Garym85

Hi All, We have about 18 months left on our car finance and have a final payout figure from them. can anyone advise if I were to take out a credit card and pay off the car completely with this using a special introduction rate- would this be treated as a purchase or balance transfer? The plan is to pay the car off quicker by overpaying and if I can save accruing interest on the existing car finance then even better. Checked and there are no early payment penalties with car finance company.

Hi All, Sold my UK property a couple of Months ago. Only had it 4 or 5 years but sold it for around £10k more than I bought it/its value at the time. I’ve done the HMRC CGT calculation and after everything comes out it shows I have NO CGT to pay in the UK. if this is the case, would I potentially still have CGT to pay here? I presumed double taxation rules kick in from UK and as there’s not actually much gain I’m exempt there and hoped that’s the case here too…or is it more complex than that and I would still have tax to pay?

Hi all, my fiancée and I have had our PR for 18 months now. We came in on my 457 with her as my defacto early January 2017. I came by myself as she had a work project to finalise in the UK First. technically I tick both of the boxes for citizenship in January as that’s 4 years with at least 1 as PR. she didn’t permanently move here until the September that year but she did travel over in February(one month after I arrived) for 3 weeks. Would February be the start of her 4 years or September? also, prior to this she was here for a year on WHV and left a year before I arrived. Not sure if this is also a contributing factor in her time in Australia? want to get the application in as soon as possible but making sure we meet all requirements. thank you

Yes, they have all of this.

Hi All, Asking for a friend... Current situation; he is on a 2 year 457 which expires in around 3 months time. He has been in a relationship with a AUS citizen for about 18 months and they want to live here. Question I have- If he submits the 820 visa application (lets say in the next couple of days) does he immediately get a bridging visa, or does the bridging visa take effect when his 457 comes to an end? If so, what is his working rights? this part is a bit confusing and I can't seem to find a clear answer. Am i correct in saying the 820 takes around 2 years to come through then the 801 is after that? thanks

Thanks mate! Yeah, submitted on 28th March and got the 'S56 request for further info' two days later for Medicals and police checks We had already booked this in when they launched the application on the 28th and had all docs finalised a couple of weeks later

PR granted today! Details have gone to my MA who will message me on Monday I am sure but checked my IMMI account and status changed from further assessment to finalised today and the 186 is in the attachments! Just over 5 weeks from start to finish. Good luck everyone...it'll come soon!

Congratulations! I'm very similar timelines to you- I applied a few days after you did- Marketing specialist also from UK and now in NSW. Did you have the S56 request for further info? We got this less than 48 hours after applying which means the case officer is looking at it. submitted the final police checks and medicals two weeks ago and status is 'Further assessment'

4 Weeks. 186 TRT Marketing specialist Sydney

Hey, I know how you feel. I go through phases, as does my partner. We are early 30's, about to have our PR granted and I often have a period of wanting to go back to UK. Missing friends and family, seeing family get older, missing key milestones in the closest people to our lives- its all hard! Missing chinese takeaway seems like the icing on the cake sometimes! We went back to UK last year for a friends wedding, and doing the same again in a few months. Everyone has grand plans but found that you need to make all the effort. we looked forward to 'coming home' to Australia after three weeks in UK. As you have PR you are in a better position than most, I know a few people who've been in our position then gone home- the weather is rubbbish, everyone is moaning, brexit is on the horizon and the uncertainty about many things as a result. Sometimes it's difficult to build a network of friends here to turn to- it is in Sydney, although I do work with some of the best people, its still not the same. What I'd say is- Have no regrets. The UK isnt the worst place but you came here for a reason, some days are hard, some are great....stick it out for a while longer and see if it passes.

I'm very similar position to you here- I applied on 28th March, Request for further info on 30th March and I did the police checks that day. They took three weeks to arrive from uk...Everything else was done. I chose the tracking option which probably made it harder as I checked progress to see it took 9 days in Australian customs! good luck

Late to the party with this but we flew our Cavoodle from Sydney to Perth with us when we went over for 2 weeks- cost was around $250 and she was absolutely fine. arrived safely at each side and we watched her boarding into the hold from our seat. Only virgin and Qantas carry pets and spaces are extremely limited. I believe most aircraft will only carry a max of 2 pets. we flew VA and even got velocity points for her!

Hi Jo, It's a contentious one! I found it really easy to re-mortgage to a better rate and 3 year fixed term by doing a variation of existing mortgage. (It saved me over 120 pounds a month!) If you want to re-mortgage to release equity then that will be far more difficult, It is possible I believe but you would only be able to get to a certain LTV and most likely pay a higher APR. We are a few years down the line and similar position as we own two places- We're most likely going to sell one or both to buy here.

