Quoll

Ah! You should be OK then with a temporary 444 visa. Simple rule of thumb in that case - go where you can afford the rent and find a job! If you start of with an air bnb you've got a while to check out the neighbours. Usually if you can't see yourself living in an area you won't want to send your kids to the local school. Work out what is important to you with respect to rent, distance from work, facilities etc etc and go from there. Not sure if the borders are open to 444s yet though.

As the others have said, it isnt a matter of relocating and choosing where you think you might want to live. Before you even start to think of where you might want to live you have to come to grips with your chances of getting a visa and at this moment an apprentice and "working in accounts" isnt going to cut it. Possibly if you are a fully qualified and experienced accountant you might get a look in but that's one occupation which is always touted as being on the list and about to be removed. I think your chances of moving are still quite a long way off.

No problem with any of it. Vacuum was cleaned to within an inch of its life. Small bottles of perfume were padded out with lots of yarn. It was a large move cube and we didnt have any furniture but we had books (lots of books, hiding at the back) and yarn (lots of yarn) ditto. We could have fitted in the freezer and tumble dryer which was our initial plan but we decided against it and havent regretted it (much). We had no furniture as we were moving "home" to our own house - there was already rather too much in the cube that we had to find space for. I suspect we could have squeezed it all into a medium but when we did the dining room mock up it didnt pack in quite as neatly as it did with sturdy walls. The only thing we had that got broken was the mudguard on the DH's bike! We took a risk and didn't insure as there wasnt really much of monetary value in it and the insurance process looked like a real pita.

My husband did ours, bless him. He categorised things - books, kitchen equipment, tools, clothes etc. On each box he stuck a list of the contents on front and back of each box going into slightly more detail for things that we might want. He also numbered each box with big numbers front and back and weighed each one and wrote the weight on front and back. He also transcribed what he wrote for Seven Seas onto a spreadsheet so that when we came to opening them we knew which box we were aiming for. We did a mock up in the dining room, making sure it would all fit within the volume and rallied the weight as we went. In the end it all fitted better in the box than it did in the mock up and we had oodles of space.

Doesn't the period 1988-2002 living and working in Australia count towards contributions? That was when we had the reciprocal agreement.

Were you an Australian citizen before her birth? If so, she will be able to apply for citizenship by descent. I dont think that is taking awfully long but you could check to see that she is eligible and what you would need to do - if you have your marriage cert, birth cert and her birth cert I think that should do it. She has to register as a citizen by descent first then she can get an Australian passport and then she can come and go (and if she is a citizen the borders will be open for her but she will have to quarantine of course)

Good to hear that is all falling into place for you and you are where you belong! Even my Ballarat born husband doesn't think he "belongs" in Ballarat LOL!

Agree with the others, partner visa but in the meantime, if your wife doesnt have UK citizenship, now would be a good time for her to get it, you never know if you might want to return and it takes the hassle out of visas in the longer term.

Looks like you'll have to apply for a new visa then. If you've got millions to spare then the investors visa seems like a way to go. BTW, Immigration are not in the Compassion business (and neither should they be), they are in the business business. Best talk to an agent about your options.

I think the wording for reciprocal cover is “necessary” rather than emergency. Some of the policies I just googled for temporary working visas include GP and specialist visits (some have an annual max spend) so when you choose the private cover that you need to evidence for your visa, you can get one with that level of cover. I don’t know why UK expats are so hung up on bulk billing - it was designed to ensure that low income earners weren’t deterred from seeking medical intervention. The rest of us understand it’s a co-pay system and the rebate for a GP visit is only around $39 these days.

Australia has a co-pay system so most Australians pay for GP and specialist visits. If your treatment is necessary then you will pay the same as any other Australian under the reciprocal arrangement. Medicare doesn’t cover private hospital other than the standard Medicare rebate for the item number which goes nowhere close to covering the fees. It rather depends on whether your treatment is deemed necessary or elective - if necessary then the reciprocal arrangement will cover you, if elective then you won’t get anything for it. As you’re likely to be in the high salary range, being a doctor, it’d probably be financially worth your while to get private health insurance and avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge

It's not a matter of being "fair" it is designed to meet Australia's needs and commitments. Parents really arent a vital part of Australia's needs and many other countries wont even consider parent migration, I think government would actually like to do away with the parent visas altogether if they could. Maybe that will be one of the recommendations because it is just too heavy a demand.

Not necessarily. They may apply for an inwards exemption like everyone else. Whether they get it or not is anyone's guess. It isnt 100% certain that any "compassionate" plea is going to hit the mark. I'm with Rammygirl on this one - tough decision but perfectly do-able.

Nah, he's an idiot. A very resourceful and practical idiot but an idiot nonetheless.

Found this Temporary visa holders leaving Australia for a short trip overseas Temporary visa holders in Australia can depart Australia at any time, however, they will generally not be permitted to return to Australia. Temporary visa holders seeking to leave and then return to Australia, may apply for an inwards exemption before they leave, however applications will generally only be approved if: the applicant meets the requirements for an individual exemption from Australia’s Inward Travel Restrictions, and they have a strong compassionate or compelling reason to leave Australia supported by relevant documentary evidence, for example: attending the funeral of a close family member overseas, visiting a close family member who is seriously or critically ill, or seeking necessary medical treatment not available in Australia, or travel is essential for business purposes. Might be worth asking for an exemption to return otherwise it might be a case tossing up whether seeing a family member before they die or Australia is more important. I would think if the case is "worst case scenario" then you would be in with a reasonable shot. However, having done it myself just a year ago - if it is only to attend a funeral is it worth it with all the quarantine etc? I watched my dad's funeral on FaceTime (in a woodland burial ground with no broadband, just my daughter in law and her phone) and a friend's and my uncle's funerals via a well set up streaming service. I know it is hard but sometimes pragmatism is key. In some ways I think knowing that the government is making decisions and effectively stopping you from doing what you would normally feel you wanted to do, makes it easier to handle. I feel no guilt about not being there for my dad - immensely sad, for sure, but he always said "dont bother to come back for a funeral" - normally, of course, I would have been in like Flynn but this time I took him at his word and it was what I did for him when he was alive which mattered. I hope it isnt the "worst" for your fiancé because that's awful but just in case ....

With only 5 months to go I wouldnt bother wasting my time. Victoria needs its nurses and you have a job. So, you are unhappy - stick it out for 5 more months and you can be in Qld, legitimately, before Christmas without any stressful dealings with the state government and no fear of reprisals.

Good luck! Can’t say it would float my boat! When discussing with the DH about his aspirations for a self sufficient 40 acre block I did specify that my non budge baseline expectations were an inside flush loo and broadband with a good local coffee shop a close third. Unless you’re more than an hour away along an unsealed road from a tiny hamlet with a basic stock convenience store I don’t think you’re going to be off grid much LOL. The DS set up on what was a 1960s Co-op and which had all the aspirations of your eco village back in the day I suspect. There are still a few who hang on, growing their own “tobacco”, brewing their own hooch and generally not really being very productive in the wider sense but it was where the ex grew up and they hoped to lead the way with young families - the world has moved on since the 60s though and thank heavens other young families see the benefits of education for their kids at least.

My son did, for about 10 years - built two houses in the bush, one wood and tin and then one mud bags. Shot and butchered his own roo and deer, water pumped up from the stream, a couple of tiny solar panels, planted a large garden with veg and fruit trees. Kids were home unschooled (with disastrous consequences), they drove old cars and worked cash in hand - often my son would get work shooting vermin for farmers, or he would do anything he put his hand to (so much for the medical scholarship he won!!!). Fortunately (as it turned out) within 8 months of moving into the mud brick house a bushfire burned them out totally and eventually they returned to city living where their kids now actually go to school (relationship bit the dust shortly after the bushfire). Would he do it again? - probably, but he would build an underground house ( we try and deter him) and has all sorts of other refinements that he thinks he has learned en route (bit Walter Mitty our son). It was also my DH's aspiration for our retirement which caused some dissent between us because my retirement was supposed to be 6/6 UK/Aus!!! We got it sorted though and the DH no longer has such aspirations, especially since the son got burned out and DH also realises that when you are knocking on a bit you move towards services not away from them.

I went back to my hometown after living away for about 45 years and it was the best! There was so much that was familiar yet so much that was new. All my old friends had scattered to the winds so it was really a matter of starting all over again and it all worked out beautifully but I think if we didn’t have the imperative to live “at home” with my folk we could have chosen anywhere in the country (except, perhaps, Bradford or Bolton) and been very happy. I think the key is not expecting to go back to what you had but moving forward to something new, albeit, maybe, in a familiar place. I know a few who have moved back and slotted right in as if they’d never gone though so some do get lucky.

When dealing with possible medical issues it’s always wise to talk to one of the agents who specialises in medical conditions - George Lombard is usually recommended but I think a few other agents now also cooperate with medical specialists for advice - but ADHD doesn’t attract any disability funding (so no extra help in school beyond what the school can provide) and the medication is unlikely to push his costs over the threshold so you’ll probably be ok but be prepared with current assessments of cognitive function, adaptive behaviour, skill profile etc just in case

Wont matter. We have a family card, we each get our own card and they distinguish between us by using the card number plus the person number on the card. Cant see why it would be either an advantage or disadvantage (other than if one of you wanted to take your kid to a medical intervention, you'd need to be sure you had their card in your pocket but if you were all on the same one you'd only have to be sure to take your card and your child will be listed thereon)

That’s what my son said when he went to U.K. for a holiday in 2002 - he envisaged bringing up a family in Australia and having a childhood like he had. He was only going for a year. We are still waiting! He won’t be back!

They’ll have changed their minds by then so not to worry. They’ll be fine with A levels (they convert nicely to the ATAR) and as they’re citizens they can get Commonwealth Supported Places.

Your chances are slim unless your mum is on an end of life pathway and her doctors will attest to that - there have been several on here and other forums who have been granted exemptions for that. Just being frail elderly isn’t going to cut it. At least you are secure in the knowledge that you have a sibling close to her so if the worst happens someone will step up and do all that is necessary.

This is the first Fathers Day I haven’t had my dad - he died in U.K. last year and I wasn’t there for him. I know I shouldn’t feel guilt because the DH and I put our lives on hold to care for him and mum for nearly 9 years and he made the decision to go into a care home which he absolutely loved. Still, doesn’t stop the guilt from washing in every now and again - especially since I “went” to my last remaining uncle’s funeral at midnight on Tuesday - he and my aunt had no kids so they relied on us nieces and nephew. It is what it is and it’s a decision we make when we move away from our nearest and dearest. Now, our son has done to us what we did to my mum and dad, emigrated (accidentally) back to Britain and he won’t be back either. Bummer, but not much you can do about it.