AMP
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Been there, done that - if it’s any consolation it does get easier! Don’t worry too much, it will all happen eventually. Given that so much is not in your control then it really isn’t worth giving it too much energy. Just go with the flow and start to adopt the more laid back Australian way. ?
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Sorry for the delay in replying - I haven’t been on the site for over a week. Life is just so full since I made the move over here, plus I’m no longer as neurotic as I was about watching every single development relating to moving to Oz. Anyway, in reply to your request to join us then I don’t see why not. I need to take myself down to Southbank so I can identify a good place for us to meet up - and will make sure the location is definitely wheelchair friendly. Will try to go next week and then we can identify a date. Will look forward to meeting you and the others who decide to join us.
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That would be great. I’ll try to sort out an appropriate meeting point and will propose a date and time for PiO in Brisbane get together!
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Brilliant news Catlady! Welcome to your new life in Australia. Once you are settled and if you fancy it then it would be good to meet up. Maybe somewhere in the city or on Southbank? Anyway, if and when that suggestion appeals then just send me a PM and we can arrange. Doubtless your head will be spinning a the moment, trying to adjust to the new time zone, the weather and the whole newness of everything else too. Take your time and relax after all the stresses of packing up and moving, you will doubtless need it! It took me about 10 days to be no longer wide awake in the middle of the night, surprisingly much longer than it ever did when I came on holiday. Hopefully it won’t take as long for you though - but ultimately, does it matter? You now have all the time in the world! Enjoy.
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Wby don’t you apply for the 600 visa anyway and see if you are actually allocated one which gives you multiple 12 months stay? That’s the one I have got. It came through in less than a week, cost less than £100 (can’t remember the exact amount now) and has 5 year validity. If yours comes back with conditions that don’t suit you then you can always still apply for the new parent visa, though I understand they are much more expensive.
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Also be very careful because most credit card insurances only cover you if your return trip to the UK is for a very limited period, many for 30 days only. I came over last year for 3 months but had to pay around £80 for the credit card insurance to be extended so that it would cover me for the 3 month trip. Being over now in Australia this time on a 600 tourist visa, it was very straightforward to go into Center Link and get a “visitor” Medicare card which will cover me for any essential medical care. Incidentally I found the site I used which gave me links to the companies which do one way travel insurance to Australia - it was “finder.com.au”. On another note altogether I can report that I have now bought a car ?! So excited to now have my own wheels again , though my son and daughter have been very good about me borrowing theirs up till now . For the registration I had to supply something which showed my name and address in Australia. They were happy enough to accept a letter from my pension provider which noted my change of address. Very bizarrely they also wanted to know my eye and hair colour!! I did point out that shoe size would be more appropriate than hair colour as that doesn’t change (!!). Apparently it’s Queensland rules and maybe they just wanted to know more because I don’t have an Australian driving licence.
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I came with Insure and Go, no problem doing insurance for a one way flight and I just took it out for a couple of days, there by covering me for the journey out here.
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Thanks Geof and Gill, I'll check that one out as well. I'm a bit confused about the AU licence, maybe it is state dependent, but on the Queensland info I looked up it seemed to be saying that you could only change your licence once resident. Also I was keen to hang on to my UK licence as long as possible as I thought it may make it easier and cheaper to hire a car when I visit the UK. Maybe that's not the case though! Did you have to pay for the AU licence or not? Also is it an exchange or were you able to keep the UK one?
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No, as that's another issue which is addressed separately. I have now found one company which doesn't seem to penalise non AU licence holders and which also doesn't require residency status. The company is Bingle and their quote was the best I have found so far anyway.
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re car insurance I've been investigating this over the last few days. First of all be aware that most companies specify in the small print that you must be AU resident, so no good for those of us on 600 visas. I found one company which doesn't specify this - budget direct, and their quotes are also very competitive. Also be aware that all companies seem to discriminate against new arrivals. Again, in the small print, it says that for those who have not held an AU drivers licence for at least 2 years then they are liable for an extra excess (around 800$, so no small amount) in the event of a claim. It classes non AU licence holders as "inexperienced drivers"!!
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Sorry, not sure if I have already replied to this or not (brain totally out of synch since I arrived here!). So, apologies if this is a duplicate answer. Yes Susie, you are correct in your interpretation of the visa conditions. There is a brief questionnaire on the 600 visa application which asks about health and you have to state whether you have specific conditions which you anticipate will need medical attention during your stay. Also there is a question about wealth, not how much you have but so that it is obvious how you will finance your stay. In the detail box I specifically said how much annual income I receive and the sources of this income (e.g. Private pension) and I also stated capital I had which I could draw on if necessary. I believe they can ask for proof of this, e.g. Copy of bank statement but I was never asked to send anything. Hope this helps. The application was actually incredibly and surprisingly straightforward.
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I really have no idea, sorry, but obviously I'm not complaining! Maybe I just ticked all the boxes - just me coming over, both (all) my children here, no medial issues (touch wood), self funding, somewhere to live. All these issues were areas covered on the application. You just have to answer them all honestly, there are no obvious dos and don'ts Thanks for your good wishes. I'm currently looking after my two eldest grandchildren for the weekend whilst their parents have gone to a 40th in Melbourne. It's great to be able to help them out, as well, of course, as being great for me to be able to spend time with my grandchildren.
