Raplin45

Just as a side note re. the 491 --> 191 pathway, they've removed the minimum income requirement now which makes it feel a little less conditional - live/work where you've said you would for 3 years, don't do anything douchey and you should be good. Although it still says it in the headline, if you click through to details it says - You must hold an eligible visa for at least three years provide notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for three income years out of the five years of your eligible visa. There is no minimum income requirement have complied with the conditions of the eligible visa you hold or have held

Hiya, last I heard nothing had been formalised for the UK but it's been a couple of months since our quarantine request went in so fingers crossed for you there's been a relevant update. An email address that might be worth contacting for clarification is PetExports@apha.gov.uk if you're in the North, or you may be able to find the equivalent competent authority for gov.ie of course, maybe here - gov.ie - Contact the Department (www.gov.ie) Good luck!

Perhaps null and void was bad wording, I meant if the address on your UK license isn't up to date and you need to show it when driving on UK roads for whatever reason (albeit of course you can drive in the UK on your Australian license) it's illegal and therefore has an associated fine, what happens after that of course I'm unsure...

I was having a look at this as also curious, looks like it's a no no if you technically have no valid UK address/use someone else's address as your own incorrectly. Some guidance here - Can You Renew Your UK Driving Licence as an Expat?– Keith Michaels Insurance I guess you don't have to hand the existing one in per se, but to be valid your address and residential status has to be accurate, so if you move away from the UK and convert to a license in your new 'home country', it becomes null and void. That's my interpretation anyway.

I think the money side of pet transport is by the by...if you can afford to do it then it's your call what you spend money on. People spend money on golf and I couldn't imagine anything more unfulfilling...but horses for courses isn't it. In terms of rehoming, if you haven't got friends/family that you can rehome them with (as is the case with me), knowing that they will live a happy and comfortable life then I'd rather them have a crappy month of flying/quarantine and a great rest of life than rehome them with someone who might treat them poorly for the duration, again, circumstances play a massive part. This is me trying to be objective about it of course, I love my cats, and absolutely wouldn't just swap a cat for a cat on the other side like they're a kitchen table

Hey - worth looking at something called a Move Cube if you're not taking enough stuff to warrant a container but more than your suitcases. They do various sizes based on your requirements. As long as there's no immediate need for that stuff as it's a boat ride so 90 - 110 day delivery time. I *think* that's what we'll be doing when we emigrate in October time.

As far as I'm aware, from my experience last year, you have to have the medical booked in within the 28 days, not actually have the medical. I don't think anyone on a forum (unless they're a migration agent of course who knows the timeline!) can factually tell you what date is safe and what isn't though, so possibly best to seek professional guidance.

Hiya, As others have suggested it's worth speaking to your preferred travel company early on (we're using PetAir and they've been great so far). The rabies thing is obvs key as you say as once they've had the jab you then need to have the bloods done (about 30 days later) to confirm that it's been effective and then from that point on you have to wait 180 days before they can travel. With the rule change this year the rabies certification only lasts for 12 months rather than 24 but that can be renewed without having to wait the 180 days again with bloods and a retest. Most of the vaccinations used are effective for 3 years I think. Once that's all sorted you crack on with the import permit and once you have that you can book them into quarantine. Definitely tricky when you're waiting for visa grants etc., but your travel company should outline everything clearly. Hope that helps a bit

I hope it all goes smoothly for you! Ours finally got granted last week (491 SA also) so hopefully we won't be too far behind you!

I'm really glad someone has said this as that is my plan when I get to that point! Everyone's different of course but this gives me confidence that I'm not totally nuts

Hey, erratic is definitely a word for it! I'm a 491 applicant who has now been waiting 9 months and I see grants come in daily for people who have applied after me in non-priority occupations. Equally I see them popping in for people who have been waiting much longer but in much smaller numbers. Feels like the focus is definitely the 22/23 applications though which I guess ties in with what Ausvisitor said around SLAs. Not much fun!

Agree with VERYSTORMY, I'm not in a position to make the journey yet but PetAir have been super helpful with quotes, planning and running through the process with me. They're also the go-to for my vet for any international queries.

Hiya, To the best of my knowledge all visa terms that apply to your wife will also apply to you as you would have made a commitment to the state/region that your 491 is linked to, so if/when you go to apply for permanent residence when applicable you can show that you met the terms of your visa. The remote working thing I'm not 100% on as I've seen some different answers - my agent suggested it would be ok but I have seen others say the company you work for must be based in the regional area. We're aiming for South Australia so Adelaide is included which makes it less of a concern for us. I'd like to think your agent would be able to give you the advice you need though on those queries. As a side note (and I'm sure you've weighed everything up re. points and sought advice from your agent so feel free to totally ignore me ), from what I've seen there's a high focus on visas being allocated to medical professionals at the mo so would the 189/190 be an option if your job is better suited to one of the major cities'?

Trying to sit tight and be patient while waiting for a visa to be granted and receiving this email asking for more people to apply

Yeah I agree, seen so many people who have English as a first language and various qualifications but struggle to get max points on the writing because you're trying to tick the IELTS box, not the 'actually good at English' box.