Ferrets

My Wife and I agreed that it would be a shame if we didn't give it a go as we both thought it would be a lifelong regret if we didn't

2 hours ago, Lukey1234567 said:

I am British male 24, my mother is married to an Australian citizen and has just received  permanent residency.

Will I be able to get some sort of family visa & how long will I have to wait to apply for this ???? 

 

 

I don't think so as the maximum age for any dependency is 23.  Might be worth checking with a MARA Agent what your options are.

Good luck!

1 hour ago, Nikmoy said:

Thank you for your replies. And thanks for your kind words @snifter

Sorry, I have compliled a few questions without clearly separating... I wasn't thinking we would apply for compassionate reasons if we were to take the bridging visa route. Only for the off-shore. I've only recently found out about bridging visas, so still researching it as an option.

@Quoll @Nemesis I think you are both right. They probably wouldn't extend any special circumstances to the situation. I can be here regardless.  

We are just trying to minimise time apart in difficult circumstances. Had this situation at home not occured, there wouldn't be any particular urgency for the move, but it adds a lot of pressure and we are eager to get things moving. We need to decide on on/off-shore now before moving forward. 

I'm currently based in Brisbane. If anyone knows of a good immigration lawyer we can find out more on the bridging visa information, please advise.

 

Very sorry to read your circumstances, must be difficult.

Rather than a lawyer you need to speak to a MARA agent, a number of whom post here.  There is an ask an agent section that might help.

Good luck!

1 minute ago, Sadge said:

Really, I was trying to find out  if there is a tax/duty free allowance for new goods if they are for personal rather than commercial purposes.  Unless somebody knows the official answer I'll try to find out next week.  If I do, I'll be sure to post the answer here.  

Tax free allowance for UPEs is AUD $900 per visa holder I believe. 

13 minutes ago, MissionMelbourne said:

Hi all, we as a couple have decided to start the migration process and we have earmarked the 189 visa as the one we would choose. Have any of you experienced or heard of someone looking at the 189 then changing to the 190 upon getting sponsorship? At the moment I do not have a sponsor but I will be hunting for one as soon as we start the process so in my mind I'm thinking of dropping the 189 for a 190 of possible. Thanks

You can submit two EOIs for each so suggest you prepare all 189 documentations and the replicate for a 190 EOI as required.

However if you are eligible for a 189 why would you look at a 190?

2 minutes ago, Kathss56 said:

Strange I was told white goods cheaper there! Also,you have to add cost of shipping and as you say tax. You need to be able to change the plugs also,some have a mounded plug attached. 

They are more expensive here, but we have treated it a bit as a cost of moving.  Part of that has also been that we didn't know what our final home would end up as.

If you already own then bring, but I wouldn't go to the effort of buying new and importing if not already owned.  

That said we paid AUD $900 for a fridge, freezer and washing maching from Aldi.  Fridge and Freeer are ok, but washing machine is useless!

Zero chance.

If freedom of movement were to form a part of a trade deal between UK and Australia then there would be an expectation from other nations that the same would apply in turn.

Free movement with any trade deals is pretty contrary to the whole Brexit concept so can't see it happening.

48 minutes ago, bry45 said:

Nice one Ferrets, That's another box ticked, we are doing the 600/143 route next June and never even crossed our minds whether we could ship stuff over or not.

Gotta love PomsinOz, best visa agent out there 

 

I am still a big fan of using good agents - the cost is immaterial in relation to the costs of relocating such that I think it should be considered.

For my parents (which is why I look on this thread) we have used an agent to ensure that we have professional advice bespoke to their case that could not be provided in a forum environment, and are very satisfied with that decision.

We don't quibble about paying our accountants for our tax returns or mechanics to do our car services yet somehow when selling houses and moving our possessions and family to the other side of the world there is an aversion to using agents, when the cost probably represents less than 2.5% of the total (CPV visas, shipping, etc.).

FWIW I have a feeling that if you tried to bring a whole container of belongings out you would simply be waving an unnecessary flag at DIBP, though I am in no position to offer advice on that one 

Good luck!!

49 minutes ago, bridgie said:

My apologies, that was cubic feet not metres, however there was no restriction on the amount we could bring in. The biggest thing is to label everything correctly with a correct inventory. The prettiest box was the one with our personal medicines in, these have to have a copy of prescription docket from your doctor, plus an itemised list of each medicine, plus address label for pick up and delivery addresses. The shippers will also check everything off on an inventory list. It all takes time.


Sent from my iPad using PomsinOz

Hi there - I think this makes a material difference to the queries from some of the other posters as 100 ft3 is the equivalent of a double stacked pallet and actually makes sense as to no challenge from DIBP on a 12 month visa.

For some of the posters I get the feeling the intention was to bring significantly more that this which I assume would cause issues at customs.

Definitely worth a second check!

17 hours ago, realist7 said:

The whole point of a forum is to exchange ideas. Your post is not really helpful and quite negative in my opinion. Thanks for wasting 1 minute of your time stating the obvious! I will not get into a slanging match with you but I don't think you can help going forward.

