Amber Snowball

I sometimes wonder if they think because you are in Australia, you are on holiday so have more time than them or that you are the one with all the “news”? Rather than you are living a life of work, putting the bins out and ferrying children to sport just like them.

I have found the same in both directions. When I moved to Australia people all gave me their email addresses and I duly emailed, not a single one replied. one did when I sent a ranty email asking if they were receiving my emails and they literally sent “yes” back to me. Gave it up then.

Coming in the opposite direction years later pretty much the same thing. So I assume out of sight, out of mind and as others have said, I moved so therefore it’s on me to make the effort. Luckily I don’t get that attached to people, so I move on quite easily.

 I did visit the uk and not tell anyone once, so had a lovely holiday that didn’t revolve around seeing family. But I have an incredibly fractured relationship with my family, so not hard…..

33 minutes ago, bonanza said:

You get issued with an NI number at age of 16. Perhaps you don't get a nice little card in the post like you used to! However you can go and get one by attending the local DWP office. They will expect ID ... a UK passport so that is definitely top priority. Plus a UK address, which is hard to prove until you've been offered a job or obtained a bank account. My step son also found it challenging to come back to the UK from Australia as an adult because of the circuitous nature of not being able to get ID without having ID. but it takes perseverence and it starts with geting a UK passport and NI number.

I might still have my little card somewhere!

8 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

Why not just apply for a UK passport and then many other things will be easier.  You don’t have to apply for citizenship, you already are a citizen.  Why can you not open a bank account? That’s nothing to do with being British, Australian or anything else.  You’ll need identification (you have your Australian passport) and you’ll need evidence of your address.  Ask your grandparent to phone up one of their utility suppliers (BT/Gas/Electric etc) and add you to their bill.  Then they need to ask for a bill to be sent out to them and it will include your name.  There you have it, your proof of address.  Just google how to find my NHS number or even ask a local doctors surgery if they know how. Not sure what you mean regarding your driving license.  A birth certificate is not evidence of identity.  It states that on it.  Good to have though and hopefully your mum still has yours.  If not, easy to get a replacement.  Local registers will help although probably all done online now so that’s another easy google search.  Add how to get a NI number to your google list.  I don’t think you have trouble, you just need to work through a simple tick list to get all what you need. Write a list and tick it off as you get it sorted.  Good luck. 

1 hour ago, Blue Manna said:

Being a UK citizen doesn't count for much. You have to be resident and prove you are resident. Do that and most things will be easy. Agree it would have been easier if you obtained your UK passport in Australia and entered on it. You are effectively a tourist.

Agree, most of the issues listed could be resolved by proving residency (not citizenship) so get added to the utility bills and the electoral roll.

1 minute ago, paulhand said:

You apply for it when you’re 16 (or thereabouts).  It certainly isn’t from birth … an NHS number, maybe. 

That’s what I thought. Yes NHS number from birth and it stays with you. Thank you kindly! 

17 minutes ago, Quoll said:

You would have been given a NI number at birth - you don't need to apply for a new one, just ask them for the old one. You were born in Britain so you just apply for your passport and use your birth certificate for that. If you are in UK on a foreign passport that might well be your problem, hindsight is perfect vision but if you had entered as a citizen you wouldn't be having some of these issues. Passport applications are straightforward and done largely on line these days.

Remember that Australia is a foreign country, you haven't paid a single UK tax for the NHS!!!!

I didn’t think you got a NI number until you are 16 or thereabouts. My son wasn’t issued one that I am aware of. Is this a new thing or do they only tell you about it later on even though it’s created earlier? I’m just curious!

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

 

I don't believe there are any rules stating that you can't take a TTR pension overseas. You wouldn't get the tax benefits from the Australian system, but that's by the by.

As you said, the simplest solution is to retire, claim your super, and then re-join the workforce afterwards, but that doesn't accurately reflect you intentions does it?

Still a long way off for me, so it might have all changed by then. 
Taking an income stream via TTR without paying back in via salary sacrifice would just be the same as retiring wouldn’t it? 
Although the way the money is invested by the fund is different isn’t it, as super if TTR, but it moves to something different as a pension income I think…..??

If I think I mean it when I say it, it makes it true doesn’t it……..