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That is really helpful info, thanks ever so much for this advice Amanda. Could you tell me which company you used please? I think I will go down the same route as you.
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Thanks Kathy and Nemesis for your advice here. Will check it all out and report back .....
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Hi Tabitha10. See my post of August 9th for detail . Sorry, I'm struggling with copying and pasting it! It needs to be a paid for visa, the free E visa won't give you the 12 month option.
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Thanks SusieRoo. As long as the visa specifies "Travel Facility: multiple" then yes, you just have to leave before 12 months and re-enter on another date then the 12 months starts again
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Wow, amazing! Good luck.
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I'm also a 2015 applicant (albeit December) so it's really wonderful to know that Immi are now processing "our Year group". I've taken my eye off the ball a bit recently as I have been busy making the move to Oz on a 600 visa. My furniture etc should now be on the high seas, though it will be nearly Christmas by the time it arrives. In the meantime I'm managing very simply on borrowed items, which is no problem at all. I've totally sold up in the Uk and arrived here last Thursday evening. No issues at all coming through Immigration, even though I was only on a one way ticket. The day after my arrival I applied for my Medicare card and again it was totally straightforward, I just had to giive my address here so they knew where to send the card. I haven't been asked to take out additional health insurance and am still debating whether or not to go down that route. Does any one have any specific advice to offer on this issue? It really is lovely to be here with my family and to be able to offer them help with babysitting etc. It now feels as though all the pressure is off as the only remaining hurdle is the 143 visa itself. Given that my 600 tourist visa will easily carry me through till that point, with the sole proviso of being only able to stay 12 months max on each arrival, it all feels very comfortable and I have totally stopped stressing about the 143 timescales. Hopefully that last element will not present any problems. It's always a risk, but life is full of them and personally I think the risk is worth taking and living with. Congratulations to all of you who have recently had your parent visas awarded and I share the excitement to those of you who are at long last in the very final stages. Good luck!
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Thanks SusiRoo. Things are now getting close so it's getting a bit hectic. I'm using John Masons for the move (the only mover, incidentally, who were totally happy to move my furniture etc on a tourist visa (12 months). So far they have been excellent in terms of communication, also they were on a par with the others in terms of price. They come next Thursday to export pack my things. The charity shop is coming the day before to take the things I'm not shipping and which I haven't been able to give away or sell. I've sorted my marine insurance with Letton Percival and they are MUCH cheaper than using any of the mover insurers. Again they were ace on communication and really helpful. One thing I would advise anyone to start now is to do a complete inventory of everything you are considering taking to Oz. This is really time consuming, particularly as you also have to state, for insurance purposes, what the replacement value of each item is in Australia. Better at this stage just to start your list, do your research and note the replacement price in Australian dollars. When you come to doing your inventory listing this then has to be converted back into dollars, so is very much influenced by the exchange rate. Honestly, all my belongings appear to be much more valuable than they were 12 months ago when the exchange rate was better!! Crazy! I've contacted HMRC re tax and although I will still initially be UK tax liable they are quite happy with me changing my address to an Australian one. The banks also were quite happy. This element was much easier than I had anticipated. That's it for now - must get back to sorting ........
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Super. Welcome to your new baby granddaughter. Hope you find just want you want in Kiama and enjoy your moments of Heaven - too long has already been spent in limbo land!
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Many thanks to you and to everyone for all the good wishes. I am, however definitely still in the waiting room, just that I will now be waiting in Oz rather than in the UK. At least I will be able to tackle the last issues, when they do arise, of the dreaded form 80, the medical, the AOS etc without having to also address all the issues of selling up and moving - which are big enough hurdles in themselves. Hopefully it will all go to plan ......... fingers crossed . Will keep you informed and will keep following what's happening on this forum anyway - I'm addicted!! Hope, Fisher1, that all is now going well over there. You certainly didn't have the best of starts to your new lives in Oz but the heavy colds could well have resulted from all the stress leading up to the move - combined with viruses picked up on the plane! Very best wishes for your new lives in Australia.
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Thanks, but I'm not at the medical point yet, probably 18 months away in fact. I'm going out on a 600 visitor visa and risking it! I can stay for up to 12 months at a time so it should all work fine.
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Today it really has all started to happen! Contracts exchanged on the house, ready for completion on 25th, so giving me 3 weeks to sort out the last few things. Shippers booked for 21st, flight out booked for 4th October, friends booked to accommodate me in the interim. I'm now finally managing to exchange my feelings of apprehension for feelings of excitements,!
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Test reply from Immi yesterday - " currently processing applications lodged up to and including 25th November 2014". (143/173 visas).
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No worries. But, 11 months insurance does work out quite pricey, particularly when you really don't need cover for the intervening months (and this will be particularly the case if you take out extra health insurance whilst you are in Australia). This issue has been seriously troubling me over the last few days. I think though that I now have the solution. Try QBE Insurance (Australia) Ltd. That one seems to meet the bill. It will give cover for non residents for single trips to and from Australia. So, this is good not only for return trips to the Uk but also for interim trips, to NZ or wherever! It also has an option for single trips to Australia. I learned about them by looking at the travel section of this forum. Have to confess that I am very lax about looking at other blogs on here, particularly since I am a bit hooked on this particular parent visa forum which always seems to come up with the answers which are most relevant to us!
