SWMOY04

3 hours ago, Emily91 said:

I am weighing it out. I am just nervous as Rob pointed out, "When we applied in May it instantly asked us to book our health checks. Does that mean my processing time stopped straight away until we submitted the health checks in late May?". However, Ken explained, "Your processing time started in January. If they got to the point where they needed your health checks, they would have contacted you and paused processing until the health checks were received. The health checks used to be one of the last things before the visa is issued. Unless that has changed then (based on the fact that they haven't issued the visa yet) it seems highly unlikely that they had got to that point in your processing by April."  Therefore, I am still not entirely sure if my visa went into the queue in January or April. 

 

so the screenshot I shared for you is based on a mid-January submission

maybe have a play around on this part of the website with both your "actual" submission date in January and then your "medical records" submission date and see if you like the results? Just trying to help, I was in a similar boat about 5 years ago and I was glad I waited literally two weeks and the 189 came through.

Snr Mental health worker here (Grade 4 in VIC - I believe thats grade 3 in WA)

Crisis, ED, Forensics etc. 

Cant speak for WA, but definitely a better work life balance (and income) in Aus than UK. 

On 04/07/2023 at 09:04, Marisawright said:

Wow that sounds crazy.  I know you can salary sacrifice for a mortgage, but the employer pays the money directly to the lender.   If the money gets sacrificed and then gets paid to the employee, then the employee could go and spend it on anything, surely?  I'm curious if @Ken has heard of this.

yup, same here.

The sacrifice tends to require proof (for example some places will only pay into the same account from which the rental/mortgage payments are made). 

Could it be worth waiting and seeing if Visa gets approved anyway and then just travel once?

"innit"

34 minutes ago, chrissim93 said:

"...partner (soon to be wife, 25 years old), son (currently 4 weeks old)..."

Congratulations on both mate!!! all the best

First off, Welcome!

Hope you have a rand time here, it can be a bit rough on occasion, but don't sweat the small stuff

I'll start with a massive disclaimer: I AM NOT AN EMIGRATION EXPERT, I think there's a few here really worth their weight in gold and if your situation is tricky, you are better off engaging them.

- I don't think your Aunty would personally have to sponsor... if the hospital/Trust has a job, and your fiance get a job, its th Trust thats sponsoring her, not your aunt.

- As for the type of visa to go for, I would reckon you wait for those who are more knowledgeable... I only know about permanent, skills-based residency visas as I moved here on one (PR189 or PR190)... lengthy and expensive upfront, but they have their benefits once you are in Aus)... they have nothing to do with sponsorship or jobs. Prove the job is on the list and you are qualified for it and attain the necessary score/points and then you apply... lengthy process, can be disheartening at times, but well worth it

13 hours ago, paulhand said:

It absolutely does matter. The visa is attached to one passport only … the one that you entered as your ‘main’ nationality in the application. 

This is correct.

I too held multiple passports and declared them all in application, but the visa is categorically listed in the visa documentation (IMMI grant notification .pdf) you received. That is the passport you utlise to enter Aus.

13 hours ago, Nemesis said:

SO you actively propose stripping Australian citizenship from people who are dual, thus forcing us all to leave the country as we would no longer have any legal right to live here?

I had the same discussion with a colleague recently, he is well known at work for being a miserable racist cantankerous old twit. Never thought I would hear it from someone who should understand migration, visas and the need for the security of citizenship.

Terrell Owens said "...if it smells like a rat..."

On 25/05/2021 at 10:53, bug family said:

But it is not a competition SWMOYO4, I could not care less if 99 out of 100 people preferred Melbourne over Manchester, good for them its their choice.....I will represent the 1 percent that happen to prefer Manchester or some other city for that matter, its just my opinion it does not need to be graded or given a score.......

Made me chuckle...

I wasn't implying it was a competition.

But I get you 

Melbourne vs Liverpool... For me, it's Liverpool all the way. 

Melbourne vs London... Melbourne

Melbourne vs any "small" city for me, Melbourne will always lose. 