5 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

That's an interesting question and I believe the answer is 'no', assuming that 60 is your preservation age (the age at which you can normally access your super). I'm with QSuper and they have something called a Transition to Retirement (TTR) Income account where you can receive payments from your super while you're still working, so I'd assume that other super funds have similar.

I'm sure you're aware that if you keep working you're going to get taxed on the lot by the HMRC, which is a bit of a blow considering you've already paid tax on your contributions while you lived in Australia. I appreciate the following suggestion might be impractical, but if we're talking about a considerable sum then it might be worth considering moving back to Australia for a year and cashing in your super once you reach preservation age. That's assuming you were a citizen when you left, so you can return without any issues.

I thought the TTR was only if you were in Australia, as you would take your income stream from your super, salary sacrifice your maximum back into your super, thus paying little/no tax. Had a colleague who did it!

 What I have read is that outside of Australia you have to meet the age/retirement requirements, but you can return to work after “retiring “ as long as you were “not planning to work “ when you took your super. And how would the Australian super fund know anyway? It seems to be a statement of intent at best.

I was interested in this question as well, thanks @Martinbjulieb!
I was going to see how the landscape looked in 8 years for me.

On 05/01/2024 at 23:39, Cheery Thistle said:

We will. After all, I don’t want to end up an old lady not able to do it and wish that I had when I could. 

Exactly! You might not even be old! I woke up one morning aged 47 and my life completely changed, never be the same again as far as I can tell and very unlikely to be able to climb the stairs of the Eiffel Tower or do the bridge climb. So putting things off blithely assuming you won’t be hit by a health issue and have all the time in the world to do all this stuff is ambitious at best. Take life by the scruff of the neck and give it a shake at every opportunity I say.

 I haven’t ever really travelled in my life mainly due to finances but thought I’d do stuff once I had retired. Now that might not happen because I am having to reduce my work hours so again won’t have the money I thought I would, mobility is slightly compromised as well, so hey ho, rethinking it all again. And it could all be very different again by that time. Rolling eyes emoji.

This might be a dramatic response to talk of climbing a bridge but I felt the subject symbolic of life experiences generally!

2 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Also, regarding tornadoes, apparently there was one in Manchester a couple of days ago!!

There was! 

36 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

That should say 3 weeks of sun, not months lol. 
There’s bad weather damage here too, fortunately not our house though. 
The winter has always got to me but I find as I have got older it’s worse, could be the Covid lockdown effect, not sure. We booked and paid for a Christmas light attraction a few weeks ago with some pals and the kids. It was a total washout! Was so bad parts of it were impassable and the kids couldn’t really get on any of the rides. Had to be paid for in advance. We all agreed we would have been better off just staying at home! I get cabin fever from being confined to the house! .As you say not long to go, If Aus doesn’t work out we’ve decided we are not coming back to Scotland. I speak 3 other languages reasonably well and a further one at a basic level which gives us a head start elsewhere. Mopped the floor again last night, poor dogs aren’t getting over the threshold without a towelling down!! 
 

You clearly need to do something as what you are saying isn’t a great way to live/feel. Australia was good to me, but I just got “done” with it in a way I still struggle to verbalise. But that was my experience moving in 2005, in a very different time/place and personal position to you. Your experience will be different purely because you are you, not me! 
Brilliant you can speak different languages, I am so English, I just shout slowly! 

22 minutes ago, Skani said:

My commiserations.  Queensland has really been through the wringer in the last few weeks.  Not "a storm" but violent storms over  days.  And the temp. passed 38 C in Brisbane today, with humidity.  (Yuk!).  Not to mention the effects of the cyclone further north.  One place near Cairns had over 2 metres of rain in 5 days - more than the annual rainfall for Cairns.

Apparently it’s been classed as a tornado. Which makes sense given what they were describing. Yes, they have had a rough run for sure. They got power back on the following day, so that was at least something.

9 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

I just really really struggle with it this time of year and it’s been particularly wet this year. The lack of sunlight and lack of blue sky thoroughly gets to me. I actually hate it! It’s miserable walking the dogs, it’s miserable going out and about. 
Come now, we’re not really comparing the GC to the Lothians now? Yes, GC had a storm, but it’s now 30 degrees and blue sky! It’s been raining more or less incessantly here for 3 months. Not to mention the wet, grey ‘summer’ we suffered. 3 months of sun in June before the school summer holiday. Then rain every day of the school holiday. No word of a lie!! 

