Leighbee98

Would you believe we have thousands upon thousands of Virgin miles... cant use any of them even though singapore airlines are a partner and says you can spend them. (our flight from SIN to SYD is megga money as we wanted a night flight... lets hope economy are full and we get upgraded. I did get a free (apart from taxes) holiday in June by using BA mile... result that was We do have kris flyer membership so hopefully they will rack up.

You are right, you would need to seperate... the ocean has loads of space and tank not so much. Regal Tang and Clown fish no problem, but the sea gee gees and jellys are usually kept separate (Sea horses are easy to keep... never been a fan personally.. was it Finding Nemo that said "pony boy"!! ha ha) 7 flights in all in Feb... all with a 2 year old.. we must be mad. (Mad or stupid... ill report back in March)

There is no doubt there is a lot of maintenance but this all depends on the type of tank you keep. A full reef tank with coral (there are three type Soft coral = easy, lps = moderate and sps = hard). I had a full reef with sps coral that was growing nicely, this involved weekly water changes and a computerised drip dosing of the essential elements to keep the tank stable as the coral consumed the nutrients. Constant measuring to ensure the tank was balanced and livestock happy. (I figured keeping live animals and invertebrates it was essential to keep them as happy as possible, like a dog, cat etc) perhaps there is a job there for me keeping folks tanks healthy for them...! We have now booked a trip to Oz in February so we can see what the climate is like that time of year, we will see Sydney and the surrounding areas, gold coast, brisbane and sunshine coast. Little holiday in the middle to Hamilton island too... cant wait. Our EOI goes in this week too.. its all very exciting but keeping an open mind as im sure it will take time as our lead skill is General Accountant (i notice the points dropped on the 11th Aug round for accountants to 80 so this is helpful...I think) I really cant wait, although ill have to..to start a new adventure.. 40 years this way up another 40 the other way up sounds exciting to me. As little Dory says... just keep swimming.. (Dory is a regal Tang who can grow to quite a size... she needs vegetation to graze on and can be quite dominant in the tank... dont add another tang afterwards... eeek)

I just had to tell someone (as we are not telling family until things are much firmer) We have just received a positive skills assessment from CAANZ as General Accountant. I make the points add up to to 75 as it stands so 80 for a 190 85 for a 487. Partner points may be a possibility if required. 9 Years post qualification experience and minimum education equivalent Bachelor Degree. Looking forward now to the next stage. All the best

Has anyone found that their RPL (Recognition of prior learning) has helped secure a job in IT, or did you find an employer only considered formal qualifications? Tar Leigh (18 years in IT Support, installations, IT Director and CIO)

I would ask her what made her change her mind, you would have to be very open to what she says and listen, she may feel under pressure knowing that you want to go. If it were me I wouldn't try to convince her, just listen and ask questions to understand her point of view. Leave it for a while then see if you can discuss further. I wish you and your wife the best..

She is very keen to migrate, but we love holidays and after the January Tax deadline in the UK we need one!!

Well it's booked We fly to singapore, two nights there visiting friends and showing Sarah the sights (ive spent some time in singapore working in the past). After that we are off to Sydney for 4 nights, a few day trips from there and see what the city is like. We fly up to the Goldcoast after that, we did contemplate driving but with a two year old we decided it would be better to fly this time. Couple of nights there then on to Brisbane. After a week in Brissy we are off to the sunshine coast noosa Heads, then Hamilton island in the Whit Sundays. Id like to Scuba Dive a bit as I have my PADI open water certificate but not dived in a while, Im not sure if thats becase i saw my self with a wet suit on.... think michilin man!!! We come back to Brisbane staying in an air bnb in Tenerife for a few more days before heading back to Singapore, another couple of days there to break the flight up. All in all id say this is more a holiday than a reccie, we can come back later on and bring some help in way of super Nannie for the propper reccie (although if/when we move im sure we will really learn what its like) We choose a big holiday because January is mad for accountants whilst we try to encourange customers to get thier books in to us beforehand there are always a few that leave it to the last minute, then we have new customers who have been let down. January is a month of long days and nights working...come Febuary chill.

Massive congratulations, we will raise a glass to you tonight (bit early to start swigging now) May I ask how long the 190 took and what occupation?

Thats a good point re dirt roads... ill have to consider that depending where we end up.

