Marisawright

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about "depriving your child of a better future". It's a nonsense that people who've never been to Australia will peddle to you. Both countries have a lot to offer children in different ways - one is NOT better than the other. Your children can be happy and healthy anywhere if their mum is happy and healthy. If you're going to drag yourself back to Australia and end up miserable and depressed for the rest of your life, that's not a solution. It's a horrible situation to be in, when one of you wants one country and one wants the other. I hope you manage to find a solution.

You are aware that the full Australian pension is quite a bit higher than the British one?

If Tappers could get a permanent visa, I'd be saying the same thing. But it looks like they're heading over there on a temporary visa with a very slim chance that they'll manage to get PR. I don't think they would regret the experience of living in Australia either. However I do think they might regret blowing their life savings on a doomed adventure.

That’s what I meant . Short term list means barred from applying for PR as primary applicant. i must say, I’m struggling to understand why you can’t get the deposit for a home together - if that’s the case, where will you find the funds to migrate?

Where in Australia are you? I've lived in Sydney and Melbourne for over 35 years and rarely experienced a power cut. In fact, they had to switch off the power briefly in our building for some reason recently and I realised I didn't even possess candles.

I thought that about the list too, actually. I know the case that got the most publicity was the boxer, but there was also another dog that died in transit and the result was all those headlines about TWO dogs dying. I think that made the publicity a lot worse, because one dog could be seen as a one-off human error (which it probably was, BTW), whereas two dogs was presented as evidence of poor practices. The owner of the second dog claimed he was unaware there were any risks attached to flying his dog and said Qantas should have a vet at the airport to check every dog - but Qantas was able to prove he'd signed a waiver warning of the risks to brachy dogs. I wonder if that's what really triggered Qantas's decision. If people are going to sign waivers without reading them, not consult their own vet, and then bad-mouth Qantas all over the internet when the dog suffers, what else can they do? It comes back to what you were saying about the power of social media. Qantas' record with dogs, even taking these two into account, is better than some overseas airlines - but the social media backlash was such bad publicity, they felt they had to protect themselves.

I'm astonished at McGyver's list. For proof of relationship, we supplied our marriage certificate and that was that! For UK address, just a letter from my sister with no proof of her ownership of her house. However that was four years ago, so maybe they've got a lot stricter in the meantime. Good point about the bank statements - the bit about them needing to be on the bank letterhead, not just printed off the internet, is true.

Ah that makes sense. You need a minimum of 10 years contributions to get the UK pension.

When you say "to no avail", what do you mean exactly? If she just asked them to check and they said "it's right", she may have asked the wrong question. It might be worth her joining this group, they may be able to do something on her behalf: http://www.britishpensions.org.au/index.htm

If he has applied for the Australian pension then they usually require him to apply for the British government pension first, so surely he is receiving that as income too? If it's a large sum of money, then it would be worth consulting a tax agent, because there could be thousands to pay in tax if he gets it wrong. I'm pretty sure there will be a taxation liability in Australia.

Let me see if I've understood this right. Your husband can't be the primary applicant because his job isn't on the list. Your occupation is on the list, but you don't have the qualifications and experience yet. IMO, by far your safest bet is to wait until you do have the qualifications and experience and then apply for a 491 visa, IF any of the states have nurses on the list. You're the perfect candidate for that visa because you want to live in a regional area (for housing affordability). Points are far less important for a 491 so you'd be in with a much better chance. It's true that It's only a provisional visa but it has a clear pathway to PR, so it's much less risky than the TSS 482, which has only the possibility of PR with lots of things that can go wrong along the way. It might help your decision to sit down and work out how much it would cost you as a family to move to Australia on a 482 and then move back again at the end. Obviously you don't want to come back at the end, but I'm sure the agent has told you it's a complete gamble and you can't control whether you make it in the end or not. So it's important to confront what the financial consequences would be for your family if it doesn't work out. Only you can decide if it would be worth it. Remember, it's not just visa fees and air fares, it's also periods of unemployment while you look for work, holiday accommodation while you look for a home, shipping, setting up home, buying a car, etc. You should get some relocation help from an employer but they're not nearly as generous as they used to be.

