mungbean

hoping we get some action this week after the Australia day holiday weekend...

Also, check what size of SIM your phones use before you buy new ones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identity_module#Formats For example, iPhone 4 uses a micro-SIM but newer ones use nano-SIM which is smaller.

If I understand correctly, for temporary residents, if you leave Aus and your visa has expired (or you cancelled it) you can claim "departing Australia superannuation payment", i.e. you can get your Super back. Whereas if you're a citizen you have to retire in Aus or NZ to claim your pension. Unlike UK pensions which can be claimed overseas. Would be helpful to know how this works for people having PR which then expires as being discussed above.

There's a detailed list here: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/travel/cant-take

Reasons for not getting citizenship might include what you're planning to do with Super contributions/pensions and where you intend to be claiming them...?

I would suggest making a personalised budget... we all have different needs and wants, income and outgoings, and there are many variables which will be individual. There are several spreadsheets floating about the place if you want a guide for things like utility bills. Where are you heading to?

Right, thanks

In that case I don't understand "What if you have to make a quick trip out of the country after 1 year? "

Does this really mean that you can't leave the country even for a week's holiday in the whole 5 years? Surely "resident" means you're normally living there, not that you have to be physically present for 365 days a year?

So long as it doesn't look like this you should be alright.

No, actually I contacted someone in their HR department directly on LinkedIn. I had already met a couple of their senior members of staff briefly, well before I thought of applying to them, so it wasn't exactly 100% out of the blue. Sorry, I don't know anything about that. If there is such a thing as advertising a "457 position" then I imagine this is a post for which employers are willing and able to nominate overseas applicants...? Sydney. And no, I never set foot in the Southern hemisphere before! What area of marketing are you working in and where are you hoping to go?

Actually I knew absolutely zero about the whole visa situation. Their HR person was a big help explaining it all, and once I'd signed the contract they employed a migration agent to deal with the application. As far as I was concerned I was simply job hunting, like I've always done, albeit across several countries. The Aus job was the best offer. So in that respect I am different to many people here - I am moving to Aus simply because I've been offered a job there. So to get back to your question, from what I understand it really depends on what you can offer that can't already be satisfied from the local job market. Which is either up to you to prove in advance (via a 190 or whatever), or it's up to an employer to decide, offer you a job, and then prove in their nominating you for a 457.

It wasn't advertised - I was job hunting and I wrote to them speculatively. Had a few phone interviews and then got offered a job. Fortunately they already have approval to be a standard business sponsor, so they could nominate me for the 457 visa. Once you have a job offer this is (supposedly!) one of the quickest ways to get sorted. They are also covering my visa and relocation expenses, which is a big win from my POV.

Answering that questions requires knowledge of your CV, what you're looking for, and the local job market. I am currently awaiting my 457 visa after directly contacting an employer and landing the job with them. So they have nominated me and I have applied for 457. I don't see how any agency can really "guarantee" to find you a job.

The panel clinics are run as a private operation, and AFAIK wouldn't have any right to access your NHS records. On the flip side, somehow you are not entitled to a copy of your reports, which might seem a bit rich after stumping up 240 quid a time. The doctor will do the check-up and report what they find. Some people will also need blood tests, some will need x-rays, depending on which countries you've spent time in over the last few years, the type of visa you're applying for, and whether you're applying for a medical job in Aus. If you have any on-going medical conditions let them know, and tell them what medication you are taking. I found it all pretty quick and simple. More complicated is the documentation you might need for getting health insurance, which is a completely separate thing.

These guys have a terminal in Liverpool, plus they "will also collect daily from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport": http://shipit.co.uk/ My friend just used them to move to India and she recommends them highly.

PSS are in Rhyl. @ThepomQueen just mentioned them on another thread. Good news for me, just up the road

It's spelled DESCENT ;-) (Sorry, had to do the decent thing.)

Thanks @CaptainR I just found the journey planner at http://www.transportnsw.info/ and it seems that even from Dulwich Hill (end of the line) to Glebe is only 19 mins, which doesn't seem too slow. (Although I don't have much of a handle on distances there yet.)

This site looks pretty useful too, with profiles of different suburbs. http://www.cityhobo.com/

hi all, Currently trying to work out where I want to stay in Sydney... how good is the Light Rail system? Frequent, fast, reliable? I'll be working 15 mins walk from Glebe station so I'm wondering if it's worth looking around stations on the line to the west, as well as nearby. Thanks!

this thread also full of info: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/new-south-wales/48834-places-live-sydney-differences-between-various-areas.html

See http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/health-requirements/threats-public-health.htm Looks like I didn't need the bloods because I'm applying for a temp visa and not wanting to work in a medical field.

It was about 6th Jan, couple of weeks back. I'm from the UK but had been living in India for the last 4 years (hence chest X-ray). They just said I didn't need to have blood tests, no explanation why.

I had all the above except for HIV (no blood tests at all in fact). Plus the doc took my blood pressure and did some poking and prodding and asked me to do some movement tests. It depends where you've been living, and whether there is any risk you might be carrying something like TB.