Loxxy

If only I could get through to their useless call centre then I would....

Hi all, I see that Qantas has released some more repatriation flights from LHR to MEL, but does anyone know if you're allowed to get off when they land in PER, since the flight goes direct from LHR-PER-MEL? THANKS SO MUCH ANYONE THAT CAN HELP!!

@Expatriate123 @cuberoot If you need advice on these issues, I can't recommend @paulhand highly enough - he sorted my recent RRV application.

@Lavers May I ask how you know that the quarantine stay is still being paid for by the Au gov? There has to be a cut off to this coming soon?

Thanks heaps for your reply @Lavers. The thing i don't understand is, when we arrive at the airport in Au, will someone direct us to a predetermined hotel or do we just self quarantine in our own arranged accommodation (if we're paying we want to be able to choose where we stay!)? Also, when you say you spoke with home affairs, is that in the UK (like the Australian Commission in London) or a number in Australia please? I didn't even know where to call to ask all these questions! Everything is just so vague, so i don't know if i should be booking accommodation for our arrival or not. Any further clarification would be much appreciated!!

Hi there, We are looking to return to Oz ASAP and understand that we have to complete a mandatory 14 days in quarantine. We will be arriving in Perth. Does anyone know please how you go about booking into the quarantine centre on arrival? Do you notify someone in advance? I can't find any information online on the actual process once your flight is booked! Many thanks in advance to anyone with any info on this!! Quote Edit

Hi there, We are looking to return to Oz ASAP and understand that we have to complete a mandatory 14 days in quarantine. Does anyone know please how you go about booking into the quarantine centre on arrival? Do you notify someone in advance? I can't find any information online on the actual process once your flight is booked! Many thanks in advance to anyone with any info on this!!

Just interested to see if you secured your RRV afterall?

Thank you again Paul. How much do you charge for advice please? I'd be happy to pay for guidance on any additional steps that I can take to increase my likelihood of securing a second RRV.

Thank you, Raul. In your experience, are Immigration less likely to grant a second RRV if the holder hasn't been able to permanently return to Oz during the first RRV? It is simply a case of our house sale that is holding us up (my partner is Oz citizen), but with all our money being tied up in it, there's no realistic prospect of us relocating without selling first. ?

Thank you, Paul. Will a duplication of the same evidence of substantial ties be acceptable/ necessary, e.g. certified copy of Australian citizen partner's passport again etc. or will additional evidence be expected for a second RRV? For example, I am now enrolling on a UTS course to requalify in my profession in Australia ready to find work there when we move - will that help my application? Is there a limit to how many RRVs you can get?

Hi there - many thanks in advance to anyone with experience and advice on the renewal of an RRV. The travel facility on my PR visa expired a long time ago (2011) but after much wrangling proving substantial ties, I was able to obtain an RRV for 1 year which expires Jan 2019. I went back to Oz in April 2018 for 3 week holiday (so activated it I guess). However, for numerous reasons (such as being unable to sell house etc) it now looks impossible that I'm going to be able to get back to Oz permanently before expiry of this 1yr RRV. Does anyone have any advice on renewing them? Firstly, will i need to go through the whole proving substantial ties process again? If so, will being enrolled on a UTS course be helpful to my case? Also, I've read that it's better to be onshore when u apply, so does this mean another holiday would be a good idea to try to extend it for another year? My concern with this is that u are still supposed to be onshore when the decision (hopefully renewal) is issued, but if it's just a holiday i won't be able to hang around waiting. Any help much appreciated! ? xx

Hi there We're planning to move to Perth next January and move our 2 dogs over with us. I am keen to book them onto the Quantas direct flight to Perth from UK to minimise flight time etc, but I've read that the mandatory 10 day quarantine centre in Perth has closed. Does this mean my poor dogs will have to take another flight over to the other side of Oz to complete their quarantine, only to then have to fly back to Perth again?? Surely not?!  All advice much appreciated!!

@Anna833 and @Sophie think we're all talking about the same thing here (see my comments here) - the agony of have we made a mistake coming back to the UK?! @Anna833 I think I was guilty of the same lack of immersion that you describe - not deliberately - I'm just a naturally shy person and find new social situations challenging! I should have forced myself to be more outgoing and strike up conversations with others more. Even meeting a group of exPATs like you guys on here to chat with probably would have been a huge comfort.

Hi @Sunny18 Wow I can really relate to your post!! My partner and I have now ping-ponged between the UK and Perth twice, mostly, well no entirely, my fault to be honest!! Missing my family back in the UK, etc etc - I daren't think about how much money we've wasted in the relocation process each time....doesn't bare thinking about. We last left in 2009, so we've been back in the UK 9 years now and oh boy, am I feeling desperate to go back again. I think I also struggle with the winters here, the perpetual darkness and freezing cold. There's a certain kind of misery to this, in that you never fully settle in either place....wherever you are, you long for all the things you miss about the other place!! We moaned about the same things you mentioned, also lived in the northern suburbs. Looking back now, I think I threw away an amazing opportunity and I'm full of regret. If I'm honest, I also think I didn't do enough to rebuild a really good network of new friends, and I struggled with feelings of isolation and loneliness. Back home you have a ready-made network of long standing friends and family, making all aspects of life just that bit easier. Being a bit older and wiser now, I wish I had thrown myself into really making more effort to build more meaningful friendships - I'm sure it would make all the difference. Would love to hear more about your experiences/reasons.