Apollo

Of course you have taken what Quoll meant the wrong way.  My son's partner is a lovely first generation Chinese girl.  She is a dinky di Aussie but respects her Chinese heritage.  Her family have always lived where other Aussies live and not where lots of Chinese families have chosen to live close to each other.  They have never had any problems whatsoever.
There are whole swathes of Sydney where groups of people from the Middle East and a few other places don't mix with other ethnic groups.  It's an unfortunate but harsh reality that some ethnic groups feel compelled to live in their own ethnic enclaves in order to feel at home.  Makes you wonder why they came here.   

It's human nature to want to be around people who are as close culturally to you. Just like this site is for poms and not Bulgarians. Doesn't mean you don't like other groups of people.

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Yup, I seriously did type that. If she wants to be Chinese then stay in China. If she wants to be Aussie then come and be Aussie, embrace it! If her Chineseness interferes with her capacity to be an Aussie - like not learning the language, telling us how much better things are back in China, not mixing with other Aussies, only eating Chinese food etc then she’s not going to have a good Aussie time. I used to work with a bloke called Wong, he was as ocker as they came - no one even noticed that he was Chinese, surely that’s the aim in a big melting pot? Similarly, my Indian daughter in law doesn’t go on about her Indian heritage all the time, she’s a Londoner. My Anglo-Australian-Indian grandson celebrates Australia Day, Diwali, St George’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, St David’s day, Chinese New Year, Easter and April Fools Day and whatever other notable days crop up on the nursery calendar - join with the community you live in, doesn’t stop you being proud of who you are and your heritage (I’m proudly English, but in Australia I don’t bang on about it)

One can still be Chinese, eat only Chinese food, not celebrate Australia day, not say 'good day mate' etc and still be happy to be in Oz.

This whole idea of assimilation is rather dictatorial. You can be English born and not celebrate St George's day (not many do anyway) and other made up holidays like Christmas, Halloween and others. There is a difference between integration and assimilation, and I believe in the former. You can't force a culture on a person that becomes meaningless. As long as the way you live doesn't interfere negatively on the society you live in then there is nothing wrong with it. This is different from someone who keeps banging on about how great their original home is. You don't have to agree with everything about a country to enjoy living there, people aren't a monolithic group by nature.

If I lived in the US I'd still hate guns, in Oz I'd still not celebrate so called Australia day, or here in England I don't really care for Christmas. Doesn't mean I hate the said countries but I just don't buy into the particular political stances I mentioned. It's about respecting differences something many people on this forum don't do. Someone mentioned above about 'wearing strange headscarves' what does that got to do with integrating with others? No one is forcing you to wear one!

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It's the same for all immigrants - come, fit in, don't tell us how much better life is back where you came from, speak English and don't hang around with those of your own cultural group and all will be well. If you want to be Aussie, be Aussie, don't be Chinese first. Most Aussies couldn't give a toss about what colour you are, they're more concerned about what you do but they have a sense of humour which may well not be your sense of humour and you might take offence at something which is actually designed to be matey. If you don't feel comfortable then, of course, nobody is forcing you to stay.

'Don't be Chinese first' Did you seriously type this? Why shouldn't be her ethnicity first , Oz after? This is pathetic.

While I agree the OP should only study if it is regardless of visa and is something she enjoys, I do disagree with some of your other post.
No one can say what the chances are of any occupation. For example, I would have bet big money that nurses and doctors would always be on it. But last year the government announced it wants to see doctors removed and given nurses have been made redundant in a number of states and that they can now find it hard to find permanent work, I wouldn't be surprised. In a number of states social workers are over subscribed other than in some very specialist areas such as CP.
There are also likely to be some massive changes in the system as a large scale examination of it is now underway - the government have said they want to trim the number of visas available from the hundreds of different classes to a handful. We have already seen in the last 12 months a huge change

Yeah but that is what I said though. I am comparing the chance of SW being taken off in comparison to other professionals. For example IT is always at risk because of the number of people that apply for it every year. Your argument about trimming of visas is neither here nor there because it affects every single profession. From my own experience SW is as safe as safe can be but not a guarantee and I never said it was. By the way not all doctors are GPs.