(I can't define "small"... But Liverpool is probably the "biggest" city I can tolerate) 

I definately agree with you that life is not "one size fits all"

and yes, that is my opinion (that its not contest between Manchester and Melbourne)... 

but c'mon.... be serious now... out of a hundred people, you reckon its anywhere near a 50/50 split between the two??  

- "faking" symptoms is really a big no-no... not only do you waste our time, once we realize you have actually faked a symptom, we will find a way, without endangering your life, to ensure that you wait as long as possible before you get attended.

- computers and infrastructure are absolutely necessary, its a bit silly to conflate costs of infrastructure with nursing/doctor shortages. The nursing and medical staff crisis has nothing to do with megabytes.... there is a MASSIVE shortage in training compared to population growth. Such is the shortage that our OT and Social Work trained colleagues have joined emergency mental health services and also cover EDs as well... nothing to do with computers

- Mental health patients have their own pathway through ED.... yes.. their presentations do take up some resources, but that's the role of ED, to deal with health issues, of which Mental Health is one group. Its like saying people with broken bones or cuts should be blamed for delays on all other presentations... the people are facing a health problem, so they attend ED to have it addressed. simples. the rate of Mental Health presentations is more a reflection of society and looking at Mental Health just from an ED perspective is quite short sighted 

I have spent the last 6 months working over 75% in EDs (Across 5 hospitals). I have worked in EDs in England as well.

On 21/05/2021 at 18:33, bug family said:

mmmmm....its all about perspective though Jimmy what you find attractive or not is different to what I may find......having been to both Melbourne and Manchester, its Manchester for me hands down, as for Scotland its a stunning place which I would be happy to call home, but then its not about the money for me, i get paid far more here than I ever did back home, yet I would swap for a lower income and happiness back home in a heart beat......over mind numbing boredom and homesickness here in Aus

Manchester Vs Melbourne....

NO CONTEST

Melbourne

Congratulations to you and your family @ramot!!

Telstra direct calls (free and unlimited to USA, Canada, UK and a few other countries that I dont call)

Whatsapp has good video calling features for cross-calling between iOS devices and Android

Facetime -  Apple devices only

Zoom

Skype/Teams

also... 

This Handy Little Comparison Website is brilliant for comparing your current City/town with prospective towns for the other elements we may not have discussed here. 

It proved quite helpful for us when we were deciding on which city to move to based on job offers and cost of living... Though we still picked a costlier city, it was for other non-financial reasons. 

23 hours ago, SWMOY04 said:

 

3 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Good to hear that you’re paid so much better in Oz. However it’s important to note that not all jobs are higher paid in Australia. It varies a lot. Likewise hours of work - in the corporate world, for instance, office hours are generally longer in Australia 

This is very true Marisa! 

Hence I specified what my field is... I think Social Workers get paid more in UK... Only because I know a social worker and when we were in the UK, we used to compare incomes at tax times to see where we could save... Here, he isnt that impressed and he is having to work in Child protection due to burnout rates and job availability. 

The culture/legislation/work practice is also apparently more frustrating here... To be honest, J found the same in nursing too... But since switching NHS out of my mind and adopting an Aussie mindset, I'm ok. My mate meanwhile, not so much. 

Nurses see a bigger income change, mostly due to shortages and big push for increaments at EBA time...

Though I haven't looked at the full ins and outs, I would doubt that a social worker could double their income by moving to Oz

On 13/09/2020 at 11:47, Marisawright said:

Well, even Wanted Down Under mentions that about half of all migrants end up going home (it's a statistic that's difficult to check BTW so not sure if it's accurate).  

Have you checked whether you would, in fact, be earning higher salaries?  I've never heard of anyone getting double their UK salary or anywhere close to it, after taking into account the cost of housing/living.   For many occupations, it works out much the same, and you just have to accept those initial costs are the price you pay for the lifestyle you prefer.  I have no idea how social work pay compares but perhaps someone else can advise. 

Work/life balance - I don't know why people quote this so often. You'll be working the same hours as you do in the UK (office hours in Australia now are often 8.30 to 5.30, and everyone gets 4 weeks leave and 10 days paid sick leave). Employers are no more laid-back in their attitudes than in the UK.  So, the balance will be much the same - the only difference is how you spend your free time.  If you're able to get a job in a coastal city away from the capitals, you may be able to afford a home near the beach - in the capitals, beachside real estate is for the wealthy.  Home and Away is filmed in a part of Sydney where homes cost several million each.

