DIG85

19 hours ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

Your opinion is wrong and very skewed to the negative

If everyone listened to you there would be no migration at all

I tend to agree.

I know plenty of people who came to Australia from shanty towns in India, Philippines, Indonesia with barely a cent in their pocket.

I have found that in life, if you want something badly enough, you can almost always find some way to make it happen. 

21 minutes ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

It’s not all the facts

If you want to state facts then at least show both sides. I personally know what more people who have come on 457 visas and then moved to PR than have failed. In fact I don’t know anyone who has failed

You’re stating opinion you have no facts to back that opinion up.

I too do not know any 457 or 482 visa holder who wanted but failed to get PR.

Having said that, there are sufficient numbers of posts to this forum to satisfy me that some people do fail. However, I suspect this forum attracts those whose cases/chances are more marginal (why post on a forum like this if you are finding, or have found, the process plain sailing?) and those that do fail are disproportionately reflected on here - and possibly quite substantially so.

20 hours ago, Toots said:

Another inner city suburb that had a very bad reputation is Redfern.  Friends of ours (from Scotland) bought a terraced house in Redfern over 30 years ago.  Everybody thought they were mad.  They were neve burgled or had any trouble from the locals.  Now the street they bought in has a good reputation and the house has turned out to be an excellent investment.

 

Any of those terraces will be worth a tidy sum now.

1 hour ago, Pikachu said:

Would that be consider related by marriage?

 

No.

You are only related by marriage to someone by virtue of your own marriage, not by virtue of your sibling’s marriage.

10 hours ago, Pikachu said:

But then again, in the previous question they asked about our marriage, registration etc - then why would they be asking this question again? -

I think it's clear that this question is aimed primarily at marriages in, shall we say, "different cultures" to our own.

I recall this being an issue a few years ago when people were encouraged to invite refugees from somewhere or other (was it Syria?) into their home.

Turned out that it would invalidate many house insurance policies. 

Isn't it amazing how the co-payment model is almost universally accepted as part of public healthcare in Australia. Any attempt to introduce co-payments in the NHS, even the most modest amounts, would be regarded as heretical, and trigger accusations of "trying to privatise our NHS". 

Just out of interest , since when did the US have 52 states?

Demand for commodities has driven up demand for the Aussie dollar, leading to it strengthening.

7 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

I agree with you on the office space comment.

However having just arrived from the UK a month ago and done 7 years of WFH (including 2 where it wasn't a choice) I can guarantee you that WFH does not inhibit team building, it just changes it - but it is still a thing

Our mileages obviously vary re. team building. It is a disaster in particular for young graduates, who need the help and experience that only face to face contact allows.

Many CEOs have expressed concern about both productivity falls and team building possibilities in recent interviews.

11 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

But... I'm paying you to do a job and that value is based on how well you do the job, not how much it costs you to live in the location you have chosen to live.

Now if you can do the job better because you are in town then that's a different story, but if the outcome is the same whether done in office or outback then I don't see why pay should differ

But eventually everyone working in the city is going to realise they can move out to cheaper regional areas whilst retaining a city salary. 
 

This will lead to two things: lack of team-building opportunities as most people WFH; and a huge surplus of office space and employers tied into expensive rental leases on commercial city properties. Employers want neither of those.

That is why, eventually, employers WILL lower salaries for those who work away from the city, except perhaps for the very top talent. How long it will take, is another matter.

27 minutes ago, AltyMatt said:

Working From Home has expanded the job opportunities for many people. I work for one of the larger employers in Australia and we have hired staff in country NSW, Victoria and Queensland for roles that previously would be only available to those within commuting distance of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

This isn't a temporary COVID workaround either - so if you have a decent internet connection and progressive employer you could find it doable to reside in Umina or Jervis Bay and still 'work' in Sydney

I guess one interesting question is how long will employers keep paying sydney salaries to people who live in umina and jervis bay and only visit the office once or twice a week on average (or even less). As someone who lives and works in sydney I wouldn’t be too impressed at being the on same pay scale as someone who enjoys vastly lower living costs and travelling costs.

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Actually, Wollongong is 1 hour 40 minutes on the train from the city centre, if you get a fast train.  Terrigal is about 2 hours.   People do it, just like people commute from Bournemouth to London.  

It wouldn't be my choice, but some people are willing to do it.   It's a matter of personal taste.