The problem is that in your instance, on the face of it you don't actually have a case to progress with a MARA agent for professional advice - you could have an initial assessment, but on the information provided you are unlikely to get a strategy (caveat-ed that direct blood relatives in South Australia might get you extra points for example).  

I would assume it highly unlikely that a MARA agent would advocate any career path at this point, which means that you need opinion from forum members.  There is a huge range of experiences here, influencing the view point of the poster.  

In this situation, asking what is the best route is going to get a varied reaction that reflects those experiences and that includes views on what happens if the route changes and the profession is taken off of the list.  From memory now Accountants are the only profession that require no experience for a positive migration assessment (think Engineers have come off of the list), but if I told you to study that and you hated it how would you feel if just before your final exam it came off of the list??  Being rude is not going to help you get the opinions you need.

From my view, given your age you have limited options.  You need 60 points minimum, but for IT related occupations that is effectively now 65+.  So your current points breakdown would be;

• You are 34 now with no experience related to either your IT or plumbing qualifications.  That gives you 5 years from now to get the right experience and still have 25 points (cut off is 39).
• Assuming that you sit the English test and get Superior English that is 20 points.
• Your degree in IT should attract 15 points (you may require transcript / syllabi from your University.

This gets you to the magic 60 points but with no current route to a successful migration assessment which is also required.

On that face of that, and with the expectation that 60 points in a IT related field won't cut it I would say either;

• Get your plumbing qualifications and experience to the level required by TRA for a successful migration assessment.
• Move straight into an IT role that is sufficiently skilled and get 3 years experience for an extra 5 points in that profession.

Both are high risk - and given the contentions nature here relating to the IT field I would lean to the plumbing and just go at that.

Good luck!

5 minutes ago, bridgie said:

No , no lucky mistake. You will have to fill out an immigration form called, Unacompanied personal effects form, section one asks you why you are going to Australia. Number 1 box says "As a tourist" and beside it it asks for how long. We shipped over 37 boxes. Totalling 100 m3. Only nasty surprise we had was that the shipper told us the figure quoted was all we would pay but this magically grew as they said the quoted figure was based on my sizing of the load. I argued the case and got a reduction but it was still more than originally quoted.

suprise two was that Immigration will charge you to inspect your goods...another 200 for us, I was not going to argue.

nothing was impounded but it was thoroughly checked so be diligent and honest when labelling.

suprise three, the delivery company wanted another 110 to deliver....Oh didn't the shippers explain that!!!!!!...eh No.

we arrived in Oz 13 Dec and our goods got here 19th Dec. They do not go direct from UK to OZ but a very Ziggy Zaggy trip as is eat for their manifesto. Once you have your container number you can check it travelling around the world.

HTH

The link to the form is here;

https://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents/B534e.pdf

The option to do as a tourist only is there so guess this is relatively common, but I would have assumed raised eyebrows at 100m3 as that's a 40' and a 20' container.  

I'd managed to blank this form out of my mind despite filling it in only 6 months ago!! 

3 minutes ago, bridgie said:

We shipped goods across last December on a 600 visa. You have to be able to give the visa number to the shipper for Immigration. All no problems. 

 

All been very simple, renting a house, changing driving licences,bank accounts, buying car, white goods, etc etc. Just be aware you have to pay for everything up front as you will get no credit unless you have PR. 

We left Aus for a visit to NZ for most of April, all no problem they have your visa registered so it shows on the airline records and of course immigration. Very simple to enter NZ on a UK passport. Other than logistics and the expense it's been very easy.

 

 

 

Lol I stand corrected, really thought you needed a longer term visa to import personal items!!

8 minutes ago, Paur said:

I know, it's a massive move for her and the uncertainty of the visa would be hard but she's feeling so lonely and unhappy right now that I think it's worth the upheaval. If she leaves it any longer she just won't be fit enough but at least once she gets here we can take care of her.

Suggest you speak to a MARA agent on best options for an aged parent.

Good luck!

10 minutes ago, Suzyq said:

Wow rogeliz!!! What a stressful time you've had! I'm so pleased to hear that it all came good for you though and you're there! And your overall queue time looks to be 2 years? We're looking at at 3 years now o:(

I'm interested to hear that you can't ship your belongings on a 600, this could be a show stopper for us so I'll look into that first thing Monday - unless some kind Pom in Oz knows anything different?!!

Thanks for sharing your story!

Hi Suzy,

Picked up on this too - you can't ship on a 600.  Your children can, but there are legal import documents they would need to sign.

I did bring a few boxes of my brother's old stuff, but all was about 15 years old with no resale value and we are both PR.

Personally I woulndn't try to import a full container of my parent's belongings whilst claiming to DIBP they were mine.

Tbh if you are going the 600/143 route would buy what you need when here on the 600 and ship as soon as 143 granted.

Good luck!

We packed a lot of our stuff in clear boxes - the removals guys then were able to come in, make a quick assessment of the contents for customs purposes and then "export" wrap the boxes.

