ramot Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) Sorry to hear that some posters hopes of moving to OZ are over. Realistically if you are hoping to move to Sydney or Melbourne then the house prices compare to London prices, which would perhaps be equally out of reach? The solutions as mentioned could be to move further out or a granny extension, although not the ideal answer for everyone at least you would be a lot closer. Something else that potential parents who want to move here must factor in is the ever increasing cost of living. We have been here for 15 years, and luckily our income has kept pace, but quite a few people we know have just found that the cost of living has become untenable and returned to U.K. I am only mentioning this to point out that you must do your sums as far as is possible. The exchange rate can make a big difference to how much income you get. It was $3 to the pound when we came so our income has taken a big hit over the years. We were already established on the Sunshine Coast before 2 of ours followed us here, and we don't have grandchildren here. Ours are in UK, so we don't have the pull of living near our children here in the same way as some posters have, It's a lovely area and much cheaper than Sydney and Melbourne. Our son is in Brisbane 1 hour away and our daughter is in Sydney. Jetstar regularly offers very cheap flights to Sydney, $59 each way, a 75 minute flight from our local airport so we go quite regularly for a few days. I only mention this because you perhaps don't have to live on the doorstep to your family, and it might be an idea to establish a life not too dependent on your children, We love seeing our two and their partners, but lead very full and busy lives apart from them. They also love visiting us here, it's pretty much perfect here. Just a thought. We applied for the onshore 864 last March. Good luck to everyone in the queue. Just another thought I know quite a few couples who house sit for quite a lot of the year which gives their families a break as they live with them, gives an opportunity to see other parts of Australia and saves lots of money. Our friends come from the US for 4/5 months every year and house sit for 2 months at the same house every year plus find others very easily. Another couple come from Canada every year to escape the winter. Edited February 4, 2018 by ramot 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieRoo Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, Calmac said: I could have written that myself. We have also just returned from a 3 month visit to Melbourne and found basically that property was beyond reach. In the end we had to decide that exchanging a comfortable 3 bedroom house in England for a one bedroom flat/unit in Melbourne was just not worth it.....the bond contribution has also obviously increased drastically over the three years since application. So with about a month to go before action would begin we have reluctantly decided to withdraw. We will have to make do with the annual visit for as long as we can put up with the flight! I am sorry to hear this sad news. We have also been down this same thought pathway and when last visiting Melbourne, we were incredibly disappointed to see how little we would get for our money. I understand how easy it would be at this point to stay put in the UK. My husband spent a lot of time in Australia before I knew him and he always said I would be disappointed with Melbourne. He wasn’t exactly right (as usual), but I do think we Brits can get a false impression from everything we have seen on TV and the media. And in truth Melbourne is a very busy and very, very expensive city. (Only surpassed by Sydney). Melbourne is also very ‘urban’ in a way that is often hard for my generation to fully appreciate. But my Son and DIL love it and it seams to give them all they need. I fully agree with you, and we would not give up our lovely home in the UK for a tiny flat or unit in Melbourne. But if you think about it, the same thing would happen if we moved to London. And we have never dreamed of moving anywhere close to London, even when our son lived there. So for us, it’s about finding an area that gives us close to what we have (or better) and then we will make the rest work. I have a lot of admiration for Fisher1 in finding their solution, living in a very beautiful area and being a simple train journey from family in Sydney. There are many options for this also around Melbourne. We are now considering Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, which is probably where we would choose to live anyway. And the short fight will take us less time than we used to spend driving to our sons in the UK. We know it’s not going to be easy and we’re prepared for difficulties. But life is far too short for regrets and we are just ready now for an adventure. It’s very sad to hear of people having to give up on their dreams particularly after three years in the visa queue. I hope you take the time to reconsider and whatever you decide, I wish you all the very best. Edited February 4, 2018 by SusieRoo 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieRoo Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 45 minutes ago, ramot said: We were already established on the Sunshine Coast before 2 of ours followed us here, and we don't have grandchildren here. Ours are in UK, so we don't have the pull of living near our children here in