Rob-oz

Not sure how to save post.. hopefully I'll find it again like this I'll be in touch Jo. Regards

Up to 90 days from the date of receipt normally.

@The Pom Queen Thanks for sharing the pics, Amazing! I'd love to see a thread dedicated to peoples photos, the real photos, rather than the magazine covers we always see, is there something like this?

your exactly right there! I've read many posts from Aussies who feel so isolated from the world, and being able to travel so easily around Europe is a dream for them, I had never really considered how easy it is for us here until I had read that. We have had the opportunity to travel to various ares of Europe, America, Canada, Mexico and Africa, relatively cheap over the last 20 years or so, so I completely get that now, there are other areas, NZ, fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, China etc that we have never visited, perhaps in another 20 years after exploring Aus we'll get to visit those places too All in all, the whole idea of moving to Aus is super exciting and scary at the same time, I personally try not to worry about others stories, I love reading the posts about happy endings and all, but I stay realistic that our journey will be different, much like the unfortunate stories for those who had come home after not enjoying it, thats their journey, not ours. Positive thinking, lots of hard work, and some luck - fingers crossed it all works out

Why not? Ive lived in the uk for nearly 40 years, I fancy something new. my children having duel nationality would have more options for the rest of their lives. I cannot claim Aus is better than the uk, I’ve never been, but it’s a change of scenery I’ll welcome with open arms and I’ve dreamed for many years of living somewhere other than the uk, and specifically Aus or NZ, just because I was born here, doesn’t mean I have to stay. We love outdoor activities, many of those effected by the weather, of course having better weather (our opinion of it) is also a deciding factor, we live outside all summer. In no particular order, here’s a small list. the challenge, weather, cultural changes, the reefs and beaches, the accent, opportunities for the kids, kangaroos, bbq on Christmas Day, tonnes of exploring, new friends, koala bears. ill still go to work (I’ll have to work harder than I do now) the kids will still go to school, there will be bills to pay, but I will have managed something I set out to do. There are plenty of Australians moving to the uk, I could ask why oh why would you want to come here? I expect they just fancy a change...and why not?

We’re in the same boat. Early in the visa process, never been to Aus. I have a relative there who I’m in regular contact with, but that’s it. As a family we are very self sufficient, rely on nobody but ourselves, we do have family near by, but we certainly don’t live in each other’s pockets, Skype calls will help stay in touch. we have no illusions, moving to Aus won’t change us, we love the outdoors, we work bloody hard. We only have a small circle of friends who we see now and then, drinks with work colleagues etc. we will be selling our home before moving, no intentions of returning. If for whatever reason we decide it isn’t for us, we plan to stick it out to at least get the children citizenship, if nothing it will open doors for them. some of my friends say we’re mad, moving somewhere we’ve never been, but then they realise, this is exactly who we are and it’s not out of the ordinary for us to do something a little crazy / risky. we’re only on this planet once, id hate to be laying on my death bed saying I wish I’d done it, instead I’ll be saying, well that was an adventure!

A post here suggests there is no expiry time for TRA. Have you submitted your files to TRA yet? I booked my PTE exam straight away and passed that whilst I'm waiting for a response from TRA

Yeah its an odd one, nobody has ever questioned my name. I suppose the worst case is that I get asked for something and I have to get something legally done here that would just delay things.. Thanks for your help

Hi, I've never had issues regarding any type of ID, I've only ever been known by my current surname ever at the very start of primary school which I was probably registered with my medical card at the time which was also my current name. Im pretty sure my mum used my known name since I was about 2 years old..

