silverchair

We got official letters from our employers clearly stating every job, role, salary, designation, etc, and provided bank statements which clearly show the credit of salaries. Some companies also provide monthly payslips upon request. Being in the Middle East, there is no tax.

Hello! We're planning a 2 week trip to melbourne in March - any idea what the weather is usually like? I wanna plan clothes! i know rain is unpredictable, we we'll definitely bring umbrellas, but other than that, dresses or shorts? light sweatshirt or thicker jacket? capris or jeans? open footwear or closed? hats or sunnies? Input welcome!!!!

Thanks guys... I have heard much about Mount Waverly having a very good secondary school system and good primary schools. My kids are much younger though and will only be starting school when we move. I guess that doesn't necessarily tie us down to any particular suburb in the long run. From the looks of it, the weather shouldn't be much to worry about. I did check out the Corporate keys and similar stuff, however you are right - it is much of a muchness. Almost equivalent of staying at a hotel. But that is an option we will keep open cos you never know right?! Nasacar, nice to know that this is your first post. I've been on Pomsinoz since we starting applying for our PR, sometimes silent, sometimes not! But I must say that its a really helpful forum and probably the best out there! Blackburn looks a bit more in the east. You can find a link to the new suburb rankings on another thread in the forum. We haven't secured jobs either and we're pretty much taking the plunge like you! If you're looking at schools, the kids have to turn 5 to actually start school. I found a ranking of public primary schools here: http://bettereducation.com.au/school/Primary/vic/melbourne_top_government_primary_schools.aspx That might help you. You might need to check out preschools though. Hope that helps!

Thanks guys for the input. From the looks of it, the areas seem to be nice areas. We definitely need to put together a schedule, including time for the kids have fun! We will make it a point to check out what we need to ship and what we can replace. In terms of rentals, the number of places advertised for rent is not a lot. I hope we do find something that we're looking for! I really appreciate the feedback! Thank you!

I'm just wondering whether I need to be packing shorts, or sweatshirts

Thanks Petkula.... Google is a very close friend of mine these days! I'm anxious about the March trip and hoping to have things planned out as well as we can so as to make the best of our time there. I'm actually concerned about the renting of a place, and hope that falls into place. A lot is dependent on that. Most people on the forum seem to just go ahead and take the plunge! i'm not nearly as brave, so let's hope the recon trip helps to ease my nerves!

Thanks suzukiscottie for the insight. It's good to know that those areas are nice. The schools did say that we need to be living within their boundary map to be enrolled in the school. We hope to meet with the schools and have a look around while we're there. Not too sure about renting a car while we're there, but we'll look into that option. Thanks for the pointer on the short term rentals. Found a few places through there. I'm getting the sense of the real estate agents not being very proactive. But I am assuming that's the story with almost everything until we are actually physically on the ground. It really is a nerve racking process having 2 lil kids in tow, and wanting to make the move easier for them. We are looking to have a long term rental for the time being and not really looking at investing in buying a house in the immediate short term. On another note what would the weather be like around March? chilly? windy? rainy? sunny - hopefully?!

Congrats man... its been a long wait!

My family and I (husband, wife and 2 kids aged 5 and 4) are moving to melbourne in 2016. We're looking at ares like Ashburton and Glen Iris. Any pointers on what these locations are like? We are looking at public schools which seem to have good rankings. Any feedback would be appreciated! We're also planning a recon trip in March to explore living there. What do you reckon we check out? And any leads on short term rentals during that period say for a few weeks????

Lodged 26 April. Indian in the middle east.

Hi all - FINALLY!!!!!! Just received the grant email this morning!!!! It has been a really long journey for us! Thanks to everyone on the forum for the support with information! Good luck to the others who are still waiting! Cheers!

Hi all - FINALLY!!!!!! Just received the grant email this morning!!!! It has been a really long journey for us! Thanks to everyone on the forum for the support with information! Good luck to the others who are still waiting! Cheers!

That's good news Bobby122. hopefully everything goes well! You've gotten your PCC done twice, and here we're still waiting for a grant! It really is a long journey! Good luck!

No update mickeyteg.... We lodged on 28th April. The wait goes on.... Did you call them for an update?

Still waiting - I called to check that the additional docs submitted in August were accepted. They were accepted. That's it. No updates..... Sigh.... Wondering if anyone knows why it takes so long..... Could it be location of residence? Current citizenship? Travel history? Place of birth? Work experience? Points on lodging visa? I guess it's just a wait..... Although, it would be good to have some certainty, especially since this has been an investment of time (no agents involved) and money... Just rambling here