Comparing apples for apples in Psychiatric nursing... I am actually earning about 2.3 times what I would have earned in the UK. 

I only managed to earn more in the UK by taking on higher band nursing jobs on Agency contracts... 

And now I do a job that even a nurse with 6 months qualification can do in the UK for significantly more money than U was earning upon leaving... (Not 2.4...but definately more)

I work less hours here in the sense that I hardly ever do overtime and in fact half the year I work 0.8hrs. and still earn more. 

If I go up a grade I actually lose money here in Aus...whereas in NHS the higher the grade the higher the income. 

Work life balance is probably less so about the hours but more of the state of mind one is in when not at work. 

In my situation, Australia takes the win by a very wide margin

On 13/09/2020 at 01:46, Corrina said:

Thank you Amber. Yes I think it's the 190 I can apply for. As advised by a registered migration agent. It breaks it down a little but I'll definitely look into a few others as a second option. When the person above also commented, saying you need around 30k I thought he meant £30k but I think he meant AUD$$ which seems much less daunting!  

Cost us about £17,000 all in, including agent plus all costs of a 2 week activation/hold trip on 189. ($5000 of this money was on a car on arrival) also includes house bond and first month rent.

But then prices for visas may have gone up too...

Family of four...no house to sell in UK and no house bought (yet) in Oz, 

Never mind

got the answer from Home Affairs COVID Exemptions page

Critical skills and sectors

Australia has strict border measures in place to protect the health of the Australian community. Very limited flights are currently available to and from Australia. If you are granted a travel exemption, you may not be able to travel at this time. Travel restrictions are subject to change. Please check back regularly. See: National Cabinet media statement.

All travellers arriving in Australia, including Australian citizens, are subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, such as a hotel, in their port of arrival. See Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for travellers. You may be required to pay for the costs of your quarantine. To find out more about quarantine requirements, contact the relevant state or territory government health department.

does the exemption then mean expedited travel? 

Just asking for my own knowledge, considering there are citizens who are stuck abroad basically in a "queue" due to the allowed incoming numbers at airports?

I hope this question makes sense

Paul and @Raul Senise from here get a nod from me, for the same reason as @Marisawright already pointed out above

personally we used a Surrey based agent, Immigration To Oz without a hitch

4 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Exactly.   Everyone can be an expert, after the fact. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

what I would give to have some of the armchair critics being given Andrews/Morrison/Trump/Johnson office and watch them implement their "wisdom"...and also face opposing "logic" from those who don't agree with them.

I am by far an Andrews supporter, quite far. But i do not envy the man and the position he finds himself in. The best I can do as a citizen of Victoria is to be supportive and do what (at least to me) seems the reasonable thing. 

Yes, when the time is right, we will roast him over the coals using hindsight for the hotel security gaffes etc and other things we are yet aware of.

for context, I'm only just now watching a documentary, "Challenger:The Final Flight" about the 1986 explosion of the spacecraft. 

I am sure, my children will be the ones to criticize Andrews and his peers around the world because by then they will know every single thing there is to know.

to pretend one knows, now, what is wrong and right to do...without the full support and resources that possibly only a government or an organisation as big as a government can provide (eg Tesla, Apple, Samsung)...and only based on one side of the internet/media....is quite simply ...delusional

Andrews is not right.... neither is he wrong.

i believe he is doing the best according to what he believes and from the consensus of those around him, with the full knowledge that each and every decision he is making is going to get criticized when the dust settles and if he does anything illegal, he will face the full force of the law

"Is Dan Andrews doing the right thing?"

define "right"

define the rules of determination

however, if I am forced to answer without the above, i would say he is definitely making mistakes....just like ANY of the leaders who are making mistakes as we are dealing with something the workd has not faced before.

"Could he do better in the aspects that selfishly please me?" Oh hell yes, he most definately can do better!! 

9 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

You seem to be quite a fan of capital letters.  

I AM!!!