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Hi guys, Just curious if anyone knows this. Myself and my girlfriend are 8 months into a strong partner visa application and during her medicals she tested positive to Hepatitis B. Immigration requested liver and blood tests - liver tests came back 100% OK - however the blood tests have come back HBsAg positive with evidence of chronic Hep B - this is understandable, she contracted it as a child and was treated, never had complications since. However more blood tests have returned and the doctor has advised us she needs to come back in for some sort of an injection. We were wondering if anyone knows, considering this is a family visa - how bad Hep B needs to be before they refuse the visa? Advice muchly appreciated. :unsure:

Hi all, Firstly, thanks for all the other threads in this forum. It has really helped us out knowing that we are not the only ones with this feeling of being constantly in 'limbo' and feeling like we don't belong here. I came out in Brisbane in 2000 and have been based here ever since. Here I met OH (also an expat, but German in origin) in 2004 and we have lived here since then (bar a year when we travelled around the world). We have just recently had a babe and feeling we should return home has become much stronger, as well as OH's mother not being too well at the moment. We want our respective families to enjoy being with our daughter. As such we have made the decision to return before the end of the year. However my family is giving us equal encouragement to come but negative views about the UK job climate. We appreciate what Australia has and the lifestyle on offer. As such its a difficult decision to make, and its been compounded by the fact that with a secure job here in Brisbane we could be giving up a lot for an uncertain future in the UK. So we would value any advice that you may have. I suppose our main question to help us move forward and follow through on our decision (or delay it!) is how the UK job market is looking and how it may be looking 6 months down the line... It would be good to get some information from people in the UK or those who have just returned, as an internet search about it is not bringing up much. I am working in IT and my OH is a commercial accountant working with SAP looking for work part time. We are predominantly looking at London, which is where all the work seems to be, but would move anywhere south of Manchester. Thanks again for any help... Good luck in your choices. Paul

for me its a good thing,its an oppertunity to mix,and blend with other ideas,and custums--not a bad thing to unite the world:wubclub:

