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Hi all, Just starting to explore 188a as a way to migrate from the UK to OZ. Currently, we meet all the eligibility criteria... my question is around how best to source a partner/agent to help with the process. I'm sure many are finding it as much of a minefield as we are. Having approached 3 agents thus far, we've had varying degrees of costs ranging from $8,000 right up to $50,000. Has anyone any advice... or recommendations on agents to help us. Also, an idea of the costs we should be expecting to pay. Thanks in advance for any help navigating all this! Cheers

Hi All I am not sure if people are aware of the charges by customs in the UK for gifts sent to family and friends. I have lived here for 6 years and posted (as you may imagine) many presents over this time. The last few i have been late sending so used Express Courier International. This is a 'quick' service which has proved to be a joke! They are suppised to take around 3 working days, each one i have sent has taken at least 2 weeks! They get held up at the sorting office, then when tracking it states 'delivery attempted' NO CARD IS LEFT, then when they do deliver they take to to any neighbour who happens to be in and get them to sign for it! Very secure NOT!!!! Anyway, i paid $80 to send my sisters 50th birthday presents on 1 October, they got held in customs and she has had to pay VAT and clearance fees on her present. Apparently these fees have always been there (even though there have never been charges before), so i have checked into this, after speakng with a 'stroppy Essex Girl' at Romford ( and i am from Essex so this is not a dig), who told me to call customs and then calling customs 10 times (from Brisbane at 11.41pm so i am tired and feeling stroppy) only to be constantly cut off as soon as the call goes through - i can hear them talking to each other!!!!! :arghh: I have found the following: 2.3 What are the limits for customs duty and import VAT? Commercial consignments of £18 or less are free from customs duty and import VAT. For example, goods purchased over the internet with an intrinsic value not exceeding £18, will not be charged any duty or VAT but this does not include alcohol, tobacco products, perfume or toilet waters, see paragraph 2.5, 2.6 and section 3. If you are sent a gift with a value of £36 or less, and which complies ,with the rules shown in paragraph 2.4. it will be free from customs duty and import VAT, but this does not include alcohol, tobacco, perfumes and toilet waters. Customs duty becomes payable if the value of the goods is over £120 but duty is waived if the amount of duty calculated is less than £7. There are a number of other circumstances where relief from some or all customs charges may be available. If you think your goods may be eligible for a relief you should contact the Helpline for further information. top ^ 2.4 Gifts Goods sent as a gift that are over £36 in value are liable to import VAT. Customs duty also becomes payable if the value of the goods is over £120 but is waived if the amount of duty calculated is less than £7. To qualify as a gift: the customs declaration must be completed correctly the gift must be sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in this country there is no commercial or trade element and the gift has not been paid for either directly or indirectly the gift is of an occasional nature only, for example, for a birthday or anniversary. Please note if you purchase goods from outside the EU to give as a gift to a relative or friend, whether or not addressed to that person, is treated as a ‘commercial consignment’ for which the import VAT relief threshold is £18 (paragraph 2.3 refers). top ^ 2.5 Do gifts of alcohol and tobacco products qualify for relief from import duties and import VAT? NO. Excise duty is payable on all alcohol and tobacco products regardless of whether they are a gift. Oh, and to top it all, she arrives here on Monday for a 3 week holiday so i should have just held them till she arrived! So, in future i will be sending several small parcels, all under 18 pounds in value or otherwise just lie about the value!! Rant over Cheryl

Are these fees unreasonable?

We are waiting for the decision on our subclass 190 visa application. In meantime I wanted to check something about preschool(kindergarten) admission for my wee one. She turns four this August and in case we get the visa granted anytime soon we might make the move to Melbourne say by September. My first questions is, would my daughter get admission in a preschool in a full time basis( 15 hours) that time of the year and second questions is there a fees ? I have read that the child should be 4 years old by April of the year to get admission to free one year preschool before proper schooling.

I have seen on here various times and also read on school websites. But i cannot seem to find exactly what these fees are. Does anyone know or can comment roughly per term how much these school fees are (for non private schools) and does it vary greatly by school/area? Does this fee include uniform also. I was assuming we would have to purchase the uniform intitially then use the school uniform shop to replace lost/stolen, damaged items as and when. If it helps, we are heading to South Aus

Hi what would people say the best bank is to go with over here? i signed up with ANZ but they charge me a monthly fee for having the account and have just charged me for transferring money from the UK when ive already paid fees to my UK bank for the transfer. I find this appalling.

fees

Hi I have researched the amount of money that is needed to be held by myself in ordered to get a 190 / 489 visa in Queensland. It states that for an applicant +1 other the total value of assets must be Aus $35000 with Aus $ 15000 being cash. It also states that proof is only required for the cash part. I have assets that I could sell to get the aus $35000 but I don't really want to sell my British properties yet. Once I have proven the cash part do you ever need to provide evidence of the rest ? If anybody out there has been through this process I would be very greatfull if you could help kindest regards , ollie

Can anyone on here give me some info on the best and cheapest way to transfer money from the UK for my 76 year old mum who has just received her contributory parent visa. I have spoke to the commonwealth bank in London who will transfer to the commonwealth bank in Australia for free if its over £10,000 Anyone had any experience in this?

