FirstWorldProblems

On 01/11/2013 at 23:26, newjez said:

Why do they sell you water bottles in dubai transit and then take it off you when you try and get on the plane? I'm sure they just resell it to the next mug. Next time, I'll take an empty bottle on board with me and fill it from the dispenser.

I fell for it again.  I asked the cashier in the shop if you can take bottles onto the plane these days -“yes of course you are already past security”

Grrrr

Only thing I am aware of with an age change to 35 is the working holiday visa and that’s an increase not a decrease.  

You know, it's not always "wrong" to be selfish.  There's definitely a healthy selfishness - your own happiness and your own needs are important and putting them first sometimes is now wrong.  As others have said, balancing your needs with the needs of others is very difficult and highly personal.  Personal to you and the circumstances of your parents.  And of course the needs of your wife.

There probably isn't anyone on the forum who hasn't had to make that difficult decision.  Their circumstances aren't yours, but they are a sharing bunch and hopefully hearing their experiences is helpful to you.  Ultimately emigration is a compromise in many areas of life and if you are fortunate enough to have parents still alive and parents that you are close too, this can be one of the tougher ones.

51 minutes ago, Parley said:

People have no idea how this actually works.

The Ni contributions received from all workers this year need to cover the pension payments for all those receiving pensions this year.

So to make it simple if you have a million workers and 100,000 pensioners the NI contributions made by the million workers only need to be large enough to pay for the 100,000 pensioners claiming this year. That is how the system has always worked.

You are not contributing the full amount to cover your own pension as many incorrectly assume. Just contributing to a pool of money to support the number of pensioners claiming.

One minor correction.  Pensions are funded by NI and general taxation and not NI alone. 
 

But the essence of your post is quite correct - a persons NI contributions are not being invested somewhere in an effort for the fund to grow by the time that person retires. 

2 hours ago, bluequay said:

Just think of it a bonus holiday in the country you have decided to move to. That's how I'm looking at it when we head over in December to meet my first entry by date. We won't be making the move proper until the end of next year.

unless like me your activation trip in December will be spent visiting your mother-in-law.....for the 'bonus' 20th year running   

4 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

I’m sure people wouldn’t mind so much if they weren’t already getting hit with the double whammy of highest-ever taxes and declining services. Pay more, get less left right and centre. 

Contrasting Australia and U.K. highlights the root cause of the problem and shows why it’s not going to be something that can be turned around quickly.  
 

Australia annual cost of servicing national debt = $17.7 bn or 2.6% of total government revenue 

UK = £117bn or 10.4%

Many people visiting this site are trying to weigh up if their future will be better in Australia or the U.K.  We dont have a crystal ball to know the answer but as an indicator of what we can expect in the future, these are two very telling data points. 
 

Yes that's right.   For advice you can rely upon I'd advise engaging a migration agent, but I can share my understanding of how it works based on my own partner visa experience.

You apply for a 309 and 100 together.  The 309 is issued as a temporary visa whilst the 100 is being decided.  Once the 100 is issued it supersedes the 309.  If like me you've been in a relationship for a long time and it's very easy to evidence, then you get the 100 straight away.

The visa grant letter sets our the conditions of your visa.  Amongst such things as your work rights there are some details on entry and stay

• It states when you must first enter by (normally 1 year from grant date). 
• It also states a data after which you must not arrive.  On mine (and what I believe is typical) this is 5 year from the grant date. 
• It says that I have unlimited travel until this "must not arrive after" date.
• It further states it says my length of stay is indefinite

So if you take all of these things together, then in my case (and what I believe is typical), I have a visa that allows me unrestricted entry and travel up to a certain date.  The visa itself never expires but my ability to re-enter the country does expire.   

As with the condition that you enter within 1 year of grant, the purpose of this is to weed out only the serious people.  They want us to have strong connections to Australia, to live there and be making a contribution to the country.  The idea is that you will have applied for and received citizenship within 5 years.

If for some reason you haven't been able to do that (perhaps because you didn't spend enough time in country yet to qualify) then you either don't leave the country until you do, or you obtain a Resident Return Visa.

Hope that helps.   If any of that is unclear let me know and I will try to clarify.

The activation trip isn’t by design, rather it’s a workaround for people who aren’t quite ready to move.  
 

