vongole83

Thanks both - I think we will just all go on the one card

Hi I recently moved to Australia on a 100 visa with my partner who is an Australian citizen. I am a little confused as to whether I should be applying for my own Medicare card or getting added to hers. Is there an advantage/ disadvantage? We are a family of 3 (Us 2 and our 11 month old son if it makes any difference) Thanks

In your circumstances, you will definitely need a migration agent or you are quite likely to waste your money. I would certainly not be attempting such an application without professional support.

I think it was about January/ February of this year. Was granted 6th April. It was approximately 3 months from submission to us getting the letter.

Took about 3 months from the UK. Didn't hear anything until it was granted.

Hi Laf4150, Yes exactly this. We only managed to get the Citizenship by Descent cert before we flew (He also had a UK passport). No additional paperwork. We called both the helpline in Australia and the Consulate in London. Both advised us of the same thing. It's called 'Undocumented Uplift'. (https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/PassportsWelcomePage.html) We also rang Etihad about a week before our flight and advised them of the same an they seemed fine with it on the phone. At the airport we just took his passport and cert (They didn't even want to see his cert) and I believe they called Aus immigration to check his status. It took about half an hour in total so arrive at the airport in plenty of time. In Melbourne we had to go to a special desk where, again I think they rang or verified that he was a citizen. Bear in mind the process might change again between now and when you fly, but this worked for us!

Yes we will use the return portion for a visit to the UK next year if COVID allows. The return leg has free changes too. Forgot to mention the economy return made the price lower than 1 way biz class... booking outwards only was about £12,000! Crazy! Anyway well worth taking a look as there were lots of dates offering this when we booked. I didn’t want to post about it until we actually got here as I was a little sceptical it wasn’t all too good to be true price-wise

Hi We are in quarantine in Melb right now and thinking about what comes next. We desperately need to sort out a car, and will just hire one for a bit, but it isn't cheap!! Longer term what are the most common ways people finance car purchases here? In the UK there are a variety of ways to fund it, do things like hire-purchase and PCP exist here? Is there anywhere we can look for good info on this topic? We are looking at buying a nearly- new family car and have a reasonable budget. Thanks

We flew into Melb on Etihad - We bagged a return ticket (Out in Business, back in Economy) for £4,100 for 2 adults and an infant. We managed to take 130Kg of luggage + a heavy push chair as part of that. Very pleased with the service and we didn't get cancelled on either! We found this fare by perusing Skyscanner and Kayak for various dates... There were quite a few different options available a couple of months ago!

Update: We landed in Melbourne earlier this evening with the little one not having an Aussie passport (Citizenship by descent). It took Etihad about 30 mins to sort it all out in London and a bit more admin at immigration in Melbourne, but all fine in the end! Day 1 of 14 in the Novotel starts now!

Sorry you are indeed correct. When you expand the options in the application form you can see this is accepted. I will edit my post above in case anyone else reads my incorrect info Edit: Option to edit my post is not there.

Thanks PaulHand - we will give them a ring! bowbow it only got granted yesterday so we have not had anything yet. The citizenship by descent approval is NOT actually proof of citizenship - you have to apply for that separately before you can get a passport. Only takes around a week plus postage time I believe though.

Thanks. We will get on it ASAP!

Hi All We are emigrating to Australia in May. I am British with Australian PR (Aussie wife) and our son was born in the UK in August 2020. We have been successful in obtaining Australian citizenship for him, but have not yet applied for an Australian passport for him. He does have a UK passport though. We are a little worried that we won't get his Aus passport before we leave and we need to submit a paper application to the consulate as I understand it. Are we Ok to wait until we are in Australia to apply for his Aus passport and have him enter Australia in May on his UK passport? The letter does mention that he should use an Australian passport, but that only seems to apply to re-entry. Thanks

We are (hopefully - flight permitting!!) MELB bound in May... My Mrs has her heart set on living in Northcote (Being a Melb native but having been away for 9 years now). We are going to be looking for a 4 bed house in the area and moving with our 7 month- old and our dog. From having spent a little bit of time there, it seems like a nice part of town, and well connected to the centre. 3 questions: Does anyone live in the area? What is it like? Are there any areas in/ close to Northcote to avoid? Are there any areas you might consider instead? In regards to dogs/ babies, how is the area? I've looked at parks, nurseries, etc. but any anecdotal info welcome too Thanks