That may be true, however that was ten years ago. Most migration sites are now quoting the 30-year figure for people who apply today. I understand the government really wanted to stop a lot of the family reunion visas, but it had to pass legisation to do it, and it didn't get past the Senate. So they've just gone on a go-slow instead. Thank Peter Dutton.

Are you aware that the waiting time for this visa is approximately 30 years? The government actually wanted to get rid of this visa, but they couldn't get the legislation through parliament, so they've just gone on a go-slow instead.

The use of the word "Legal" raises a red flag for me immediately. As soon as they add the label "lawyer", it's an excuse to charge like a wounded bull. If you've got into trouble over a visa and need legal representation, by all means use a lawyer. If you are simply applying for a visa, use a registered migration agent like Go Matilda or Oz Immigration.

You are right, with some postgraduate degrees there are no work restrictions. However what will you do at the end of that visa?

The short term list means that he won't be allowed to apply for a permanent visa even at the end of his contract, so I can't see much point in that. Unless you're thinking that you go over on his short-term visa, then you complete your training in Australia and then you apply for the permanent visa? Wouldn't you have lost points by that time?

I think your first step is to do your research and make sure you can still get a bigger house and more money. House prices in most capital cities have skyrocketed since 2007 but wages have stagnated, so a lot of people are struggling to buy houses in Australia too. As a nurse, you have a big advantage, because you can find work in one of the regional centres where you'll get paid the same but the house prices are much, much cheaper. Of course, you also need to consider your husband's work prospects. I suggest you get on realestate.com.au and check out house prices in the areas you're interested in. Another point - have you considered that if your husband's skill is only on the short-term list, all that gets you is a 2 to 4 year stay in Australia? What will you do then?

That's true, but it's still available to everyone as a safety net in case your superannuation runs out. Besides, unlike the UK, there is no NI contribution in Australia. You pay your taxes but none of that money is earmarked to pay you a pension - it pays for roads, hospitals, and other services. If some of it was earmarked to pay a guaranteed pension to all, our taxes would have to be higher. The pension is a benefit, like unemployment benefit, for the needy.

To me, the paramount thing is that if you're not happy in Australia and hanker to return to the UK (or vice versa), DO NOT think, "I'll stick it out for now, and I'll move back when I retire". It's bad enough that so many countries are cutting back on their government pensions, but when you move overseas, you're at the mercy of exchange rates and international taxes - to the point where you just can't afford it. The lesson is, if you want to go home (or wherever) do it when you're fifty and still have time to build up savings and a pension before you retire. Don't wait till retirement or you may find it's too late.

She should write to the International Pensions Centre asking for a breakdown of how her pension has been calculated. That way she can see whether there were any missed years in there anywhere. I emigrated around the same time aged 32. I had been abroad for three years but I backpaid six years subsequently. I get £66 a week.

Of course in the case of the boxer, that shouldn't have happened. However it's untrue to say that the breed isn't the problem. It's an established fact that snub-nosed breeds are at far higher risk than other dogs when flying. The problem is they can't be "looked after" while they are in the hold, which is the majority of the journey. I'm so glad your Shar Pei made it without problems but other snub-noses haven't been so lucky. Just talk to a pet shipper and they'll confirm the risk.

Well, some people might want to try it. Which is why I thought, it's important for people to know about the 35-year requirement. It would be awful to go to all that expense and upheaval and then find you're only eligible to claim 10/35th anyway!

Yes you can. First cousin marriage is not illegal in Australia.

They have to apply for a BVB visa first.

Oops my computer crashed. You can try emailing agencies but it's unlikely you'll get any replies. You'll have a better chance if you stay up late and phone them. They will probably tell you to wait until you arrive, but you can quiz them about job prospects in your field so it's worth doing. As I said, neither of you is likely to get a job before you arrive. Australia is not a new country crying out for workers any more, there's a reasonable supply of local applicants in most occupations. Employers are unlikely to consider an overseas applicant, even a high-calibre one, if there's a half-decent local candidate available. It's too risky for them - you might be delayed by a house sale falling through, family illness or problems with shipping, whereas they have certainty with the local. The vast majority of migrants have no job to come to, it's a bit scary but it's just part of the process. Budget for a few months' out of work while you look for the right jobs.