KLeanne

Looking at your pro's list on the UK side, it seems you have already answered your own question :) good luck

I have been back in the UK 3 years very soon, after about 9 in Australia. During my time there, I went from elation to loving the place and ranting about how great everything was to returning to UK when I had my baby, to returning to Australia and still liking it and raising a kid with little to no support, to then enter the years of being crushed by the isolation, homesickness and general 'this is not home' feelings. Like a lot of people, underestimated how as life changes, so do you- the backpacking me was no longer the mother me, the missing family, my own culture and seeing my parents age. Australia grated more and more, and i felt like a nothing person, i had lost all sense of self, normal for mums of young kids but coupled with cultural isolation, even worse. I was not into baking, netball, BBQs or beaches by this point-  I longed for nothing more than to show my child what i had grown up with- basically UK culture. It has been hard starting over and it's a struggle for some of us returning. As a single parent, the UK is a tough place. Rent is high, help with childcare much less than in Australia and yet I am way happier. Returning to old friendships- i had to put a lot of work into re-establishing bonds etc, and have made lots of new ones also. I found it very tough making proper friends in Australia- most of those when tested, fell apart. Here, we have a life full of people and activities. And family. I walk around disgruntled by many things in the UK but I actually laugh here, connect to people and fit in. You cannot put a price on that. They say mental health is better treated in Australia but i disagree. When i was going through a terrible time, that old attitude of 'toughen up and get on with it' was not helpful. I find my British friends are a lot more sympathetic and help out more, and I do so in return. Overall, yes a success. I still think of Australia kindly and would like to visit for a holiday and dream of a long stint during my older years travelling around NW WA. However, for now, it has been lovely finding the old me. My child also loves UK life and has no desires to return to Australia. Whether that changes who knows, but there really is no place like home....

I have been back in the UK 3 years very soon, after about 9 in Australia. During my time there, I went from elation to loving the place and ranting about how great everything was to returning to UK when I had my baby, to returning to Australia and still liking it and raising a kid with little to no support, to then enter the years of being crushed by the isolation, homesickness and general 'this is not home' feelings. Like a lot of people, underestimated how as life changes, so do you- the backpacking me was no longer the mother me, the missing family, my own culture and seeing my parents age. Australia grated more and more, and i felt like a nothing person, i had lost all sense of self, normal for mums of young kids but coupled with cultural isolation, even worse. I was not into baking, netball, BBQs or beaches by this point-  I longed for nothing more than to show my child what i had grown up with- basically UK culture. It has been hard starting over and it's a struggle for some of us returning. As a single parent, the UK is a tough place. Rent is high, help with childcare much less than in Australia and yet I am way happier. Returning to old friendships- i had to put a lot of work into re-establishing bonds etc, and have made lots of new ones also. I found it very tough making proper friends in Australia- most of those when tested, fell apart. Here, we have a life full of people and activities. And family. I walk around disgruntled by many things in the UK but I actually laugh here, connect to people and fit in. You cannot put a price on that. They say mental health is better treated in Australia but i disagree. When i was going through a terrible time, that old attitude of 'toughen up and get on with it' was not helpful. I find my British friends are a lot more sympathetic and help out more, and I do so in return. Overall, yes a success. I still think of Australia kindly and would like to visit for a holiday and dream of a long stint during my older years travelling around NW WA. However, for now, it has been lovely finding the old me. My child also loves UK life and has no desires to return to Australia. Whether that changes who knows, but there really is no place like home....

Thank you Bobj

Hi All, we are thinking of moving to Bundaberg next year, all being well, have a 2 year old daughter. I went there briefly when backpacking, and thought it was lovely, and we now have a couple of family members there too. Just looking for advice and opinions from anyone who's lived/lives there, on what it's like, schools, things to do, general safety and living please! Thanks!

