persianharry

Does anyone know if the proposed changes to citizenship timeline etc. came into effect from 1st July as proposed? I haven't seen anything about it being voted on in either house? We are on a 489 visa so it affects our ability to get citizenship by about 3 years!

Quite a lot of the phones shipped by GearBest are dual sim (and unlocked) and they will ship to both UK and Australia. My wife and I have been using phones by Elephone for a couple of years now and found them to be pretty good and kind to the pocket.

I think you'll be fine regarding the UC. It is a bit on the doctor's discretion, but I don't think there is any more you can do. We all worry about the medicals so you're not alone. Good luck, and hope it goes well for you.

That's great news. Yes very settled here, we are loving it. When do you expect to get here? If there's anything we can help you with please feel free to PM me

Hi Kidsammyc, You sound like you are in a very similar situation to when I applied. I'm not familiar with mazlivant, I assume it is a brand of mesalazine? If so, I take the same drugs but a higher dosage of Imuran (azathioprine). It didn't cause a problem for me on the medical, but I can't stress strongly enough how important it is to be prepared. Discuss your plans with your gastro consultant and ask him to prepare a letter describing your condition, medication and current situation. Get the letter addressed to "whom it may concern" but sent to yourself so you can take it with you. The drugs you take aren't particularly expensive so the Australian authorities won't be worried about that and if the letter from your consultant says that you are stable then that's a pass. If you turn up at your medical without the letter they will write to your consultant and ask for the details and that could delay things by months and put doubt in their mind. It's much better to get passed on the day with no queries. If there's anything else I can help with just let me know.

Sorry but I disagree. The company is a UK company, governed by UK regulations and law. They are employing someone who happens to live outside the UK, but really where the employee chooses to reside is not their concern. The UK company should meet their obligations of paying UK PAYE and pensions (super) and it is up to the employee to deal with the tax matters between the two countries via their tax returns. If the UK company had an Australian subsidiary then they could pay the employee through that entity with PAYG and super, but that in itself creates a bit of an accounting nightmare.

This is still ongoing for me, but the long and the short of it is this: - There is a tax agreement between Australia and UK so if you have paid tax in one country that is deductible from the other country, so you only pay one amount of tax. - Ultimately you should be paying tax in the country that you reside. There are lots of rules to determine residency for tax purposes, but if you are going to be living permanently in Australia then that's where you should pay tax. - What should happen, although it takes some sorting out, is that you should notify HMRC that you reside in Australia and they should then issue a NO_TAX tax code to you for your UK employment and you won't pay any tax on your UK income (you do still pay NIC though!). - Then after June each year you should submit an Australian tax return, declaring the income from the UK, and pay the tax due for the whole year. Of course this is quite complicated so I would advise using an accountant that has experience of both UK & Australian tax systems to submit your tax returns in both countries. I hope that helps.

Oh looks like it's going to be a pretty full flight as our dog Molly is travelling with pet air on 16th November too. I'm dreading it for her she's so nervous about anything thing new.

Hi deedee, I have Ulcerative Colitis and it didn't stop me getting the visa. It does depend on what medication you are on as some of the stuff prescribed for advanced UC and Crohns can be quite expensive (and that's what it comes down to: how much are you going to cost to to the Oz health system!). If you are stable at the moment then I would say that's a good time to apply for visas and plan ahead and ask your consultant for a letter to take to your medicals, I would do this two or three months before you expect the call to medical as NHS consultants can be a bit slow to issue these letters. The letter just needs to say what treatment/medication you are receiving and the longer term prognosis. From what you say about being well since 2000 I don't think you will have any problems at all.

We were given them as a wedding present, think 4ft high and cost about £300 each. They won't actually take up much space as we can fill them with other stuff.

We have a couple of large Greek terracotta pots that we would like to take to Oz with us in our crate. Over the years they have gone a bit green. We have pressure washed them down but they still look marked, like a stain in the terracotta. Does anyone know if these would be allowed through Australian customs?

The BBC have said that, although you will now be legally required to hold a TV license to watch iPlayer content, they are stopping short of asking you to enter your details and license number before viewing. So for those watching from outside the UK, strictly speaking they will be breaking the law, but there is little to stop them continuing using a VPN as they do now.

I'm planning in advance here, I'll be coming to Oz at the end of this year on a 489 visa and I plan to be self employed. I just wondered what evidence I would need to provide when applying for the 887 visa in a couple of years time? The government website just says "evidence of self employment", but it is also clear that I need to demonstrate that I will be working full time hours. I just wondered if anyone had successfully submitted similar evidence so that I don't get 2 years down the line and find I've got the wrong paperwork!

I'm going to be in a very similar situation, working for a UK company remotely from Australia, so very interested in the response, but I do have a supplemental question: I'm emigrating on a 489 visa, so to apply for a PR visa (887 ?) a couple of years down the line I will need to show employment for at least 12 months in Australia. Will the UK company employment count for this or does it need to be an Australian company employing me?

I don't know if your bank has just got a bit confused? I was aware of the 3 year rule but thought it only applied to non EU nationals. As you are British citizens that shouldn't apply to you. Some banks will apply a rule like this (I believe Nationwide do), but that is just related to not being able to easily track your movements over the last 3 years, not an EU regulation. I'd shop around or try talking to a broker / IFA.