Hi folks. Thanks for the replies. Really appreciate it.
Social workers always seem to be in demand so hopefully by the time I apply they will still be on the skilled occupation shortage list.
Hopefully the overhaul you mention Raul won't be too drastic in the future as I can't see them relaxing the regulations but making them more stringent, thanks for the reply. Nice to get comment from a registered agent and really appreciate the input.
Verystormy, do you mean I should stultifying to add to my current degree or study in Oz? I'm thinking of either Msc in finance or social work but don't think the finance degree would get me in? 
Time to have a wee gleak at ABG's blog now to see how his journey to get to Oz fared out. Cheers
 
 

Hi BottleandaHalf, welcome. I will offer some positive light on it in case everyone disheartens you here. While it is inadvisable to plan on doing a course with hope of getting sponsorship in subsequent years, I feel if you're going to have a chance then social work is one such occupation.

I'd say do the course ONLY IF you enjoy it and if you were willing to do it irregardless of the move. It's highly likely the profession will stay on the shortage list in two years. Also if you were looking to get state sponsorship on a 489 (regional or family) you will get 10 points which could bump up your points total. Keep an eye on the immigration changes as it seems like they will probably tweak visa types by the time you apply. Oh and, like someone above mentioned your achilles heel could be lack of experience which is normally a prerequisite for sponsorship. Good luck and happy studying.
Apollo

Unless your car is a collectors item and toy for use on Sundays it may not be worth doing. Personally imported cars could be harder to sell because of identification plate issues and the big issue is that, although the same model car may be on sale here, there can be differences that makes picking up spares not so easy and may require an overseas order. For example we recently hired a brilliant Hyundai i30 in the UK which was super economical, performed very well. Checking back here it is not available with the same engine.  You only need a slightly different part number from the same manufacturer for it all to fall apart. You may find some popular European cars are relatively cheap here because if you think you are going to pull into a Peugeot dealer in Mount Isa to get a headlight replaced or worse still a water pump, you may be disappointed. Check out John Cadogan on YouTube for some insights or at least for a laugh.

I completely get what you are saying. I have decided to just sell my present car here with a bit of a heavy heart. It performs like new with only 46k miles on the clock and full dealership history. The worry is always that I'd part with this and end up with some lemon over in Oz and will start comparing. I understand about parts my uncle in Perth had to park his car for 6 weeks when his tyres wore off to illegal levels as they were being shipped from Korea. What I will probably do is buy a run around and use it while I sus out what the cars over there are about. Can $5k get me a decent motor to use for about 6 to 12 months?

They should go out and fill them then!

The

Defo. Once you're earning Aussie $$$ it's makes expenses like these more bearable. You might still want to consider a new small car though, as the savings to be had are significant, whereas used cars do not often represent good value for money.
 
Also, you need to start thinking about how to get an active credit rating, IE some sort of finance etc...

True. Especially in light of applying for a mortgage in future. Thanks

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I echo the comment that new cars can be cheaper. At the moment I think VW have got a sale, and you can probably get a new Polo for $15k.
Or a Hyundai i30 for $20k.
Also remember that your salary is likely going to be higher, making the above prices technically cheaper than the UK.
I've just bought a new Yamaha for $12.6k, which is the same as the UK market, however, my salary is 1.7 times that is the UK, making the real cost of the bike about $7.5k
That's my justification for my new toy anyway!

I hadn't thought about it that way. It seems if you are working there and buying there you are okay. The worst thing is bringing UK money over to spend on a car there. I guess I may just have to by a banger for a bit when I get in until I start earning Oz $. Sounds about right?

Hi Lothar, Im not entirely sure if it is a pro rata application, I will have to look into this. I got a 7 average on my Ielts after my 2nd attempt so that might not be a route I can go down. Hopefully my partners 5 points will help, she is also a nurse which may make a difference.  We would like to move to Queensland and my trade is on the QSOL. Perhaps a 190 visa might be better then, could we apply for a 190 along with the 189? As this including the spouse 5 points would take us to 70 which might make us more desirable. I'm 33 now and have 17 years experience so waiting would not change my status if I'm correct. Thanks for your help. Kriss. 

Hi there, Just wanted to say whatever you do make sure you try to be as accurate as possible because if you can't evidence what you've put on a EOI you automatically get rejected and application fee isn't returned to you. You mention you are 33 with 17 years experience, that means you have been working as a nurse since you were 16! Is this correct?

