Marisawright

That's what I always thought. In @NYNL20's case, her daughter doesn't have PR yet. Some of us warned her that she wouldn't be eligible to even apply until the daughter has PR and has fulfilled the residency requirement. Her response has been that "the partner can sponsor" so it's OK. But as you say, I always understood they were two separate things.

What a difficult position to be in. I'm pretty sure the Carer's visa has a very long waiting list. I strongly suggest you engage a good agent (like Paul, who answered above). Yes, it costs money, but it's better than throwing money away in visa application fees. Good luck!

Thanks for that correction. So it's only the employer sponsored and 189 that's blocked?

Check out realestate.com.au for house prices as they've gone up a lot since you were here last. Also check out this site for reviews of suburbs: https://www.homely.com.au/search/suburbs-in-brisbane-queensland I assume your partner and kids had PR? Remember you will need to apply for a RRV for them in good time, when you're ready to move. It can take longer than usual for the RRV to be processed, because they're so long past the date when they'd get one automatically. They will need to demonstrate "strong ties to Australia", but you being a citizen would count towards that.

This is actually really important information. What you're saying is that if you have a son or daughter who's married to an Aussie, you don't have to wait until your child qualifies - your child's partner can sponsor their in-laws. That's huge! Maybe @Alan Collett can comment to confirm?

This is why I always say, contact the International Pensions Centre and ask for a pension forecast. They'll send you the pension forecast and give you details of what contributions you can pay to improve it.

You are aware the waiting period for that visa, if you apply now, is around 6 to 8 years? http://www.ostomynsw.org.au/about18.php https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/organisations/health-professionals/services/medicare/stoma-appliance-scheme

That would be my concern too. I read an article about those cards, which said the exchange rates were so bad, it would cost you about $30 for every $200 you spent. I don't recall it mentioning the Revolut card though. Getting an Australian bank account set up and working is much faster than getting a UK bank account set up.

Yes. ING charges no fees for ATM withdrawals overseas, AND it also refunds any charge you might get charged by the overseas bank as well. Every time we used an ATM in Spain and Italy, it would warn you that there was a 2 or 3 euro fee for using it. The fee would be charged and then we'd see it refunded by ING the same day.

Same in Australia, they are mandated contributions and the amount is dictated by Federal government. How and when you can withdraw the money is also dictated by the government. However, that is as far as it goes. The money in the funds is not government money.

If it's on the short-term list then he is not eligible to apply for any kind of permanent visa, sorry.

With AHPRA, my understanding is that you only need registration in-principle, which you can do from overseas, (though you still have to pop over and present in person with proof of an Australian address - you can use a relative's - and an Aussie bank account). Then you complete the requirements for full registration with your first employer. I'm working from memory here though, I'm not an expert. I would double-check the age requirements for the transition to PR. Again, I'm working from memory, but I have a feeling there are only a few exemptions to the age limit for the 186 visa, and I don't remember physiotherapist being on the list. Someone like @Raul Senise or @paulhand may drop by and clarify.

Are you working with a migration agent? You can be sponsored by an employer over 45, but that's only on a 482 visa which is for 2 to 4 years only. I thought you still had to be under 45 to apply for PR after the 482 expires? I may be wrong but I hope you've checked.

@Bulya, have a read of what Proud Preston says here. For people who suffer from this terrible type of homesickness, finding the right part of Australia will never make any difference. They just feel like a piece of them is missing if they're not in their homeland. It's not logical or sensible or curable. I feel sorry for people who have this sickness and I'm very glad I'm not one of them.

ING Bank has the lowest fees.

Yes to the first question. The only way to get money out of your Moneycorp account is by bank transfer but you can transfer to any account

@arch123 - you don't mention the English test, does that mean you haven't done it?

@Canada2Australia, you are correct, many countries do have a Social Security Agreement. The Agreement between the UK and Australia expired in 2000 and has never been renewed. An Australian could go and live in one of several European countries and claim their government pension, but not the UK. I don't know what agreement Canada has. It's up to each country to make individual deals with each other. Superannuation is a private investment fund and nothing to do with the government, as are British private pensions. I imagine CPP's are too.