Hi all, I've submitted my documents to TRA via an agent, and I'm expecting (hopefully) a positive outcome within the next few weeks. It dawned on me that although my birth certificate has a different name to everything else, I don't think this was ever done legally. I'm 37 years old now, I have only ever been known by my current name since starting school, I have never had to mention my brith name other than when I joined the army, and I simply then had to fill in a form to state what name I wished to be known by (perhaps this changed it legally?) My medical card, and school documents I may still have, national insurance card, HM Forces papers, driving license, passport etc all use my current name, only my birth certificate is different. Is this likely to cause an issue? Should I be looking to get this registered by DeedPoll now just in case, or would it be acceptable as is considering I've only ever used my current surname (first and middle names remain the same) Thanks

No problem, I feel your pain.. I changed career a little over 3 years ago (not considering a move to OZ), and although my qualification is relevant still, the trade itself is different, so instead of being able to claim for 8+ years, I'm having to claim for 3 , Do consider doing the IELTS or Persons English test for extra points if you haven't already factored it in, I done the Pearsons and passed that for 20 points to get me back to having enough

I don't think you should be submitting your EOI until you have a positive outcome from the skills assessment.

PTE I got results back on a Tuesday, completed the exam the Friday before, i know IELTS is longer. The other speaking is slightly distracting, practice at home without finding a quiet corner, get used to noise, in the exam, hold back until others start to speak first so you can adjust to it.

I Decided to go with PTE for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I cannot write very quickly, at least, not that anyone would be able to read, myself included, I can however type reasonably quickly. Following on from this, I will very often make many spelling and grammar mistakes when typing or writing quickly, being able to correct these on a computer is far better as it isn't known, whereas crossing out etc in writing would look a mess. My second reason is my lack of concentration, or perhaps ability to memorise what I have just read, In IELTS there are very long passages to read, in PTE they are far shorter, this was an advantage for me. Being English, I was never concerned about the speaking or listening parts in either exam, so I concentrated on my reading and writing, rather than wasting time practicing areas I didn't need to. I'm a tradesman with trade qualifications, never been to uni, the PTE is scored out of 90 in each area, I managed 90 in all but writing where I managed 87, I did spend a month prior practicing to learn the format more than anything else, I wouldn't say it is easy, but its certainly achievable to score 79+ if you put a little time in. For me personally, the PTE seemed better, but I never tried IELTS, only a couple of mock tests.

Thanks for the replies! I hadn't even considered that it might be possible before moving.. Having a relative in Australia may be helpful if I were to look into that as an option. We've already discussed the option of buying something that needs a little bit of work too, its something I'm happy doing, or have been, and might consider it if needs must to get the home we want. Thanks again, much appreciated.

Hi all, I couldn't find anywhere to introduce myself, so Hi Im Rob, currently living in the UK, hoping to move to Australia with my family one day.... I'm very early on in the stages having completed the PTE test to give me an extra needed 20 points, and my work stuff has been submitted to TRA. I'm using an agent as my case is not completely straight forward, but appears to be acceptable to achieve our dream. So I've been hovering around the forum for a couple of months now, as well as looking on job sites, (seek) housing sites (realestate) and the Aus gov sites for schools and what not.. I have a cousin living in QLD (citizen) who I will no doubt be badgering lots later on in the process, so I'm trying to spare him the agro right now, and pester you lovely lot Queensland would be my first choice of location, followed by NSW. My first question to you all is regarding housing, and more specifically, mortgages... (its very early on I know, but I'm spending this waiting time researching everything I possibly can) My understanding is that as a PR we would be able to get a mortgage, hopefully that parts correct? How long would I have needed to work before I would be accepted? (we would have a deposit, at a wild guess looking for 50-70% loan to value) I wouldn't not be looking to buy a house straight away even if I could, that seems like a crazy idea before ensuring were happy where we are with work, schools, amenities etc, but not owning our property is one of my biggest "fears" / concerns... I'm not sure if the rental prices are higher than they are mortgage repayments like the UK, but its still money down the pan, and less security in my mind. The other part of my question in is regards to mortgage loan amounts compared to income, is it worked out on a similar basis as I am used to, i.e. X x annual income? Thanks for the great info provided on the site, there really is tonnes of useful reading