Quoll

They do say that if you have a return ticket they are less likely to bump you off the return half, if that is any consolation. Hard decision for you and one that many of us have had to come to terms with over this past year unfortunately. Good luck whichever way it turns out.

I'd have thought you would have applied for a permanent child visa (101) or for her to be a dependent on your OH's partner visa. As she is the child of an Australian citizen I think the draconian barriers are probably not as firmly policed. Also, being the child of an Australian citizen (especially if she is on a permanent visa) means that she would be able to access education with only the cost accruing to all citizens and PRs. As soon as you start talking temporary visas you enter a whole other minefield - some states charge for education, some charge for additional services for special needs kids. Australia pays a lot of lip service to children with autism but the services are generally not viewed too positively, especially by folk who have had kids with support in UK. It doesnt necessarily follow that a "diagnosis" will bring any additional educational support - there are a whole load of other factors which determine eligibility for any support and what in class support you may be offered is most likely going to be less than you currently get in UK - for example, you will never get full time support. It also varies from state to state, not that any of them are that great. There's also the NDIS which is supposed to provide a support "package" to those who are eligible but it's riven with problems (according to my mates) - accessing services that theoretically you are funded to receive has proved nigh on impossible in some places.

Did I pine for Australia two months after leaving it? Nope. Barely once in the nearly 9 years we were back did I give Australia much of a thought tbh. I knew we would be back because I had promised my DH that I would and it would have been financially not feasible for us to have lived there (retired, Aus super etc). I've been back 15 months now and if there were no Covid I would have been home for at least two visits in that time. Meanwhile I am back in Australia, still not fitting and not enjoying it any more than I did the first time around. After 42 years here I still dont have the kind of friendships that I have in UK, some old, some new. Not everyone here is on a good wage, buying their own home etc etc - we have one son living in the granny flat - he has weird ideas so it is all his own fault and if he werent in the granny flat he would be suffering financially (we shouldn't enable, I know, but it works for us all) - his brother in UK has a lovely house and a good career, so it isnt just the country, more to do with the individual I think. From the grandkids point of view - I am aghast at how much education here has slipped even in the last 10 years. My 6 year old UK grandson is doing the same things that my 10 year old granddaughter here is doing at school except her handwriting is neater. The grandkids all have access to lots of different things - not much difference there (they largely cost money - dance, cricket, swimming, circus) but whereas the granddaughters highlight is spending time camping in the bush with the occasional visit to the beach, the grandson is into castles and museums with the occasional visit to the beach (oh and dont forget the Mallard steam train!). I was offered several jobs when I was in UK (couldnt work as being a carer) and I have been offered a job here too (it's who you know, not what you know) and I daresay the same would be true for my DH so I think things are to be found in both places if you have networks, know where to look and arent proud of what job you take to get you on the ladder. And weather - well, it's piddling down in Canberra right now which is really the pits when I need to go and collect the grandkids. I loved the English weather all year round!!!

I am sorry, he has no parents? There may be some special case for an orphan going to live with their only grandparents but one of the agents will know for sure.

Talk to a registered agent. Student visa is the first one that springs to mind but you'd be paying international student fees for his education and that is mega bucks. But at the moment students aren't being allowed in anyway. Would his parents able him to leave even if you could get a visa?

We were only away for nearly 9 years and it was like we had never been away. It hasn't been hard to adjust and my feelings about the place were just as they were before.

You forgot the high powered showers. Other than that (and I don't miss the coffee), oh and fly wire screens, that would be about the sum total.

It might be the years of studying psychology which will be your downfall - only way to find out is to ask the APS if your degree is enough for visa purposes and AHPRA if you would be registrable. Trying to second guess either of them is pretty fruitless.

If you're relying on teaching to get your visa it will be a longer process if you're planning on retaining in another career field.

Further study - maybe a masters in special Ed with a practical component. That 4 year thing is immutable.

Yup, write and ask them and make your case and hope for the best.

Maybe not - but there were warnings recently that failure to abide by the moral obligation would not be viewed favourably and it would be naive to assume that just because it has happened that way in the past - with so many abusing that moral obligation - it will continue to be so. I think a crack down would be a good idea. We have had people on here being given a visa for one state but going immediately to another state where they had family or friends or a job. Just not on. I think the OP could make a good case for a release from the obligation and if they do everything right, they should be fine.

Lots! My son and grandson. Walking around in history - love castles and cathedrals and their stories. The weather. Variety in pretty much everything in such a small space - the countryside, the supermarkets, entertainment options. Trains. Seasons. Food especially meat from our village butcher, not to mention his sausages. Wool shops and wool shows. The friendliness of the people and their sense of humour. The NHS. Decent affordable second hand cars.

I really dislike strong coffee - I like it light and I like cream with it, and that's generally quite hard to find in Australia. What I missed about Australia when I lived in UK were the wide parking spaces - now, them, I really appreciate but I note that the current trend for the Toorak tractors is making even those look a little miserly these days. The other thing I missed was my shower - I love my shower, it's good and powerful and the temperature regulation is perfect.