Dear all, I was on a student visa 573 (just done with my masters). I was employed just after I had finished my Masters. My employer and me had decided to go for RSMS 857 visa option. It is a small business firm and he has obtained regional certification which will enable him to nominate me for RSMS. The real problem now is "who pays the visa fee". Both of us know pretty well that this position is hard to be filled and he doesn't want to let me go. Still he is reluctant to pay the visa fees. I am quite not ready to pay the money as I am not sure whether I will get the visa or not. Is there a hard and fast rule regarding who has to pay for the visa fees and the lawyer fees. My second question is "if the employer decides to fire me after an year (RSMS visa rules -commitment to the sponsoring employer for 2 years)- whether my visa will be canceleld?" Because I have made a genuine effort to continue in the job, but he has not let me do so.. Please help me out.. thank you

Hi everyone, My OH has been offered a job near newcastle, NSW, and our 457 visa application is now lodged (woo) but just got really depressed looking at the school fees for our 10 yr old daughter. We are not even a tiny bit religious but i could pretend to be if it meant getting her into a good , cheaper school. So, my question is this, Is there anyway around paying the fees? If not, can anyone recommend a good catholic school near belmont? Thanks. Jo:sad:

I received this in my inbox this morning.

Hi all, Its only taken me two weeks to learn how to post a thread Duh!!!:SLEEP: First can I say what a pleasure it is to see all your opinions on the journey we are all on. We are due to leave for Brisbane (if we ever sell the house) on a 457 sponsored visa and my dilemma is I have just been told I will have to pay for all schooling for my kids (ages 5,7 &9). :no:This seems very harsh as I will be paying tax at the same rate as everyone else. Does anybody know how much we can expect to pay? Any advice would be very welcome Thanks, Steve

Hi there, Wondering if anyone knows whether on a Business 163 visa we will have to pay for school n Uni Fees, and if so how much ? We validated our visa this year and at the moment our boys are , one 13 at school and the other 17 at college... Hopefully we are thinking of moving approx 12/18 months. So our youngest will still be at school, but our middle lad will have finished college and ready to start Uni. So wondered if anyone knows approx costs, etc ?????

Hi all, Myself and my boyfriend are at the very beginning stages of out application for WA state sponsorship. I qualify through my job title and I have booked my english test and awaiting to sit it at the moment. We are wondering whether or not to use an agent for our application. Is it really neccessary??? Has anyone done it without an agent? I really dont want to spend money if I dont have to!! Also what are the average processing times? Ive had really mixed responses on this?! If any one has any advice/tips on the State visa at all it would be really appreciated! :biggrin: Thanks in advance!

Hi guys, me, my wife and two young children (two girls age 3 & 5) are planning to move to Brisbane. I'm looking at going on a 457 sponsored Visa. Does anybody know whether we would have to pay school fees for state school. I was told by someone that on the great state of Queensland there are no such fees unlike NSW. Any ideas anyone? Thanks in advance

The Australian federal government has announced changes to the cost of applying for Australian visas from next year in an effort to return the budget to surplus. According to the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's release on November 29, Australian student visa application fees will drop by 5 percent while other Australian visa application fees will increase. The Minister indicated that the decrease in the student visa application fee would help to increase the competitiveness of Australia's international education sector. In contrast, fees for a range of skills and business visas will go up by between 5 percent and 15 percent. Fee increases will also affect dependants of visa applicants and applicants who make paper-based visa applications where there is an 'e' visa option. "If people are bringing family members with them to Australia, the fee will reflect the additional processing and checks for these family members," the Minister clarified. Australian visitor visas and humanitarian visas will not change as a result of these changes. "These changes will bring Australia's visa application charge structures in line with comparable countries." stated the Minister. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is expected to apply a consumer price index (CPI) increase to the majority of visa application fees from July 2012. Additional information about visa application fees amounts will be published closer to their implementation.

Not sure who it will effect but a couple of issues in addition to the main one cutting the amount of the baby bonuses elate to migrants LAFHA and visa costs http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/cuts-to-baby-bonus-to-get-back-to-surplus/story-e6frea6u-1226208977130 Says it is only some visa categories.

Hi just a random question! My dad is in Perth and in two years me my partner and my 2 children can follow through him (when he applies for permanent residency). My question is that when we make the move does my girlfriend who wants to be a nurse pay international fee's or Australian citizen fee's if we travel over as a permanent resident? Thanks in advance for any information.

Please could anyone help........ can anyone advice the best way to make payment to ANMC for my skills assessment and also, does anyone have a template that my manager could use for my professional reference - she has said that if I write it a bit like a cv, then she will sign it but I am not sure if this is acceptable or does it have to be in letter form I am trying to do this whole process without paying £2000+ for an agent and have received some fabulous help on the site so far Long may it continue :rolleyes:

Hi everyone, i am so glad i came across this website, my hubby and two kids are moving to central coast in January and one of my concerns is getting a good school for the kids. Does anyone knows of a good public kindie in the central coast possibly in and around tuggera, and finally can i have an idea of how much will go into school fees. We are on 457. Regards

Hi Guys Can you clarify something for me please.... Would I need to pay school fees if we come over on a RSMS permanent visa? Our girls will be 6 and 4. So 6 yr old will be in school and 4 yr old in kindergarten. Thank you.

Hi there Moving to Brisbane in a couple of weeks and was wondering what I can expect to pay in terms of admin fees when using a letting agent? Thanks!

Hi, We are only starting the whole process, so know doubt we will be checking out a lot of info already on threads. Can anyone tell me if the state school fees apply to different states? Hoping to be moving to Queensland and wanted to clarify it applies accross the board on the 457 Visa. If yes, is there much of a difference between Private fees and state school? Many thanks

I'm in the UK with a MA in Oz, should I be paying tax on his bill, quite happy to, but I just wondered thanks Cal