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Hello, I've been trying to find forums and topics on individuals currently applying for a student visa. My brother is already accepted to his chosen school and program but we can't find any leads moving forward, does that mean his visa is approved? when can we expect his visa to arrive? etc. we did go through an agency but all they're giving us is "we'll keep you posted" which is very frustrating and not really re-assuring. Anyone here going through the same thing or can point me in the right direction of what to expect or where to go next? Thanks!

A storming end to the week for the Pound; the Australian Dollar continues to soar; continued water-treading for the Euro and the division and disagreement continues in the US. That Was The Week That Was. https://www.moneycorp.com/en-au/news-hub/weekly-brief-31-july-202022/

My wife and I along with our 3 month old moved to South Australia about a year ago. I lived in the US for 14 years (Did my masters in the US as well) and my wife lived there for around 8 years. It was a decision based on the fact that I wasn't getting my Green Card (We are from India) any sooner and I had already spent 10 years waiting for one. It was scary for me as I had a stable job in the US and was making good money and I was moving here with out work and with a new born. 1 year on, I think it was a good decision. I was able to find a job within a month and a year later got hired as a permanent employee in the same govt. sector I joined as a contractor. The things I liked so far: 1. The weather obviously. We lived in Illinois and the winter was brutal there. Even here the winter is little cold for our liking during winters but not as bad as what we faced in Illinois. 2. Not worrying about the visa. I lived in the US for 14 years and there wasn't a single year I wasn't worried about my visa status. It was either appearing for an interview when going on a vacation or applying for H1B extensions every 1-3 years. 3. Less crowded and good transportation. 4. People have been largely friendly. I don't know if this is just in Adelaide but I haven't found any animosity from the locals till now. Things that could be better: 1. The cost of living is little higher but again SA is not that bad when compared to other states I guess. 2. The internet. I was shocked to learn that majority of places in SA and in Australia are still on DSL with unreliable download speeds. I still get only 5-7 MBPS and the reports of NBN hasn't been very encouraging as well. I always had 20-30 MBPS in the US and even the DSL mostly will hover around 12-20 MBPS there. I am only talking about cities and not the rural areas. Well even though there are few other niggles, I wouldn't want to harp on that as there isn't any place which is perfect. Living in an alien country for 14 years, I have learnt to adapt and so has my wife. So I don't have too many complaints about where I live. My only expectation when I moved to Australia was a simple and peaceful life for my family. We don't have major expectations and just wanted a stable life for our daughter growing up. I am happy so far here in Australia and hopefully it will stay the same. I have taken lots of help from this site and just wanted to update how we got on after our move.

hi all, Just got an email from our migration agent who were in contact with the ACT government who say - the state sponsorship visa application processing times are currently between 30 - 60 WORKING days (which id say is anywhere between 6 - 12 weeks). Shir.

I originally started this in migration issues but thought that i`d put the same one in each state so that you can all see whose heading where and get advice from people heading to the same state as you! SO: Names: Visa Type: How far into process: Job: Where ya heading?

I originally started this in migration issues but thought that i`d put the same one in each state so that you can all see whose heading where and get advice from people heading to the same state as you! SO: Names: Visa Type: How far into process: Job: Where ya heading?

I originally started this in migration issues but thought that i`d put the same one in each state so that you can all see whose heading where and get advice from people heading to the same state as you! SO: Names: Visa Type: How far into process: Job: Where ya heading?

Hi All, I am observing that there are a number of bangladeshi applicants who want to share their status and also need to get update . I think we can start thread so that we can easily share each other and also can suggest or inform .... Lets start with me first; Hometown: Chittagong Current Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Type: 475 State: South Australia Present Status: All met.Only need to update wife's IELTS result within 14th April. Masketiar

I originally started this in migration issues but thought that i`d put the same one in each state so that you can all see whose heading where and get advice from people heading to the same state as you! SO: Names: Visa Type: How far into process: Job: Where ya heading?

"Further Update: Senator Hanson-Young's disallowance motion against the Migration Amendment which ceased a range of visas including the non-contributory parent, aged dependent, carer and last remaining relative was successful. Therefore, these visas can now be lodged again. There will likely be further information on this later today or tomorrow." All being well, there should now be a 6-month window in which to file new applications under the previously closed Parent Visa classes listed above.

