laf

On 04/03/2023 at 12:13, rtritudr said:

Assuming the OP has entered Australia at least once since the 100 visa was issued, any time spent living overseas since that entry may still count towards citizenship due to the fact that their spouse is an Australian citizen.

That's great news, thank you. I guess I will need to phone.

I am over 60 so is the Over 60 Citizenship Visa of any advantage to me over the standard citizenship visa (other than not having to take the test)?  I will still need to apply for RRVs until then.

Thank you Paul and Marisa. Does this mean that unless I stay put in Australia for five years I'll have to apply for RRVs annually for five years until I can apply to become a citizen? I didn't realise an annual holiday was going to involve so much hassle and expense.

Thank you but what about the "help" stating "you have indicated that you do not meet the residence requirement for this visa".  Is this only because I haven't yet attached the documents?

Hi. I've recently moved permanently to Australia under my Permanent Resident 100 visa.  It was issued in November 2018 meaning if I want to leave the country (for holidays) after this time I will need to apply for a Resident Return Visa 155.  Could anyone let me know what wording and documents to provide for "evidence of substantial ties to Australia".  My husband and two adult children are citizens so I presume mention them and attach their birth certificates and citizen by descent certificates. Is there anything else they're looking for other than saying they are the reason I want to live here.  I presume property purchase and employment is relevant? 

The "help" states "you have indicated that you do not meet the residence requirement for this visa".  Help - I do not know why! 

Hi

We've started the move with PSS. We've declined the wooden boxes for our TVs. The inventory states "antique wrap" next to them. Does anyone know what this is. I'm planning on purchasing TV removal boxes from eBay but do you think they're providing some kind of protection?  They're closed till Tuesday otherwise I'd have phoned them.

Thanks so much for the tips. Rate moved from the low of 1.70 last week to 1.74 today. 

At least the stock market is improving and our investments are now out of the red. 

Australia's problems seem to be mirroring ours albeit maybe not as serious. 

As you say hurry up new PM whoever it is as Ukraine doesn't look like it'll be ending any time soon.

22 hours ago, Iron Chef said:

VW does sell the T-Roc here in Australia too  

Yes who knows we might buy the almost identical vehicle.

22 hours ago, can1983 said:

Interest rates are not directly in your control of course but they do go up and down so unless you have to move it i wouldn't

We got 1.70 in November 2018 because we had to move it to buy. Ours was in the order of GBP250k

People could say that rate was rubbish but we brought a house with it that's gone up 30% since which more than compensates for the exchange rate on the deposit  being less than ideal. And we have had a home for our family in the meantime

It gave me sleepless nights for 6 months at the time so I do sympathize

I think my sleepless nights have already begun before we even have to make these decisions, apart from the stress of the physical move. 

We definitely have the option to wait and rent while house prices aren't increasing.  If they take off again in the spring we'll have to weigh up the exchange rate compared to the price rises.

15 minutes ago, Parley said:

2.85% at Ubank if you make a $200 per month deposit. https://www.ubank.com.au/

Rates are going up so will probably be over 3% within the next 1 to 2 months.

This appears to be only for balances up to $250k.
At least rates are moving upwards. Not good for mortgage holders of course.

Thanks for your reply.  Yes I am in the UK, moving from the London area. 

Thanks for confirming the interest rates are similar to the UK and it looks like many institutions only pay the advertised rates up to a certain balance, lower than the amount we will be depositing.

Unfortunately the exchange rate is out of our control.  I'm constantly monitoring it and the outlook looks bleak.  It will be the biggest gamble ever deciding whether to move it straight away.  We can only hope for a further downturn in property prices to offset our exchange rate loss.  

We are in the process of selling our house ready to move to Sydney.  Can anyone advise where we can deposit a one-off lump sum for the best interest rate.  I'm not finding it very easy to compare savings rates.  We'll need to rent for as long as it takes to buy a property.

On 04/07/2022 at 02:07, Iron Chef said:

Hi laf, just spotted your email too. I'll get Cory to send you through a quote, but if you can get GBP26,000 for it, you might be better off selling it before you leave.