Near Hitchin Hertfordshire I need to get another bike (don't we all say that) as the MT09 is a little harsh on long rides, no wind deflection as I describe the seat as "a bit of ply wrapped in duct tape" I tested some BMWs a while back S1000R (not bad bit the same as what i have) S1000RR (OMG i could hardly see, legs round ears but wow) S1000XR (sensible, reliable and lots of other words ending in ible!) Where are you (ish)

Nice to meet you Pete. I played about with off road bikes as a kid (we had a farm) then didn't ride road bikes until 2014, took my test and picked up my Yammy that afternoon (confident huh). I wonder what the biking was like in Oz. I wont get on the bike without full leather as im a wimp and cant stand pain!!! (might be a little warm and sticky!!) Leigh

Can you claim an extra 5 points by going for a 190 state nominated visa? You could look into an RPL Recognition of prior learning as an avenue, this could help you become the lead applicant or add another 5 points for partner skills to your wifes application. My Wife is an accountant in a similar position, she is a real fully qualified and experienced accountant with a recognised qualification, but no Aus study or experience. We have a migration agent helping us, invaluable....

Id love to know how you get on... We are going for a holiday in Feb and if our visa application is successful we will probably do the same as you. What do you do for a living? what type of jobs are you looking for? Wish you all the best

Wow... I need this ear visa to happen!!! Thank you for the info

Good morning all, any bikers out there? Im still in the UK hoping to be successful with our visa. I currently ride a Yamaha MT09 here in the UK.(although id like more bikes to suit every style!!) Whats biking like in Oz? did anyone take their bike with them? (picture is the missus as she looks better than me)

I came to this forum a couple of months ago to try and find the answers for myself, I read post after post and as Marisa rightlty points out above checked to see if our skills were listed on the "wanted list" We decided to employ the help of a registered migration agent as my wife is an accountant and that profession is very very competitive so we needed the best possible points score. I soon learned that whilst you need 65 points to qualify, that's only any good if all your competition has only 65 points too. And that's not the case. (accountants require 80 points at the moment) We have completed the English test and gained the full 20 points on that for superior English and we are now going through the skills assessment with CA ANZ (Certified Accountants Australia and New Zealand). This was not that straight forward for us as we have our own business so we needed to prove the work we carry out (I say we but really its all my wife as she is the qualified one). Its a very interesting journey and we are prepared to switch strategy if needed, but its business as usual still until something solid occurs (like we receive the invitation to apply) We also learnt about cost from this forum, whilst the cost of the visa is right there in front of you on the website there are little things to add all along the way, and if we do manage to emigrate then there will be more. Pet shipping and tests. selling property, shipping personal belongings etc etc. Living with an accountant has taught me... plan and be prepared as surprises send accountants wild! But all in all... enjoy it, and if you want to go for it. Its your life and future so make it the best you possibly can. Good luck

Not there yet... but will be visiting soon. What a lovely place to live.. (from what I see on google at the moment)

Delighted for you. Celebrating tonight?

Thanks Bobj Ill go though all this info asap. Very very helpful thank you

Hey Bob do you have any recommendations for locations/hotels on the whitsundays. (we have a 2 year old and id like to see fishes)

There is also the option to do a RPL (recognition of prior learning), this is useful in cases where IT pros may not have a degree but oodles of experience and other training that could in fact add up to a degree equivalent. You would be well advised to seek the guidance of a registered migration agent (there are a number who frequent this site). We have enlisted an agent and it has been a godsend. Get a list together.. Age Qualification Experience related to that qualification (count from the date the qualification was granted prior don't count) Is that skill on the list for a skilled visa check here https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/work/work/skills-assessment-and-assessing-authorities/skilled-occupations-lists/combined-stsol-mltssl Can he pass the ITSL-PTE english test (up to 20 points available here) Any partner? do they have a skill on the list? Any study in Australia? Can he afford to do this? be realistic it could cost thousands depending on all the above Hope that helps and do post back if you gather more detail. (feel free to correct anything above i'm no expert...that's why we have an expert helping us)

My Wife sat the PTE test yesterday and the results are in already. This thread helped us no end as did a last minute private message from a very helpful member who shared some resources that helped them. Her scores are ... thats a pass right?

https://www.acro.police.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/ACRO/STEP DOWN MODEL v2.1.pdf This may be useful it mentions how records may be "stepped down" after a period of time. Warning do not dig for badgers! its listed as a category C offence!!!

We are using Alan from GoMatilda (on this forum) as our agent and I highly recommend. Alan is guiding us through the process, detailing all the options and strategies in order to stand the best possible chance of success. We thought the benefits far outweighed the cost. Our plan (if successful) is to migrate then seek employment even if that means volunteering to gain that local knowledge and show commitment. (My wife is the main applicant but i am an IT business Analyst specialising in Manufacturing) Drop @Alan Collett a message, he is very knowledgeable and detailed in his response. (There are other agent on here too) Wishing you all the best with the application