Marisawright

Because, in case you hadn't noticed,the world is already over-populated. There are people who say Australia already has enough people anyway, since most of the country is desert. Also it is cheaper for a country like Australia to import people who are old enough to work, instead of waiting for them to be educated and grow up.

This might be why he was worried - I must say, it put me off: https://www.investordaily.com.au/markets/45598-investsmart-posts-1-7m-loss I am looking into Stockspot, so thanks for that tip.

Actually it doesn't go down by quite as much, so usually you would be a bit better off. The main benefit, though, would be to Australians currently living in the UK, because currently they get no pension at all. Australia has always said that if the UK lifts the freeze, they'll lift the ban.

I don't know your field, but my gut feeling is to agree with Paul1Perth. Employers are much more likely to hire someone with a degree and experience rather than someone with a PhD who hasn't worked in the industry for several years. Rightly or wrongly, they would worry you have spent too much time on the theory and have lost touch with the practicalities of working life. I'd say if you decide to do the PhD then you'll need to resign yourself to working in an academic role.

Are you proposing to do this further study in your home country or in Australia?

You're only going for a holiday to Spain so I don't think that would be a problem.

Use one of the agents who regularly post here like @wrussell or @paulhand

How much have you drunk this evening?

How did I miss this post? I need to look into other investments. I have some money in Ratesetter and am happy with them

You’ve posted on another thread to say what an awful place Australia is, so why are you even bothering?

If you want to migrate to Australia, the correct way is to stay in your home country, apply for a visa, and wait for it to be granted. If you CHOOSE to get around the system by arriving in Australia and then applying for a visa, that's your choice, and naturally it's going to have some snags - otherwise everybody would be doing it. You don't like the snags, go home.

If you meet the criteria for residence, then it can be very quick - only a few days. However if you are short of the requirement, it can take several weeks. Best to apply now.

I agree Australian employers can be ageist - I've experienced it myself - but the immigration system is not ageist. As an Australian taxpayer, I don't want migrants coming to Australia in their fifties, working for ten or fifteen years, and then collecting the Australian pension and Medicare benefits for the rest of their lives (which could easily be another thirty years). Migrants have to come when they're younger so they can pay into the welfare system for longer, to fund their old age. It's just arithmetic.

The fees are usually much cheaper than most banks will charge, and it's not that difficult. A lot of people use Moneycorp or Transferwise. The best bet is to ask your bank how much they'll charge and then you've got something to compare. Tip: Don't close your UK bank account because once you leave the UK, it will be hell-on-earth trying to get another one. You'll be surprised how handy it is to have a UK bank account even if you're living in Australia.

That sounds cheap to me, but then I'm used to Sydney and Melbourne prices.

Yes, but you can't get the treatment until you've waited the 12 months - what happens then?

It depends on which type of visa and where you were living immediately before arriving in Australia.

I don't see how you have grounds for an appeal. Immigration did not make a mistake. Your lawyer made the mistake.

Sorry @Charlie m, I had a look at some of your other posts and I think I see what you're asking. You want to come to Australia and then apply for a parent visa onshore, yes? In that case, you apply for an ordinary tourist visa, the same as if you're coming on holiday. A day or two after you arrive in Australia, you apply for the parent visa. Your tourist visa will remain valid. They will then grant you a bridging visa while you wait in the queue. You may already be aware of all the restrictions of living in Australia on the bridging visa, but just in case: You are not allowed to leave Australia, even on holiday. If you want to leave the country at any time, you must apply for permission (called a BVB), and explain why you need to go. The application can take a while to process so it's vital to plan any travel well in advance. If you want to buy a home to live in, you will have to apply for special permission from the FIRB (Foreign Investment Review Board). The fee is a few thousand dollars. Then you will be charged up to three times the usual stamp duty on the house purchase. This can easily add $50,000 to the cost of buying a home. If you're receiving a British government pension, it will be frozen at today's rate - you will never receive any increases or additional benefits. You also won't be eligible for any Australian government support because on a bridging visa, you're legally classed as a "non-resident".

Are you living in the UK at the moment? If so, you'll be covered for essential treatment by Medicare (the Australian equivalent of the NHS). If you're living in some other country at the moment, then you'll need to check whether there's any arrangement between the Australian government and that country. The snag with Medicare is that, unlike the NHS, it's not completely free. For that reason, a lot of ordinary Australians have private health cover, too. As a visitor, and while you're on a bridging visa, you can't get the normal health insurance but you can get Overseas Visitor Insurance. Here's an example of the kind of cover you can get: https://www.hcfvisitorhealthcover.com/

Rather than hanging around wondering about the uncertainty, wouldn't it be better to get your new passport organised and then withdraw your visa application, since there's no chance it will be granted?

I think this is one of those situations where you need to hire an agent to get the right advice. Ignorance is no excuse, as they say, and you don’t want to jeopardise future visas by accidentally overstaying.

You don't. You apply for the 804 and your existing visa stays valid until you get the bridging visa.

It’s mainly the housing that’s expensive but that is SO expensive it makes it unaffordable for many

It’s not usually worth buying anything specially to transport