Thanks Iron Chef, I only just spotted your reply too.  I did receive the quote.  As you suggest I think we will sell it.  Unless we can be sure it will definitely be beneficial it's one less hassle.  Our exact "special" model isn't available in Aus to get an exact match.  We'll really miss it as we're German brand fans and not so keen on the Nissans, Mazdas, Toyotas, Kias and it's only 18 months old.  Still another thing we'll have to be flexible with.

I have always used Wise to transfer between UK and Aus. and found their rate to be the best. I always compare beforehand. However I read (somewhere) that Wise are less advantageous when transferring large amounts such as the proceeds from our forthcoming property sale. A comparison shows TorFx are better. 

I agree it's a pain having to request a quote from Global Reach as when I did this (and from various other companies) in the past I was bombarded by salesmen but will need to compare as they're not included in comparison websites and the difference in receipt amounts is enormous on large sums.

I've just started researching what looks to be a nightmare on how and what to take. One company said our TVs need to have wooden boxes to transport them at a cost of £250 each! Is this the same with all companies?

Hi Iron Chef

Please advise:

- year of manufacture

2021

- make, model & variant

Volkswagen T-Roc Black Edition Tsi Evo Sa, Grey metallic

body type (coupe, convertible, etc)

SUV

- engine size & fuel type

1498cc petrol

- transmission

Auto dual clutch

- drive type (4WD, front wheel drive, etc)

Front wheel drive

- mileage

12,000

- any special features, options or modification

Black edition, wheels, trim, logos

- does it have aircon

Yes

- realistic current UK market value

£26,000

- Australian RedBook value (www.redbook.com.au - click through to the page with 'Private Price Guide', 'Trade In Price Guide' and 'Price When New' listed, then tell us the 'Private Price Guide' range)

$34,000? Couldn’t find a match

- Australian market value (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/search.aspx - search for the closest matching vehicle)

$41,000

- which Australian state/city

Sydney, NSW

Thanks Marisa. I'm now in contact with Petair. 

What I need from you:

- year of manufacture

2021

- make, model & variant

Volkswagen T-Roc 

What I need from you:

- year of manufacture

2021

- make, model & variant

- body type (coupe, convertible, etc)

hatchback/saloon?

- engine size & fuel type

1.5 petrol

- transmission

dual auto

- drive type (4WD, front wheel drive, etc)

front wheel drive

- mileage

9000

- any special features, options or modification

black special edition

- does it have aircon

yes

- realistic current UK market value

£25K

- which Australian state/city

Sydney, NSW

I've requested a quote from Iron Lady. Their website estimates seem very reasonable compared with the cost of pets and containers!

I presume people think it's worth it to ship their vehicles.  Ours is fairly new and would be nice not to have the hassle alone of shopping for a replacement. 

Our cats had their rabies vaccinations yesterday 5 April.  Petair state the Titer test needs to be done 3-4 weeks later.  Is it OK to go for the earliest date i.e. 26 April?

Has anyone had experience of using BDH Sterling to transfer a UK pension.  Are they a good choice?

Could someone please clarify if a 309 visa holder (fully vaccinated) can currently travel to Australia to activate the visa?  Only the 300 visa is on the Government website list of eligible visa holders.

OK, I'll have to sort out a cheap calling method.

6 hours ago, paulhand said:

You can definitely try

All phone enquiries are now handled in Sydney

Thanks, is this permanent or just since Covid?

My daughter is awaiting Citizenship by Descent, applied for in the UK.  The 90% processing time, currently 8 months, is up in a few days.  She hasn't had any communication.  Is she now entitled to phone the contact centre?  The Global centre is now an Australian number.  Is it no longer possible to speak to someone at Australian House.  Their previous number no longer works.

Is anyone else still waiting and in a similar position?  It's concerning not receiving any updates.

52 minutes ago, ali said:

Isn't there a question specific to having visited Australia and to add the visa number?

I haven't seen this but maybe it's further on in the form.  She can't progress to check until she's completed each page.  If so it would only show the most recent tourist visa.