Frukoz

15 minutes ago, Nemesis said:

Partner visa asks you for your parents details, irrespective of any health issues. They would only need a health exam if they were migrating as dependents, which they can't do. You are asked to list them as part of Australia's checks on background, and also in case they wish to migrate later, sponsored by you/your partner. Put what you know and if necessary add a separate sheet of paper with an explanation. 

Thanks for the context. Looks like we'll have to give a separate explanation and omit them from this part of the application.

3 minutes ago, rammygirl said:

I think there is some confusion it does ask for parent details but not in the section where you are listing immediate family. This is just your partner and any children, the main family unit. They will be subject to medical if not Citizens. Parents do not need medical or other checks as they cannot be included in the visa. 

Section 11 is for the family Unit, 12 is for Immediate family  . This relates to parents, siblings, step-siblings, siblings in law, etc. These are all options in the drop down menu. Although apparently they didn't consider half-siblings, which is relevant to our case .

22 minutes ago, rammygirl said:

Can’t omit as he appears on birth certificate. She will need to put what she can and add a statement with an explanation. 

Thanks. My understanding is that the purpose of this question relates to health checks. Since these people are not in my partner's life, this probably wouldn't apply - unless genetic health issues are a consideration I suppose.

The problem of course, is that you can't provide limited information when adding a family member. It won't let you. Don't really want to provide false information on DOB, Relationship status, whether they are alive or deceased.

Hi,

Just going through the partner visa application and on page 12, it asks to add in any immediate family members. My partner does not know her biological father and we wouldn't be able to know if he's alive, let alone his DOB. He is, however, listed on the birth certificate. My partner was raised by another man, who she considers her father but who is not legally recognised as such. Unfortunately she has lost most contact with this person as well.

Any advise on how to sort this out? In a way she has no father or at the very least would not consider either of these men as immediate family. Would it be okay to ommit them from the application?

Many thanks in advance.

Hi,

Just noticed that my partner's UK passport is expiring in June. We're trying to get this thing lodged asap though.
Can someone confirm this won't be an issue? I take it we can update these details once the application has been submitted?

Thanks!

Frukoz

3 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I can't imagine the forum owners would consider offering such opinions because it would leave them wide open to being sued if someone chose an agent based on their recommendation.

Perhaps what you're looking for is a Directory, where MARA agents can list their business, then members of the public can post reviews and star ratings? 

Well the recommendations would be user generated, so I don't think that would make the forum owners liable. People on here provide recommendations all the time. I'm just talking about organising this a bit so you don't have keep posting whenever you need an agent. A directory makes a lot of sense, but would never receive any contributions unless it came out of forums like this one.

On 10/10/2018 at 20:50, ali said:

Contact one of the agents who post regularly on the site @Raul Senise @wrussell @Alan Collett @Richard Gregan are all agents who've been posting for a number of years and have good reputations.

Thanks for the help - have reached out to agents.

I guess what would be helpful for a huge number of people on this forum is information on reputation, fees, speed of communication & expertise. And this would mean the good agents would stand out and receive more business as a result. To me, it seems like it would be a very helpful addition!

Thanks for the recommendations. I will be reaching out to a few of the regular posters.

Does this forum have any kind of reviews, rankings or  recommended agents that have a good history of successes?

Hi,

I'm on a 457 visa since September 2017 and my work is becoming intolerable to the extent where I want to resign every day.

My partner is Australian and we have been together for 6 years, having moved last year. We chose the 457 option due to costs involved in the partner visa, as well as it taking longer to be granted.

We would like to move to a partner visa now, however my understanding is that if I apply, any bridging visa would get annulled if I resign from my job - is this correct?

What would happen if I resign from my job and THEN apply for a partner visa? Can I do this onshore on say, a tourist visa? How likely would I be granted a bridging visa in this case?

My other option is to transfer to another job which is what I am working on at the moment. However now that we have some savings and we know that we like our life here, the freedom of a partner visa would be preferred if there's a way to do that!

Thanks in advance!

On 19/07/2018 at 11:36, Alan Collett said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-leaving-the-uk-getting-your-tax-right-p85

If you are not lodging Self Assessment tax returns in the UK you should prepare and lodge a form P85.

