Aprilfool

@Captain Roberto Thank you x your reply has eased my concerns x I have briefly mentioned the move to our vets when she had her booster earlier this year so will chat to them some more x

thank you x how early can you get the rabies work done? Does it have a validity?

I agree and I can't see me leaving her! My main concern is her welfare! Our best friends have also suggested letting her stay with them until we get settled then they will send her from this end to us. This may be an option just to give us a month or so to get settled.

Tina2- that thought has crossed my mind, however my son is desperate to move back to Australia! He is very proud of his Aussie roots! As a child with ASD they get fixated on certain things and for him Australia is one! I weighed up sending him ahead to family, but again I wouldn't be there to support big changes and also I have custody issues with my ex in Australia who hasn't seen him for 12 years so I wouldn't want to put my family in Oz through any rubbish that might occur. My parents would happily keep him here to finish year 12 but I don't think he would agree to stay. Also year 12 in England doesn't convert to year 12 in Australia as far as I am aware so he may need to stay on longer to get A levels etc... Which I know he would not do.

Millennium - That's really good to know thank you x my son also has aspegers (although in UK they are moving towards it all being referred to as ASD). I totally agree with taking the pressure off, that is how I feel x I finished high school in Australia in 1997 so I was not entirely sure it worked the same way. It appears to though! Thank u for your advice xxx

Tina01 - Thanks for the info! It's a hard choice. This is why I'm gathering info now so I can make more informed choices x thanks for your advice it's appreciated x

Thank you for your reply. I know it's not an ideal time to move but due to family circumstances it has to be then. Thank you for mentioning TAFE that is definitely a more appealing option for him. They both attend a studio school here which is attached and run alongside a college equivalent to TAFE so it would be very familiar environment for him. My younger son will definition be year 11 I have checked. He is very clever and well ahead of what he should be for his age. For year 10 here he is focusing on his core subjects (maths, English, sciences, History and computer science) so he is ready for moving in year 11. I moved to QLD during high school and adapted quickly not finding the curriculum too different at all x

Hi I am moving back to Brisbane at the start of 2017 (I'm a PR, 2 sons are citizens and hubby & daughter are about to submit 309/100). My Sons are about to begin year 10 & year 11 in the UK. For my younger son I don't think the move will be an issue. He will have started year 11 in September 2016 so he will just restart year 11 again at the start of the QLD school year in 2017. However my older son will be midway through year 12 when we go. He is my main concern as on top this he is mildly on the autistic spectrum. He copes remarkably well in mainstream school and his grades are pretty good (predicted B's and C's for GCSE's). I am really not sure what route would be best to take for him! He is not sure want he wants to do career/job wise yet so that makes it trickier. My initial feeling was for him to start at year 11 with his brother as this will give him some settling in time and wouldn't hurt to go over some work again. But then he will already be 17 (Nov 16) and he is big for his age anyway so I don't want him to feel out of place with the other year 11's as he will already be different having lived in England since he was 4! i am am really stuck on this one! any advice would be much appreciated!! Thanks xxx

Just reading all your comments as it is a sticking point in our house! My husband, at the start, was like no she's a dog we are not taking her! He is now sitting on the fence and saying we will decide closer to the time! We get very mixed reactions from friends and family. Some say oh u can't leave her while others think it's cruel to take her. Minnie our 5 year old working cocker spaniel is what I call our dog in a million! No matter how many dogs you have in your life there is always 1 super special one! She is ours. For me I not concerned about the money but more the trauma of the move - the flight, quarantine, being away from us! My husband also says we will be so busy organising stuff when we arrive that we won't have time for her! We have people fighting over who wants her! She is adored by everyone which makes her even more special! I have no doubt she will very loved and well looked after if we didn't take her! As far as worrying about kids missing her, they would but they are a fickle creatures! My daughter is already negotiating what she can have in Australia to replace her if we don't take her!!! Even though she fills with tears if her dad even suggests who might have her for us!!! In our house this is by far the hardest decision of many!!!

Thanks for the info x I guess things have changed a lot! Fairly true with fashion too it seems to be fairly similar. I just worry as my teenagers are brand freaks! So here they live in Superdry and Ralph Lauren etc... Never quite sure if Aussie teens wear that stuff! My friends kids all seem to dress more in surf brand stuff. My daughter will be nearly 10 I will probably bring most of her stuff. Good point on the bedding etc... My aunt sent me pillow talk bedding as a wedding present and it was beautiful but not as good quality as the ones I have here. Think I will reasses in 12 months time as a lot of stuff I have not updated as soon as I would of as I know we are moving. For example my daughter has beautiful bedroom furniture but it is baby pink and has been ok at age 4-8 but by the time we leave she will need something more grown up. my teen boys have a ps4? Should that work?

thanks BB x it's worth looking at then. Am I right in thinking TV's etc don't work? That was the case in the 90's when we originally moved there. I know things have moved on. Also fabrics that things were made out of like mattress' and sofas were not as a good in hot climates, again times change.

Thanks x Well some of my stuff I would be gradually replacing but I am not as I know we are moving. I may price up taking a small container and adding extra stuff in but I know my style in oz will be different to here and I probably wont want it when I get there. I was just interested to know others thoughts on this. I wont be taking many of the kids clothes either as I can remember being a 13 year old pommie kid with odd clothes nobody else was wearing!! By doing that I will free up quite a bit of suitcase space I hope!