@bug family, I really feel for you. If someone arrives in Oz, has a few setbacks and feels a bit lonely but is otherwise in two minds, then the "give it x years" advice is probably good. If someone arrives in Oz and discovers that they're so badly homesick they feel like they've got a limb missing, it's dangerous advice - because it means they risk getting more and more stuck and it just gets harder to go home. As you've found, the "you haven't given it time" advice is a great way for a husband or wife to fob you off with excuses...

@Kari-dee, I hope you won't let him off the hook, but here's some information to get you started. The first thing you need to think about is finances. It's difficult for Australians to move to the UK in later life because of the pension situation. It's very likely that you will be financially worse off in your retirement in the UK and that might be a deal-breaker, depending how well-off you and your OH are. We tried moving to the UK a few years ago but that was one of the reasons we moved back. One problem is that if you take a pension (income stream) from your super fund in retirement, that's taxed as income (whereas it would be tax-free if we're in Australia). So your super isn't going to last as long as it would in Oz. As you probably know, your super fund is just a pot of money, so your pension only lasts while the money lasts - most people's pension runs out before they do, and then you fall back on the Australian govt pension. It's your safety net. And there's the big problem - because if you move to the UK now, you can never get the Australian govt pension, and you won't be eligible for the full British pension either (though your OH will, if he backpays the contributions he missed). So, you need to look at your finances and see whether you've got enough super and savings that you won't need the Aussie pension in your old age. If you will need that safety net, then you need a plan B. You could move now, and enjoy fifteen or even twenty years in the UK, with a plan to return when you need the pension. However, that will depend on your husband's visa status: if he's an Australian citizen, there's no problem - but if he's just a permanent resident, then his RRV will run out and he'll lose the right to return to Australia with you. So you may need to stay in Australia for another year or so, until he gets his citizenship.

He’s leaving it up to you? Time for a serious talk there. He needs to be involved, or he’ll blame you if it all goes wrong. Been there done that!

Yes, it can be quick, because it's a temporary visa (a 482). I have no idea how registration works - I'd have thought that would take longer, but if the employer has done it before, I assume they know what they're doing. It is only temporary, for 2 to 4 years, but the contract can be renewed. I'm sure your brother will tell you that Sydney is a very expensive place to live due to the extortionate price of housing (to rent or buy). From the places you mention, I would pick Orange like a shot. It's a lovely country town which has become a real "foodie" destination. Sydneysiders head up there on weekends to visit the wineries, so I'm sure your brother would be pleased to see you settled there - free board for him! Dubbo and Broken Hill are more challenging - very hot, very dusty, and a long way from anywhere. If it's just two years then it would be worth it for the experience.

We were told that we couldn't use our super even though it was accessible. We didn't pursue that further as we had savings in the bank because we'd sold our house some time previously. I'd say it's worth investigating that a bit further though. Do you have a house to sell? If so, that can be used to satisfy the financial requirement: You must have already found a buyer, but you don't need to have the money in your hands yet - you just need a solicitor's letter proving that it's been sold and showing the amount you're going to receive. Good idea to cash the super before you move. Once it's in the bank, it's just savings and safe from the taxman in either country (if you waited till after you leave Australia, the British taxman would take a third of it!). The only downside of leaving now is that neither of you will be able to claim the Australian govt pension, ever (even your partner - being an Australian makes no difference). As you don't have a large amount in superannuation, this may be a concern - what will you live on in your old age? You should contact the International Pension Centre to get a British pension forecast and arrange to backpay your missed NI contributions, so you can get as much British pension as possible. That's obviously not an option for your partner, so that is something to consider. https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre

He should enquire here: https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre They'll send him a letter confirming how much pension he'll get, whether he can make voluntary contributions, how much to pay and where to pay it. The information about contributions is below, but like I said, it's best to do it all through the International Pensions Centre because then it all gets tied up in the same place: https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/deadlines

In your shoes, I would be looking at other options rather than just waiting patiently. People talk about a "queue" but it's not a queue where you just have to wait till it's your turn. It's a competition. Immigration cherry-picks the best candidates and ignores the rest. So it is very possible to languish in the queue forever, if more qualified candidates keep coming in behind you. I can understand that you don't want to live in another state because you want to be near family - but at least being in another state is closer than where you are now.