Marisawright

You "overpay" according to the number of years needed to qualify for the pension under the current rules. You're not overpaying in reality. Your contributions don't go anywhere close to actually funding your pension. It's obvious when you think about it. You pay a small NI contribution for 20 or 30 years - then you retire and collect a pension much greater than those contributions for 20 or 30 years. That can't possibly add up.

...however, New Zealand to Melbourne is less than 4 hours by plane. So visits would be an awful lot easier and cheaper than from the UK, so you'd be able to visit each other a lot more often. Also consider that once you've been in New Zealand long enough to become a citizen, you'd have some rights to live and work in Australia.

Sadly, skilled migration is only available to people aged under 45, so you've missed the boat. There are temporary visas if you can find an employer to sponsor your husband in a job, but at his age, it's only going to be for 2 to 4 years.

I think you are in cloud cuckoo land, sadly. I have three female cousins over 60, who've paid NI contributions since they were 17 or 18. Using your logic, the government should've been obliged to pay their pensions when they reached 60, as they'd been promised all their lives. But no, the government cut 5 years off without any apology. It's the government's fault - for decades, they've been too scared to raise NI contribution rates because it would be unpopular. At the same time, the government has let everyone believe their NI contributions were paying towards their pension, and that when they retired, they'd get out what they put in. That's why the government can get away with cutting back the pension - it can easily show that what people pay in, is not enough to pay out a pension for life - even taking into account investment growth. So it can rightfully claim the NI contributions is just that, a partial contribution to a pension, and does not convey the right to any fixed amount or commencement date.

If he's an Australian citizen with an Australian passport then I don't see why there would be any problem. The waiting time for a partner visa is long (over a year), but if you're not in a hurry to get to Australia, I would apply from the UK. I say that because in the UK, you can just get on with your lives as normal until the approval comes through. Whereas if you move to Australia and then apply, you'll be on a bridging visa while you wait, and that can make it harder to find work.

The 6 months upfront is demanded if you don't have a job. If you can show a contract of employment or a pay slip, that's usually enough, unless you're in an area where rental properties are in huge demand (as we were).

If you're already living together and have shared bank accounts etc, then that's what matters. For both those visas, you need to prove you've been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months - it doesn't matter which country you're living in. On the face of it, moving to Australia on a WHV and then applying for a 820 would seem to be the best solution. If he goes for the 309, then he can get tourist visas to visit you on holidays during the waiting period, but he wouldn't be allowed to work.

Actually I’d have thought it was the other way around. I remember first encountering the term de facto in Sydney and being pleased to discover there was a proper name for it. Where I came from in Scotland all the words for living together were derogatory

Pot kettle black. All she did was write a post reflecting your tone of voice about Australia, to show you what your angry bitter post sounded like.

In normal parlance in parts of the UK, boyfriend is still often used to refer to one’s live-in partner. The term de facto is rare and the word partner doesn’t convey gender. So, not a fatal error in ordinary speech, just best not used when talking to Immigration

Actually, the main issue is where you would be regarded as legally resident. It doesn't matter where either of you is paid, it's where you're legally domiciled that decides your tax liability. It could get complicated if you're doing 6 months in each country and have a home of some kind in both places. A consultation with someone who's knowledgeable about cross-border tax would be absolutely essential.

Of course it’s always possible he didn’t declare it on his Australian tax return because it never occurred to him that it was necessary. It happens a lot I believe. The banks are supposed to report such large transactions so he should have got caught, but as we’ve learned from the Royal Commission, the banks’ reporting has been very slack for years

It is indeed. You might need to get professional advice, as it all comes down to whether you're domiciled in Australia at the time. If you hop back to the UK for a year but you keep your home in Australia, that might not be enough to do the trick...

The 190 is not as demanding as the 189 but I still think you would struggle with low points.

Those are low scores. Have you both taken the English test? Or can you take it again to improve your points?

My first reaction was to wait until closer to the time, because after all, nothing is guaranteed in life. Something might go wrong, or your circumstances might change, and it won't happen - so why worry the children unnecessarily? Wait until it's all set in stone. However, Ali makes a very good point. You and your partner are talking about it now, so there's a chance they will overhear - and that would be more upsetting than being told upfront. So perhaps it's best to be upfront about it.

No one is going to get their knickers in a knot if the children don't go to school for the first couple of months. Private schools - I am always astonished how many Australians send their kids to private schools and since my ex used to teach at one, I have to say, I'm dubious the teaching standards are any better. Of course they have nicer classrooms and sports facilities but that's not really the point of education, is it? A lot of parents send their children to Catholic schools, which are 'private' but not nearly as expensive as the true private schools.

I'm sorry to hear about your breakup. No, I'm afraid there's no way to get your superannuation refunded. You will have to leave it in the fund until you reach retirement age. Make sure you write to the fund and notify them of your UK address, and also tell them to cancel all insurances, since they probably won't be valid overseas anyway.

I won't be popular with agents for suggesting this, but I think you're on the right track. The refusal rate for partner visas is very high, but that's because (a) there are many fraudulent applications and (b) there's an awful lot of stupid people in the world, who submit their application without doing their research. If you've done your research, work meticulously, and if your relationship is genuine, then I think it's possible to DIY provided you get it checked over by a good agent.

It used to be that they took a dim view of flying over on a tourist visa and then applying for another visa, and that's why you've got some really negative comments. It's something that a lot of people do now and Immigration officials are told to let people through. All they have to consider is, "when this person applies for another visa, if they are rejected, are they likely to stay illegally?". That's the only reason it might be a bit dodgy in your case, because partner visas have a high refusal rate and they might feel you had a strong incentive to stay illegally since your partner is Australian. In your shoes, I think I'd be applying for the partner visa now, have the baby and move once the visa is safely through. I know it's a long wait but it will be worth it.

It is not illegal to arrive on a tourist visa and then apply for a partner visa once you're in Australia. At the airport, Immigration officials just need to feel confident that you won't overstay the terms of your visa. The risk, as others have mentioned, is that the official might take one look at you and think, "but by the time her visa expires, she won't be allowed on a plane, so there's something fishy going on here". Is there a reason you're in a rush to move to Australia? It doesn't matter where your baby is born. Because his father is an Australian citizen, you'll just need to apply for citizenship for the baby once it's born, and it's pretty straightforward to do. Having a baby is an exciting but stressful experience and I agree with everyone else - it will be much easier for you to have it in the UK where you're on familiar home territory. And it will all be free, which may not be the case in Australia. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/change-in-situation/had-a-baby

Really? Why on earth did you stay for 20 years then?

I'm so sorry to hear that. First question is, how do you know her ongoing medication is of little cost? Have you checked how much the real cost of the medication is (which is far more than you pay on prescription either in the UK or in Australia)? That's the cost they look at, because that's what the government has to pay the pharmaceutical company. The other issue is that the government doesn't just look at how much her treatment costs now, it looks at how much a typical bronchiectisis patient would cost. The best migration agent to consult is George Lombard, he's well -known as the go-to man for medical conditions.

All that counts

Do you have bank statements or other official correspondence sent to you at that address? What address do you put on your tax return? You can use those documents as proof. If you're paying them cash, then they may be reluctant to even give you a letter, if they're not declaring it to the taxman