Sorry, wasn’t making a direct comparison in that way. Just saying there’s weather everywhere. Just as well it’s blue sky now, they have no roof. 

I understand your desperation to move, I really do, I have been there in both countries. I hope the move is everything you want and a positive change for you, you definitely sound like you need it. I don’t find the winter gets me down in the way you do, but constantly drying dogs does get boring!

Hang in there, you’ll be on the move before you know it. 

The weather is all over the place everywhere really. My son’s inlaws are on the Gold Coast and have extensive damage from the storm on Christmas night.

It’s been wet and windy in Cheshire here, but not all the time. Comes and goes.

Climate change, innit.

Sorry, bit fuzzy, but a real tree. ‍

49 minutes ago, CurrawongSong said:

Hi all

I've moved back and forth between Sydney and the UK a bit and am about to return to the UK in February. I will only have been here for 9 months this time and so have had my ToR application rejected for the first time. I've tried to have it reconsidered but it's not happening. I was wondering if anyone knows how much tax would be paid on a usual personal effects move, or how it's calculated?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, I have to say moving back and forth like that sounds exhausting!!

I don’t think there is a flat rate, it depends on the goods I think.

HMRC have a helpline for TOR and I think an online chat assistant, which might be worth a shot. Wonder why they refused your TOR, maybe they think you are running an illegal import/export in single items of homeware!

Once you get through to HMRC I always find them really helpful.

Good luck!

2 hours ago, Sea breeze said:

Not actually sure 

we have been over before looked at housing etc 

narre warren surrounding or Mornington ( I know it’s expensive) we lived at morrabin before for about 6 months 

maybe look at geelong I’m horsey so semi rural ideally 

I haven’t lived in geelong for years now, but I have a bit of a soft spot for the place. I would live there ahead of narre warren that’s for sure.

Both places have probably become more built up since I was there, but you should find something on the fringe I would think. 

1 hour ago, Simontucks said:

Thank you so much.i do think we are heading down the TAFE route with her as she really is adamant she just wants to do her hair and beauty .I've been pulling my hair out for the last few months regarding it believe me

I can imagine! You worry so much about the right/wrong decision with them, thinking that their entire future rests on what you decide now, but things usually work out one way or another. Can be expensive mistakes sometimes but rarely much worse and usually fixable, just a more meandering route. 
Pick your battles, she sounds like she knows her own mind! Obviously that mind might change later, but that will be another discussion! 
Try to not pull all of your hair out, she’ll need someone to practice on!

8 hours ago, Simontucks said:

Thank you so much for the reply.As much as I disagree with her she really doesn't want to stay in school so we will have to look at the TAFE ,although with her wanting to go down the hair and beauty route I really don't know where to start.lots more investigating to be done I think

Speaking as someone who loathed school, barely attended and left with a couple of grade c’s, one was English literature o level, I liked reading and did it a year early. The other was a commerce gcse. Failed the rest, really, all D’s which no one counts.

I would look at the tafe course and be done with it. I am generally unclear what being forced to do my gcse’s actually achieved.

I left school at 16 and have worked one way or another, every day since. She isn’t saying she wants to sit in her room, smoking a bong all day, she is motivated to learn a skill/trade. If she can tack on some maths or English or something that might be useful.

When I decided to do my nursing, I did a 1 academic year access to higher education course due to the lack of GCSE’s, there’s probably something similar in Australia for adults if she had a change of heart later, I would imagine but don’t know.

 I actively encouraged my son into TAFE but he followed a hard science route and now has a master’s degree and a shed load of debt, that due to inflation is now higher than when he qualified 3 years ago. Apart from entering university, no one has ever asked for my school exam results.

Good luck to her, whatever she chooses to do!
 

11 hours ago, Blue Manna said:

We are often driven by things we can't control and what we perceive to be the ideal may not turn out to be that great in the reality. But you don't know that until you suck it and see. Don't beat yourself up. You're certainly not the first to make this decision, regret it, and then have to decide on a course of action. 