Seemed to work as we got all of our stuff the other end 

4 hours ago, annagilda said:

Hello gang, just wondering if anyone has used Go Matilda as their agent? I know they have a pretty good rep here on the site, I've been in touch with them and they seem fairly confident I could get a PR visa, based on my skills, points etc... I have the skills assessment and what not already, it's just my pre existing medical conditions, but I talked it through with them and things have been fine for years, so they seem pretty confident. they say they don't take people on, unless they think that they can get a visa for them, but there are a few iffy reviews on other sites. it's a lot of money too, which I'm happy to pay, as long as they are legit. 

Would just like your thoughts, thanks a million. :-) 

My experience with GM has been only positive so far.

14 hours ago, Bear2015 said:

Actually , most of the parents sponsored for the CPV do have children who are skilled and therefore in the high tax brackets who are ALREADY making  a significant contribution to the Australian economy. So isn't it fair to accept their parents ( after paying AUD 50k EACH)  without considering them as a liability. The productivity commission report is just a political 'thing' to keep the welfare dependent and low income earners happy or else they won't be able to maintain their allowances. 

I appreciate your point, which covers my personal circumstances, but it's a long shot to say that most children on skilled visas are higher rate tax payers, which I would doubt.  Remember that skilled visas are based on employment requirements not salary!

It's also important to frame that whilst this thread focuses on parents moving from the UK, there are obviously parents moving from diverse nations, with different demographics and financial means.

Agree that this is a political 'thing' but I don't think it is going to go away, and whilst it may feel unfair the best place to be is in the queue!

1 minute ago, SusieRoo said:

We have started thinking about logistics.

Originally we considered selling everything and just taking a few boxes of sentimental items and clothes, which was very appealing and liberating.

But our son was horrified, and so my husband is now planing to take everything, including car, motorbike and kitchen sink.

He has experience (through work) of container transport and loading/unloading, so a diy approach is feasible.

My only slight concern is about the 'fumigation' process, as my husband says they pump the container full of toxic gas.

Anyone know if 'fumigation' will damage household items like soft furnishings? or is this something that happens to all items entering Australia?  

There is no fumigation automatically.  Correctly label your items and then customs will have a good look.  They went through about 40% of ours. If they find something they don't like they will let you know - we had no issues, including old wooden furniture.

In terms of bringing everything - we have found that stuff we thought we didn't need we have bought again so there is method to bringing the lot.  Bringing vehicles I think has a separate thread.

Just now, Kathss56 said:

Yes, I think they will increase the 143 visa cost significantly, in the hope people won't bother and do this new one!

Therefore, we could just be luckier than we currently think! 

Exactly - better to be in the queue than not!!

3 minutes ago, bry45 said:

Fantastic, at this rate we will may end up applying for the aged parent visa !!!!!

Wasn't the point of increasing the CPV fees to prevent parents willing to pay the substantial extra costs, having to wait years for the NCPV. Surely at some point, they will have to address these waiting times with more gusto. I think once the CPV waiting room reaches 3 years, which incidentally, seems inevitable, future applicants may think twice about applying. This will of course bring the waiting time down, but will also mean allot less $90K + payments being put into the OZ economy.

The problem is that the productivity commission recently estimated the cost to the Australian taxpayer per CPV at considerably more than the cost (I think an average lifetime cost of AUD $350k+ vs a cost of AUD $50k).  

I appreciate that your circumstances are different where you would be able to work and contribute but there are a lot of parents that are not in that position, or even use all assets to pay the fee and then have nothing left.

It's quite politically contentious here at the moment, but on the bright side I understand anyone who has their application submitted for a 143 would be highly unlikely to see a rise on their second VAC payment.

1 minute ago, Kathss56 said:

Me too. Also,which staff are going to process the new one. Doubt they have employed any extra staff! 

Sorry to be downbeat - I see the effective demise of a visa class via processing times rather than cancelling, per the 103 

1 hour ago, Kathss56 said:

Here's hoping this new new parent visa makes a slight dent in it. Even if only a couple of months. Fingers crossed! 

As mentioned earlier in the thread the cynical view might be that with the temporary visa there is no motivation to shorten the waiting time for the 143 when there is the new cash cow of the temporary visa with no healthcare costs.  I would expect this to continue to get worse unfortunately.

13 minutes ago, Kathss56 said:

I had a quick look at Form 80!

Having travelled a lot of the last 10yrs - I am not so sure I will remember all the dates and places so much!! ?

Lol my parents are the same, they are studying their passports to try to work out all of their entry and exit visas.  Thankfully it was mostly Florida and Australia so they got stamped on entry and exit which helps!

It's a lot of work but enjoyable.  The biggest I ran was a 600 litre tropical and that needed some serious weekly water changes  

10 minutes ago, Shaki said:

Thanks Ferret for you reply. Contributory visa takes 2 to 3 years to process. but my parents are really old and they are sick. and there is no one to take care of them. so i am looking for a way to quickly bring them here including my sister and then apply for a contributory visa. so, how can i do that?

On the face of it I think there are very limited options - you need to speak to a MARA agent to go over the specifics of your case to understand if there is a way forward.

Good luck!!