As I mentioned before, you can ask them for a deferred entry date so you keep your options open.

There may be a difference between “being close to home” and “in the priority enrolment area” so check the PEA for the school you’ve applied for. If you live within the PEA boundaries you are guaranteed a place. It’s not like U.K. where placement is in the lap of the Gods! What you could do is accept the private place and send her to that school and see how she likes it. You generally need to give a term’s notice once a child has started in a private school and there would probably be a similar financial penalty if you accepted then withdrew. But she will always be able to go to her PEA school even if she’s gone private for just a term. Or you could ask the private school to defer her application for entry for a year or until the start of year 3 or year 7 (common entry points). It’s easier to take a kid out of the private system than it is to get them into it!

I think offshore partner visas from London are actually being turned around quite quickly at the moment. Put the application in now anyway.

OK so maybe I was a bit flippant (you can take it in turns to take the Valium!). 1. Have faith in your parenting, I'm sure you're a good parent and you will be a good parent on the flight and chances are there is going to be nothing to worry about at all. 2. When the 3 year old sleeps, you all sleep but if she doesnt sleep then the adults take it in turns -2 on 2 off is a good break up 3. Dont be afraid to distract and take her to the back of the plane (where there is usually more room) if she is awake in the middle of the night. Practice some exercise moves before you get on the plane that she can get used to = toe touching, star jumps, high kicks, etc and do those moves in the relative quiet of the back of the plane, alternatively have some other activity she enjoys doing with you. 4. Travel light, you dont need to take the kitchen sink. Let her have a backpack with her precious friend (teddy, doll, whatever) and her favourite book, a doodle slate (where you can draw and clean it off with a swipe - often found in pound shops!). She can be boss of her special friend and make sure that the special friend knows how to behave in a plane - if she is managing her special friend she is likely to model the right way to do things. 5. Load up your iPad with toddler friendly activities 6. If she is inclined to be travel sick, try out any travel sick remedies BEFORE you travel - some of them can have a paradoxical effect and instead of making kids go to sleep, they make them HYPERACTIVE like bouncing off the walls HYPERACTIVE. However, if she has never flown before I would check her reaction to travel sick remedies beforehand anyway because there is little worse than a chundering kid except perhaps a bouncing off the walls kid. 7. Fly at night - you're all so buggered after a busy day, chances are you will sleep like babies and, no, you dont need to stay awake for the meals. 8. Have a drink bottle/lollies on hand for take off and touch down - ear pain due to pressure changes can be one of the biggest problems for little kids, swallowing helps equalise pressures. 9. Make sure she doesnt kick the seat in front of her - there is nothing worse than having a fidgety kid kicking the back of your seat all night. It is a very long time since I travelled with a 3 year old (and a 12 week old) on my own back to UK - looking back I wonder how I managed but from memory the worst thing was me being ignored by the hostie (who was chatting up a single male further down the plane) and I was dying for a cup of tea because I was BF the baby. As far as I recall the 3 year old was good as gold. Since then, I've travelled with grandkids but we've never had problems and once, even, a very stern lady across the aisle congratulated my son and daughter in law on leaving the plane because she'd been scared stiff the then 18 month old would be a nightmare to travel with. Apart from queue jumping to go to the loo (early toilet trained) she was good as gold. Dont sweat it, it'll be fine.

Valium ……..for you!

I would tend to think if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. You’ve got good jobs, your kids are getting a good education, there’s not much to choose between two first world countries and your kids could end up anywhere from Alaska to Zanzibar and you’ll have no say over where they go and what they do. If you’ve got a home you enjoy living in and friends/family you enjoy being with, then don’t screw it up. If on the other hand, your soul aches because you’re in the wrong place and you just don’t belong where you are - and things are broke - then move.

She wouldn’t have been an Australian until 1949 (British subject before that but everyone became Australian in Jan 1949) but she’s got her Aus citizenship and didn’t become British and so lose her Aus citizenship so it’ll just be a matter of you applying for registration as a citizen by descent. You can’t pass down your Australian citizenship to your kids so you having a passport won’t be of benefit to them in the future unless you’re planning on all moving over before they become independent.

I missed all of mine too but this one was a bit special unfortunately.

Couple of things - was your mum an Australian citizen when you were born? Had she taken another citizenship and lost her Australian one (that happened before 2002 but has since been rescinded - there may be ways around that)?. If she was a citizen at the time of your birth then, yes, you can apply for citizenship by descent. Whether she was a citizen by birth could depend on a few things like her date of birth (before 1949?) and her parents' status at the time. Bottom line, ask your mum what her citizenship status was at the time of your birth.

That’s good to know. Normal practice in non COVID times is for a face to face interview and damned inconvenient that is too!

They're not taking that long and your partner is going to have to wait longer than your child will wait for their process. If your child is a citizen by descent and had a child overseas after living in Australia for more than 2? Years before having that child, they will be able to pass down Australian citizenship to your grandchild. The child is going to need their own passport, no more travelling on mums passport, so you might as well get them one of both.