Hi guys, I've recently  applied for my working holiday visa but I am having trouble finding which part of Oz to locate myself. My intentions are to carry out the regional work so I can extend my visa straight away. Would it be a bad idea to locate there first then look for the work?
Do most farms come with accommdation also? The only worry I have is sharing with rooms with other people. I am quite a hermit and prefer my own space so I have considered maybe flat sharing near and travel to the farms but until I figure out what location is best for me I'm unable to plan at the moment.
Hope someone can help. Thanks

Would like to nil and void this post please as I've decided I will stick to my plan and leave in 8 weeks and wait offshore.

Hello All, I applied for my PR on 21st Jul,17, and I came over to Australia with my partner and our daughter in September for a visit on a visitor visa. I have heard nothing as yet in terms of my Par visa but have seen a request form to complete my medical on my immi account. Should I get it done or will they contact me to get it done? Also, I applied offshore, so does that mean I need to get my medical done offshore, i.e.not in Australia? I have booked flights for 10 February next year to come back to England and wait out the rest of my time in the UK, but my partner wants me to stay until June, however i think it would look better if I went in Feb, and have only spent 6 months on the visitor visa and I wouldn't have the issue of leaving and entering the country again, as the last time I did that I got asked to explain my intentions at the airport,I was told I was doing it fine, but I don't want to get questioned again or risk anything for the sake of a few extra months. Sorry it's long winded, any advice?

 
I would hope your travel plans and the fact your husband is travelling with you for some/all of it is a plus point. You keep saying your daughters family which confuses me when reading. You mean your partners family don't you? So of course your daughters but it just sounds odd when reading. 
I must admit your plans are very unusual for someone applying for a partner visa. That you and your partner are apart already is also not the norm but it does happen to some couples. Probably why so many people are concerned you may have issues with immigration. I get you are all above board, but so long as you are aware immigration may not see it that way (especially if travelling in and out of Aus with a partner and child on an Aus passport) they may have questions. Having proof of funds to depart Aus and your travel plans etc ready to go would be good. 
You are aware that your partner visa could process far quicker than the listed processing time and it could be ready to grant in the first 3 months in Aus or some such. In which case you will need to arrange with your CO to depart Aus for a few days so the visa can be granted. You should have informed them of your plans and travel dates so as to ensure they know where to contact you so they can grant your visa when you go offshore. 

Just to add water to this, I went to Oz on my tourist visa after submitting my application and it was fine. I told my MA so he could notify Immigration if needed. Not sure if they even request that but it doesn't hurt. If you have a CO you can always email and tell them.

So you plan to travel round Aus as a family, then travel elsewhere, then head back to aus, travel some more overseas then head back to the UK? If you have flights booked for all this that is at least something. An end point back in the UK on the itinerary would be good.
I must admit I don't get your plan totally in terms of what you are doing, why and when but if you have a plan then follow it. Lots of people are genuine travellers and don't intend to misuse their tourist visa overstay it [emoji4] That you have lodged an off shore partner visa application and are planning to wait out the grant time in aus and elsewhere as a tourist will hopefully be ok. 

Okay, thank you very much for the reply! That's a little bit reassuring. 
My girlfriend just brought up something though - don't I have to be outside of Australia when they approve it though? How will I know when they're going to approve it to make sure I'm not there? 