Hi We have been here for appx 2.5 years now and thought I would pass on some of the good and bad experiences so far. General Info Before you set off.... Make sure you have a job to come to, low unemployment means not much to go after and a lot of competition, especially for part-time. Also to maintain your same standard of living you will need appx twice the salary you are earning in the UK - 95% of stuff is appx twice as expensive here - salaries are appx 1.5x here. If you are bringing your DAB radio make sure it is DAB+ otherwise it will not work. TV's - my friend works in TV broadcasting and says "won't work due to different number of lines that make up picture" - good enough for me, we did not bring ours and some reasonable bargains to be had on new here. (Several good electrical outlets - Harvey Norman, Bing Lee, J&B Hi-Fi - so plenty of competition) It will help to pack a multi-gang socket extension lead in your hand / hold luggage - remember all those gadgets (phones / ipods / laptops etc) with ac adaptor type power supplies, where are you going to plug them in when you arrive ??? find your nearest Bunnings and buy an bag of Aussie plugs for appx $3each Books are horrendously expensive, so yes heavy and take up room - but if you have space in your container - bring them. In fact make sure your container is full to bursting, because "we will buy that when we get over there" will hurt your wallet. Do not throw away you winter clothes - it does get "cold" here - it may only be 5C overnight in winter, but most of the houses are so poorly insulated it will feel much colder, likewise they do not retain heat so heating costs can mount up. No joke sometimes you put you jumper / jacket on to go in the house!! When you arrive Parking - roads are marked very well for where you can or cannot park, a 4P sign means free parking for 4 hours, but also 4P with "ticket" in small text - so be careful. You have to park facing the direction of traffic (1970's UK?) but I do not know how strictly this is enforced. In the city parking ranges from free (if you are lucky enough to find one) to $10 per hour and $15-30 all day at weekends - again worth weighing up public transport cost option. Sign up to "stardeals / groupon" on the web, excellent daily offers - just landed a diving course for half price. Been meaning to get open water certificate for years. The Entertainment Book" is a good buy (appx $65) you get a mass of vouchers for all sorts and easily pays for itself - any makes you get out there and try new stuff."It is available via schools and other organisations Good Weather (obviously) People - generally very friendly and helpful, but strangely lacking in manners - must be a city thing? (If someone lets you out at a junction, they are probably British) Facilities - when you start to find where things are - I am not a great shopper but there are some massive multi-level shopping centres (got lost several times) if you are. Plenty of gyms available and reasonable costs - like everything quite a variety and shop around. Also bartering is the norm so shake off that reserve and ask for a discount in almost anywhere - even small purchases - my wife just purchased an alarm clock which was priced at $24.90 and got it for $22. Food - The quality of the food when you eat out is better here generally than the UK but there are not the range of places to eat, a cafe will generally provide a very good meal (not the dried up leftovers you sometimes get in the UK) but there is not much difference between the "cafes" and "restaurants" - unless you spend big bucks. Service - The customer service is much better than UK when eating - genuinely please to serve and NO TIP expected (are you listening USA) so if you are more then happy you can leave a tip for that extra mile. Public Transport - The public transport system is excellent, efficient and reasonable price - use buses with a "ten-use" multi or single zoned ticket (cannot remember real name) and save more. You cannot often pay cash when in the city so better to have ticket to hand. Car Travel - Overtaking on the inside - brilliant! the UK should have adopted this years ago, no more "middle lane hoggers" (forget your years of lane discipline, quite often you will get over to the left only to find "lane ends in 200m sign" - very common on A/B roads) mostly automatic gearboxes of course - also good. Festivals - Again excellent (it's not called the city of festivals for nothing) something different in the city almost every weekend - and mostly free, you can find all day parking for $10 if you shop around. Bad House Prices - Purchase prices are bad enough but rental, as most of you will be doing at first are even worse. We had to raise our budget to over $650 PER WEEK to find anything half decent - it really is a sellers / landlord's market due to the shortage of housing Prices - OMG it is expensive here (I though I had done my research) If you are coming over make sure you are going to earm at least twice the amount you do in the UK. The only exceptions are, petrol, and BBQ's (that we have found so far) on average everything is double the price. I guess the UK economy and rubbish exchange rate / growing Australian economy has something to do with it but the urban myth of "well everything has to be shipped so far / we only have 20million population....." wears a bit thin when goods from China still cost twice as much than good old/bad Tescos would charge. Example - we were paying appx £35/month for broadband+phone - including all national calls and 10 international destination for 1 hour calls. We have just signed up for broadband+phone with some bundled calls (but expensive call rates) for $89/month (but obviously you can shop around & we didn't want to do 24mth commitment, which most of them are). Customer Service - Things like sorting out phones etc can be difficult because of being "department shoved" or people not returning calls - the warning of what is the difference between mobile phone salesmen and cowboys........very true. Since our original problems on broadband installation - I must say Optus customer service was pretty good. Real Estate Agents - As one of your main priorities when arriving is to sort out where you are going to live (and you will probably be renting first) then sorry but you will have to go through the horrible system here. You are treated like second class citizens by most agents and you have to compete for 90% of properties with many others, so when eventually you find a place you like - shop around again, huge variation - you may not get it and have to start over. Of course, the higher the rent, the less competition and agents start being more accommodating. It may sound obvious, but get a few properties you are interested in and do a drive by, you will not have time to waste on the day trying to decide which one's you are interested in. Roads - Car travel is pretty slow, we are from a village, but I used to travel extensively throughout the UK (but not so much in cities) the roereads are wide, but the combination of lower speed limits, lots of speed / red light cameras and so many sets of traffic lights - (American road grid system) mean do not expect to travel around quickly - in the UK you can work on an average of 50MPH, here it is probably 40KPH. Many major routes have toll charges, you can pay cash (but not always) but if you travel regularly then you have an "etag" - fix it to your windscreen and away you go. Luckily my company pays for mine as each toll point can cost $2-3 which can add up if you go through 3 on your way to work - also my sat nav (god-send of course) gives me the options and to be honest I have tried both toll and non-toll routes and there generally is not much difference in travelling time. Ugly Nothing really, but at first sight the dumping of stuff outside houses looks horrendous - you have 2 occasions per year (I guess it varies by area) to put unwanted stuff, furniture / diy projects etc out the front of your house. But when you get used to it, it is probably a better system than everyone making short trips to the tidy tip and it is a free for all - if you see something you like, just take it (some half decent stuff gets dumped - you could almost furnish a house!) It may be obvious, but the commuting is pretty bad, we only live 25kms from Sydney centre, but my wife has appx 1.25hours each way on the bus - and quite often does not get to sit down. General Stuff Thanks to some people who made our transition easier John Mason removals UK - a very professional service and we were kept up to date this end of our stuff arriving (by Wridgeways - Aussie counterparts) Lisa and Darren - you know who you are, thanks for inviting complete strangers into your home to offer some word of advise - Darren's "the first 3 months can be ****" very true !! (about 1 month for me) - stick with it and soon it becomes "normal" I hope this helps if you are unsure of what to expect, it might seem a daft comment but it is a BIG country so expect your general travelling to be longer Aussies will say "ah yeh, it's just down the road" = 100km.

