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:err: Hi Please help we cant make our mind up on whether to go to Sunshine Coast of Gold Coast. How far is it between the two? Property seems bit cheaper on sunshine coast, but we have never been. We love the gold coast but only visited on holls! I am 33, my hubby 34 and we have 2 boyz aged 15 &11. Which do you think would most suit them. I know its our decision and suppose big influence is where the work is, my hubby is a joiner and I am a nail technician. But I think it would also make it easier for us if the kids are happy to! My youngest Jamie is really into his Footy!! (English Footy!) and golf. My eldest is really into boxing, he is doing really well and is good at it! Which area is there plenty to do for the boys, the last thing I want is for them to isolated from things, want to be where there is lots going on, but not slap bang in middle of tourist spot! Any info would be greatly appreciated!!! Thankx Jan

Ok, so we're at the magical 6 months stage. So far so good. The 'novelty' is wearing off and day to day life is much the same as in the UK. So what makes for lasting happiness and contentment? I remember feeling awestruck when I first arrived and still do to an extent but I recognise that the rose-tints do wear off. I ask not because I am anticipating problems but because I read so much on here about people suddenly realising..that the UK is home. My life is good here, I still have the 'I live in Australia' moments, I'm convinced my kids will have and are having a 'better' upbringing out here. Define better, lol. My OH is yet to find work. This is probably the most worrying aspect..though we are Ok financially, a man needs to work for his own self-respect. I know something will turn up..just a long time waiting! At the end of the day it doesn't really matter and we will do, what we will do, but I'm interested to hear peoples opinions/views on how to establish yourself here for the long-term. Do external factors step in...or are there specific steps we can take to ensure a succesful long term outcome. I would hate to uproot the kids at a crucial stage in their develpment/education etc. Can it be done? Or does it just 'happen'? Or am I (as I suspect!) overthinking!:cute:

I'm having another 'Pro Australia day'!!!..... I've been adamant I want to go home ever since I got here? there are so many good reasons I have for returning to the UK! Family/friends/seasons/culture/TV/lifestyle.....yes lifestyle!/security/belonging/schools/Tescos... and it's cheaper!!..... you name it!! so why oh why am I once again questioning my decision to return?? I am driving myself crazy.... I have a 15 year old son who's education Is first and foremost in my mind.... if I go it has got to be before September so he at least has a chance to catch up (education being slightly behind here!!) Hubby coming round to the idea... my twins okay about going back too!.... my eldest however!!!! Why did I ever go down this road??? yours desperate!! :arghh:

:cute: Hi there, I have just arrived back from Caloundra after a 3 wk research holiday with my family, my hubby, 8yr old daughter & 13mth old twin son's...looked at schools, houses etc and had a fab time, just back in UK now to sell our house and back we come!! Got permanent visa's all sorted so we can't wait. Would love to make friends with any-one from the area, even better if you have got little one's yourself, as we have no friends out there and would love to hear how everyone goes about getting together for barbies...as we seen out there on the beaches...is there any groups to join to make friends...any info would be fab Hoping for my daughter to go to Currimundi state school...any views on that would also be fantastic, and we are hoping to make a good bunch of friends to help us settle in so we don't get home sick xxx:unsure:

need advise on many things really, my daughter is 12 and my son nearly 3, we need to save so do we wait and hope my skill is not taken off the skill list, or do i apply for visa now ?? no time is really a good time to take kis out of school so shall i wait till she has sat her exams at 16, is it best to get sponsorship or do it yourself.as a family we would love to make the move but just cant agree on the time. :arghh:

Can anyone tell me what the cheapest make of car is in Oz? We only want to buy a small car and as we know nothing about cars, think that buying new might be the safest option for us. Any advice would be fantastic Thanks Emma x

Would REALLY appreciate help. Short version of story came to Oz in 1986 when was 17 settled for short periods of time but always wanted to go home now have 2 kids with x-husband who is aussie am taking them to Uk in 2013 when they will be 15 and 13 IF and I know it a big if....they wanted to stay what would the chance be of the courts saying we could....x hubby would oppose....any body done anything similar .......thank you so much xx

Hi we are both 33 years old and have a 7 month old son,we are at caboolture and would like to meet some new friends....