Australia will only seek to tax you from the time you became a tax resident of Australia, assuming you didn't have any Australian source income such as rental income prior to that time.

Have a look at setting up a myGov account - and as noted above consider appointing a registered tax agent to help in year 1, as there may be tax deductions available which can reduce your taxable income and improve the amount of your tax repayment.

Best regards.

Thanks Alan - looks like I'm owed some tax back!

Very useful info - any recommendation on the best ways to source a reliable tax agent?

Cheers.

Hi.

I moved to Australia half way through a tax year whereby I had a salary in the UK in which I was paying the normal tax rate. I then found a job in Australia and, when I pluck up the courage, will be attempting my tax returns here.

I'm finding it very difficult to understand how personal allowance works in this situation. Since I only worked in the UK for part of a year, I would expect to receive some money back in the UK. But does my earnings in Australia affect this at all? And if I am owed a rebate, how do I claim this? Would it automatically be sent to me, do I need to fill out a self-assessment, should I just ring HMRC?

I am a citizen of both UK and Australia.

Hopefully the above is clear and something many of you have had to deal with.

Thanks,

Frukoz

Hi,

My partner is flying back home for a wedding and needs stitches taken out. She lives, works and has tax residency in Australia on a 457 visa. Can she use the NHS when she's back in the UK without charge. Technically  the 457 is a temporary visa so might allow her to do so?

Thanks!

>Assuming you are a non-resident, you can't open a new ISA or make new contributions to an existing one. 

I've been trying to figure out how this affects a stocks & shares ISA with automatic reinvestment of dividends. Would this be classified as making contributions?

10 hours ago, memcc said:

Hey Frukoz,

If you are from the UK, you are entitled to Medicare cover.

The crux here is that you can only register for Medicare once you are physically in the country. You can take out insurance from any of the private medical insurance companies. Once you arrive, you need to register with Medicare, and then are free to cancel the policy.

If you have worldwide travel insurance, this may also cover you for the initial few weeks until you can register with Medicare.


Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Thanks memcc - a bit clearer. Although is travel insurance valid if you are technically not travelling? Once we enter Australia we are doing so with the intent to live there. Would this not void the travel insurance?

4 hours ago, Quoll said:

You are entitled to Medicare cover for essential medical treatment not everything that might go wrong with you. If the code for whatever ails you is deemed "elective" then you won't be covered and whilst you might think something is essential, the bureaucracy might disagree. 

Thanks for the reply. The issue here is not what insurance I want to go with, but rather what is sufficient/expected for the visa application.

Also, I take it that the Australian top-up insurance that sits hand-in-hand with Medicare is probably cheaper than full health insurance coverage that I would need to purchase prior to having signed up to Medicare, right?

Hello there,

I really can't get to grips with the health insurance requirements for 457 visa...

So, I am told I need insurance coverage when applying.

Well, I live in the UK so I have the NHS. When I land in Australia I can sign up to Medicare which is granted on the spot. So why do I need extra insurance?

Do I need travel insurance for my journey from UK to Australia? Do I need MORE than basic medicare access once in Australia - are they saying I need additional private insurance (I was going to get that anyway)? I just don't understand what is required here. I'm covered in both countries but I'm told I need to register for insurance. Very confusing!

Anyway, can someone just explain this to me because it's quite frustrating! Is there a bog standard solution to sorting this all out that is tried and tested across the forum.

Much obliged!

Frukoz

Thanks guys - glad to hear this is an option!

@BritChickx - that must have been a lot of dollarydoos down the toilet - partner visa is expensive!

Hi there,

I understand that, technically, it is possible to enter Australia as a UK citizen on a tourist visa and then apply for a Partner visa once in Australia. Since it takes a long time time for this type of visa to go through, can anyone confirm that we can be put onto a bridging visa with full working rights until this Partner visa comes through? My understanding is that UK tourist visas don't usually have the "no further stay" clause?

I fully understand that you must not enter Australia under false pretenses or be deceitful to immigration. We're visiting Australia as tourists later this year and I have an Australian passport. Once in Australia, we may decide that we like it and may wish to stay. I'd like to know the options.

Thanks in advance!