Hello all 475 applicants can post their details and I will add them to this front page timeline to know our status.. All are entered in date order, So we can all follow easily where everyone is...:jiggy:I will be adding dates for visa grants too :v_SPIN: Thanks :notworthy: ____________________________________________________________ 2007 Pre September Applicants: Name: Virtual Bajwa Occupation: Public Relations Officer Visa applied on: 30/08/07 CO allocated: Yes (20/10/2009) Visa Granted: still waiting Heading to Vic ------------------------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________________________________ 2008 Applicants: Name: Jupiter123 Occupation: Management Consultant Visa applied on: ??/05/2008 (State sponsored) CO allocated: yes (July'10) Visa Granted: Sep'10 Heading to SA ----------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Manal Occupation: System Manager (2231-11) Visa applied on: 17/09/2008 (Family sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to Vic ----------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Kirubha Occupation: Business and Information Professional Visa applied on: 09/10/2008 (Family sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to Vic ------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Kazzarazza's daughter Occupation: Marketing Specialist Visa applied on: 16/10/2008 (Family sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA ------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: VANDM Occupation: Business and IT professional (Non CSL) Visa applied on: 03/11/2008 (Family sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to Vic ------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Raja Occupation: Internal Auditor Visa applied on: ??/11/2008 (Family sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to Vic ------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Nitsy Occupation: Insurance Broker Visa applied on: 30/11/2008 (Family sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to Vic ------------------------------------------------------------------ ____________________________________________________________ 2009 Applicants: Name: Jebin Occupation: Welfare Worker Visa applied on: 26/03/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA ------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Jimmy Occupation: Vocational Teacher Visa applied on: 04/04/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to NSW ------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Southerncross Occupation: Sales & Marketing Manager (1231-11) Visa applied on:20/04/2009 CO allocated: 02/02/2011 Visa Granted:15/04/2011 Heading to SA ---------------------------------------------------------------- [/font][/size]Name: Atul Occupation: Valuer Visa applied on: 24/06/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA ---------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Dream Occupation: Botanist Visa applied on: 30/06/09 CO allocated: Yes (??/08/2009) Visa Granted: still waiting Heading to SA ------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Jackd Occupation: ????? Visa applied on: ??/06/09 CO allocated: Yes (??/08/2009),job verified Visa Granted: still waiting Heading to ?? ------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Jamtart Occupation: Disabilities Service Officer ( not on new SOL) Visa Applied: 30/06/09 (family sponsored) Co Allocated: NO Visa Granted: Heading to: QLD ----------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Aituhin Occupation: Marketing Specialist Visa applied on: 19/08/09 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to NSW ---------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Ozamatic Occupation:Real Estate Sales Person Visa applied on: 27/08/2009 (State Sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA ---------------------------------------------------------------- Name: LeeBaker3 Occupation: IT Manager (Project Manager) Visa applied on: 28/08/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to QLD ---------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Mark&Robyn Occupation: Bricklayer Visa applied on: 01/09/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to QLD --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Team Rennolds Occupation: Office Manager Visa applied on: 04/09/2009 (state sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Manpreet Singh Occupation: Civil Engineer Associate (family sponsored) Visa applied on: 09/09/09 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to Vic --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: MLSDQ Occupation: Graphic Designer Visa applied on: 09/09/09 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Aivaan Occupation: Production Manager(Manufacturing)(Not found in new SOL) Visa applied on: 17/9/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA -------------------------------------------------------------- Name:Padayachee Occupation: IT Manager Visa applied on:18/09/2009 CO allocated: 02/02/2011 Visa Granted:17/03/2011 Heading to SA -------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Choksy Occupation: S & M Manager Visa applied on: 22/09/2009 (State Sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: 3jps Occupation: Marine Biologist Visa applied on: 16/10/2009 (State Sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Michelle & John Occupation: Project/Programme Administrator Visa applied on: 27/11/2009 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to WA ---------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Grada Occupation: Pre Primary School Teacher Visa applied on: 30/12/2009(State Sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to QLD ---------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ 2010 Applicants: Name: ADAM & LYNDA Occupation: Building Associate (Non CSL) Visa applied on: 12/02/10 CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to SA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name:Ramseh Occupation: Marine biologist Visa applied on: 23/03/2010 (State sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: ?? Heading to SA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Rebejes3 Occupation: Counsellor (nec) Visa applied on: 23/07/10 (State sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to WA --------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Lobsters Occupation: Air con & Refrigeration Mechanic Visa applied on: 13/12/10 (State sponsored) CO allocated: No Visa Granted: Heading to NSW (Murray Region) ---------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys I have not posted any detailed updates since touching down in Oz as there were so many things going on that the stress was overwhelming. The first few months here was far from fun and I didn't want to admit that I was feeling like I had made a huge mistake. Suffice to say that living in Oz initially felt very different to the months I spent here some twenty years ago and the many holidays we have had here since. So here goes: We touched down in Brisbane November last year and after struggling for 4 years to get a visa I assumed that the worst of the worry and stress was done. The truth was it was just beginning. As soon as we arrived the race was on to get everything sorted out before we ran out of cash or had the visa revoked. i had just about enough cash to keep us for about 4 months before we would have to get back on the plane. The visa we finally got was a provisional 489, formerly known as 475 which came with living and working restrictions. So I had two priorities: 1. Find somewhere to live that was in a regional postcode within 90 days. That sounds like not such a big ask and I guess that was the easy part. 2. Find a job in a regional postcode that was within driving distance of the regional address. Not so easy. We hung out in Brissy for a week or so and then started to hunt in earnest for somewhere to live. The sooner I moved out of Brisbane, the sooner we could start meeting the two year regional living requirement for permanent residency. I wanted to be within two hours drive of Brisbane as the main reason for coming to Oz was to be close to my sister. I was never that keen on the hot weather but I did like the beaches. So we bought a map in the Post office and drew a circle two hour drive around