CiderDrinkingCoder

Having had a few to drink, I thought it would be good to balance out some of the responses I have made earlier on this thread. No.

Have some chamomile, buddy.

Mate, I'd still be saying it was a yes if the question was "is it better to be one of the first colonists to Mars than to live in Kilmarnock?".

It's an omission, rather than a false statement. Dunno how it would be viewed. Personally, I would only focus on the veracity of any claims about education, more so when it comes to tertiary qualifications and their relevance to your career. Hopefully someone with a better understanding of the process involved and Form 80 will be along to clarify further. Personally, I shouldn't worry about it, if I were you.

Apologies, I must have completely misread what you wrote in the above quote, where you categorically state that those over 50 have the experience, knowledge and life skills.

I'm originally from Kilmarnock, so qualified to answer this. YES.

I was trying to be delicate, Bungo. :wink: Some people have this bizarre habit of getting uppity and aggressive if you suggest they might not be playing cricket. :cool:

Good luck, guys. Get a bottle of Veuve chilling, ready for the good news :cool:

From the perspective of a prospective future employer, it could also be perceived negatively that you've taken advantage of the cost and time for your employer to sponsor your permanent residency and then you immediately jump ship. Clearly, if there are solid reasons for leaving, that's one thing; just doesn't sit well with future employers who may want to invest in you that, as soon as that investment is done, you could up and away. Of course, this could happen with anyone, but where there's 'evidence' of past experience, it can tinge the future. Legally, I'd second everything said above about visa fraud. Morally, there are - perhaps - other questions to ask.

If in doubt, it is probably wisest to err on the side of caution and put down full months when they may only be partial (i.e. you moved into a property in May 2004, but you can't recall which day. In that scenario, I'd suggest putting 1st May rather than anything else). That said, this is one that a MARA agent would be far better positioned to respond to than me.

Given you're reviving a thread that's coming on for two years old, and the poster you're referring to last posted on this thread nearly 2 1/2 years ago, it's pretty unlikely they'll respond. This is Poms In Oz: we're predominantly, well... Poms, so unlikely to be able to offer you much assistance.

I think the comment that only people over 50 are the ones with experience, knowledge, and life skills is pretty damned discriminatory, to be honest. I can imagine it being a frustration; however, there's no need to discriminate against those of us who climbed the ladder early on. I don't think myself particularly poorly experienced, lacking in knowledge or life skills at 33. As far as I'm aware, neither have any of the many people in their 50s and 60s I've managed over the past decade, either.

Good luck, matey

I dunno about this. Realised, (in horror) a day before I had my 189 issued to me, that I had actually lodged a few documents under the wife's maiden name (she'll never let me live that one down, if she finds out...). DIBP either didn't pick up on it, didn't care, or realised I'm Scottish and (therefore) probably just fortunate to be literate... I can understand people with medical conditions or criminal histories finding it useful to have an agent to support them. For the rest of us, if you're methodical and sensible, I cannot fathom spending the extra thousands on what is effectively very expensive proof-reading.

Only the ACS can give you an accurate calculation of how many points you can claim for work experience (as they'll also be the ones gauging whether or not your degree is AQF equivalent). I would suggest submitting an application for a skills assessment with the ACS and then take it from there. As for points for state sponsorships, that's really down to each and every state. I understand each of the States / Territories has a website publishing details of what they're looking for from candidates.

Case officers will tend only to return to cases where they've requested further information 4 weeks to a month after having requested it, as far as I'm aware. I'm still surprised how many requests for Form 80 there have been since January, especially for Brits.

Glad to hear it went well, mate. Fingers crossed for you - be surprised if a native speaker didn't pick up the 20.

I am envious, fella. Having a job lined up ready to go to sounds a fabulous prospect. I'm rather hoping that the Melbourne job scene will welcome an eclectic whatever-the-hell-it-is-I-do kinda chap like myself come January... We'll see. The Gold Coast looks amazing and I have to get a day or two at Runaway Bay just for the sheer pleasure of sending postcards from there. Queensland strikes me as the kind of place it would be amazing to grow up in: hope you inform baby how lucky they are - in years to come - at the sacrifice you made, leaving the UK to toil away in the hard life that is Australia, only for their benefit

Nope. The big move is at the start of January. The wife and I are hopping over to Melbourne for a week in June, then coming back together. I'm off up to Scotland to spend a week or two with the folks before flying back over to Queensland. Going to do a very slow tour down the East Coast from August to October, before coming back to pack up, have Christmas with the family, and then make the big move... I'm suddenly beginning to think May is the last proper downtime I'm going to have for quite a while! When you looking at hopping over, yourself?

That sounds like... I think the technical term is 'ball ache'. Patience is indeed; however, I think I am in great company on this forum when I tell you that the rest of us who went through the 189 application process didn't have any when we were waiting, either. Try not to tire your fingers out from hitting F5 every five seconds for the next however long

Hiya Ben From what I understand from other threads and fora, most COs tend to return to the documents around 4 weeks after requests are made. Fingers crossed they'll get back to you soon. Seems they've been asking for Form 80 a lot more frequently, recently. If you've been a good lad, I'm sure you've nothing to worry about Hopefully that grant's with you before the end of May. Cheers CDC

To be honest, mate, the only advice I would have is don't have a liquid lunch beforehand. Other than that, it'll hopefully be a nice, straightforward experience.

I told my family last summer, when I was setting out on the path of getting the paperwork together. I already live 450 miles away from them, so it wasn't really an issue. What's the difference, when you only see them a couple of times a year, anyways? Told them straight that I'm planning on moving to Australia. Grandmother took it hard, I think; she's getting to the crumbly stage and would never be able to come out. Parents pretty stoic about the whole thing: they know I've no particular love for the way the UK has been going for the past twenty years. At the end of the day, I have to live my life for myself. Frankly, I think it's bloody selfish for anyone to turn around and whinge about you going: do they only ever do things that please other people?

Unless there's someone from Cornwall or Norfolk... They might be able to help...

I defer to Bungo!