So that’s 3-4 hours a day travel time, as can1983 stated.

I have no idea how people commute from Bournemouth to London. Especially daily pre-covid, although with WFH now so common post-covid it might be easier. Bournemouth to London is 2 1/4 hours, so even if you live only 5 mins from Bournemouth station, and allow 10 minutes just to exit the huge Waterloo station and get to an office next door to the station - that’s 5 hours minimum a day commuting. 

42 minutes ago, can1983 said:

I would put the figure at $750k

I think that’s probably quite near the mark.

1 hour ago, Parley said:

Out of interest, what is the maximum price of a house you think the average person is able to afford ?

The average house price in Australia is just under $1m. That would be a good starting point as an answer to your question. 
But of course only two thirds of Australians are homeowners, so the maximum price of a house that the "average person" can afford is going to be even less than that.

You can furnish a property for surprisingly little.

11 minutes ago, DrDougster said:

My wife flew back to UK last week in an emergency and was planning to go to the passport office at Victoria to renew her passport next week before flying back on Sat.

Turns out this isn't possible - no appointments.

Her passport expires 28th April. We have flights to UK booked on 1st April. Will these flights satisfy immigration that she has sufficient time on her passport for the duration of her stay? 

Theoretically should be ok but anyone any further insight. or tried this?

Alternative is to push her return flight back and leave me looking after our four year old for another week!

We're PR on a 190.

Neither the UK nor Australia has a minimum passport validity requirement. 

As a UK passport holder, I would have thought in your wife's case the more relevant question would be minimum passport validity for Australia. The minimum passport validity rules are generally of no application where you are entering the country of your citizenship. 

45% of the Australian population have hospital cover - an extraordinarily high figure for a country with a universal healthcare system, but unsurprising when the tax system effectively allows you to opt out of tax by taking out PMI.

In the UK only 13% have PMI.

13 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Watson's Bay is great (book at Doyles if you're feeling rich but if not, I think having a pub lunch at the hotel is even nicer, or you can even buy something at the kiosk and eat it on the beach).  

Doyle's on the Beach restaurant is indeed pricey but remember there is also Doyle's on the Wharf which doubles as both a takeaway and a dining area and is much cheaper - they do a perfectly good fish and chips for $15.

As for attractions, the obvious ones not mentioned so far are the Domain/Botanic Gardens and the Art Gallery of NSW, which are adjacent to each other. Darling Harbour and Chinatown, whilst far too touristy for my liking, are also probably regarded as "attractions". Taronga Zoo is also popular on the tourist trail.

5 hours ago, annagilda said:

 

 

Should I be worried, should I ignore it and is there anyone in particular I should contact, or should I just wait it out? 

 

 

1. No.

2. Yes.

3. Wait it out.

Estate agents are fine if you know how to play their game, and no worse than their UK counterparts imo.

What I have never understood is why they are called “Real Estate Agents” out here - surely it’s quicker to just say “Estate Agent”.

Another odd thing is that they are sometimes abbreviated in casual conversation to “Real Estate”, as in “the Real Estate told me that the vendor wouldn’t accept an offer below X”. To me, the Real Estate is the property itself, not an individual.

The variation in Australian accents is nowhere near as noticeable as that encountered in the UK or the USA. I could not tell what state a person is from merely by listening to their accent. Many sources assert that to all intents and purposes there are no regional differences and identify three sociocultural classifications: general, broad and cultivated.

Someone referred to uniformity in Australia. I think that’s right. Not just in accents, but in the sameness of the ghastly suburbs.

10 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

 One problem with real estate reporting in Australia is that much of it is based on press releases handed out by the Real Estate Institute, which represents real estate agents.  They're always spinning the news to encourage people to buy - either it's "prices are surging, get in fast before you miss out" or "prices are low, it's the perfect time to buy".  

Yes. Fairfax/channel 9 founded/owns Domain and News Corp owns Real Estate.

I’m not aware of any other developed country where the two largest media organisations own the two largest online real estate sites.

Often the online status is changed almost immediately after the ceremony I.e. within 30 mins. It is somewhat odd that is not the case for you.

However, regardless of what Immi website says, you are regarded as a citizen as soon as you take the oath.

2 hours ago, NicF said:

Including by yourself.  Where do DIBP state that they do keep processing citizenship applications while you are out of the country?

Where do they state that they don’t?

The onus is on the person making the claim.