Brissy. For the next 10 days or so we visited pretty much every hinterland town and everywhere up the Sunshine Coast. We saw some lovely spots but with very few schools anywhere near and what looked like zero employment prospects in other places the list became narrower. Eventually we settled on Caloundra as it seemed slightly cheaper to rent than the rest of the coast and it was beautiful. I went through the lengthy process of registering my teaching credentials with the department of Education and employment so that I work as a casual relief teacher. I was then waiting to be interviewed by them so they could make a decision on what salary I would be paid if I was placed in a state school. They sent me details of the available jobs in my specialism and there were 3 in the whole state. The closest job was west of Dalby in a remote region - about 4 hours drive and the other two were in the far north. None of these were suitable so I realised very quickly that getting work as a teacher was probably not going to happen. I started to apply for lots of different jobs. I knew it was the wrong time of year. Schools were closed for the long break and most jobs are advertised in September. So I googled a list of every independent school from Caboolture to Bundaberg, realising I may have to move further away. I finally came across one job two hours north of Brissy. It was just over an hour's drive from Caloundra so I thought it might be doable. I applied through the agency and within two days I had an interview. When I got out of the car at the school it was 42 degrees C and there were kangaroos on the lawn and flies everywhere- one of the joys of heading inland. I went in to the interview and the air con wasn't on. Jeez. Despite the heat, I thought it had gone ok as they gave me a tour afterwards but I couldn't be sure. The grounds and buildings were lovely and apart from the stifling heat it looked like an idyllic setting with a bushland backdrop. We returned to Brissy and they said they would be in touch. I then heard nothing. I forgot to mention that my sister and her family left for UK for 8 weeks in November so we were alone while all of this was going on. We were looking after their house in Brissy and at the same time trying to get ourselves settled up further up the coast. In December we moved to Caloundra. Our furniture and shipping was not due to arrive for another 8 weeks so I scoured gumtree and ebay. I managed to furnish the place for 350 dollars and then bought some bedding and kitchen things from kmart. As soon as the rent payments started that is when the money started to rapidly deplete. It was coming up to Crimbo and no jobs around. Nobody wanted to hire a teacher that was likely to disappear come term time. I had plenty of real estate experience so I was able to get a job in Caloundra as a sales specialist but this didn't start until after New Year. The teaching agency was closed for crimbo so there was no way of getting any feedback from the interview. Crimbo was a tad miserable. We were for the most part on our own apart from Christmas day which we spent with my brother in law's family. New year passed and I started the job in Caloundra. It didn't take me long to establish that the boss was a complete tool and most likely the reason he was looking for staff on the mouth of crimbo was that the last person had marched out the door. Anyhow I figured I would stay until something better turned up. After 4 days I got a call from the teaching agency saying another school had seen my cv and wanted to interview me. I said 'okay but before I go, what went wrong on the last interview'? 'Err, I will find out' he said. The next thing he called back and said they want a second interview just to ask some additional questions. The next morning I went back to the real estate job. I worked the whole day. The tool was gone most of the day on appointments. He marched in the door at 6pm and said: 'Alright Champ?' I said 'yeah great thanks, and seeya round because I don't work here any more'. He was flabbergasted because I think from his perspective we were getting on great..... not. So I was again unemployed but feeling more positive about being able to get some teaching work. The next day I had a phone interview to answer additional questions. I got the job and started work the very next day. I felt pretty lucky to have got the one one and only job I applied for, especially since there was nothing around. It didn't take too long to realise the commute was brutal with the long working hours and after falling asleep on the road and almost crashing head on one morning I knew something had to give. We broke lease in Caloundra and moved north. Then we had a car disaster. The car we had borrowed from my brother in law gave up and died and they bought a new one. They offered to lend it to me but I said I would buy one. I was just considering a car loan when my sister suggested she buy my half of the house in Ireland. It was less than I wanted to sell for but with that I was able to go ahead and buy a brand new I30 which was ideal. I banked the rest. After almost a year teaching in Queensland I can safely say that I have never worked so hard as a teacher. The senior assessment procedure is so convoluted and complex that it is massively labour intensive. When they convert to national assessments like NSW it will be easier for teachers but in the meantime, half the holidays are lost in the assessments. In the first two terms I was having a crappy time with one particular student who was like a dog with a bone. I bided my time and quietly logged every issue. Eventually they made one mistake too many. The school supported me and expelled him for which I was very thankful. It became much easier after that as most of the students are lovely uncomplicated country kids who are so kind hearted. After three moves in a year we are finally in the one place. One of the advantages of moving inland is that we were able to afford a nice big house for less money than our Caloundra place. However, we are not so keen on the town we live in. It's a boring place and everywhere we go we bump into people from work or students and I feel like I haven't left. Just today I met 6 people in Coles in one 10 minute slot. So if our landlord wants us to move when the lease is up in march we will most likely leave town and commute again. Not so far this time but maybe half way to the coast so that it is easier to get to the beach. One good thing about being rural is the chance to be in the fire brigade. That has been a lot of fun so far and it really feels like the true Oz experience. I have done fire-fighting in my younger days so most of the equipment looked familiar but I knew naff all about wildfire. I still have a lot to learn. It has helped me become familiar with most of the crawlies in Oz as when you set fire to stuff they all run out in your direction. When you get home and take the gear off you always have a few up the legs lol. yeuch. So far we have been so busy that there has not been much time for fun stuff. There have been a few ups and downs. Some health issues incurred some chunky medical bills and finances have only just started to move in the right direction. The year has been fairly tough. I have spent most of it being exhausted and stressed out trying to get used to so many new things / situations. We are now finally finding time to relax and enjoy and remind ourselves of all the things we like about the place. Does it feel like home? Not yet. Will we stay forever? I don't know to be honest. Before we came I would have said yes. Next year though my son will turn 18 and he can decide whether to return to UK. I am not sure how I would feel if he was so far away. Time will tell. The plan was always to live in Brissy near my sister but to be honest we love the Sunshine Coast so I am hoping we can end up there for a while at least. The whole place has such a great chilled atmosphere. I love the fact that the beach is packed at 6 in the morning. My contract is full time permanent which I gather is hard to get in Queensland. Right now the plan is to see what the next year will bring and hope that bush fire season is not too busy. Oh and I still really want to get a Birman cat but no pets allowed here. Next place hopefully. Gosh I have gone on a bit. Sorry all. Millie x

Morning All, It seems to have been ages since we caught up with everyone so lets have: Names: What Visa: How far along are you: Where you going to be living: I`ll make this a sticky thread so all newbies will see it and can add onto it.

I originally started this in migration issues but thought that i`d put the same one in each state so that you can all see whose heading where and get advice from people heading to the same state as you! SO: Names: Visa Type: How far into process: Job: Where ya heading?

Hi all, Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to this post, life gets in the way sometimes! Well where do I even start, we have been reflecting on our journey over the past year and wow what an adventure! One year ago, we left England to embark on the biggest adventure of our lives, the goodbyes were sad but ahead we had a sense of excitement and anticipation. I remember when we landed in Melbourne on the 5th September 2011 thinking - wow, we are really here! For the first 5 weeks we stayed in serviced apartments provided by my husbands company, it was right by the beach so we enjoyed that novelty! We then moved to a suburb near my husbands work called Berwick, we love it here, it is very family focused, only 40 mins from the CBD, 25 mins to the beach and 20 mins to the mountains, lots of bars, cafes, restaurants, parklands etc :-) The first few weeks were (we can look back and laugh) somewhat challenging, we managed to meet a few people and their generosity will never be forgotten, our first night in new rental we ate our first meal off a cardboard box and watched a tv the size of a laptop (with only 3 channels) that we borrowed from friends ha ha, but lets not be ungrateful, we were essentially starting again! The children have been our saving grace, whenever we felt down or like things werent going our way, we would look at them and see happy faces, enjoying playing in the fresh aussie air and things felt, I dont know, right I guess. The last year has been totally amazing, we have seen and done more things than in our entire lives in the UK, I guess looking back we didnt make as much effort so maybe that's our bad but a fresh start was what we needed! The best part of all is most of the things are readily available to us, within 30-45 min drive - we have Australian beauty on our doorstep, how lucky are we! Australia has more than exceeded my expectations, it is clean, vibrant, beautiful, the food is fresh and in abundance, the people are (mostly) friendly and cannot do enough for you! In fact I sometimes dread going some shops when I am in a hurry because they make such a fuss of you and conversations are plentiful! For those of you that like to complain about how 'expensive' Australia is, please remember these things - The roads are big, spacious and clean - yes the car tax is expensive but then look around you! You get tax back every year you work, that for us is a new novelty and what a bonus! You get super annuation (pension) if you are employed, between myself and my husband we get 19% pension paid by our companies. Food is more expensive yes, but it is fresher and lasts longer so you throw a lot less away, so is it more expensive in the long run? Outdoor life - pack a picnic, fill up your petrol tank and you have a cheap day out, anywhere you fancy, and unless you go to the city or somewhere very touristy, parking is FREE! All parks whether they be in the city, mountains or coast, there are bbqs everywhere, they are free and readily available to use, I love this! in the summer we drive to the beach pack a few sausages and rolls, let the kids play, enjoy a paddle or walk along the beach, have a drink and a hotdog and then go home, awesome! Trains are cheap as chips here, in fact on Sundays they are almost nothing so take a train into the city, walk along the yarra river, have a drink and cake and come home - cheap trip out! Petrol prices match the uk but dollar to pound therefore cheaper! The weather, well Melbourne is the state of all seasons but certainly the sun shines way more here which we love. In the right trade you get paid well here, both my husband and I earn 2.5 times our wages in England :-) I could go on and I know that everyones situations are different but these are our reasons as to why we want to live and bring up our children here :-) The things we miss about the UK - Obviously friends and family Bisto - we get this sent out!! Galaxy - we also get this sent! Clothing - I still shop online at Dorothy Perkins, Next and River Island who all ship to Oz but this works out because I shop in the seasonal sales! CURRY! But fortunately I have a husband that cooks an awesome curry, phew :-) We have so many exciting things to look forward to here most weekends, we spend more time together as a family and love the great outdoors, we work hard and play hard, our kids are the happiest I have seen them and hardly ever watch tv anymore :-) As a family moving to Australia there are hurdles you will come across and problems you will face, its not paradise but in my opinion close enough! Moving anywhere whether is be Australia or Scotland you will always have difficulties to face but you HAVE to put yourself out there, when we first moved here we got ourselves out there and met people and now have a great circle of friends. You have to make an effort to meet people and network yourself - especially if you have children, they are the best networking tool of all! I dont know why there is so much negativity on this forum, people are very quick to talk about the bad stuff but rarely take the time to talk about the good. So my advice to anyone thinking of moving to Australia, do your research, plan, network and enjoy! You only live once so take a chance! I am happy to try and help if anyone wants to know anything - anyway must go, off to the top of a sunny mountain for a free childrens fun day :jiggy: Thanks all, will update at 18 months xx

Has anyone ever tried 'begging' to DIAC for further information on their application, it clearly says on the contact department email form that general enquiries will be ignored but surely someone in DIAC is actually human, surely they can see spending $3000 and having no response and no definitive timescale that you will ever get a response is plainly unfair. How hard is it for them to tell us where they are up too for each visa class in plain and simple English, if you want to continue to wait having some information gives you at least something to make an informed decision on.