My family and I, (partner and 4yr old son) moved out here 3 weeks ago and was wondering if there is anyone out there who feeling a bit down like myself and would like to meet for a coffee? I am not regreting the move, I already have family living here for company but I would like to establish my own friends. We are currently residing in Duncraig for another 3 weeks and currently looking for a long term rental in the Madeley area. Cat

Hi everyone, Is it normal to fear the unknown??? Since starting the whole process of emigrating we have been really excited and felt privileged to be in a position to move to Australia. Then when we put the excitement to one side and get to the nitty gritty of actually putting it all into practice, my god this is the scariest thing we probably will ever do. I was on a high last Tues cause we had our medicals and pcc done, had the house valued and the removal guys round for quotes and that is when we realised just what it all entails. Today after dropping my daughter off at school reality really hit home the forsale board in the garden!!! I was just wondering if other people in the same situation have all these mixed emotions going round, although I have not changed my mind about moving to Oz I feel very nervous of the unknown, and if I am honest I am worried about leaving family and friends. How does this Roller Coaster ride make you feel?? I hope its just not me!! :jiggy:

Could someone be so kind as to give us some advice We want to get a sponsorship on the mines but it seems like this is never going to happen. After sending over 50 CV's , It feels like we are stepping backwards. Should we apply for a visa to move to Australia first and then worry about the work later. Has any one been through this process? It seems as though the mines want people who are already living out there as most of the jobs state -Australian citizen's only to apply. Are the mines cutting back on the staff that side? I believe it's really bad in South Africa now. A lot of mines closing again. Glad we got out of there while we had the chance. We dream of the lifestyle in Oz....almost like living in South African but without the crime. Your life seems a lot more layed back and family conscious than the UK. We have no social life here. It's all work and no play! Sean:mad::eek:

hi just wondering what peoples thoughts are on when a person becomes valid to qualify to make a judgement about australia, is it o.k. after say 1 week, or maybe 1 year, if its a year then i dont qualify myself as i am six weeks short of it, maybe 2 years or maybe more than 5 years, just wondering what peoples feelings are on this????

Switch to a 176 sponsered before its to late. Do not let it spoil your dreams for the sake of ONLY IF I HAD CHANGED go on do it now.

Hi guys.. After the awful news this morning regarding the updated CSL....:no: I just wondered how IMMI get the idea and do the research for this list.. I mean for example my profession electrician (special class) is currently on ALL the states sponsorship lists.. Yet its been removed from the CSL????:confused: Looking at the list it states secondary school teacher, yet this is not listed on every states sponsorship list?? Surely IMMI would consult with all state governments before producing such a list wouldn't they?? What do you guys think??

Hi, Has anyone made an offer on land being privately sold (by real estate rather thann developer) in WA? We want to make an offer & real estate agent says they will write it up for us but I'm worried that there are clauses we should have in it that we know nothinng about & we'll be taken advantage off. Has anyone done this? Did you use a solicitor? Thanks Jules

HI I am Grace and I am 9, we want to move to Perth from Liverpool and mum says we are hoping to be there around Halloween time 2009 I would love to make friends now and when we get to Perth thanks Grace I also have a little brother alex who is 2 :wub:

Hi, I;m sure there must be someone out there with a little more knowledge than me on visas! My aunt is 63 and has recently lost her husband. She has one son in UK and one in Aus. She is currently in Melbourne visiting and would love to move out if possible. I know with balance of family this could be possible but can anyone suggest exactly how she can do it? My mum has applied for CPV and is intending to go over on 12 mth tourist visa while it is under consideration. Could my aunt do this? Is there an age limit for CPV applicants? If she didn't want to go down this line yet, could she do a 12 mth visa and spend a year in Aus to see if it was what she really wanted to do and then perhaps renew it? Any suggestions anyone has would be very gratefully received. Thanks guys Sarah x

