Blue Manna

4 hours ago, kmrg said:

For anyone following this thread. We have arranged Sterling Insurance cover for driving a family member's car on an Australian licence for 4 weeks. The cost is 320GBP, which is significantly less than the car hire prices.

What's the excess if you don't mind me asking?

There's a Disney in Hong Kong.

5 hours ago, Sandgroper said:

No sorry I'm calling BS British people do not move to be in a community of British people that simple is not true.

Some do. It's not exactly Southall or Bradford, but you do get areas on the northern coast where you do get a higher density of poms 

On 08/04/2024 at 13:34, Shaxy said:

Hey! My partner and I recently graduated as engineers and were planning to apply for the 476 visa, but unfortunately, it got canceled. Currently, we've enrolled in a master's program and are looking for jobs in our field (ICT), while also exploring any viable visa options for us. From what we've found, we could apply for a nomination by the Australian government, but first, we need to go through an expensive process to confirm our qualifications and a costly language test. Is there a better and more reliable option?

Seriously, if Australia don't want you with engineering degrees, you don't want Australia. Australia is screaming for engineers! Migration guys, how do these guys get to Australia?

5 hours ago, rammygirl said:

Last time we left Aus as dual citizens I tried to check in with my Uk passport as we were going to Vietnam and didn’t need a visa with a Uk passport. 
The check in desk were confused. 
Turns out they need to know you can return to Aus so need to see a visa or Aus passport. Never happened before. 
Airline checkin is different I to passport control. 
I was told to use Uk Passport entering and leaving migration control at Vietnam airport but to show both passports to airline checkin. 
 

I messed up and did an online check in to leave Australia on my UK passport and it didn't go through and got quite complicated. They have those horrible auto checking things in Perth airport and they wouldn't let me through, even when I used the Australian one. Too ages to get a person to help.

9 hours ago, Bulya said:

Just don’t see the fly problem since the dung beetles were introduced.   

You obviously weren't in WA last summer then. The damned things could have carried us away.

4 hours ago, Lots of questions said:

Hello,

We are hoping to move after the UK summer, so we are in the process of going through all of our belongings to work out what to take, scrap, sell etc.

I've hit the winter clothing box and I'm a bit stumped. I know it gets quite cold in winter in Adelaide, but is it worth taking thermals, water proof suits for the kids, waterproof over trousers, thick winter coats etc or would we get away with thinner winter coats and wellies? We are planning on taking the least possible and not having a container or anything!

Thanks

I'm not familiar with Adelaide weather. But I know on the west coast I've seen it rain so hard I've had to stop the car as visibility was zero.

How old are the kids? Ours used to grow out of that stuff so fast anyway. 

Thermals I'd probably give a miss. Layers would be more useful than thick winter coats. 

8 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Judging by the recent rise in people posting here, saying they're desperate to get out of the UK, you'll find things are not what they were.  However, I'm sure you also realise that's not the point.  

Some people are nomads. Anywhere they choose to live can be 'home'.  It's not a rational thing, it's just the way they're made.  And it never really changes.

Other people are deeply attached to their homeland.  It's not a rational, logical thing, it's just the way they're made.  And it never really changes.

If you're that second kind of person, Australia could be a paradise and your homeland an absolute dump, and you'll still be happier in your homeland.  

I once read something about a migrant bringing Union jack doormats and the like, and they were adamant they were going to retain their Britishness despite moving to Australia. I always wonder how they got on.

3 hours ago, Toots said:

The winters in Sydney never bothered me at all.  Sure you got cold days but the whole time I lived there I never needed an overcoat.  I used to wait at the train station going to work and I'd be surrounded by other females dressed in thick winter coats, boots, scarves and gloves.  I honestly never felt it cold enough.  I used to look forward to staying with friends in Blackheath (Blue Montains) during winter for a dose of real wintery weather.  Loved it!  

It also helps if you ensure your house is well insulated.  Most of the houses are not built to a decent standard.  Never could understand why they aren't.

Same 

I've often thought I could get dressed in the dark and still be the best dressed person on the street in most Australian cities.

The only thing I would say is that if they wanted to hit you with a glass bottle they would have. Australians tend to be quiet sporty. Still, I would think this is unacceptable.

Did you find those app things on the tables in pubs and restaurants that you can scan on your phone and then just order from the website? I found them excellent and much easier than going up to the bar. That was WA, but I would have thought east coast would have them?

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

"Dual" just means you've got two separate citizenships which have nothing to do with each other.  

The passport is British so the Australians can't touch it.  And the fact that you've chosen to be an Aussie citizen is irrelevant to the Brits.

In fact, it's worth noting that when your UK passport runs out, you don't have to renew that if you don't want to.  If you go on holiday to the UK, you'll be able to enter on your Aussie passport as a tourist and no one will be any the wiser.  Not strictly what you should do but it works.

Tbh I've never understood why Australia insists on it. I've always wondered whether other countries are more like the UK, or more like Australia.

7 minutes ago, Nemesis said:

It can be done, but it takes time, turning up with British passport, citizenship certificate and plenty of time can achieve it, as the check in staff then check with Aus Immigration as to your status. But it takes up everyone's time and makes you very unpopular not just at check in, but t all transit stops and when coming through Immigration to enter Australia. 

I know they did that during COVID. Good to know it still works.

2 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

No offence, but giving away citizenship at whim like that is a bit of a smack in the mouth to those who have done their time as individuals to earn it, and it would likely still open the door to a fair bit of abuse by a good old number of those who want to make a profit. Plenty of countries where you can slip notes to officials for marriage docos.