Hi all Well we’ve been here 1 year already and its flown by. We emigrated from the UK to Brisbane on 8 February 2010. Our family consists of me (Sam) Martyn and 2 children Katie and Kyle who are 9 years and 4 ½ years old. We had all the usual ups and downs before moving wondering if we were doing the right thing etc, sold house car etc then started looking at houses again in UK wondering if we were doing the right thing. My hair started falling out and also started having palpitations all through stress. It was unreal the amount of stress you go through so can sympathise with anyone who is making the move now. Husband handled it differently by retreating to the bedroom playing computer games in any spare time he had just to stop thinking about everything we had to do which sometimes seemed insurmountable. We flew with Singapore airlines and they were brilliant. It is a very long flight though and we have 2 children who were kept entertained with all the films and games so didn’t need the pull along trolley that we’d stuffed with loads of toys/games to keep them occupied. We stopped over at Singapore airport for 3 hours and its an amazing airport very clean, seemed to me like 5 star hotel, free massage chairs as well which is very welcome after hours on plane. If you stop there check out the butterfly house and the koi pond (all of which are free) as well. Upon arriving in Brisbane we collected the hire car from the airport and found our short stay accommodation with the use of GPS. I would like to say this was a nice place to stay but it wasn’t really as it was an ensuite bedroom purpose built onto someone’s house. It was also February as well which was really hot with no aircon and no air flow going through. Anyone who lives in Qld will realise you need a property that has good airflow at this time of year as its extremely hot and humid. The people weren’t very helpful either and after a 24 hour journey we were met with a hello, were given the key and then was told “I’m off to bed” no help to bring in our 7 suitcases or anything with 2 extremely tired children. I wouldn’t recommend the place and found they weren’t very helpful at all but I wont mention the place on this forum. We had a hire car for 3 weeks, visited our bank (Commonwealth) to sign the paperwork after having opened this account from England. We moved our money with Moneycorp and the money was transferred in time for our move here. We sorted Medicare, Martyn found a job via Hays Accountancy and started 11 days after arriving here and its a very good company and he’s still there enjoying his work. We also registered with Medicare, organised a Qld driving licence which was just a matter of completing a form and having a picture taken – too easy as they say here. We also registered with Centrelink and because we were permanent residents found we could claim family assistance payments. We also found a rental and received rent assistance through Centrelink. During this 3 week period we also purchased a used car. In our first few weeks we made contact with Kev (itcouldbeworse) on this forum and he offered to show us around his suburb (Bracken Ridge) as doing the research on the internet is not the same as someone who had lived there for 15 years telling you what the area is like, where the local schools were, where to shop etc etc. His help and advice proved to be invaluable and helped us greatly and for that we will always be grateful. It really is difficult landing in a country and not knowing a soul. He also invited us round to a bbq to meet his lovely family and even put us all up for a week in the period before we could take up our rental accommodation as we just had to get out of that tiny room we had initially rented as we were going stir crazy in there. We are now friends with him and his family and have even spent some of christmas day with them which was lovely. They have become like our family here in oz. He still gives us advice too when we need it We decided to rent in Bracken Ridge as it seemed like a nice area to start a life. We enrolled our eldest child, Katie, in the local state school (Norris Road State School) she really did not want to go to a new school. Katie didn’t want to emigrate as well and we were really worried about what impact all this upheaval would have on her, but 1 year on she is a happy and well balanced girl with lots of friends, and though she still misses England and her family and friends she is happy. Our youngest Kyle wasn’t old enough to start school. I had initially decided to take 3 months off work to settle him in nursery but it ended up being a year. There is no free nursery as such here which I found a shock. They have a kindergarten (kindy) system here which you have to pay for and the fee for a full day is $60. They wont let you register for ½ days or anything like that as you still have to pay the full fee regardless of the hours they stay there. I enrolled Kyle in the local kindy but they only had 1 day available per week which was no good to me. I then looked at another kindy who also only had odd days so it meant I would have had to use 2 or even 3 different childcare places if I was to find a full time job. I decided I didn’t want to do that as it would have been confusing for Kyle to go to lots of different places so took time out from work to stay home with him and settle Katie into school etc. Kyle has now started prep school which is full time and I’m now looking for work. You can organise child care from England but you need to focus on which area you are going to live to them register your child. You would then need to make contact to put your child on a wait list and usually pay a holding fee, sometimes $10. I tried to do this in England but wasn’t sure what area we were going for and the kindies I did make contact where miles away from where we ended up renting. In the time we have been here we’ve experienced so much. We’ve done lots of sightseeing which is exciting. We’ve visited Mount Coot-tha lookout, picnicked at Slaughter Falls, visited lots and lots of beaches, Redcliffe and the