the same way as some posters have, It's a lovely area and much cheaper than Sydney and Melbourne. Our son is in Brisbane 1 hour away and our daughter is in Sydney. Jetstar regularly offers very cheap flights to Sydney, $59 each way, a 75 minute flight from our local airport so we go quite regularly for a few days. I only mention this because you perhaps don't have to live on the doorstep to your family, and it might be an idea to establish a life not too dependent on your children, We love seeing our two and their partners, but lead very full and busy lives apart from them. They also love visiting us here, it's pretty much perfect here. This is just what I need to hear, especially the last part. You may have read in my previous post that we are also considering moving to the Sunshine Coast. Can I ask you about the climate? It has been suggested by Australian friends that we would find the humidity very difficult. We have visited a few times but not in the summer and the weather has always been idyllic. Also, do you have any knowledge of Peregian Springs, we have been investigating buying a plot of land to build on when we finally get our visas. Any thoughts from a local would be greatly appreciated. I know there are other areas in this forum where these topics are covered, but I find everything on this treads is a little more tailored to us dinosaurs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 14 hours ago, Calmac said: I could have written that myself. We have also just returned from a 3 month visit to Melbourne and found basically that property was beyond reach. In the end we had to decide that exchanging a comfortable 3 bedroom house in England for a one bedroom flat/unit in Melbourne was just not worth it.....the bond contribution has also obviously increased drastically over the three years since application. So with about a month to go before action would begin we have reluctantly decided to withdraw. We will have to make do with the annual visit for as long as we can put up with the flight! The bond contribution to the best of my knowledge doesn't change from the amount when your application was acknowledged, so even though it is increased for new applicants yours stays fixed. That might help? 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 7 hours ago, SusieRoo said: This is just what I need to hear, especially the last part. You may have read in my previous post that we are also considering moving to the Sunshine Coast. Can I ask you about the climate? It has been suggested by Australian friends that we would find the humidity very difficult. We have visited a few times but not in the summer and the weather has always been idyllic. Also, do you have any knowledge of Peregian Springs, we have been investigating buying a plot of land to build on when we finally get our visas. Any thoughts from a local would be greatly appreciated. I know there are other areas in this forum where these topics are covered, but I find everything on this treads is a little more tailored to us dinosaurs. Sorry don't know much about living in Peregian Springs, its about 25 mins from us and it looks like a very big housing estate, the shops and beach are a nice area, about 5/10 mins drive. 20 mins to Noosa which is lovely but alway crowded and parking awful. We live in Mountain Creek, not the new Brightwater, have local shops, very near to Buderim,, Maroochydore 5 mins to Mooloolaba and beaches. Large Plaza and cinema in Maroochydore, 20 mins to the hinterland Montville and Maleny,. 1 hr to Brisbane airport, 1hr 15 to central Brisbane.on a clear run. The Bruce highway can be a nightmare though. We came from Brunei so we were used to the heat and humidity. The weather, yes it is hot and humid (apart from this summer very unusually cool for the most) for about 3 months in summer, aircon is the answer, the rest of the year so 9 months glorious!!! you can feel the cold after the first few winters, but winter 3 months in U.K. not the best either. You adjust quite frankly, here loads are out walking at sunrise, plenty swimming in the ocean by 6am. In case you worry you might be bored every club or activity is up and running here plus very active U3A. Good golf clubs and swimming pools.Also if possible buy/build a house that gets plenty of breeze, can make a big difference especially in summer. Plenty of Drs and dentists and unlike UK you can go to any local Dr. you want. Brand new public and private hospital at Sippy Downs. Had unfortunately been to both recently and can't fault them, plus the para medics, reassuring as you get older! As you can gather we love it here, not perfect but pretty close for us, so check out how much goes on in the Peregian springs area to see if you could be happy there, Good luck 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calmac Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 1 hour ago, ramot said: The bond contribution to the best of my knowledge doesn't change from the amount when your application was acknowledged, so even though it is increased for new applicants yours stays fixed. That might help? Thanks for your response ramot. It is the exchange rate which took a big hit after the Brexit vote and substantially increased the bond contribution in sterling! Thanks to all for responses...we were hoping to be of use on the school run and looking after grandchildren during holidays etc which precludes living too far away. The "granny flat" option was a thought but eventually we decided it was too much of a come down from our present comfortable lifestyle. And finally we found that we must have aged a lot in the three years on the waiting list....I am 70 and my wife is 75.... We found the pace of Melbourne life comparatively frenetic on this last trip. I think the tranquility of rural living in England becomes more attractive as you get older, even if the weather leaves a lot to be desired! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 I'm sure every one knows this but just to be sure, get ambulance cover when you move to Australia. Qld residents are automatically covered but not sure about all the other states My bill for the ambulance and trip to A&E was $800 after a dog knocked me over and out! just after Christmas in NSW. We are covered by insurance but could come as a nasty shock if you don't realise. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Calmac said: Thanks for your response ramot. It is the exchange rate which took a big hit after the Brexit vote and substantially increased the bond contribution in sterling! Thanks to all for responses...we were hoping to be of use on the school run and looking after grandchildren during holidays etc which precludes living too far away. The "granny flat" option was a thought but eventually we decided it was too much of a come down from our present comfortable lifestyle. And finally we found that we must have aged a lot in the three years on the waiting list....I am 70 and my wife is 75.... We found the pace of Melbourne life comparatively frenetic on this last trip. I think the tranquility of rural living in England becomes more attractive as you get older, even if the weather leaves a lot to be desired! 1 hour ago, Calmac said: Thanks for your response ramot. It is the exchange rate which took a big hit after the Brexit vote and substantially increased the bond contribution in sterling! Thanks to all for responses...we were hoping to be of use on the school run and looking after grandchildren during holidays etc which precludes living too far away. The "granny flat" option was a thought but eventually we decided it was too much of a come down from our present comfortable lifestyle. And finally we found that we must have aged a lot in the three years on the waiting list....I am 70 and my wife is 75.... We found the pace of Melbourne life comparatively frenetic on this last trip. I think the tranquility of rural living in England becomes more attractive as you get older, even if the weather leaves a lot to be desired! I think that's why we feel we have the best of things, lovely peaceful life on the coast, interspersed with the fun of Sydney several times a year. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 2 hours ago, Calmac said: Thanks for your response ramot. It is the exchange rate which took a big hit after the Brexit vote and substantially increased the bond contribution in sterling! Thanks to all for responses...we were hoping to be of use on the school run and looking after grandchildren during holidays etc which precludes living too far away. The "granny flat" option was a thought but eventually we decided it was too much of a come down from our present comfortable lifestyle. And finally we found that we must have aged a lot in the three years on the waiting list....I am 70 and my wife is 75.... We found the pace of Melbourne life comparatively frenetic on this last trip. I think the tranquility of rural living in England becomes more attractive as you get older, even if the weather leaves a lot to be desired! Yes. of course, the exchange rate - although it's improving little by little. I sent the bond money and the second vac over when I thought the rate was reasonable, which mitigated some of the exchange rate loss. I moved from a bungalow and large garden in a peaceful village in the southeast of the UK, but I've gone for the "granny extension" option here and I've been pleasantly surprised that, although the extension will be a bit smaller than I'm used to, it's not a huge difference. As for the garden, it was becoming more of a nuisance to me in the UK, with all the upkeep and bearing in mind that i really only got benefit from it during the summer months. Here in Aus, I'll have the benefit of a large garden and pool, reasonable size private accommodation, and I'm on hand to help out with grandkids etc, I'm really close to all amenities but still in a quiet area, but I'll have none of the upkeep and expense that comes with owning a separate property. I do understand that it's horses for courses, though; so for everybody who has felt the need to drop out, I really am sorry for your situation and hope that everything works out for the best. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffandgill Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Our daughter and son respectively live either side of the airport (Greensborough & Caroline Springs). It takes them about 30 mins to get into Melbourne. We have bought off plan in a new development at Diggers Rest and have found that the house prices are half the equivalent value of our house which we sold in the south east of England. We have shared our time between our children, whilst the house is being built ( we’re on a 600 Visa). Regarding supermarket shopping, some things are dearer, some cheaper. The western suburbs of Melbourne are definitely cheaper than eastern suburbs. Maybe those who are finding house prices/renting expensive could look at buying off plan ie house and land packages Just a thought Gill & Geoff 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 (edited) 17 hours ago, ramot said: Sorry to hear that some posters hopes of moving to OZ are over. Realistically if you are hoping to move to Sydney or Melbourne then the house prices compare to London prices, which would perhaps be equally out of reach? The solutions as mentioned could be to move further out or a granny extension, although not the ideal answer for everyone at least you would be a lot closer. Something else that potential parents who want to move here must factor in is the ever increasing cost of living. We have been here for 15 years, and luckily our income has kept pace, but quite a few people we know have just found that the cost of living has become untenable and returned to U.K. I am only mentioning this to point out that you must do your sums as far as is possible. The exchange rate can make a big difference to how much income you get. It was $3 to the pound when we came so our income has taken a big hit over the years. We were already established on the Sunshine Coast before 2 of ours followed us here, and we don't have grandchildren here. Ours are in UK, so we don't have the pull of living near our children here in the same way as some posters have, It's a lovely area and much cheaper than Sydney and Melbourne. Our son is in Brisbane 1 hour away and our daughter is in Sydney. Jetstar regularly offers very cheap flights to Sydney, $59 each way, a 75 minute flight from our local airport so we go quite regularly for a few days. I only mention this because you perhaps don't have to live on the doorstep to your family, and it might be an idea to establish a life not too dependent on your children, We love seeing our two and their partners, but lead very full and busy lives apart from them. They also love visiting us here, it's pretty much perfect here. Just a thought. We applied for the onshore 864 last March. Good luck to everyone in the queue. Just another thought I know quite a few couples who house sit for quite a lot of the year which gives their families a break as they live with them, gives an opportunity to see other parts of Australia and saves lots of money. Our friends come from the US for 4/5 months every year and house sit for 2 months at the same house every year plus find others very easily. Another couple come from Canada every year to escape the winter. You have always been a good source of sensible advice about the cost of living here Ramot, and it really is wise to do your sums as far a possible. We knew that prices had shot up during the eighteen months between getting our visa and moving over, but there was nothing we could do to hurry our move because of family circumstances in the UK at the time - frustrating but at least we paid for our visa at two dollars to the pound. We have moved our money in chunks to try and even out the ups and downs of the exchange rate and are now fairly certain that we can not only manage but may even be able to save a bit against the day the frozen pensions blight begins to bite! We've been pleasantly surprised by the day to day cost of living - having calculated a 30% increase in our UK cost of living (cautious souls) we find its nothing like that and we are managing to keep everyday living costs to an increase of 5-10% (not including housing naturally) We are doing the same things to chase the best interest rates as we did in the UK and also looking for ways to maximize income in the long term ... Living in a seaside town we are currently playing with all sorts of ideas about house swaps, airbnb etc. One thing we didn't know when we began renting was that the landlord pays the council tax, the water standing charge and the service charges, which makes the rent more palatable while we look for a house to buy. Oh, and it's cheaper to get your will written. We finally updated the one dated 1981 ... Edited February 5, 2018 by Fisher1 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisL16 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 On 2 February 2018 at 14:54, Catlady2014 said: I decided on this option too. It makes sense on so many levels, and building work starts 5th March. Hi so pleased for you hope it all goes well, will be worth it in the end ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisL16 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 On 4 February 2018 at 18:36, Calmac said: I could have written that myself. We have also just returned from a 3 month visit to Melbourne and found basically that property was beyond reach. In the end we had to decide that exchanging a comfortable 3 bedroom house in England for a one bedroom flat/unit in Melbourne was just not worth it.....the bond contribution has also obviously increased drastically over the three years since application. So with about a month to go before action would begin we have reluctantly decided to withdraw. We will have to make do with the annual visit for as long as we can put up with the flight! I wish you all the best for the future ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Eire Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Can somebody please advise about payment methods for 2nd VAC? My parents are keen to get the money transferred while the exchange rate (euro) is so good. They were planning on transferring it to me. Can the bankers draft be made by me? Or has anyone used the new bpay method offered? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathss56 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 19 minutes ago, Nicole Eire said: Can somebody please advise about payment methods for 2nd VAC? My parents are keen to get the money transferred while the exchange rate (euro) is so good. They were planning on transferring it to me. Can the bankers draft be made by me? Or has anyone used the new bpay method offered? No one has tried the new method yet. Presume this would be the quickest way ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 22 minutes ago, Nicole Eire said: Can somebody please advise about payment methods for 2nd VAC? My parents are keen to get the money transferred while the exchange rate (euro) is so good. They were planning on transferring it to me. Can the bankers draft be made by me? Or has anyone used the new bpay method offered? I'm not sure if you can still do it this way, but when we paid our first vac, way back in 2013, we transferred the money to our daughter and she organised the bank draft and sent it off. I wouldn't think they care who pays it as long as they get their money? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 27 minutes ago, Nicole Eire said: Can somebody please advise about payment methods for 2nd VAC? My parents are keen to get the money transferred while the exchange rate (euro) is so good. They were planning on transferring it to me. Can the bankers draft be made by me? Or has anyone used the new bpay method offered? I transferred the money to my daughter's Australian bank account so that she could pay it with a bank cheque drawn on that account. That was the most efficient and least expensive way of doing it at the time. I don't know about bpay, as it wasn't an available method when we did mine last September. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahulshankar Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Nearly 2 weeks since we submitted our final documents...still no word about the 2nd vac payment... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karu1 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Nearly 2 weeks since we submitted our final documents...still no word about the 2nd vac payment... Rahul when did u submitted your application orginaly, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Eire Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 On 2/5/2018 at 23:27, Catlady2014 said: I transferred the money to my daughter's Australian bank account so that she could pay it with a bank cheque drawn on that account. That was the most efficient and least expensive way of doing it at the time. I don't know about bpay, as it wasn't an available method when we did mine last September. Thanks for that Catlady, so I can do the bank cheque on behalf of my parents - immi don't need it to be paid by them directly? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 2 hours ago, Nicole Eire said: Thanks for that Catlady, so I can do the bank cheque on behalf of my parents - immi don't need it to be paid by them directly? Yes, you can get a bank cheque drawn on your account and send it to Perth. You can't send it until they tell you though and you will get full instructions at the time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Eire Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 6 hours ago, Catlady2014 said: Yes, you can get a bank cheque drawn on your account and send it to Perth. You can't send it until they tell you though and you will get full instructions at the time. Great. Yes, got an email from the case officer informing of the amount- $87200 and just letting us know that we would receive a formal request as soon as we got the letter. Did the bank guarantee today.... so I think I just have to take that to Centrelink then tomorrow? But then what, wait for something from Centrelink? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 2 minutes ago, Nicole Eire said: Great. Yes, got an email from the case officer informing of the amount- $87200 and just letting us know that we would receive a formal request as soon as we got the letter. Did the bank guarantee today.... so I think I just have to take that to Centrelink then tomorrow? But then what, wait for something from Centrelink? The bank guarantee? I'm assuming you mean the Assurance of Support Bond? Yes, you need to take that paperwork to Centrelink and they should advise Immi. Then you wait again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikenC Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 What’s the average time that Centrelink takes to ring your sponsor as I’ve been waiting six weeks now, which seems an awful long time for them to collate the information given to them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlady2014 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 17 minutes ago, MikenC said: What’s the average time that Centrelink takes to ring your sponsor as I’ve been waiting six weeks now, which seems an awful long time for them to collate the information given to them There doesn't seem to be an "average". I think it depends on whichever office you go to. I suppose some offices might be busier than others, or might be more (or less) efficient than others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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