Robert Dyson

That would be it Yes, i remember when i started paying mine (years ago) i had to prove that i'd gone straight from UK employment into Australian employment to be allowed to pay C2. Otherwise it would have been the more expensive C3. https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions#:~:text=You can pay Class 2,least 3 years of contributions Living and working abroad Class 2 - but only if you worked in the UK immediately before leaving, and you’ve previously lived in the UK for at least 3 years in a row or paid at least 3 years of contributions Living abroad but not working Class 3 - but only if at some point you’ve lived in the UK for at least 3 years in a row or paid at least 3 years of contributions

Is there any difference between registering from Australia or from the UK....ie if i setup in Australia then i get a UK account added? I'm thinking of setting one up to help my Dad deal with transferring money over here. Given that i'd have to do everything for him anyway, I might just set one up in my name with my Australian mobile for the 2FA, and get a physical card sent here so he can use it.

There is something to be said for creativity and personality being stimulated from difficult circumstance, hardship and desperation. Treat em mean, keep 'em keen. Australia doesn't have as much of that as the UK does, but it's been cultural and economic policy in the UK for years to try and drive efficiencies through the class system. From that comes humour, character and personality as a defence mechanism. It's no secret that Liverpudlians are known for their humour, but it doesn't come from everybody being rich and living in comfort....it's been a mechanism to cope with life. The London Olympic's opening ceremony was perhaps the best description of British life I've ever seen, no other country on earth could have produced a demonstration of historical culture like that, but most of it came from ordinary people's creativity, experimentation and invention. The UK, certainly the music industry, isn't mostly populated by rich kids with the luxury to make a choice, it's dominated by people who had nothing at all and had to fight for everything they've had. Australia could never produce a Sex Pistols or a Beatles, because there is no cultural base born out of deprivation to enrich it. Australia is a wealthy country and people are overall, far more comfortable and secure than counterparts in the UK. It does lead to a sanitised, dull as dishwater atmosphere at times, because there is nothing really pressing that needs worrying about. Australians are generally well provided for, their societies are not overridden with crime, the provisioning for public spaces and facilities is generally excellent. They do not have much to complain about at all. That can actually become very boring and less stimulating than developing your character in much more difficult circumstances in the UK.

same reason as the Saffers, closest place to home. I would live in Perth if i needed a base for Asia, but why you would otherwise choose it over the East Coast is beyond me.

India is a different world, there's nowhere else like it. Following the first visit, we never again booked a traditional "english style" holiday to the usual European beach places..I mean why would you? Ended up doing India multiple times, then reached out all over the Asia Pacific and eventually we just decided to move to Australia after seeing a job advert...it was a 30 second conversation and we never looked back.

"My occupation is only eligible for the temporary skilled shortage visa route, meaning my employer renews it every two years and there's no path to permanent residency"

Shepherd's Bush used to be full of Saffa's and Aussie's, but they could earn enough from bar work and a good exchange rate to take enough money home with them to put down a house deposit. They can't do that anymore, so i read that most Aussie's now look for professional jobs in the city and have just elevated themselves above the old backpacker scene.

It would be a good base to explore from, you don't appreciate that when you live there. A lot of Aussies i know have amazed me with the breadth of their travel in Europe, far more than the British people i know. I guess that's because a lot have close family all over Europe..Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Croatia etc. The willigness to travel is also an Aussie thing, distance is no problem...they will hop in a car wearing a vest, shorts and flip flops and drive the equivalent of Birmingham to Glasgow to go for a meal. It's amazing. A bloke I worked with flew out on a Thursday to surprise his wife who working in Amsterdam. He was back at his desk on Tuesday morning. Spent 2 nights there ! The UK car thing is interesting....car hire prices have trebled in 2 years, am trying to book one for the new year and i cannot believe the prices they're asking for these tiny cars.

We have blackbirds on the south east coast, it appears to be very different from Perth, a lot more history and culture though nothing on the UK scale....4 very distinct seasons, currently you can hardly tell the difference from the UK, green and wet, misty mountains, rivers overflowing....though i guess why that's why they call it NSW. We have a lot working over here from WA, they won't go back until they retire when they want a more sedentary lifestyle. At the beginning of the pandemic a mate living up on the coast near Coffs Harbour got out and went back to the UK and has just spent 18 months in Presteigne, not far from Gloucestershire. Although he was locked down for an awfully long time and has been unable to return to his home in Australia when he wanted to, he's had a whale of a time immersing himself back in English pub culture, done lots of walking and retraced the Bruce Chatwin travel books, he's spending money on nice meals and generally reconnecting with an old culture, even if it had been forced upon him. He is now desperate to get back to Australia for the summer though, he doesn't fancy being stuck there for another winter. There is something to be said for taking long breaks...places can't make you happy if you're unhappy, they can relieve symptoms.

In ACT they're often the same person, especially for surgeries.....they just turn a different direction at the end of the corridor on some days. They even have private offices on the edge of public hospital campuses, and bridges between the public and private part of the hospital. One you get free, the other you pay for but they give you an extra biscuit.

I've never paid for pathology or blood tests from any referring doctor, or anything for ultrasound or CT scans....but when i went private for an invasive procedure (to save a 9 month wait), i had to pay for everything, there were various bills coming through for months from people i didn't even know had been involved. Insurance covered about half, medicare paid 25%, I paid the rest.

So does the label "everything" which you used in the previous sentence.

They're not people

Good news. If anything it's good because you'll get an automatic letter next year reminding of any available outstanding voluntary contributions to make. If you don't contribute for 2 years, they stop sending reminders and then you have to through the rigmorale of getting in touch with them again for an update..

It takes ages, and the pace of communication if you need anything is glacial.

An affliction is probably the right word. I remember Billy Connolly getting embroiled in the old stereotypical Scotsman talk and getting quite offended, even if he did used to tartan himself up. The gist was yes, it has lovely parts that resonate through nostalgia, but the concept of defining his and his family's whole life perspective based on the lump of rock that he had no choice but to be born onto was utter madness, especially as that life had dealt him a shit hand. Surely the idea was to be self-reliant and develop personal success, rather than tie yourself to something that would do nothing for you but you can then use as an excuse for anything that went wrong? Although meeting Pamela Stephenson seemed to widen his horizons for the better, so perhaps it still does just come down to personal and family contentment offering a more realistic perspective on priorities?

much harder to get rid of the trace and it depends on the ear as well. I met a lady serving in a shop once and asked her when she came here from Scotland. She looked at me with horror and said 1955, and that she didn't have a Scottish accent as far as she knew. Clear as a bell to me. My FIL is Scottish and he has a Scottish accent though has lived in England for 60 years. When he goes back to Glasgow they think he's English, they cannot pick up any Glaswegian at all.

Everybody needs roots, there are still people over here who religiously watch Coronation Street, or Eastenders, or Emmerdale. Same thing, humans are sentimental beings, it's what differentiates us and gorillas from the rest of the animal kingdom. I just think making yourself a slave to sentiment isn't healthy, neither is relying on a Government to do the right thing. One of the differences I notice in Australia is that it encourages people to take control of their own destiny, sometimes by tough love, sometimes by giving more opportunity than you'd get elsewhere. That generally sets up Australians for a very good life. If you can do that, you can visit the UK as often as possible to deal with the nostalgia, but without thinking you need it to survive.

I think you need counselling before making any decisions, and you need patience and probable mental health support. "Places" cannot make you happy or unhappy, they can amplify existing feelings. The worst thing you can is flip back to the UK and then find out it does nothing to solve your problems, and may even make them worse. We have posters on here who returned to the UK 15 years ago and they still cannot let go of their sense of failure. Their problems have little to do with geography and culture, it's more deep-seated than that. You talk about crooked government....have you seen what's going on in the UK right now, it is disgusting and sinister (see below). One of the biggest problems with going back somewhere is the expectation that it will be the same as when you left it. The UK will not be like that, and neither are the people or their attitudes. It is demonstrably getting worse by any number of measures.

I love threads like this She has a heart problem, can you not read ?

The exemptions are just to give separated families and specifically parents a head start to re-connect quickly and push them up the queue, they will want to open up to other VISA holders and foreign students asap so by Christmas i reckon the exemptions won't be an issue anyway.

it depends how long you want to wait in queues... Out on an Aussie, into UK with a Uk, out with a UK, in with an Aussie.

Here we are, just for getting through the travel restrictions https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/immediate-family-australian-citizens-or-permanent-residents-or-new-zealand-citizens-usually-resident-australia Parents of adult Australian citizens and permanent residents From 1 November 2021, the definition of ‘immediate family member’ will include the parents of adult Australian citizens and permanent residents. This is for the purpose of assessing exemptions to Australia’s travel restrictions only. The definition of parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents includes: biological parents legal (including adoptive) parents step-parents parents in-law. Before you can travel, you will need to have your relationship with your adult Australian child confirmed by submitting a travel exemption request. You must submit your request through the Travel Exemption Portal. Select the category ‘I am an immediate family member’ and then ‘parent of adult Australian citizen or permanent resident’. You will need to provide evidence of: your adult child’s Australian citizenship or permanent residency; and your parental relationship to the Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Yes, I meant parents of PR's and citizens. It will be interesting what they're considering to stop others using it as backdoor to future policy change....maybe making it retrospective but not for current or future applications. I'd assume this is a direct response to those separated by the pandemic and would be time-limited. Too right, I know loads, including me..anything to get them out of that godforsaken hole before it tanks any further...but i am sure that is under consideration. They need to ensure people are self-funding pay for any healthcare and to get that signed up to formally.

there is supposed to be some news this week regarding classification of parents of citizens or PRs as "immediate family" regarding the need for an entry exemption. This may just be a temporary fix or a waiver to prioritise parental reunions over the business or study VISA holders getting entry. However the PM announced this with no detail, so the Government website just refers you back to the PM's speech and says to wait for an announcement ! There is an election coming up fairly soon and the Morrison government may wish to do more to repair some of the criticism they have faced about the enforced separation of families...or maybe not.