Absolutely would be easier if your husband is citizen so he probably easily has 100 points of ID. That said, Passport is 70 straight away! How easy really depends on your location and budget. If you are trying to rent a mid-price apartment in Bondi just before summer theres likely to be lots of other applicants therefore someone with no rental history is going to slide down the pecking order. When I arrived, I found that getting to chat to the real estate agent proved a good tactic- I went to a couple of viewings with no interest in the property. Again, massively depends on location but if you like somewhere- its worth completing 1form which most real estate agents use, you still must view it but once you do, if you like it you have a head start on the others.

Hi Paul, Sorry to hijack- I was also looking into this so following to get updates. Am I correct in saying that with a rabies shot and all paperwork the dog doesn't need to stay in Quarantine? Also, can you advise on what the rough costs of transporting your dog are? Hope you get all of your questions answered and your dog is good to go!

Similar timelines for me- 457>186TRT Marketing specialist. Submitted 28th March S56 Request 30th March- Medicals and UK/AUS police checks Submitted All docs and medicals approved by 18th April. Now waiting. We have two properties in UK we are selling as soon as PR is granted and buying here so fingers crossed it comes through soon!

I shipped my stuff over the day before I moved. I left GB on the 5th January so didn't want to be left without my furniture over xmas. When i arrived in Sydney i stayed in an airbnb for a few weeks and found an apartment...the first week was a disaster...I got the keys on the sunday morning and left for Brisbane and Melbourne for work meetings that afternoon....getting back at 8pm on the Wednesday realising I had nowhere to sleep, I bought an airbed, duvet and pillow just before the shops closed....got home to realise it had no pump! fast forward 10 days and a new bed, fridge and washing machine arrived! Thankfully my furniture is all here, I've bought a new car and life doesn't feel like an Australian version of Transporting now!

Hey, I probably can't be of much use but what about one of the small internal aerials? Also...I spotted this post about Rouse Hill...I've been looking at the area for a house recently...do you mind if i message you to get some thoughts/advice?

Exactly this! I am in the same position as the original post. Visa was granted in November 2016 and I moved in January 17 with my other half coming in to the country a month later. We made the decision that we would only move IF we had a pathway to PR. Whilst nobody knows when they move if it will be temporary or forever, we only considered it if we had that opportunity to made it permanent. We are both in our early 30's and would like to start a family within the next Couple of years....if we don't have the option of PR then we would potentially cut our losses now and leave. My role was vacant for 1 year before i came over...3 months of that was preparing my visa but they did try and recruit in Australia for quite some time. I earn a fair bit above average salary, had to provide my own private healthcare arrangements and don't benefit from the same benefit system Australian nationals have (not that i need either). I've read all of the updates on here and I am even more confused about the latest position on all of this. My work spoke to me last week and suggested that we wouldn't have PR option but couldn't confirm- this came from the company we use for corporate migration.

I had my 457 issued, as above. It took 5 days from submitting to issue for myself and defacto. I have no idea what the logic behind it being so quick but my employer had a MA pushing for it to be priority. Hope you hear soon Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Impossible to say but from what I've read I very much doubt it. My gut feel is, people who are on 457 would still go through the same process, after all by the time it comes to apply for PR The majority who do so have proven they have added culturally and economically to country. I think IF and when changes are made it will be around people looking to come in on a 457 in the first place. Condensed list, higher cost and more stringent guidelines. Who knows though...who'd have thought trump would be president or the U.K. Would vote to leave the EU! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations. I am very similar, my visa was lodged on 23rd November and approved this morning for both myself and my girlfriend who has also received a 457 defacto visa. We are going to NSW No medicals or request for information fortunately. I hope everyone else who is playing the waiting game hears soon, I was advised 6-8 weeks only two weeks ago. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can anyone advise me on times and next steps etc... PwC are handling my 457 through my employer. I have submitted all requested docs to them. My other half is also going on my application. It was submitted last week- I've heard a wide variation of times. Going to NSW. Also, will they definitely request medicals etc? I've heard some don't get asked for it at all! Coming from UK and the only thing I had to do was prove we had private healthcare to cover us on arrival. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great advice, thanks everyone. My employer is giving me an allowance for temp accommodation. Looking to get into our own place as soon as possible. Renting furniture may be an option for the first few months. I've been on most real estate sites every day but given the quick turnaround it's pointless identifying specific places. It's been great for guiding me towards expected costs and suburbs etc... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, I arrive in Sydney mid January and I am looking to lean on the advice and experience of anyone who has done this before. We will be shipping furniture over but that won't arrive until Late March/Early April. In the meantime we were looking at all options- for the first couple of weeks it will probably be Airbnb but the costs are that bit higher which means this would only be 2-3 weeks max. How difficult is it to find a rental property in the space of a couple of weeks? The actual looking part is something we can do out with working hours and before I start my new job. I am more conscious of the time in takes real estate etc. Feels a bit of a dilemma given most leases are 6 month minimum which means we will have furnished apartment and furniture arriving- we can put this into storage though. Also, in terms of ID- all we will have initially is passport, U.K. Driving license and proof of my employement. Not sure if birth certificates etc count. If anyone has suggestions, also looking down gumtree route also Any help much appreciated Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk