Marisawright

Her husband cannot cancel her visa. He can advise Immigration of their change in circumstances, that is all. It is up to Immigration to decide whether to cancel the visa. I do not know what their decision will be. A professional migration agent would be able to advise her. If the lease is in her husband's name then the property is legally his and he can refuse to let her live there. Under Australian law, the husband can file for divorce once they have been separated for 12 months.

There's only one way to find out - measure it. Most people find a corner mark out the dimensions of the Movecube on the floor, and wall with tape. Then stack the boxes inside the outline. I know it sounds like a lot of work when you've already got the boxes piled up in the garage, but it really is the only way. You can't afford to take delivery of the Movecube, try and pack it, then find half the stuff doesn't fit. You can't say, "Sorry I made a mistake, please take it away and don't charge me" - they will charge you a large chunk of the quoted fee. Check your quote or ring them up to ask how much it would be. If you have a huge collection of books, then you may go over the weight. Otherwise, it's very unlikely.

No. You can't open a bank account in the UK if you are not a resident. You could use Moneycorp to transfer money back and forth. If you haven't done so already, consult a tax agent who's experienced in tax in both countries, to make sure you do all the right things with the house. There's some kind of non-resident's form to fill in for the UK tax man so you don't pay tax there. Then you'll need to declare the income on your Australian tax return and know which expenses you can claim.

Many of the big removalist companies will insist on unpacking all your boxes and repacking everything themselves. The idea is that they have to certify there's nothing illegal in the container, so their staff have to see every item. Other companies are not so fussy. So that's another question to ask on the phone before you decide whether to ask them for a quote.

Yes, that's right, all wrapped and labelled and fully itemized in cardboard boxes. All removalists do that. Some will insist on repacking everything themselves in their own boxes, some won't. Sadge's question was, what happens to the boxes next? Do they just get loaded into the container as they are, or do they go into a big plywood crate so they can't get mixed up with everyone else's stuff? Usually they just get loaded as they are, and although they are all labelled, imagine a huge container packed with boxes, identical except for the labels, and ask yourself what are the chances one or two will get mixed up at delivery time. Also, of course, everything has to be emptied out on arrival and the boxes loaded onto separate trucks for delivery to their respective households, (either that, or the container gets driven around to all the different households, unloading as they go) which means extra handling which means extra risk of things getting dropped/mishandled. It really depends how valuable your stuff is. For the average person, all that is an acceptable risk and most people wouldn't want to pay the extra cost of having a sealed crate.

I don't have any personal experience but there are several who are very generous with their advice on these forums, which I think is a good sign. Try pinoyau.com or ozimmigration.com or gomatilda.com

You're not quite in the same situation, because the OP says they have "been living in a de facto relationship" since 2016. You haven't, and that is why you would find it difficult to get a partner visa. Legally, "de facto" doesn't just mean "in a committed relationship". It means "living in the equivalent of marriage". Some people do manage to get a partner visa even though they've been living apart, but they have to show compelling reasons why it was impossible to move in together. You'd also have to show that you were behaving as if you were married in every other way possible for the 12 months - shared finances, for instance. You sound as though you could easily satisfy the requirements for a committed relationship for the PMV, which doesn't require you to live together. If you have to go back to Australia before the visa is granted, that's no problem. In fact, it could be an advantage because you will then be residing in Australia. Your partner could come and visit you on a tourist visa while you wait for his visa to come through.

I assume you made your validation visit? Once you have arrived in Australia, you can still go on holidays as often as you like up until September 2022 because your two years doesn't have to be continuous. However any time you spend outside Australia won't count towards your two years' residency.

That's an important question to ask. If you are quoted for a shared container, it often means your goods are not in a separate, sealed crate - they're just in the container with other people's stuff. The good removalists are careful to identify everything but inevitably, it increases the risk of things going missing, or getting damaged. Some removalists do offer a service where your goods are in a separate crate, so make sure you ask.

Start now. It will take you time to get your application together, then it can take a year to get the visa, then you have some time to actually make the move. The first step is to have a consultation with a good migration agent (make sure they are MARA registered). Most reputable agents will give you an initial consultation free of charge.

The waiting times quoted are international and people born in or living in high risk countries are waiting a LOT longer due to the extra security checks. Being from the UK you should be on the shorter end of the time so fingers crossed it won't be long.

You have two choices - you can leave your employer, or you can complain to Fair Work Australia. If you leave your employer then you breach the conditions of your PR and you might lose it. So that is not a good idea. If you complain to Fair Work then you are demonstrating that you are a good worker who is following the law. You signed a contract and you only want what you are entitled to. The employer will be angry, but if he mistreats you, then you can tell Fair Work about that too. This is the best way to safeguard your PR.

They don't have to cancel his sponsorship because the sponsor has disappeared. If he doesn't find another sponsor quickly, his visa will be cancelled.

The post above yours was from a registered migration agent so it would be worth getting in touch with him and having a consultation. You'll notice he says that a citizen can apply for an offshore partner visa no problem, but a permanent resident has to prove that they're "ordinarily resident" in Australia. It sounds like that would be difficult for you. Also, the partner visas require evidence of 12 months together in the equivalent of marriage - dating doesn't count, even serious committed dating. So it does sound like the prospective marriage visa would be the most sensible choice, since you just have to prove the relationship is genuine, you don't have to meet the 12 month requirement. The quoted waiting times include people from "high risk" countries. Applications from the UK are usually much quicker so you should be OK for December 2020.

Some of the banks have reduced their fees now, but in general, you will get a poor exchange rate with the banks AND they'll charge a fee on top. I use Moneycorp: if you join through these forums there are no fees. You can deal with them online but I made a silly mistake when I signed up and had to ring them, and it was such a treat to talk to a real person - and it wasn't a call centre person or a foreigner, it was someone who actually does the job - that I've stuck with them ever since for the occasional transfer.

The vast majority of migrants arrive without a job, I'm afraid. Years ago, when Australia was a fast-growing country and desperate for workers, employers were willing to hire from overseas. Now, there are usually local applicants and recruiting overseas is too much work - they'll take a less-qualified local rather than take the risk of hiring a foreigner sight unseen. (There's a common misconception that because an occupation is on the Skilled list, there must be a shortage in Australia - that's not the case in most areas. The skilled list is slow to react to changes in demand: for instance, accountants are still on the list even though there's currently a huge glut of accountants in all the major cities). Do check out how long it's taking registrations to come through now. I know in the past, people flew over for a short visit to present to AHPRA in person, because if they waited till they migrated, it would take months before their registration came through. You don't want to be sitting unemployed in Australia for your first six months! You could use your short visit to approach some potential employers in person too, which can be useful. As for how do people know where to move to - you can do a lot to narrow it down through research. For instance, I 'm sure you have reasons for moving to Australia which may include a picture of the kind of lifestyle you're looking for. Different parts of Australia (and different parts of each state) vary hugely in terms of lifestyle and culture. If you're a couple, then you also have to consider your husband's job prospects: unless he's also in the health industry, then you'll need to focus on larger centres to give you both a decent chance of finding work, and there's only two or three of them in each state. Also look at affordability: if you dream of a beach lifestyle, for instance, there's no point in going to any of the capital cities - only multimillionaires and backpackers live near the beach. It's worth starting a thread on the forums to ask questions to get you started.

I assume you made an activation visit soon after your visa was granted? If you did,, you must move permanently before the date marked on your visa, otherwise you will lose your visa. If you did not make an activation visit, then you have already lost the visa.

Your assessment doesn't surprise me. One of my friends moved there (from Sydney) for family reasons and spent the first six months in tears. She seems happy now, but she lives out of town and her life revolves around her extended family and child. Here's a heartfelt post from another Darwin migrant that will strike a chord with you: I wonder how @Huntersmummy is doing now?

To get some idea of how stressful it is to attempt to transition to the permanent (186/187) visa after your temp visa, take a browse through this section of the forum: https://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/48-business-sponsored/

No

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure 70 points will not get you a permanent visa at the moment. You need at least 65 points to apply, but then you go into a competition, not a queue. The people with the most points get invited. 70 points is on the low side, and hundreds of new applications come in every single day. As long as there are applications with 75 or 80 points coming in, they'll get picked and your application will just languish. It may even expire before you get an invitation. From time to time, Immigration publishes the points that are needed to get an invitation. I'm not sure how you find that out, but agents should know. A sponsorship visa doesn't give you stabliity - in fact, it's the opposite. The only security it offers is the security of a job when you first arrive. After that, you're walking a tightrope, because your visa is entirely dependent on your husband's job. What if he hates it? You'll have to pack up and go home. What if the company gets into difficulties and he's made redunant? You'll have to pack up and go home. What if the company goes bust? You'll have to pack up and go home. If you do choose the sponsorship route, it's crucial to check the employer very, very carefully. Sadly, some employers are well aware of their power and treat temporary visa holders badly, making unreasonable demands or not giving pay rises because they know the employee can't leave (actually, he can leave, but only if he can find another employer who's willing to sponsor him, and many employers won't sponsor because it's too expensive and they have to open their books to the government).

Yes it can change and it happens with no warning. If you want to move permanently to Australia then be patient and apply for a permanent visa now, don’t even think of trying the sponsored route. The transition from sponsored to permanent is very uncertain and highly stressful these days with a high refusal rate

Yes

Yes, the threshold changes frequently, and over the last few years it has risen substantially. With that in mind, I think it's foolhardy to delay applying because you think you might not be ready to go. You might find the points have soared past what you could achieve, or some other rule changes, or your occupation gets taken off the list. Any or all of those things can happen without warning.

If it's just a sponsored visa, then I wouldn't panic too much. The employer should be paying a lot of your relocation expenses and may help with temp accommodation when you first arrive. You've also got the benefit that you know where one of you will be working, so that narrows down your suburb search. As Quoll said, some kids thrive on it and some struggle at first, but kids that age are resilient and they will adapt - and anyway, it's only for 2 or 4 years and then they'll be home again. It's a great age to be doing a temp contract because they're young enough that their education won't suffer from the disruption (once they get into secondary school it's harder), and it's a great way to widen their horizons. Enjoy.