Our lovely Aussie next door neighbour Boyd has asked if there are any generous people on this forum looking to sponsor/donate to a charity motorcycle event he is staging. It's called The Ride of Fire and it's to help raise money for the victims of the Victorian Bush Fires and Northern Queensland Floods, The event is running from the 2nd to the 10th March and you can donate now. He and his mates are riding Harley Davidson's from Cairns (QLD) all the way down to Albury (VIC) over the next 8 days, if you own a Harley and are on route Boyd say's you are welcome to join him and his friends whether it be for 1 hour or all the way to the finish. For anyone who lives on the Sunshine Coast you may have seen him on the 6pm channel 7 news last night and he also appeared in the Sunny Coast Daily this week promoting this event. He understands that many, many people have donated to this tragedy already through other charities and in this tough economic time giving money to others while trying to keep a roof over your head is difficult, but do take some time out to realise that many hundreds of survivors of this tragedy are living in tents with no homes or wordly possesions to go back too. So even if you donate only $1 that is $1 more than these people had yesterday and it would mean so much to them as these victims have lost everything lives, homes and livelyhoods and for this he is sure they will be forever grateful..... Boyd personally say's Thank you and he hope to see you at one of the many stop off points along the way....

Hi everyone, Just waiting for our visas hope to move beginning Sept 2009. But can we actually afford it? When we started the process before the credit crunch we thought we would take 30,000 no probs. But we have been unable to sale the house and will have to rent it out. Therefore we will have £12,000 ( not including flights and a few nights in the hotel, as we have other money for these) to take with us. I ve been reading all the posts and jobs look harder to come by. My partner is a sparky and i am a qualified teacher, but work in the youth and community sector. We have a 19 month old and plan to move to Geelong, Vic. My question is, is £12,000 going to be enough to rent a small house/ apartment, buy a old car, ship out some stuff and buy some stuff, and pay the bills for four months? or are we being unrealistic? if anyone can give me a breakdown of costs that would be great. I promise to do the same. Cheers, Jen, Dan and baby lois xx:wub:

If you haven't read any of my previous posts, I will start from sratch..... We have always wanted to emigrate. Have been to NZ twice (both islands) and Melbourne once. We have lots of friends in both countries (Auckland, Christchurch, Gold Coast and Melbourne). I wanted to go to Auckland. Hubby wants to go to Aussie (Gold Coast/Brisbane - didn't think much to Melbourne when we stayed there) So, finally hubbies twins have grown up and started there own lives so we are ready to take the plunge. Now, I was OK with the whole Aussie GC thing untill my irrational fear of spiders over took me LOL I haven't stopped thinking about it for 2 days solid now lol So the decision is Aussie or NZ...... He qualifies on both points scores for emigration to either country - Hubby is an electrician. Does anyone have any advice on the subject 1 - If you get an Aussie visa could you go to either country to live/work 2 - I heard the wages are lower in NZ, but would it be much of a difference 3 - People keep posting that there are no jobs for trades even though they are on the Aussie shortage list??????? Would the prospects in NZ be better???? I know it may sound stupid to some people but I seriously would need hypnotherapy before I moved move to Aussie.......... :laugh: Any opinions and advice welcomed...... Applying for visa next week so need to make the decsion - but it will be one or the other...... No plans to opt out and stay in the UK.... there is nothing for us here anymore :no:

