Loxxy

1 minute ago, Marisawright said:

I would ring Qantas and ask if you can book to Perth

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!!

On 09/05/2020 at 13:32, paulhand said:

As a PR you can still enter Australia.
If you are talking about the initial entry date on your visa then that should be no problem. If you are talking about the expiry of your visa, then no, you will need to apply for an RRV. 

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

On 04/05/2020 at 09:12, Lavers said:

An opinion from you if you will.

Just weighing up if we make the move now instead of Sept as planned or are we stupid for doing it.

* Flights are double but will they be different in Sept.

* 14 day quarantine paid for but will that be different in Sept and maybe change where we have to pay

* Airbnb are cheaper so that offsets some of the flight cost.

* Things could change for the worse and we are stuck in the UK for 12 months or longer.

Ive checked the job sites and there are still jobs going on for my trade (metal fabricator). Also would we be able to look around at rentals when we are ready in a few months time.

What are your thoughts?

@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? 

43 minutes ago, Lavers said:

I spoke with home affairs the other day and asked that question, I asked if I had to notify someone or was it just done at the airport when we get on the flight.

She was vague but said it just shows up when you get on the flight.

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. 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!!

On 13/07/2018 at 15:58, Tom Brody said:

Hi Proview 220, many thanks for your interest.  Much appreciated. 

Sadly still awaiting a response,  I have heard nothing at all, not a single response other than the receipt of payment and confirmation the application was received. I am not the type who complains and I guess in the end "What will be will be".  So I move towards week 9 now of waiting. 

What I will say which is just my humble opinion of course as I wouldn't want to risk the wrath of the Legend's God's and Experts who wander through this wonderful website, is it is a pretty shocking service by the Australian Immigration to take 12 weeks plus to process a RRV.   OK, fair dinkum the processing time increases by a few days, or even a week, lets say even 2 weeks. But to now place it on a 12 week turnaround from what was a 3 - 5 day process is dare I say a bit unfair, especially when the $365 gets taken upfront.  Gosh, even Ned Kelly wore a mask.   But no doubt there is some vital point that I have failed to realise which justifies such a process, which somebody will of course nail me on.    No worries.    

Best wishes, Stay Cool. 

Just interested to see if you secured your RRV afterall?

6 minutes ago, paulhand said:

As the OP has not been absent from Australia for 5 years since they last left Australia as a PR their reasons for absence are not relevant to this application. All the law requires is that they demonstrate substantial ties that are of benefit to Australia. 

 

You should put as much evidence as you have that demonstrates you are maintaining your ties. As Raul has said, this is becoming harder to demonstrate in the current environment and getting some professional help is a good idea. 

 

No there isn't, as long as you meet the requirements.

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.

1 hour ago, Raul Senise said:

Proceed with caution and maybe obtain some professional advice, as RRV applications are no longer approved so easily. 

Immigration is being really tough on RRV applications that do not meet the residency requirements and are relying on substantial ties. 

Their current published processing times for such applications is 12 weeks, although I have seen some applications take upto 6 months to process.

 

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. 

5 hours ago, paulhand said:

Yes - until you meet the 2 year residence requirement you must demonstrate substantial ties, you won’t however need to demonstrate the compelling reasons for absence that would have been required last time. 

If you apply onshore then you can be onshore or offshore for grant. However, if your current RRV has expired and you are onshore and the new one is not granted, then you can stay in Australia on the current RRV as long as you like and build the substantial ties. If you are offshore then that becomes a problem as you cannot return as a permanent resident. 

Be aware that processing times for RRVs that don’t meet the residence requirement are 3 months plus at the moment. Some as long as five, so apply sooner rather than later. 

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!!

15 minutes ago, Loxxy said:

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.  

 

@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.  

@brock79  Thanks for your reply, and apologies for missing your earlier post previously. 

@Anorak  Hi - just interested to hear an update on your situation please? Specifically if they accepted your compelling and compassionate reasons for not being in Australia for over 5 years? I'm currently writing my reasons and I fear that they are not sufficiently compelling...  My Aussie Citizen partner and I have been living in the UK out of choice (work opportunities etc) since 2009, not for any "compassionate" reasons in particular, and my PR visa expired in 2011.  Now we're ready to start a family, we want to return, raise our kids and settle there permanently. Am I doomed to fail in securing an RRV??  Any personal experiences shared would be much appreciated.  I'd prefer to avoid the partner visa route as the price tag is apparently a whopping AU$7000 application fee!!! Impossible for us to afford sadly. 

On 02/08/2017 at 14:47, brock79 said:

No I'm pretty certain each child needs their own 101 visa. The extra fees of say $605 will be for if your children have any members of their own family unit (i.e. If they have any kids themselves!). 

Our substantial ties were the family we have in Oz. I have uncles, aunties, cousins and Grandparents there. Compelling reasons were just our life story of being back, getting married, having children and requiring the support of our family in the UK before we could think of returning. 

Not sure when we're going yet, will all depend on the child visa grants and then the sale of our house. Just anytime before our RRV's expire next June.  We'll be going back to Perth again. 

@brock79 Just reading your comments and wondering what your outcome was please? I'm just putting in my application for an RRV and trying to explain compelling reasons etc.  Luke you, my partner and I went out to Perth but returned 2009. Desperate to go back now but have expired PR visa.