Competition for visas to migrate to Australia is fierce - far more demand than supply and so they only want people making the application who are serious and committed, therefore you get a year from the grant to get yourself organised and make the move.  
 

For some (myself included) who need longer, they realise they can just make a visit to fulfil that requirement and return at a later date for the permanent move.  

I don’t remember giving access to my medical records when I submitted my partner visa earlier this year. 

You are required to attend a medical appointment which usually includes a general medical examination, a chest x-ray and blood tests. You may be asked to complete additional medical examinations depending on your medical history.

10 hours ago, BobHatton said:

Car park spaces that modern cars actually fit into? You haven't spent much time in Australian carparks I take it?

I have and compared to the U.K. they are huge.  Granted I drive an obnoxiously large car here in the U.K. but if I was a fatty I wouldn’t have a hope of getting out of the thing down at Sainsburys. 

It’s worth considering other NHS treatment options.  The NHS isn’t one organisation, rather it is a federated group of healthcare providers commissioned by NHS England and providing care under a common framework.  The service provision, availability and quality of each of those providers does vary for a multitude of reasons and if your husband has had a poor experience there are options other than moving overseas. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/the-nhs-choice-framework-what-choices-are-available-to-me-in-the-nhs#:~:text=You can ask to be,is led by a consultant

“If you’re unhappy with the handling of your case, it’s often helpful to speak to the organisation responsible for arranging your care and treatment in the first instance.

If you feel that the organisation responsible for arranging your care and treatment has not taken all reasonable steps to ensure you’re offered alternative provision, in most cases you should complain to your ICB as they must take all reasonable steps to ensure that an alternative provider is offered to you. For details on how to contact your ICB, see section 11 of this guide.”

3 hours ago, Parley said:

Self evident.

Only in ParleyWorld™

3 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

OK. Mind blown lol. I think it’s going to be the little things about this move that leave us scratching our heads! 

Certainly this is the case in NSW, don’t know about the rest of the country…….

All of the major suburban roads have had lanes added over the years as traffic increased.  At many points along the road a natural land feature will mean there isn’t space for the extra lane so 3 will go back to 2 for a moment, or 2 back to 1.  And it’s the LEFT lane that has to merge into the right. So human nature being what it is, most people ignore the left lane (and all the signs saying Keep Left) and camp out in the next lane.   So frustrating. 
 

Like you say, it’s the little things.  

On 14/10/2023 at 11:58, formerlondoner said:

As an update to this thread, I found out I could set up a new British HSBC account by applying at https://www.hsbc.com.au/international/overseas-account-opening/ and providing my Australian details. Some remote authentication methods ensued but it was all relatively straightforward. It may not be as fully featured as my old account but it will do the job. I had set up a Wise account prior to this but I learned that, as has been posted here, they don't have the same fraud protections as other banks.

Thanks for sharing this. As a U.K. HSBC customer your post got me wondering if I can set up a HSBC Australia account from the U.K.  I just did it online from my phone in 15 mins and thought I would share in case it helps anyone else. Very easy to do.  You need a form of ID that you can take a photo of, your employer address and your UTR (unique tax reference - will be on your tax return or tax code document). 

9 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Also this might give you a laugh. Apparently some folk do think Australia is sh*t! Even on holiday https://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/emu-predators

I'm amazed such people ever bothered to get on the plane - miserable buggers.

That said.........lol.........Bondi is overrated (it's nice but it is overrated, Coogee next door is better IMO) and the Opera House close up in the daytime is less impressive than at a distance or lit up at night.

1 hour ago, RubyMonday said:

Please don't get me wrong that wasn't any kind of negative judgement at all I'm always just surprised when people say they are taking the leap without ever having taken a holiday to the place. 

It’s a very fair and logical point to make.  If I might play devils advocate for a moment, has anyone ever visited Australia from the U.K. on a holiday and NOT been impressed?  You’re in holiday mode, you’re excited about a potential change, the sun is shining, you don’t have to fight Sydney traffic at 0700 etc etc. I don’t think any kind of trip is going to give a person a sense of living there. 
 

So is there really any value in such trips?  just a thought. 

24 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

In the case of @bearnova64 obtaining his partner visa should be relatively straightforward, assuming the application is made correctly. He'll know the approximate processing time, and if they know when they want to emigrate they can time the application so that the visa isn't granted too early.