You've hurt your kids. Ok. But we do that all the time. We have to make judgement calls everyday, and hindsight is 20/20. What we think will happen ain't always so. We're not fortune tellers. Make it the best you can for them.

What you actually do will come down to money. If you can no longer afford to recreate your previous lifestyle, if the kids can't get back in the same school, you can't get the same jobs, you could make things worse. So plan. Don't react.

You've had some good advice, and some not so good advice above. I'll let you sort which is which. But don't panic and make things worse than they already are. Plan and work towards making things better. Regrets are only of value if we learn from them.

“Plan, don’t react “. Best advice of the day.

1 hour ago, Leechy said:

I'll be on a permanent resident visa and there will be opportunities to move later but my first couple of years will be wherever they decide.

I know it will be a shock of they post is remote but I was just wondering if will break us and the Australian dream. 

 

My opinion is that yes, it could break the dream and maybe you going remote. It would me, but you are not me. Rural less so, especially for only 2 years and regional areas are often just not the centre of a main city.

You have come this far you don’t want to be worrying about a maybe. If you have a permanent visa, I assume it is an employer that is saying rural/remote for 2 years? 
As Quoll says, there is nothing in the UK to prepare you for truly remote Australia.
It’s got to be worth the risk hasn’t it? How old are your children? That is going to decide whether it is a long or short 2 years I would think! 
I understand your concerns and it is a hard one. I wish you luck. Fingers crossed for the Sunshine Coast or similar!

Will you know where they are posting you before you leave the UK?

 I am reading my reply and I don’t think I have helped!

3 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

 

We will have to agree to disagree on this one because I've seen many listings here in Queensland that explicitly state 'no entry or exit fees'. I am happy to PM you links to listings I have seen, or you can search for yourself on Domain or Realestate. You and Parley are in Victoria, and as we all know each state has its own rules and regulations on these matters, not to mention that Queensland is more developed as a retirement destination than other states.

I appreciate I'm the one who took the thread off on a tangent but I can't imagine this conversation is of any benefit to the OP, so we should probably wind this one up.

It could be useful, I think stratas have lots of rules as well. Don’t think I’d buy one out of choice. That said, a new estate in Pakenham Vic (years ago now) had rules about what sort of post box you could have and no caravans on driveways, and that was freehold, detached houses. 

6 hours ago, Parley said:

What do you mean they discovered?

Didn't they read the contract when they bought the place.

All the fees are in the contract so if you don't read it you can only blame yourself.

Quite agree. My thoughts when they told me was, “oh dear, didn’t you read the paper you signed”. 
Read everything before signing was the lesson there I suppose. 
I don’t doubt @InnerVoice ‘s ability to read, was just saying these places can have dodgy clauses.

Information sharing for the greater good. It’s what the forum is for.

8 hours ago, Rawkus said:

Thanks. Did you use a movecube?

I did! Very happy with it. Didn’t move much furniture so it was fine.

36 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Not necessarily. What if one of you needs to go into a nursing home or dementia care? You'll need to sell up then, and there is often an exit fee to pay, as well as the difficulty of selling. 

The other issue is that unlike a strata apartment, you get no say in what the annual fee is. The company running the complex can charge what they please. In Melbourne, there are some complexes where the annual "service fee" for a 2-bedder is more than we pay in annual rent for our strata unit.  There have been news stories about residents struggling to afford the fees, but reluctant to sell because they'd be left with so little capital after paying the exit fee.

 

It’s obviously a while ago now, but one lady I dealt with in Victoria had moved into a nursing home, but found she couldn’t afford it because when they sold her retirement unit, they discovered the exit fee was about 25% of the sale price. I couldn’t believe it, that was just obscene. It was a real issue for her and the family, with the care home clamoring to get paid.

I hope it is better regulated now, but beware that the big print giveth and the small print taketh away.

Hi, I did one back in 2018 and listed everything I thought I might take, it ended up being much less and no one cared.  I didn’t list everything separately, but just said “kitchen utensils “, “clothes”, “towels” etc.

If you have a pet, you need to list that as well.

 hope the system is better than when I did it, it was still quite new then. It didn’t allow a very big upload but didn’t warn you it hadn’t been accepted! It was awful, I ended up ringing and getting it done.

More recent movers seem to have had a more streamlined experience.

Good luck with your move. It’s currently raining!