I've not said about coming and going multiple times in this thread I don't think. I replied to the OP to say about going and staying for a while if the visa isn't granted prior to leaving. Lots have done this and had their partner visa granted in that first 3 month stint so then gone off shore for visa grant. CO are aware this is done and while they generally won't advise it if an applicant asks and they make it clear it's at your own risk, they don't seem to say no (they can't, it's not their call to make for starters) and people apply for a tourist visa and travel at their own risk. I had a conversation with my CO about it all during my visa processing (CO called me) and it was discussed. 
I would have possibly done this myself had my partner visa not come through before we left (I applied when the processing times given were much more exact and you could pretty much bank on that 3 month window only so one stint in Aus was enough ). As it was it wasn't needed so never came into play and we moved after grant which was within the timeframe I had been given. 
The coming and going repeatedly is often contentious and can be an issue if immigration think you are not using the tourist visa correctly. I've read of people being pulled up on it. Immigration advice over the phone from a help desk isn't going to necessarily match what an immigration official at the airport says. There is no way of knowing ahead of time. 
I get people want to be in Aus but given the wait times it's not a certainty as to when a grant may come through and any plan to travel ahead of grant is I guess to be considered a risk. How much of one none of us can say with any certainty. 
Looking at your timeline you applied a month ago. It's rather a short timeframe after applying to be heading off. I tend to think of the 3 month stint as the last resort for the final bit of the wait. 
The on shore option is one people could investigate further if they need/want to be in Aus in a hurry for whatever reason and wish to be able to remain while awaiting a grant decision. Again it's not an ideal but in some situations it's possibly a course of action that may be better suited. 
If the processing times stated are factored in when applying then people should also consider the on shore option as it might work better for them than many months on a tourist visa unable to work or with any other important aspects that residency brings. 
 
 

It has nothing to do with scaremongering. What you advised is a potentially dangerous pathway that can lead to  complications. To suggest otherwise is simply misleading. 

Thanks

This is a recipe for disaster and terrible advice.

If you try and enter Australia multiple times on a visitor visa with only short gaps in between (i.e. quick trip to Bali or New Zealand) , you risk being pulled up at the airport and questioned whether you are a genuine visitor. If you are not considered to be a genuine visitor, you can be refused entry to Australia and sent back home with a re entry ban.

Really, if this is the case, then why does it state on the visa terms it self, that the visa holder may enter Australia three months at a time, and make multiple visits in and out of Australia during the time of the visa which is 12 months? I am just planning on abiding by the conditions of the visa! I don't really have any other choice so that my daughter can see her family. This was the visa suggested to me by immi and 2 MA.

Just to add water to this, I went to Oz on my tourist visa after submitting my application and it was fine. I told my MA so he could notify Immigration if needed. Not sure if they even request that but it doesn't hurt. If you have a CO you can always email and tell them.

Yes, many people do it and usually there is no problem. However, you need to be aware that if the Immigration Officer on re-entry believes that you are trying to live here on a tourist visa, rather than just visiting, they cam and will deny you entry. 
Also it is quite true that the immigration helplines are not versed in the rules, they only know the basics and cannot be held accountable for any information they give you. A registered agent on the other hand is trained in migration law and can bive you all the gen. 
It is unlikely you will be refused entry, especially if you are from a low risk country like the UK but it is possible. And these points have to be made on forums so that everyone is aware of them. 

Thank you, yes I did speak to two different MAs also and they told me it was fine too.


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Never ever take advice from the department. The forum is littered with people who have and are now in serious difficulty and they have a legal indemnity to give protection for bad advice. When you speak to them, they are just call centre staff with little or no training. If you want advice - and you do need it - speak to a migration agent. 

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection state on their website "If you want advice, don't ask us, ask a migration agent"  and the experience of many people is that the staff in the DIBP call centres give out notoriously bad and incorrect advice.  Said advice, is also non-binding and useless if a border guard decides you are not a genuine visitor.

Yeh have you heard anything interview ? Or medical done ?

The wait time is 12/13 months. Hopefully we all hear something soon.

Please update your status in the tracker to help us all.


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Okay, thank you very much for the reply! That's a little bit reassuring. 
My girlfriend just brought up something though - don't I have to be outside of Australia when they approve it though? How will I know when they're going to approve it to make sure I'm not there? 

Okay, thank you very much for the reply! That's a little bit reassuring. 
My girlfriend just brought up something though - don't I have to be outside of Australia when they approve it though? How will I know when they're going to approve it to make sure I'm not there? 

hi everyonee.
i apply for spouse visa on 10.10.16
still waitng[emoji20]