Ausvisitor

If it was a small amount I'd agree with you, but often it's vastly over values for generally sub-par information that most could get from a simple read of the documents. Almost always this advice is caveated to the moon and back so even after paying you are still the one on the hook for it actually being the correct course of action

It will be classed as taxable income, whether they tax you on it will depend on if it takes you over the tax threshold for income. A forces pension is just a "better entitlement" UK governmental pension so it counts as income in the same way the state pension does

On the landlord insurance question, directline are perfectly happy providing landlord insurance for a UK property to an overseas landlord (so long as they have the right to reside in the UK)

Thanks!

Is there a web tool anywhere that you can type in (for instance) your grant number and it will tell you how many days you've been in country over the last 5 years?

The arrival is the biggest anti climax ever, just slot your passport in an e reader and that's the culmination of many months effort and waiting completed

Depends when you do it, if it's over a UK weekend or public holiday it pauses until they are back in the office because of the potential for a big movement in exchange rates. But otherwise it's pretty quick

The jury is out on hybrid and total WFH at the moment, it's certainly still common but if I look now at offices in Jan this year to Oct, they are getting close to older occupancy. Lots of companies have responded to surveys saying they expect hybrid and WFH permanently to be a thing of the past by 2026. Of course that might just be what the newspaper owners want us to read...

Personally I'm not a great fan of either although I can see why many love them. The weather is a bit too "guaranteed hot". I'm a Sydney/Melbourne cheerleader they just have so much more culture and heritage, but I can see Brisbane is making huge leaps and bounds in catching up. That said I'd take Brisbane over some of the dreary places I used to reside in the UK any day. Have you totally ruled out NSW and VIC as options for settling down? If not you should definitely give them a look before you say no!

Really happy for you, where abouts are you planning to head in OZ, with a 189 the continent is your oyster

They don't check the visa status directly that's true, but the documentation they use for proof of residency all need a valid AUS visa or citizenship to obtain (Medicare / full bank account etc). The only exception is the utility bill but that would require switching your kids utility bill to your name (and many of them do ID checks too). That said they won't switch it without the original or a letter (sent directly to them) from the DVLA (I do a lot of work for Vic Roads so asked their chief of registrations this directly)

Have great trip though, I'm going the other way at the same time $2,300 return for 3 weeks taking in the week before XMAS and coming back after new year

Easter has always been about 60-70% of the cost of a XMAS flight so it would seem that nothing has changed just the base cost has risen across the board

I thought to be a police officer you needed to be a citizen in Australia? Actually just checked and in SA that's not required, but it is in VIC and NSW

I got my grant (190 not 189) before covid. Minimum points. Applied at 44years and 3 months. So I'd say give it a try

It's no effort wahtsoever - despite charging a veritable fortune for the service it is all automated and barely even needs any human input into it

Maybe we ought to change the title of this thread as it certainly isn't a good week to transfer money back to the UK right now at basically 2 dollars per pound (It is a phenomenal time to go the other way though)

Sydney wise, the only places a 20-29 yr old wants to be seen are Kings Cross Darling Hurst Surry Hills Newtown Marrickville Quite possibly the trendiest places in all Australia and with price tags to match. A two bed house in Newtown is going to set you back $2.2 million on average, a 4 bed with off street parking and a postage stamp garden will be north of $4m But then everywhere else is just suburbia and you don't move half way round the world to live in a slightly worse Milton Keynes street.

You can't really live in Sydney without having at least a monthly visit from the cockroach family that lives in your house but generally stays out of the way. If you live in Sydney and say you haven't got cockroaches what you really mean is you haven't seen them yet

According to most glaziers in Sydney it doesn't exist - it's a science fiction that might see sometime in the future

These policies operate in a grey area of the law around dual policies. Firstly there always needs to be a "proper policy" in place on the vehicle so when it is parked etc. It is covered. Now when a person not on the policy drives a vehicle with the owners permission (except when expressly allowed by the insurer) the policy becomes void for that journey, so whilst that uninsured driver is driving there is no policy in place, so they can therefore be covered by one of these "overlay policies" Marmalade is the biggest temporary insurer in the market and is commonly used so parents don't lose their no claims when teaching kids to drive

I can only talk for NSW and VIC but in those states you do not have to surrender a foreign licence when you use it as a credential for getting a local licence (whereas if you swap interstate you do surrender the licence). Whether that foreign licence is still valid is another question though...

Melbourne winters are terrible. Not cold enough to be enjoyable if you are a cold weather lover l, but chilly enough that coats and sometimes gloves are desirable (if not strictly necessary). Syndey on the other hand never really goes below 12c and then only for a few hours. Melbourne does get hot in the summer but only for a day or two at a time

Pre COVID 70 points or even 65 points was enough to get a 190 visa, I'm living proof of it ...

I haven't heard anyone ever saying that they do contact referees, but I'm certain they could... So don't include a reference unless you are sure the person who you named would actually backup what you have submitted