loula5

Countersignatory does not need to be an Australian citizen if you live abroad, but does need to be of one the approved professions (I think there's 36 job titles, which are listed on the application form or in the notes).

This is the third family move (in 1999 it was my mum's dilemma), and this is the third time we won't be bringing furniture. For us, it's not worthwhile. We will be shipping various personal effects, and a couple of boxes of the kids' toys will be air freighted (our youngest will be 16mths and outgrow his toys by the time they arrive by sea!). My husband is obsessively selling on gumtree, and we'll be using gumtree when we arrive. I don't know that there's a right or wrong way to decide what to do. I hate moving...?

SO53 darrrling

We're in Chandlers Ford, so more beastly Eastleigh than Southampton ? but Southampton is an easier point of reference.

Possibly it is unusual, but he has been the driving force of this move. He says that when we lived in Australia he felt truly happy and proud of himself for the first time in his life. The reasons we moved back to the UK aren't big enough to stay. I neglected to explain that I'm Australian (actually now I've dual citizenship but Aussie by birth), my sister will be about an hour from us, and I have various extended family in Victoria. So our situation is not necessarily as isolating as others here once we move. **replied before reading other responses, and it looks like it isn't wholly unusual to not feel the desire to head back. I love it here, but I love my husband and children more.

We are moving in 5 weeks, and my husband says he is happy to never come back! I'm not sure we can afford to go back regularly, but my mum is in Oz at least twice a year, so that takes the pressure off trying to magic up travel funds. As someone else said, it's probably more financially viable for people to visit us, even if we paid their airfare!

Personally, I wouldn't lie to immigration.

Hi, I believe UK immigration will know your wife has been out of the UK for more than 2 years, as records are kept electronically through the chip passports..exit stamps are getting rarer from what I hear, as they're less necessary due to electronic records.

Wow, congratulations on getting your RRV! Just goes to that being granted an RRV is unpredictable (hubs has been granted 1 year RRV subclass 155, though he had been living in Australia for 1 year in the past 5, has a job offer, and our kids and I are all Australian). Best of luck with visas for your partner and daughter - you shouldn't have any problems, but the members here are a wealth of information ☺ Welcome, and good luck!

I'm a dual citizen, as are my children, though I'm Australian and recently acquired British citizenship. My children are British by birth, and Australian by descent. My husband is British and we're kicking ourselves for not getting his citizenship before we returned to the UK, so he is definitely planning to get Australian citizenship asap!!

Sorry Matthew....it varies between airlines. We were planning to fly with Malaysian Airlines and they let you take loads, but Singapore are x or y or z. (It's just that Singapore had a cracking deal, so we'll just suck it up!) http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/travel-information/baggage-allowances/ Great tip from Peachy about the extra baggage though! I think I've read Singapore are one of the airlines who offer that, but you need to ask and get it in writing. I think...

Hi, The airline website should state whether you're allowed "additional items". We're flying with Singapore Airlines in August and we can take a laptop in a case in addition to the 7kg hand baggage allowance, for instance. Sorry not more help! Safe travels! ☺ Emma

Yes, 3 or 6 months, I think. I just thought it might be useful as a driving licence is "valuable" in the 100 pt of ID needed for rentals etc, and as an initial piece of address ID. ☺

Hi...have post this on Life in Victoria forum also - I've just booked the licence conversion appointments for myself and my husband from the UK, for the day after we arrive in Melbourne. The number is + 61 3 8391 3216 from overseas (8.30am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 2.00pm Saturday). (Aus hours obviously! ) The rep was really helpful, and the entire call only took 12 minutes! Hopefully this helps someone (sorry if it's been posted before) Emma

I believe the proper term is "plural citizenship", if that helps at all. As others have said, it shouldn't be an issue to hold a third (or more) citizenship; it's more common than you'd think.

Hi - my family moved Aus to UK when I was 15.5yrs, and halfway through Aus yr10 (arrived July ). I ended up having to restart yr10 because of GCSEs and so was 17.5yrs when I finished school/started college...from your son's point of view, I think moving sooner rather than later would be the least disruptive for him. Best of luck with whatever you decide ☺ it's so hard trying to guess the right thing to do. Emma xx

We are booking a seat for our 17 month old (age when we travel) to Australia in September. I asked the airline, and instead of booking him as an infant they said to book as a child and it'll be fine. We'll be using a CARES harness for him on the plane but I expect he'll be on my knee for ascent/descent. **obviously we'll be charged the child price for his seat but as my husband put it: £12ish per hour of travel, vs the cost of my sanity with 10+kg wriggly toddler on my lap ?

Hello! I'm Aussie, hubs is a Pom and the kids are both. Hubs got a spouse visa in 2007 and we lived in Brisbane for just under 4 years. Our daughter has asked practically every day since returning to the UK when we're moving back! We've just sorted out hubs' RR visa (foolishly we didn't sort his citizenship previously) and will be heading to outer Melbourne in early September - with the promise to Miss8 we're not pingponging again, at least until she and Master1 have left home! ☺

Hi everyone, Since my husband's visa was approved a couple of weeks ago, I think it's about time I posted properly here (joined a while ago ). We're pingponging to Melbourne (well, outer suburbs at this stage) in early September. We lived in Brisbane for a couple of years after our daughter was born, moved back to the UK in 2011, but we've promised our girl this is the last international move...it's just so scary as it is naturally costing a fortune! Anyway, given my limited time in Oz as an adult, I apologise for any stupid questions! So....HI! ? Emma