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Hi PIO: I'm a new PIO member and do apologise if I'm in the wrong forum with my very first post. As you'll see, my story is a bit complicated, but I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. I would really appreciate any feedback you might be able to give after reading my story: -My husband and I (both English) were both 17 (although not known to each other at the time) when we first migrated to Oz in 1957. (My husband went to Sydney under the Big Brother Movement sponsorship scheme operating back then). -We met and married in Sydney in 1960, and our daughter was born there in 1961, soon after which we returned to England. -13 years later, with two young children (our son aged 11 was born in Manchester in 1963) we returned to Oz (South Australia) where we happily lived and worked full-time for most of the next 19 years. For personal family reasons (too sad to tell here) my husband and I returned to England in 1993. Still only having Permanent Residential status at the time (yes, we know it was a foolish oversight on our part not to have become Citizens after nearly 24 years living there by then, and we now regret it very much!), we were issued with 5-yr re-entry visas on leaving Australia. Just before these visas expired, 5 years later, for reasons that prevented us from returning to live there permanently at that time, we were granted a second 5-yr re-entry visa, for which we were very grateful. Another five years later, and still not being in a position to return to live in Oz, our second RRV expired about 8 years ago, and because we were told it wasn't possible to be granted a third, accepted that we'd lost our chance to return to live in the country we looked on as 'our second home', and regret to this day that we allowed it to happen. (Another story). Today, our (Australian) daughter (now 50!), and our two grown Australian grandchildren, still live in S. Australia (as well as our two sisters and their families, and all the many friends we made during the 24 (mostly) happy years of living there, and although we have all enjoyed occasional visits with each other over the years since our departure, we miss them so much and very much wish to return there to live, although, from research I've done lately about Aged Parent Sponsorship for migration to Australia, it seems unlikely, given the excessive costs and up-to-20-year wait for completion of application processes, we will ever be able to achieve that now, and feel very dispirited and extremely sad indeed about it. However, it has just come to my notice that it might just be possible for us to apply for permanent residency under a different category than the Aged Parent Sponsorship Scheme if we are able to provide evidence of compelling reasons for our long absence and of our close personal ties to Australia, which is my main reason for posting this thread to PomsInOz now, in the hope someone might just be able to advise us further and perhaps give us renewed hope that all is not lost. Any help and advice would be extremely welcome and we thank you in advance for taking the trouble to read my story. With grateful thanks. barbaitch