form numbers if you are doing it yourself but yes you can submit one before you leave. Oh and mine was returned in 28 days

my visa started in february 2012 and i started with an employer in the december and worked through until the september 2013 overlapping my visa date in the february but im unsure if you can do a continuous year. I'm pretty sure it can only be a maximum of 6 months in the year as it would breach the visa condition. You could work for them now until the end of your first year in october and then work for 6 months into your second year.

I understand the fear people have considering the short amount of time since the last one. However, do any of you or have flown British airways? Just one airline that I googled for incidents and accidents. Would you reconsider flying with them on past history? Or perhaps google the 'safest' airline in future? All airlines have them and the results can be catastrophic but surely the probability of air travel incidents is considerably lower than road traffic but you all still go out and drive every day, or catch a bus etc.

this wasn't Malaysian airlines fault so how can you cast the doubt and never fly again? It could have happened to any airline and an air travel incident is likely to happen again.

Personally I would fly with them. I've never brought into consideration the airline I fly with (until Emirates but that was purely comfort in comparison too some horrible flights before) and their safety record. I'm still amazed they manage to stay up their long enough to get my half way round the world! Mind boggle moment!

I assume of would be required in certain fields, ie medicine and law however I have applied for a 457 with a diploma, other qualifications and x amount of years experience and havnt come across any hurdles yet about not having a degree.

I would never consider Perth. I also don't fancy any of the regional towns, the ones that are not outback (I quite like the idea of that for a little while anyway) but say four hours from a state capital, visited a few and they don't appeal.

im totally opposite to you I lived in an regional town and we had a school, post office/shop and the tavern and I loved it. Lived there for a year and applying to go back on my 457. Yes it can get monotonous at times and you crave something to do but I found when I went back to Perth I enjoyed it so much more and it felt like a mini break. After living there for that amount of time, it took me a while to adjust when I came home to scotland and my town. All of a sudden there was people and traffic everywhere and all the time

Only thing I really missed living in the town was the cinema. At home, I would go 3-4 times a month and out there you cant really justify driving 400+kms just for a movie lol

Best thing iv ever done was quit my job and go travelling! Travelled twice through thailand, cambodia and vietnam and then the following year decided to leave for Australia. Spent my two years meeting amazing people and having the time of my life. Now waiting on my 457 sponsorship.

There isnt great job security in the uk any longer and whats to say that if you stayed and didnt travel that your job would be secure in the future? You have to take the risk and go for it. Lifes to short to not take the opportunity to do these things and you will only look back and think 'what if'

It will be the best decision you made

Good luck!

Does anyone know if it's possibly to transfer a uk credit card balance onto an Australian credit card?

Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I did think it would be the same as here and have a trial period.

As for my home, it is being provided by my employer and I'm allowed a dog. I will be living in the back of beyond so I won't need to worry about dog friendly areas it'll have as much land as it needs to run about in.

I started travelling in 2011 and just kind of fell off the list. I never done anything to take myself off and when I came home in February, I never received a polling card for the last vote and have to register if I want to vote in the independence referendum.

It's not "filling in the dots", there's a lot involved that you may not be aware of. But yeah I'm in firm agreement that that's too much and is definitely not indicative of the average service fee for this visa.

 

Lynsey, that's crazy. Sometimes company's like to use the very large global migration law firms which often charge a premium, but there's often a cheaper, more personable and higher standard of service from boutique companies. I'm sure you're aware that the employer cannot seek to recover any of the costs of the Standard Business Sponsorship or Nomination (including agent fees). That's not a recommendation, it's actually part of their obligations as a sponsor.

This isn't a large firm, its as you say a boutique company. It hasn't been mentioned on this site or PIO, it is MARA registered and we have been in touch with others that have used it. So as far as being strung along for the money sake, I doubt that very much. I do agree with you that it's a crazy price! I won't be using them for my 186 anyway!

As for claiming costs back, my MA never once informed me that my employer was responsible for the fees. What was stated in the contract was that he was 100% liable for his sponsorship visa. To be honest, when we discussed it over a year ago we talked money and we both agreed that it we would both pay towards it. As I said, my employer has never done this before so I dont think he would be aware of the payment structure. What has shocked me is the lack of clarification from my MA.

Just under $9000 for my part and my employers. We used an agent as my boss had never done it before so it is for peace of mind. I can't fault the agent on communication and there work, however I do feel it has been an excessively long time. We started this process in March.

Wouldn't want to tell you what we are paying for my 457 then! :shocked: unless timberface is paying in £ then it might equate to the same.

I know I'm a bit ahead of myself as I don't even have my visa yet but I'm interested in adopting a dog. I have one at home and I miss her more than my family when I travel and I dont think I could imagine having a home and not having a dog.

Has anyone ever had an experience of any of the shelters in perth? Do they do trial runs with the dog in your house? Or home asseessments?

I know when we got ours here, the shelter came back out to check on her a month after we brought her home to see how she was settling in.

I've already found a dog I think I am in love with!

im talking from a backpackers experience here but I loved it. I also ended up staying for 7 months so got to experience wet and dry season. There isn't really a day where I ever saw below 30 but you do get used to it. Don't get me wrong there was nothing worse than getting ready for work in the morning in the luxury of aircon to walk outside and feel as if you were still wet from the shower but when the weather is dry its glorious.

In all the places I travelled in oz, I really fell in love with Darwin. I felt it was a very young and vibrant city, I was 26 when I arrived and we were backpacking and up for an adventure and Darwin delivered that for us. However, drive an hour out of the city and its totally different. Litchfield was amazing. I did a bus tour and also camped and had such a great time. We also went to the natural springs that were used during the war for the soldiers to relax (someone else will pop in with the name!)

Can't help you with rent and bills etc as I was in a hostel (probably paid more than most folks rent!) but I did find it more expensive for groceries etc than anywhere else.

Get yourself some great aircon and you'll be loving life!

Oh and the thunderstorms are something else!! Especically if you are in one of the tower flats, you will see for miles!! Some of the craziest storms iv ever seen and I was there for a cyclone warning!

Its scarey when you start comparing the size of this place to other countries, it took me a while to understand just how large Australia was when we started looking into moving here,lol.

 

Cal x

Me too! I never thought I would have to drive 40 minutes to a small supermarket or over 200kms to a coles. I was a bit in the 'outback' as i would have said in the beginning!

I checked for July as I hoped to be back by then and it was £780 glasgow to Perth with Emirates and the flight was only 20hrs so no long stopovers. Thought that was pretty good considering I was £1000 home in February there

i think it works for the visa that you are currently on. So when you leave on a WHV you claim your super back but can enter again on a 457 or another visa.

I had a look at ato and the ato claim page and it doesn't mention anything about not being able to open a new one.

Good for you!

I left at 25 and travelled asia with new friends and that started my love for it. I went home and back to a job that I had been in for years and they knew that I wasn't going to be happy staying there so we came to an agreement. I gave them another year and I saved up every penny I could and left for oz on my whv. I came home in February at I'm 28 and have had to start again but I woulnt change one bit of it. I'm in the process of applying for my 457 but as so many say it's not a guarantee so I have to get on with life back here and be as optimistic as I can. The wonderfull thing about travelling is that it shows you there is so much more out there. You might find you come back after 2 years and wouldn't even want to go back to that job.

Good luck, you'll have an amazing time!