Hi All Just food for thought, please dont take this the wrong way Are you just as bad as the Muslims? When moving to Australia are you wanting to move into a British community? or has part of your choice of area have anything to do with friends or family living in that area? Are your parents talking about moving over to be with you? When in Australia are you searching out English pubs, foods, magazines shops etc? Do you not crave bits of the UK you miss? Australia was founded by the British and has grown over time to have its own identity but your churches, food, languge way of life, family values are all very similar to what you have in the UK. But for some reasons are not enough (for most) Why cant Muslims and other races have the same? why cant they have there home comforts?, the difference is they have darker skin so it sticks out alot more. I agree you need to make an effort to assimilate into your community and you need to make the effort, but if your being told to f*** off and go home etc how long will you keep trying before you give up? All parties are at fault here! not every English person is racist nor every Asian a terrorist. Just my views, I'm not judging nor should anyone else What are yours Geoffrey

Ive been a member of an adults only naturist club for some years now,its realy liberating i find. Theres nothing better than sitting around with a few freinds having a beer and a game of pool without the restraints of clothing. Ok some of the older members put you off your meals a little bit tbh but im not perfect either. I particularly like the open air badminton games,theres nothing like feeling the earth/grass on your feet,the wind in my hair,leaping thru the air like a salmon towards the shuttlecock and cracking a shot off over your opponent:wubclub:. Any other naturists out there or people with an opinion on it?good,bad,natural or pervy?:wideeyed:

Is there anyone out there that is currently or has used Silver Trowel in Perth to study. My son was initialling thinking of using ST for a two year bricklaying course as their web site is very convincing. However, having read various formus on other Expat sites now he is not so sure. Some people are very disappointed with ST and said they dont offer anything like they suggest. Also it appears bricklaying is the main choice of a lof of people and many brickies, builders are on the forums saying there is no work available once you have completed the course anyway. I would like to hear from anyone who has used ST or is on a course at the moment in Perth as any advice would be invaluable as their courses are very expensive. Also, which course is the best to take, is carpentry less saturated with applicants and is there is a better chance of finding work once the course is completed.

Two years ago my doctor suspected that I may have latent TB as he saw something in my chest x-ray. I was forced to take medications by the state, although some other doctors doubted if I was really having TB as that 'something' may be a blood vessel. Anyhow I was cleared of TB after the medications and several x-rays. I applied for the business short-stay visa 2 months ago, and I 'lied' (sorry!) that I never had TB because I was really in a hurry to get the visa and I am not sure if it will take very long time in case they need to check my TB status. But now I am supposed to apply for a long-stay 457 visa and here comes again the TB question. I don't want to lie any more and I am also sure that I will be fine in x-ray check. What I concern about is will the immigration office check my past visa application and realize that I answered differently? Will they make a big deal of this and give me a hard time to get the visa? or even just deny my 457 visa? Or I have to keep silence about my damned TB history? Thanks!!

I've been comparing purchasing a house in Sydney versus keeping my house and just renting it out One of the items that jumped to my mind was the actual interest rate that Banks are charging. is it the same as what is online or are you able to negotiate a better rate How does the Stamp duty work ? I can see depending on the site some are giving 6 or 7 percent interest? Alan.

Hi All, We've been quoted $103pn for a 2 bed self-contained unit in central South Perth. We're considering booking this as our arrival accommodation in April 2012 and was wondering if anyone can offer advice on whether this price is good? It seems the cheapest we can find for the type of accomodation we're looking for but I can't be sure. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks, Robyn

This sort of thing has always fascinated me, many reasons, but mostly because of the way peoples minds tick.:goofy::idea::yes: Watched several docos on the The Jonestown Massacre, Waco and a few others and what really strikes me is that so called 'normal' people, people that are perfectly sane and rational do things completely out of context. The one thing that made me bring up this thread is what a former member of a 'cult' said. She said what is often forgotten is the fact that the people who are in a cult, commit suicide, show absolute allegiance to a 'leader' were once perfectly normal everyday people who went about their daily lives as if nothing out of the ordinary, BUT. The minute the word 'cult' is used these people become (in some peoples minds) nothing but freaks, and their lives dismissed as if by the by. I guess what I am trying to say is that even though we find the behavior of cult leaders and followers strange their is often a very human story behind the facard of so called madness and blind faith. Fortunately many 'got out' of the cult before something terrible happened, but what in your opinion drives someone toward these cults, is it religion, belief, intolerance of the 'normal' world, disenfranchised. I know I want to set up PIO 2 in the outback, but i promise it won't become a cult, well maybe not.:cool::no: Cheers Tony.