I am looking into a Asian luxury car like the Lexus I have back here and nothing for $15k. I however am leaning to jut sell it here and see what I can get over there.

New cars, especially Japanese cars are often cheaper in Australia. It is true that second hand cars often hold their value for longer, and are often more expensive, but new can be cheaper. Have a look at a few online dealerships and see what an equivalent spec would be. It may be easier in the long run, as getting parts should be easier on an Australian bought car. Plus factor in the import costs.

Thanks. Will browse through and see. Thing is if I sell my car here I won't get very much for it probably GBP6k but can get similar car over in Oz for AUS20k. That's a whopping GBP5.5k difference. I am sure shipping will be cheaper no? Also, I read an article saying imported cars are hard and often expensive to insure so this must mean they are also hard to sell right? In your opinion, is it even worth it bringing it over?

Google maps on your phone mate. Download the maps at home on WiFi, thus no data to use whilst navigating.

Well that's an idea but struggling to see if there's even a point bringing a car that has a sat nav that won't work if I can buy one that has and works there for similar price when I include shipping.

I don't mean to be up myself or anything but why would you just sit back and watch Xmas ads? Is this supposed to be an enjoyable pass time? Maybe I am too old (early 30s) to get it. I mean I don't particularly like any form of ads but why the big deal of Xmas ones. I was laughing when I read 'UK Xmas ads are the dogs bollocks...' Am I missing something?

Hi there. I've recently been offered a social worker role within Victoria, working in Southern Melbourne. I wondered if anyone else had recently taken up one of these sponsored Visa roles and could offer any feedback, tips etc good and bad. Many thanks and look forward to hearing from you [emoji4]

Hi R&N. Just thought to give you a helpful pointer. If you are on Facebook there is a group on there called 'UK Social Workers Wanting Oz' that you will get pretty much every single one of your questions asked. A really good bunch of people there who are super helpful and quite a lot of them were offered Victoria sponsorship (457) so they will be in a good position to assist. Make sure you state that you are from the UK (assuming that you are) as the group is only open to UK social workers. All the best with everything.

Just out of interest, do your maps already include Europe? At the very least I would have thought they would include these, or be easily upgradable for Europe. Are you sure they don't already include Australia? Have you tried to plot a journey there?

Checked the car. It does have all European countries there and nowt else[emoji26]

It all depends on your sat nav model, but it will probably involve purchasing a map and may be a little pricy. https://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/Shop/Index
http://www.navigationau.com/toyota-lexus-navigation-disks.html

Ouch. That's quite steep! It's almost like buying another sat nav.

Just out of interest, do your maps already include Europe? At the very least I would have thought they would include these, or be easily upgradable for Europe. Are you sure they don't already include Australia? Have you tried to plot a journey there?

I have just bought this car and haven't collected it yet. Will have a thorough look at it at the weekend. I am under the impression that European models would not include Australia maps on them.

If it has a built in memory, you may need to talk to your manufacturers. 

Sounds like a fuff. Thanks though. Will see if someone has been in the situation.

Does it take an SD memory card?
My Renault you just change the card.

Not sure. I will check ta. I think it does not have it though.

Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing well. Quick question, does anyone know (preferably first hand) whether a UK sat nav can be converted to work in Oz? This is an inbuilt one in a Lexus IS model UK. Thanks heaps.

State nomination invitation in exactly 14 days/social work.

I'd probably say NSW myself if you are wanting to get the 190 visa. I have heard from members here that NT doesn't offer 190 when you apply and offer you a 489 instead. Plus the other requirements for nomination for NT was proof that you can get a job which is hella difficult to do as MT jobs are non-existent. They will almost certainly offer you the 489 which is not too bad. I am also a MLS but couldn't be bothered to sit the AIMS exam. Just applied for a 190 SA visa through my wife. 

Thanks IC for the informative advice.

19 hours ago, ArrowsEng said:

Hi Apollo,

headrests and lights are the same between UK and Australia so the only things that sometimes have to be done are the Child Restraint upper anchorages as not all UK cars have these and sometimes seatbelts as some of them don't have the right markings or no markings at all.

Regards

Thanks ArrowsEng. Looking like I will be taking the old lady. It's scary to just come over and buy a local motor without any verifiable history whilst leaving one here with full dealership one.