25 years married to me mate? She deserves a bloody Victoria cross, order of Australia, and an MBE. 

2 hours ago, rtritudr said:

I'm more than happy to be faffed around if it means that I can save AUD500 which is the cost of an overseas Australian passport application.  My foreign passport only cost me AUD72.

I would be surprised if they let you on the plane to Australia without an Australian passport.

On 13/03/2024 at 05:14, can1983 said:

I'm confused why would you not apply for a partner visa? I can't see why you wouldn't get pr straight away given time together and children. Leaving the country every 3 months isn't free either and you can't work to pay for the visa so overall surely its financially better to pay for the visa

Once you have pr you can work, get health care etc.

If you leave say 6 months after getting pr you can keep coming back for a few weeks a year as you please.

You can get a RRV if you need to should your travel facility expire. Holidays would meet the 1 day every five years requirement and you would always have significant ties to Australia having two citizens as children.

By not getting pr now you are only going to create the possibility you wont get a visa in the future should your relationship breakdown etc.

We'll probably have to go down that route eventually. It's a shame the government won't acknowledge our 25 years together, concede you get less for murder and just give my wife citizenship without going through all the hoops and halabaloo of applying for a visa. But I guess they have to give the foreign office staff something to keep them busy or they start plotting revolutions in far off lands or some such thing.

If you were going to spend 3 months in SW WA, which 3 months would you spend?

I'm toying with Oct,Nov,Dec, or Jan,Feb,mar?

I know winter is quiet special down there, but I'd prefer the summer months.

Life would be simpler if the UK and Australian tax years were in sync. Although it has worked to my advantage before, I can imagine it could easily work against you.

Are you leaving Australia? Or the UK?

33 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

Thanks for including the link so I could read the whole article.

These proposals are set to be implemented in April 2025, by which the time the current government will almost certainly no longer be in power. So will they still go ahead?

I think it's unusual for an incoming government not to uphold laws which have been declared by the preceding government. Certainly not unless they actively campaigned against them.

8 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Sounds good on paper Toots, but the reality now is many more miserable, rainy days, compared to when we were growing up when you could expect a good dollop of snow combined with sunny frosty days, which made winter far more bearable.

Incidentally, footpathmap.co.uk worked really well in WA. Best walking app I've found. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell you where knee deep mud is. But that's rarely a problem in WA. Unlike the swamp that the UK currently is.

11 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

I don't think that's quite how it works in practice. When completing your Australian tax return you declare if you're an Australian resident or non-resident for tax purposes, so you decide. I've been here over 25 years and completed a tax return almost every year during that time, and the ATO has never stipulated that my tax residency was different to what I claimed it to be.

It's a long time since I've completed a UK tax return, but I assume you are required to make a similar declaration to the HMRC. Everything is automated these days, and I'd have thought the only time a tax authority will start looking into your circumstances more closely is if you appear to be evading taxes in their jurisdiction.

I've never had a problem with the double taxation agreement before. Maybe if you have really complicated stuff it might be difficult, but it always seemed really simple to me.

32 minutes ago, paulhand said:

They avoided a lot more than just inheritance tax: https://www.taxadvisorypartnership.com/advisory-services/non-dom/

In 2022, the Guardian estimated that “Rishi Sunak’s wife has potentially avoided up to £20m in UK tax by being non-domiciled and pays £30,000 a year to keep the status – revelations that come amid growing political pressure on the chancellor.” (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/07/rishi-sunaks-wife-says-its-not-relevant-to-say-where-she-pays-tax-overseas?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)

 

I thought she had changed that? But I'd be surprised if they pay any inheritance tax. They would trust it surely? 

I thought pensions sat outside of inheritance tax, as does life insurance payments. Does super fit this description?

I also thought gilts weren't covered if owned by non residents.

I've always thought it a very unfair tax on the working class who have done well.

51 minutes ago, ramot said:

Not looking for problems, just pointing out some of the realities, as possibly one of the very few posters who has actually experienced living between 2 countries for over 30 years,  Makes sense to me, to listen, and then weigh up the advice that has been given to help you in your decision.

Been coming to Australia every year for 4-6 weeks. Initially we'll extend that to 8-12 weeks. Eventually we'll need a longer term solution.

I'll be asset rich income poor so maintaining two houses isn't a drama although it won't be necessary initially, and tax won't be a problem. I'm a cheap date, so the money side is fine.

We will have our kids living in the UK property as adults initially. This isn't going to be a massive change. It'll be a low risk thing we evolve into.

This isn't my thread, so I think people should stop hijacking it worrying about me when you really don't need to. I know what I'm doing.

44 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

That's what would stop me.  Before we retired, we talked about spending several months of each year abroad, but I soon realised it's just not practical.  When would I go?

I'm active in the U3A (university of the 3rd age) and attend various dance classes and social dances.  No matter what time of year I chose, I'd miss out on some event or activity that I don't want to miss.  There is a camaraderie in these groups;  if you're away for long periods, you can lose that, and it takes a while to settle in again when you come back. 

Basically I'm so busy enjoying myself, I barely have time for a holiday, let alone disappearing for months at a time.  I guess it would be different if I still had close family overseas.

That's easy. The UK in summer is the best place in the world. But I'd rather not spend another shitty wet winter in the UK.

Whilst my parents are alive we could do four months in Australia with no structural changes. After they pass we will find a more permanent solution.

Everyone seems to go looking for problems sometimes, when there really are no huge obstacles.