who are the bad angels on pio:wink:the ones that may bring out the:vampire:in you--thankfully there's not many on pio:wideeyed:but i will give it a go:policeman:poll attached--its just a bit of fun --got 2 put myself up on this one--i deserve it:yes:

what are the good and bad parts of sa ? thanks dobba

My family are still not mentioning our move much despite it being 3 weeks away. When my mum does mention it she's awkward and short with me and I've had enough! Its stressful enough moving an entire family to oz! Is anyone else getting major grief off their parents? I feel as though my mum would be happier if I told her I'd got life in prison for murder!

Are the spiders and snakes really bad in oz? we are looking to either go Brisbane or Perth, any information will be great. thanks lisa

If you have lived in Australia and/or the UK we would like to hear your honest and realistic opinions on the good, bad and ugly regarding both places. We appreciate this has been done before in bits and pieces, but this time it would be good to keep all the GOOD and BAD points all on one thread. PLEASE. This thread will no doubt cause some arguments, but we saw a very very interesting post which was incredibly well written a few months ago about some of the "non-eutopia" things about Australia which we have never been able to find again!!! It would be nice to hear both sides of the story in one thread. Blaze away...and don't be scared about being honest, we'd like to hear everything! AUSTRALIA versus UNITED KINGDOM... GOOD BAD & UGLY!

Temperatures in the 20's 'Flowers blooming everywhere The scent of Jasmine in the air' HEY! I'm a poet and I didn't know it! God! It's the same thing every year - putting up with this for the next eight months!

Hi we are emigrating to Eastern suburbs next month and have found a couple of nice houses in Mooroolbark, however, when reading reviews on the area there are some positive but also some pretty strong negative reviews. Could someone please enlighten me on why this is? Thank you.

Hi, looking at properties to rent in Rockingham. Prices seem OK. Would you / have you lived there. Me my wife and two kids are looking at three bedroom rentals here and would appreciate the heads up on the area. Thanks.

After talking to "save the lemming" about different things that happened at work and cracked you up, I though I would ask...... What funny things have happened to you at work. After working on the Ambulance service for 33 years, both in the West Mids and down south various thing have happened that had me laughing, this is just one of them..... We would get regular callers, one such caller was a chap who would do anything to get up the hospital, we had a call to him at around 10am he had swallowed a watch (Took the strap off first) . after the obvious gags about time passes etc etc. we put him on the ambulance and set off for the hospital, I was driving and my partner asked why he called ambulance as he had swallowed the watch 3 days ago, So I am driving along and trying to listen to the conversation. the patients reply was... Well the alarm is going off every morning at 6am and I cant get back to sleep. Do you know what an alarm watch sounds like in your stomach..... I had to pull the ambulance over, I was laughing that much i had tears running down my face. So what has cracked you up at work?/

That's it really, I traveled round Australia last year a s a Backpacker, and got stuck In Tassie. Loved it soooo much, cried when I left. I'm working on a master plan to get back though. Sorry for wasting your time, it's just my fammily and friends dont understand, and I know you guys will. P.S Tassie has to be one of the best places on the plannet!!! (incase you hadn't realised LOL!)

Hi Just about to book our removals and PSS are coming in at about £1k cheaper than the rest. Anyone got any recent experience of their service? Thanks

i'm posting this for my missus who is totally uninspired by clothes shopping in perth. we're not even there yet and this seems to be a big issue...:mad:

G'day Dingos..... New to the forum and found it trawling the web looking for helpful info and sites.... we are planning to emmigrate to Oz.... one way or another..... and there are many options and many visa routes..... ...obviously I have come accross the many 'Visa Agents' out there that have "100%" success rates etc in getting people over there etc....all for a hefty fee £$£..!! So my question is.... "Is it worth paying these guys to ensure a near 100% chance of getting over successfully.... ... or are they a complete Rip"? I score 85 on the Skilled Migration test, my career is on the list! I am under 45... my cousin is married an Ozzie and lives in Oz.... Do I go for the applicaiton myself or pay these guys £2000?? (Is that the going rate, 'cause it's what they charge!!) Thanks in advance Bob

anyone have any good remedies for strengthening a bad back (middle) .......?