Hi all!:cute: Firstly, we'd like to say how helpful this page has been during our initial search for info into our options. As a result, we signed up so that we could benefit from the knowledge pool of the members on here - especially considering our search for straight answers has proved to be unsuccessful at this point (which I'm sure many of you can relate to). Anyway, to provide details in our current situation, we (my girlfriend & I) are looking into applying for a De facto/Spouse visa (NOT a Prospective Marriage Visa) in the UK (rather than in Australia). To complete the picture, here's our info: I'm an Aussie citizen & my girlfriend is a UK citizen out here in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa. We met online & last April (after almost a year of chatting, msging, emails, etc) I went to the UK to meet her in person & spent a few months living there with her & her family until mid August. We then travelled to Greece & stayed there together for another 2 & a half months before flying back to Australia. We've been living in a unit together here in Adelaide since late Sept & we will both be flying back to the UK again this Sept (2 days short of a year). Reason for this post is, we are looking into applying for a De Facto/Spouse Visa (so that my girlfriend can come back to live in Australia with me permanently) but do not know for sure if all our cohabiting (both here in Australia & abroad) will count as being well & truly over the 12 month cohabitation requirement. If we were to provide Stat Dec's from both our families would this cater for the fact that we do not have financial statements etc for the time we were living together overseas. Better still, would this time overseas even be counted (despite the fact we WERE in a 'committed relationship', etc as per the requirements). The other thing we should mention is that we are specifically looking to apply for the Visa when we return to the UK in Sept as we've read that it IS cheaper to apply for in the UK (& potentially faster). Considering we will only be in the UK for about a month, we were thinking we could hand the paperwork in as soon as we arrive there & then wait for it to be approved. If the Visa is not approved within the month we are there, we are thinking that my girlfriend can come back to Aust on a temp tourist visa to wait out the remaining waiting period. At this point as far as evidence goes, we have: Evidence of my helping to pay for our airfares (bank statements) X-mas cards from my girlfriend's family that address us both Emails while I was in the UK from my family which also addressed us both Copies of our flights e-tickets Emails to each other, photos, etc A unit lease with both our names on The gas/electricity bills in both our names. The only other thing I should mention in regards to our 'evidence' is that due to my being in a better position financially the bank statements referred to above would be mine. Also, we were told by my bank that we cannot open a joint account or even have my girlfriend made signatory as my account has a Visa debit option on it & they can't let a non-Australian resident have access. Oh, and we are more than likely going to organise all our stat dec's, do the medical/police check etc BEFORE being asked to put them in (hoping that this will speed up the process). In addition, we are thinking of dropping the application in personally as opposed to relying on the UK mail service. If you're still with me after this epic story you're doing well! Jus thought I'd add ALL relevant details so that you guys can answer us first up without having to play msg tennis Anyway, along with my question regarding the 12 month cohabitation requirement, we'd also like to know what our chances currently are in having the application approved if we were to put one in as planned. Any other useful advice would be VERY much appreciated at this point!!! Thanks everyone George & Emily

:idea:Hi everyone My 27 yearold daughter has just gone to Sydney on a year's working visa - totally all by herself. Things are only moviing slowly and there have been a few unexpected glitches. She needs to meet up with people in a similar position and network/keep each other positive/social etc. How should she go about this? Concerned Mum!

HI ALL Well don't know where to start After waiting for pathway D to reopen we decided to go pathway E. Went to see agents and told them Tim is a plasterer and roofer so they know from the start. Tim paid £2000 for an AQF III in solid plastering and passed his TRA. The visa appliction was going really well ! thought it was all do until another person from the agent looked at the file and decided it all had to be changed.:shocked: I only rang to see if the bloody stat dec was ok NIGHTMARE or WHAT. George's birth certificate had plasterer and roofer on it but I could not change it ( you can change you bloody sex but not your occupation ! The marriage certificate and tax forms have builder on them. We have also tried to change them but no luck it has taken 3 months to do this :mad: So got an email from the agent saying what do you want to do ??????????? Thought that was what we were paying them for. Right so this is where you all come in to this moan (sorry) has any of you passed your 175 pr visa with anything different on your tax forms ect as I really am doubting if we will get it now and it is a flipping long wait not knowing. Please help me sleep at night. Emma and family x

well my family have said we should attempt to move to Aus, I have a couple of questions if anyone can help. Do you need to find a job before you move? Do you need funds to take with you or can you rent a property in Aus and rent our own house out in the uk? how long does this take and how much will it cost? really happy if anyone can help me. thanks x:biggrin:

Hi Everyone, We are new to this so hoping to get some great tips and advice..... We are a young couple and trying to decide whether to move to Oz or not, really, deep down we both want to do it and have nothing to lose as we have no responsibilities but it is still such a huge and scary decision :arghh: We spent 10 months travelling/working around Oz and fell in love with the country but it would still be great to get some advice on where to live, jobs etc.... My boyfriend is a builder so will be heading wherever the work is! We are off to an emigration exhibition next week so hoping that will also help us make our HUGE decision! any help or chat from people in the same boat as us would be great :rolleyes: xxxxx