I engaged migration agent @paulhand to advise and guide me through my options and the process.  It was really helpful.  I was also trying to get the timing just right - finding that sweet spot where the visa would arrive before I needed it, but late enough that I wouldn't have to ever get into the RRV situation.   Paul gave me a really thought provoking piece of advice - right now you are in great health and your visa application is going to sail through, but it's a reality that as we get older, our risk of health conditions increases and if you are unlucky enough to get one that disqualifies your application, then that's it.

I duly got on it straight away.  RRV is much easier to deal with than a declined application.

5 hours ago, Raul Senise said:

No, things haven't changed. The grant letter above was likely for someone who was in Australia at time of grant. So no first entry date needed. 

If you are referring to the excerpt from my letter that I posted above then you are mistaken.  I wasn’t in Australia. 309/100

Here's an excerpt from my grant letter.  Perhaps others vary, but I don't know why they would

The expectation is that you become a citizen before you visa expires.  One of the qualifying criteria is 4 years of residency.   

After the five years I can still stay in Australia, even if I am not yet a citizen, but if I want to leave the country, then in order to get back in I'd need an RRV.  If a person has substantial ties to Australia (job, house, family) it's trivial.

You can explore the detail of all this at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/.  

Yes that's pretty much all correct.  The time it takes to get a decision depends on overall volumes of applications, your circumstances and the quality of your application.  Someone like me with 22 years married to an Aussie, dependant children, mutual wills and power of attorney, 60 pieces of uploaded evidence, etc etc is probably going to be quicker than a person who's been in a relationship for a year, separate bank accounts and no common friends.   From what you've shared  your situation sounds pretty strong so I'd be surprised if you have to wait too long, but for a better guestimate you'd want to hear from a migration agent of timelines for similar, recent cases.

Awesome. Congratulations 

Yep. I did mine myself. 50+ hours of work went into a fully loaded application. 60 or so pieces of evidence. Grant was 5 weeks later - could have been less if I hadn’t waited a few weeks to get the medical done. 

Awesome. That’s a great price. Who are you flying with?  Hope you have a great time. 
 

I’ve been keeping an eye on fares at Easter just out of curiosity and they are much closer to normal now. £1,500 with Singapore but there is one particular set of dates during the holidays at £1,150. 

9 hours ago, Rob Frain said:

Wow I havent looked at this thread since we got the news. What a day from utmost joy and crying with happiness to absolute rock bottom. I'm not going to say much, but take life every day as you can and appreciate what you have today as you never know what is around the corner. Life is too short to be having silly arguments on a forum, as someone said words by themselves on here can be misinterpreted. Just be nice.. x

Whats next Rob?  Do you have a timeline for the big move?

Hi Claire,

I can see why you would be struggling with such a decision.   Living in another country for a while is a great adventure and would be an experience that broaden your kids horizons, which can be a great thing.  On the flip side of that coin you have two completely different education systems that don't align in content nor in terms of the children's age when they achieve the recognised qualifications, meaning they are not interchangeable.

I've had two kids go through GCSE's with a third entering her final year now.  Our choice has been to delay our return to Australia until the youngest finishes A-levels.   From our research we came to the conclusion that it would be damaging for our kids education to switch systems mid-way through.  The curriculums aren't the same.  GCSE's spend two concentrated years building towards those final exams.  The content of those exams are the topics covered across those two years.   It's possible but unlikely that those exact topics will have been covered by the Australian system resulting in knowledge gaps.  I personally think it would be a real struggle to drop back into GCSE's for the final year only and get decent grades.     You know your kids best and their academic ability.  It could be that a bright kid with a strong work ethic and a tutor could get to a good result.

If it was me (and assuming I am correct in thinking your kids are 3 academic years apart), I'd be staying in Australia until the eldest gets their HSC/ATAR at 17 and returning to the UK just in time for the youngest to begin GCSE year 1.  However......if your eldest wanted to go to university they would not be recognised as having 'home' status (because you must be resident for the 3 years prior) and thus would have to pay higher fees.

There are other options like the international baccalaureate, but from exploring this myself, this considerably narrows your school options and hence where you can live.

A difficult decision with pro's and con's each way.