manmade lagoon there, Mooloolaba, Bribie Island, Australia Zoo (6 times as bought a yearly pass) been to Dreamworld and Gold Coast for days out. We’ve been to various beaches along the sunshine coast including Noosa, went to Eumundi market which is a great day out, Yandina Ginger factory, we’ve been to an Ekka Day (Brisbane Festival held once a year) visited Montville a beautiful place with unusual shops and a lookout point and so much more too many things to mention. In all this time I’ve seen one lot of wild kangaroos and one wild koala. I kind of imagined Crocodile Dundee types everywhere and tumble weed blowing in the wind with kangas bouncing everywhere and koalas in all the trees but its not like that at all. It is a very clean and beautiful country with lots of local wildlife such as ants, frogs, dragonflies, bush turkeys, crazy looking spiders and the odd snake. Here its so clean and bright and its a pleasure to be here. The parks are clean and well maintained. You regularly see the grass being cut in parks and the equipment being tested by council workers. I’ve found the people to be pleasant and helpful. The aussies are quite forthright and say what they mean and sometimes I’ve found some of them rude but they were only saying what they thought and its quite refreshing really. One example would be I went to a butcher shop that I hadn’t been to before to buy some chicken and it was quite expensive $5 more expensive per kilo compared to my usual shop so when the guy came up to me I said “oh its a bit more expensive than what I normally pay” and the guy said “well you’d better go to where you usually go then hadn’t you” to which I replied “yes I think I will” and walked out the door embarrassed at how rude I thought he’d been, which he wasn’t really that’s just his price and I would have probably said the same if it was my shop. Not sure if this thread will be helpful to anyone making the move. I can answer individual questions if it will help anyone making the move such as where to look for rentals etc? I will say that its a more positive lifestyle, the air is cleaner the skies are brighter, its a lush green landscape. Our quality of life has improved because of such things like: More things are free, eg great parks and the weather is great Kids are not treated as a nuisance like they were in England We can take picnics out and just relax The beaches are beautiful so had lots of beach days out We have made friends in the time we have been here, friends that are more sociable such as inviting us round for drinks/bbq/days out to explore – our weekends are packed most of the time. I will say it does take time though so even though it is extremely lonely when you arrive it will get better. Kev lets us use his pool (a big plus in summertime) More laid back lifestyle News isn’t all doom and gloom – it has a positive vibe to it (I think) People are more accepting of you, it doesn’t seem to matter as much as to what job you do or what car you drive its about you and you as a person. Friends tend to make the effort to keep in touch. You may think this is a strange one to put but I’ve had lifelong friends in UK who haven’t really bothered to keep in touch since we moved and we find 99% of the time its us making the contact, this goes for some family members too. Financial things now: We brought £10k out with us and went through this in very little time. It worked out at $17,500 with the exchange rate at the time. It was a good job my hubby found a job so quickly. When you factor into this: Buying a car $5,000 its quite difficult to find a reliable(ish) car for less than this, rental bond $1640, 2 weeks rent up front $820, car hire, cant remember but it was hundreds of dollars for 3 weeks rental, buying a GPS, buying food and things you need such as pots pans utensils until your container arrives, bought a fridge freezer and a washer, cost of driving licences as well, petrol as you drive everywhere when you first arrive looking at areas etc. School uniform and book lists even though its a state school you still need to find this money as well think it was about $150. These are just some costs off the top of my head but it is an expensive time. We do have a friend who came out with less than this but they were helped greatly by a friend of theirs who let them rent cheaply and didn’t have to pay bond and got a bargain price on a second hand car so it can be done with less I would say. I find the cost of buying a property to be expensive. We haven’t bought yet but I do worry how we are going to be able to afford to buy. Average cost, I find, in Bracken Ridge for 4 bed property is about $450k for something nice, not too nice tho even at this cost. Rentals are expensive for us at $1640 a month when there is only one wage. I would say that its a good job we receive Centrelink and rent assistance otherwise would really struggle as husband on an average salary here. I find that when it comes to food shopping its wise to shop around. I tend to go to the butchers, to the fruit and veg markets and then maybe Aldi or Woolworths for my other shopping needs. It is more time consuming if you are busy working but I find this the best way for us to save money. Will say to end the thread that its awful when you say goodbyes and if I were to have any regrets at all its that we are so far away from family as really miss them and this feeling is still here after 1 year. Sometimes get tearful and sad and then another day comes and you perk yourself up and try to think why you did this in the first place. My mum visited in October and stayed for 3 months and really enjoyed her time here, so much so that she would like to come live here so looking into making this possible now. My mum has seen the quality of lifestyle here for us and the children and says we must be mad if we went back to the UK now but it still doesnt make it easier saying goodbye and knowing you're miles away again. We're going to have 3 more lots of visitors this year and hope to have a brilliant time with them and after will start saving like mad to go visit them. Sam

