Bungo

Australia and the USA do have a double taxation agreement (I just googled to see if they did) and these things are designed to stop you being double taxed. So I am pretty confident that you won't be, but you will have to find out what you need to do on the USA side when you come to filing. Being a traveler and being paid into a US bank account doesn't change your responsibility to pay Australian taxes. Would they find out, probably not, but it is tax evasion and you need to decide if you want to risk it.

I wouldn't bother much before a few weeks in advance.

If I were doing that, I would travel around, probably up and down the east coast mainly though.

I don't know the ins and outs but as you already have a partner visa (albeit a temporary one) and there is a child of the relationship, I understand you will be able to progress to the permanent stage on compassionate grounds. I don't know what you actually need to do though, hopefully somebody else will be able to help with that.

I only visited, but thought Newcastle was a lovely city. It didn't look at all run down to me and not far away there are some lovely beaches. I would definitely live there if work was available.

We were well settled and happy. But the immediate issue was that there were more work opportunities in the UK and we would be much better off financially. For five years we were happy to be financially worse off in return for the experience. The longer term picture was that we could see we were missing out on family, like nieces and nephews growing up, though on a day to day basis we didn't actually miss them because we were the type of family that meets up a few times a year.

Did they pay you less than was agreed at the beginning? I don't understand how you would have got a 457 in the first place if you weren't being paid at the correct rate.

It doesn't seem out of the ball park with the special packing you need for the piano. But maybe a touch high, we got a 20 foot for $8,000. But I don't recommend the company I used so I won't name them, there is likely to be a long wait ahead and when I realsied and complained, well they have just ignored me ever since.

I thought you had to wait I must admit. I was going to wait and then do in July at the end of the tax year.

I think it is kind of a scary plan, a make or break plan. But if you want different things well.. I read your opening post first and only just realised it was a few months ago. Anyway, we returned in January after five years. We were very happy in Australia, previously happy in UK, but the work in Australia dried up and prospects were better, for us, in the UK. Settling back in has been simple, much easier than going the other way as you would expect. We moved back into our own house, had jobs lined up and just slotted right back in. My house is smaller here, but I like it and find it cosy. We are still indoor camping as we wait for the container and it is an excuse to spend one or two evenings a week in the local country pub which has a lovely atmosphere. I had maybe convinced myself it goes dark at 4pm here but I haven't been finding it particularly dark here in the south east. Last night I left work at 5.30pm and it was still light. I am looking forward to the long days in due course. Winter has also been easy so far, seen snow once and I haven't even used an umbrella that much, maybe no more than half a dozen times. So all up, it has been easy peasy. But I expect there will be a honeymoon period and I will miss Australia. I shall probably try to block it out and look forward now though.