Hi I am moving back to QLD at the start of 2017 after what will be 13 years back in England. My current feelings are to sell all our stuff and only get a small container for personal things like photos, memory boxes etc... My reasons for this are that most of our furniture by then will be 5-6 years old so I'm sure I will be more than ready for a change. Kids games systems etc... Won't work and again will probably need updating etc... I just think the amount it would cost to ship I could use to buy new along with the money I get selling my stuff over here. I'm interested in what other people think of this? Thanks x

Hi Thanks for the info x I am cracking on with EOI now so we can get the application rolling. I am up to the question about trade recognition. At this point do I just put no or do I have to go through the trade recognition website etc...

Congratulations x Can I just ask with a 189 once it's granted can you go over for a visit to activate as you say but then not move over for a while? Is it just that you have to make 1st entry within 12 months. Reason I ask is my husband is itching to apply and just get the process done but we can't move until early 2017 but could go over before to activate if need be xx

Oooo brill, thank you!! Wish they made it easier to find info out! That will be no worries he's English born & bred! Lol x

Hi all x After reading forums all day my husband and I have decided to lodge an EOI for a subclass 189 for him. I have a RRV subclass 155 and my sons are citizens so we will add our daughter on to the 189 application. Looking at it I think the cost and speed of processing will be better than applying for a partner visa. Anyone have any advice on that? The only thing concerning me is where it states 1st installment and 2nd installment but doesn't offer a 2nd installment price. Could anyone advise me the average application time for 189 from lodging EOI, and also if Visa is granted how long do you have to enter australia after its issue?

Hi newjez An RRV is a return residency visa, it is either subclass 155 or 157, the subclass 157 is often only granted for 3-12 months but the 155 can be granted for up to 5 years. To get the 155 you have to have been living in Australia for 2 out of the past 5 years or have substantial ties to Australia or compelling reasons why you could not return to Australia before now. I ticked both the later boxes having got 2 Australian born children who have all their paternal family in Oz, but also my past history of domestic violence from my Australian Ex was also a compelling enough reason to have remained in England. This Visa entry time is 12 months so I had to at least come to Australia by August this year (I was in Brissy in December) now I have up to 5 years to come and go as I please. The plan is to Apply for a spouse Visa for my husband and add my daughter as an additional applicant to his. I was just trying to weigh up the pros and cons of other Visa options. He does have the option to apply for skilled work visa or maybe source a job that would offer him a 457 employer sponsorship visa. We have time to mull it over really. I would feel happy if we were going down the spouse visa - subclass 309/100 for the application to be lodged before the end of this year.

Thank you! I just felt a bit attacked! I realise what I wrote was unclear! I have study brain! Trying to sort all this and write 8,000 words of assignments is giving me a headache!

What I meant by my original post is that my RRV entry date was for 12 months. I have just got out my visa as I needed to double check its classification!! I didn't quite expect such negative backlash from one of my first posts on here!!! I have a RRV subclass 155 which entitles me to travel back and forth to Australia over the next 5 years as long as I enter at least once before August 2015 (which I have done). My family situation and past history was enough to confirm substantial ties and grant me a 5 year subclass 155. I hope that clarifies the negative commenters!!!

I have already been advised it will be granted as I have substantial ties to both Australia and the UK having children born in both countries and my sons having Australuan father/family. I have no concerns with it being reinstated.

Hi Aussie girl x Are you applying to become a citizen yourself? I thought I would have to wait to become a citizen once I was back there x Interested to know more!!

Hi Trying to decide what would be the quickest and most cost effective way to get my Husband a Visa. I am a PR and my 2 sons are citizens. My plan was to apply for partner visa but my husband also falls into the skilled worker category as he is a qualified sheet metal worker but has since gone on to qualify as a welding inspector with cswip 3.2 qualifications amongst others as well as quality management experience. What option would be the best? Any advice much appreciated. Also does anyone know anything about applying for partner visa (820) once we are in oz? I wasn't sure what type of visa he could enter on as my concern with temp visa is his ability to work. Again any advice would be much appreciated x Thanks

Hi Just joined pomsinOz as it is all becoming a bit more real that we are actually moving!!! Brief outline.... I am Emma age 35, first emigrated to Queensland in 1994 with my parents. Stayed until 2003 but due to violent relationship breakdown I moved back to England aged 23 with my 2 Aussie born sons aged 2 and almost 4 (now 14 and almost 16) Met my wonderful husband a year later and we had our daughter 3 years later who is now 8. I never entertained moving back to Oz but my husband over the past few years has become sick of the English rat race! He visited friends in Perth last year and fell in love! I visited family in Brisbane at the end of last year and discovered that it wasn't Australia I hated but my past situation! With the children's full support we have began making plans to move to Brisbane (I have family and friends all over QLD). My RRV was granted in less than 48hrs last year for a full 12 months which I was ecstatic about! We currently cannot move until March 2017 as I am midway through a Nursing Degree so want to complete that first. My husband is a Welding Inspecter Cswip 3.2 and Quality Manager plus many years on the shop floor as a line manager and welder. Got a bit of a shock yesterday when I went to begin application online to discover estimate of Visa for my hubby plus our little girl has shot up from just under $6000 to over $8000. Hoping we can use the site to get lots of info and share any info we have to help others x Hope to speak to some of you soon x

It's not so much that we are struggling it's just I am currently a full time nursing student. Most of our money is tied up in property and other areas. I do not want to rely on credit cards etc... To pay for Visas so as we are not in a huge rush I will wait the extra 2 months to have the money. I am fully aware of the moving costs as I have previously relocated to QLD then back to the UK. My comment wasn't so much about the cost but more the large increase in just a matter of weeks!