Dear PIO members The Australians have now classed UK as Rabies well controlled rather than rabies free. Which means that pets travelling from UK to Australia after Jan 1st 2012 now have to have pre travel rabies work. Pets have to have a rabies vaccination within 12 months of the flight date and a rabies vaccination at least 60 days before the flight, but ideally 6-12 months. They then need a rabies blood sample ideally at least 5 months before their flight date. It can be less than 5 months before their flight date, but they will have to spend longer in Australian quarantine if that is the case. The pets are allowed out of quarantine 180 days after the date of the rabies blood sample or 30 days after they land whichever is the greater. Basically - if you are thinking of going to Australia with your pet, start planning early. If you are planning to go in Jan or Feb next year - either try to send your pet before Jan 01st 2012 or be prepared for pets flight to be delayed or the quarantine stay be extended. Check out the following link: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/countries/cat4 http://www.petairuk.com Please see the update on the Pet Shipping Forum http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/shipping-pets-ask-pet-air/124633-new-rules-shipping-pets-back-uk-2012-a.html

This is a add on thread to: WA State Sponser-Update-Where are you now? It came to my attention that a new thread was needed... For all the WA SS applicants that have recieved their Visa Grants & those that have left for Australia on their 'Departure Dates'....:spinny: So please do enjoy it here as much as the 'original' thread.... & we will welcome all new posters that have been granted their WA SS 176 Visas....:v_SPIN: Adding all posters...In date order of Visa Grant ___________________________________________ Name: Lancashire Lass Occupation: OH Bricklayer Online SS application submitted: 26/02/09 SS recieved: Approved on 08/04/09 Visa Granted: 21/05/09 Departure Date: 13/09/09 _______________________________________________________ Name: mcleod275 Occupation: Cook Online SS application submitted: 17/02/09 SS received: Approved on 24/04/09 Visa Granted: 01/07/09 Departure Date: 11/01/10 ______________________________________ Name: Yorkshirepud Occupation: Cook Online SS application submitted: 10/03/09 SS Received: Approved on 09/06/09 Visa Granted: 02/07/09 Departure Date: 14/09/09 ______________________________________________________ Name: wardsinoz Occupation: OH Plasterer Online SS application submitted: 19/03/09 SS recieved: Approved on 16/07/09 Visa Granted: 25/08/09 _____________________________________________________ Name: Shonz Occupation: Mental Health Nurse Online SS application submitted: 03/03/09 SS Recieved: Approved on 29/06/09 Visa Granted: 04/09/09 Departure Date: 12/11/09 ______________________________________ Name: theleeclan Occupation: OH Roof Slater & Tiler Online SS Submitted: 21/04/09 SS Received: Approved on 30/07/09 Visa Granted: 08/09/09 Departure Date: 19/01/10 _____________________________________ Name: Lorenza Occupation: OH Carpenter Online SS application submitted: 19/03/09 SS received: Approved on 09/07/09 Visa Granted: 15/09/09 _____________________________________ Name: Karencris Occupation: Plumber Online SS application submitted: 23/02/09 SS recieved: Approved on 01/04/09 Visa Granted: 21/09/09 Departure Date: 30/08/10 _____________________________________________________ Name: Hazeotoole Occupation: Cook/Chef Online SS application submitted: 03/04/09 SS recieved: Approved on 20/07/09 Visa Granted: 22/09/09 Departure Date: 16/11/09 _____________________________________ Name: Julie (aka: Julie495) Occupation: Hairdresser Online SS application submitted: 16/02/09 SS Recieved: Approved on 27/05/09 Visa Granted: 22/09/09 Departure Date: ??/02/10 ______________________________________________________________________ Name: TheHollies Occupation: Motor Mechanic Online SS application submitted: 15/04/09 SS received: Approved on 04/08/09 Visa Granted: 01/12/09 (cat 5) Departure Date: 05/10/10 ______________________________________________________________________ Name: Que Sera Sera Occupation: OH Toolmaker Online SS application submitted: 08/04/09 SS received: Approved on 17/07/09 Visa Granted: 02/02/10 (cat 5) Departure Date: 30/06/10 _____________________________________________________________________ Name: Lynn & Alan (aka: alansgirlfriend) Occupation: Online SS application submitted: SS recieved: Approved on Visa Granted: 19/03/10 Departure date: 12/05/10 _______________________________________________________________ Name : The Butlers Occupation : OH Solid Plasterer Online SS application submitted:21/03/09 SS received:Approved 09/07/09 Visa Granted: 17/03/10 (cat 5) Departure Date: 24/05/10 (Reccie) ________________________________________________________________________________________

6wks, hard to believe! seems like we have been here longer. Once we made our decision to return to Uk, I think I was on PomsinOz most days, 2nd guessing our move. Was it the right thing.....? such a contrast as now I don't really have the time!! but I did pledge that I would make an effort to try & update where I could, just because I really nooo how hard a decision it seems to be on an emotional level. I have a friend returning home & hearing her talk about it, reminds me of the emotional rollercoaster we went though.... I have read many times, it can take up to 18 months to settle, due to the reverse cultural shock - I think it depends - amongst other things,.... Why do you want to return to UK from Oz? what is missing from your life? can it be fixed (change of job/move house etc... we had homesickness on & off over the last 10 yrs!) Do you feel you gave Oz enough of a go? (this one is important) Where you move back to? Why you left in the first place? what your expectations are? what connections you have in UK - how good you get on with family & friends? what your plans are for when you get back? Where do you see yourself in the UK in 2 yrs, 5 yrs etc.... If there is something you are going back to in the UK that you are concerned about, how you are going to manage that. Whether it be the weather or certain family members etc!! ha! For us, we exhausted all questions & just felt although 10 yrs away has been a fantastic experience but it boiled down to where our future lay. Forget riots, crap weather, recession, doom, gloom etc. It comes down to where we belong. I had such a sense of fear about what we were going back to but..... love the village we have moved to, real sense of community people are friendly, my eldest is settling into school really well, great school. Weekends are filled with so much, whether it be seeing people or going out & seeming something new for the day. You forget how accessible places are, Perth seemed sooo spread out. Have had one flat day but then I think that was more a case of it all catching up with us. Probably wouldn't settle a house & flying out same day (added more stress than was needed!) or arriving at the begining of the August summer holidays & moving to a new area when you got school kids but on the whole I think coming back in the summer has helped us settle better. Know we have winter coming but summer has been a nice transition not so much of a shock to the system, we hope! Also, our son is 5 yrs & only in school 2 days a week, so hasn't seemed like such a wrench, however I think you underestimate how resilent kids are. Is going to take time for them to get to know family especially our oldest but has amazed me how the bond is there. Not been all plane sailing with certain family members but I think it is going to take time & hasn't affected how we feel about being back. Since being back, for us, I can honestly say our quality of life has increased across a number of areas, mainly the parts that unfortunately seemed to be missing in Oz, but then to be fair, I think that came about because of where we were at this time in our lives. If you had told me 2-3 yrs ago, I'd be returning to the UK, I would have said that there was no way that was going to happen!.. Funny how things turn out.... One thing I can say is.... that although early days, we are still enjoying being back & having a new appreciation. Also enjoyed our time living in Nz & Oz over the last 10 yrs but home is where the heart is.

