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Hi there, I am hoping some one can help me with this query as I've spent hours scouring the internet and can't seem to find an answer. I'm from the UK and got my Australia PR visa (subclass 175) granted about a year ago. After it was granted, I got engaged to my (now) husband and we then successfully applied and were granted a prospective marriage subclass 300 visa. Since then we have been out to Australia and got married :-) We weren't quite ready to move out permanently so we're back in the UK at the moment but will be flying out to settle for good in October this year. Our question is how do we go about applying for my husband to remain permanently in Australia now that we are married. His visa grant letter just states that he has to do this from within Australia before his subclass 300 visa expires. All the info I have found points to him applying for a subclass 820 visa - but the visa application process looks like you have to submit a multitude of documents exactly as we have already done for the subclass 300. Is this right? Do we have to go through the entire process again, getting statutory declarations, references from employers etc? We will find this extremely difficult to provide since we will have just arrived in Australia and won't be employed :-( Any help would be much appreciated as I can't seem to find a straight answer. I have tried contacting the Australian high commission but can't get through. Thanks.

I'm desperately seeking advice for my mum and dad to help get them over to join my and my husband in Oz. I'm currently on a 457 and have been here for nearly 2 years - my employer has just agreed to sponsor me permanently but it could still be another year or more before that's approved and I'm able to sponsor my parents on a contributory parental visa. My mum has been offered a year long sabbatical from work so they've decided to throw caution to the wind and come out in August on a one year tourist 676 visa while we wait for my permanent visa to come through. Once out here, my mum also stands a good chance of getting sponsored on a 457 herself as she's a highly qualified university lecturer. Only problem is, their 676 has been slapped with a "no further stay" clause - meaning that she couldn't apply for another substantive visa while she's out here. Should she cancel the 676 and reapply for a 3 month ETA instead, then keep renewing it every 3 months until she finds work or the permanent visa is granted? I've heard its possible to stay in Oz as a tourist for longer periods if you leave the country (eg to NZ) at the end of your ETA, reapply for another ETA when outside the country and hop straight on a plane back to Oz once its approved? Would this arouse suspicion with the immigration authorities? They have no intention of breaking the conditions of the 676 visa but don't want to be trapped into it if the offer of a job or chance to lodge their permanent application comes up before the 676 visa expires. If anyone has experienced the same issue and knows a way to get around it, I would really appreciate hearing from you. They are in a bit of a tizz about what to do and I want to make sure I'm giving them the right advice. Should they speak to a migration lawyer? I'd be hugely grateful for any help!!

Just had the following email from Singapore Airlines! Don't think this is common knowledge as cant find it advertised on their website anywhere! Unfortunately we are not eligible for it as going on a 457....although we were initially told we were so trying to get some more for free!!! Imagine if we just turned up with 40kg each!!! "If passengers holding an unused/unstamped/not validated migrant visa that specifically states they are permitted to remain in Australia indefinitely / permanently, then they will be entitled to double baggage allowance (40 kilos, per passenger). This visa has to be used for the first time to enter into Australia and the double baggage will be granted after, the visa has been verified by our staff at the check-in counter on the day of their departure. For reference, passengers holding Work / Business / Students / Working-Holiday / Partner Visas, or visas that have already been stamped / validated, will not be eligible for double baggage allowance. "

Hi All, I really need some quick tips and advice....as it is very urgent ! First my 457 visa got refused, I appealed the case in MRT, MRT affirmed to dismiss the case. What options I have got left now ? I know appealing in federal court is not a good option. I want to know few things : 1. How much time I have left in australia after MRT's decision (MRT's decision came on 4th September, 2010). I have'nt recieved anything from any department that I have to leave soon, its when I requested my Tribunal officer, he sent me an email of the decision two days prior to the decision was made....thats all nothing has come from immigrtion ?? 2. What are possibilities to come back, if I have a sponsor ? 3. Being on a bridging visa until now...do I need to get some clearence before leaving australia > Do "they" stop people leaving permanently at the airport ? Or should I just walk away, just like that ? Waiting for some valuable feedback... :em4600: Regards, Vivian

Aussies Leaving Australia Permanently & Other Departure Tid-bits Poms in Oz are not the only one saying Goodbye ‘ Australians Heading Overseas: Is Our Country Too Boring ? ‘ asks the headline of one year ago ‘ 6 Million Aussies a year are going overseas ‘ They’re not holidaying on the Gold or SunshineCoasts or Cairns and cite ‘no buzz’ as one of the reasons, with many more saying Aussie customer service and attitude is poor (see Comments beneath the article at link http://blogs.smh.com.au/travel/travellerscheck/2009/08/24/australiansare.html Skilled Australians' departure at record (from an October 2008 article) Skilled Australians' departure at record * Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 5. Emigration from Australia http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/05emigration.htm ' The number of people leaving Australia has increased significantly in recent years. In 2002-2003, a record number of 50,463 people left with the intention of staying away permanently. Long-term departures (people intending to leave for 12 months or longer) have also reach unprecedented levels : 171, 466 in 2001-2002. Australia is commonly categorised as a country of immigration, but it has also become a country of significant emigration, according to this government website. Further information at link: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/rn/2003-04/04rn54.pdf

Have noticed that quite a few postings from folks going back to the UK have said that they had visited Australia and enjoyed it before making the big move, but found living here permanently not what they expected. Besides the distance from family and friends, can I ask what it was that made you feel after you got here that you didn't want to stay living here, even though you had liked it on holiday? I dread the thought of getting older in Australia and am going back to UK on long service leave from work later this year. Many thanks.