THIS IS YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL THINGS SAUSAGE RELATED!!! fantastic old English pork bangers @ Tasman meats in Belmont. you heard it here first. Have you found a decent banger lately? If so, where? Or report dodgy snags masquerading as gourmet sausages right here!

Still waiting for my registration number! Application has been with APHRA now since July! Despite several e-mails and phone calls i am no further forward..... anyone else having same problems?:confused: I have already been offered a great job in Freo and my family and I are packed and ready to go! GRRRRRR! :arghh:

Hi guys, there should have been an update on Friday on processing times (you get it by sending empty email to 'aspc.processing@immi.gov.au') However, there was no change and the system returns only information as of 15 April. The email reply is unusually lenghty. Anyone as new info about this? Cheers

Hello again everyone! Well things have moved on since we last posted, last time we had not long arrived and staying in short term accommodation. That was in August- now in mid November we are living in a nice 2 bedroom rental apartment in East Perth. We had some trouble at first with trying to get an apartment as we didn't want to just throw money away by putting bonds down on too many places at once, but in the end we were third time lucky and we have a apartment in the location we were after, paying a reasonable amount. One thing we a]have found though is living in the city can be a bit noisy! This is something we are now considering as our lease will be up at the end of February, then we will have the dilemma of either staying within the city or maybe moving out to the suburbs. Job-wise, I (Lucy) have been working as a medical scientist looking after point of care testing in the remote areas of WA, very interesting, and very different to lab-based work! It was very handy that I was able to secure the role before we came as having an income straight away removes a lot of the stresses that would have on us if we only had savings to rely on. Alan managed to get a nicely paid job working for the Department of Environment and Conservation as an IT manager, it was the really the first thing he properly went for. As I was working full time Alan spent the first few weeks securing us our apartment, and then once we had somewhere to live he could then start looking around for work. He sent his details to an agency on the Wednesday, the rang him asking him did he want to go for an IT Manager role, and was employed by the following Friday! Things have become more routine for us now. We are waiting for our new car to be delivered so we can explore where the buses and trains don't reach. We have decided to go for a Toyota Rav4 though it will only be ever used as a street car! Handy though as its space should keep us happy for a fair while. We have so far managed to visit the Zoo, Cottesloe Beach, Fremantle and Hilary's but with us finally getting some transport we will now be able to go much further away from home and see all the different places around us. Some quick thoughts: Food is certainly not as expensive as some people seem to think with the posts on here, you don't need to be a millionaire just to have dinner. The flies are very annoying. Public transport around Perth is very good, its clean and quite reasonably priced. If you have the skills finding work is not that bad. You won't get tired of seeing all the multi-coloured birds flying around - like the Rainbow Lorikeets - but the Crows are just annoying with their cawing. That's all we can think of for now but there is probably loads of things we could add, any questions just ask and we will answer them if we can. We will also update our blog with similar though will be adding some piccies once we process them off the camera. Lucy + Al

I thought it was time to give our first update from Australia! Quick recap of our situation: I’m an Aussie and OH is the Brit. I already had a house in Adelaide so we haven’t got much to tell that would be useful in regards to finding accommodation when you first arrive I’m afraid. We flew in last Thursday morning. Soooo glad I used my frequent flyer miles to upgrade the Singapore to Adelaide flight to business class. Being able to use the business class lounge during our 9 hours in Singapore was fantastic (we managed to have a snooze and helped ourselves to the food and drinks) and it certainly was nice to have a seat on the plane that went flat (well, almost flat). We're currently staying with my parents in Port Elliot (coastal town about 1.5 hours drive south of Adelaide) until we're ready to move into my place. So after a couple of days of falling asleep in the middle of the day and waking at strange times we got stuck into the furniture shopping on Sunday. It's a bit of a tough slog as we have to drive into Adelaide each time (not many shops down here and they wouldn't deliver that far away anyhow) to look at places, so we've tried to do a fair bit of research on the internet to narrow things down a bit. Had a very successful day today, having ordered a lounge suite and a bed. Once the bed is available (we've been told 7-10 days) they will both be delivered and we can actually move into the house. Also put a deposit down on a fridge on the weekend and that will hopefully be delivered soon too. I was quite pleased with my bargaining abilities and managed to get the price down on all the items. It's not like the UK where you pay whatever the price tag says. Here it's more of a guideline so if you're prepared to stand your ground (or smile sweetly!) you can often get a better deal. Also stumbled on a home wares sale at the local department store so we grabbed as much as we could carry! OH's also been busy making himself "official", registering for Medicare, tax file number, getting a phone etc. He applied online for a bank account with the NAB before we got here and has a meeting with them on Thursday to pick up his cards. Can’t help much with cost of living information yet as we haven’t had to pay for much of that type of thing while we’re staying with my parents. Will try to provide an update once we’ve moved into our house. Happy to answer any questions though!