Marisawright

I think, especially with a child involved, that you should get a migration agent involved. There are some good ones on these forums. I had a look at your other posts and I wonder if you would be eligible for a partner visa. De facto is "the equivalent of marriage", not just "in a committed relationship", and it's very difficult to prove if you've never lived together. Using an agent won't change the facts, but he will know how to present the facts in the best possible way, and may be able to suggest some alternatives you haven't thought of. Notice that if you have registered your relationship in Queensland, you don't have to meet the 12 month rule, but you still have to prove you're in "the equivalent of marriage" for a partner visa. Personally, I wonder if the Prospective Marriage Visa would be a better option for you. It's designed for a couple who are in a committed relationship and allows them to stay together in Australia for up to 9 months with the intention of getting married, so you don't have to provide the same level of evidence.

The tourist visa is your only choice for that scenario. As Bella says, it's not illegal to arrive on a tourist visa and then apply for an onshore visa once you're here. Lots of people do it. The only thing is, if you tick the "permanently" box on your landing card, you'll be grilled by an Immigration officer, who will be worried that you plan to stay permanently even if your visa application is rejected. If he thinks you're an overstay risk, he can put you straight back on a plane and may even issue a ban. It may be a small risk but it does happen occasionally. You might be better to apply for a longer tourist visa and then treat it as a holiday to see how you like living in Australia. Then when you've had a few weeks in Townsville and had a chance to see how you feel being thousands of miles away from family, you can make a decision about the partner visa and put in the application. If you take that approach, then you can honestly say you're visiting on your landing card and sail through Immigration. I'm a bit concerned about the status of your son. You'll be allowed to bring him on the tourist visa, and once you get your partner visa he'll be fine, but will he be allowed to stay with you while you're on the bridging visa, or would he have to go back to the UK? Australia has some quite harsh laws around that kind of thing.

Good luck with your application but as Raul points out, Australia is absolutely flooded with accountants and has been for some time. In fact, they've been threatening to take it off the list for the last few years. So it's always worth a try since you've got such high points, but don't get your hopes up too much. Looking at what Raul has written, it looks as if you'd be better off going for the 189, since they give all the available invitations to the 189's first, there's not likely to be any left over for the 489's.

I don't think so. I think the accents can make it sound more British. I was living in country Victoria when I used to visit, and by contrast to the strong country twang, the Adelaidians sounded positively English.

You'll get plenty of people warning you not to go back for financial reasons - but in the end, you've got to live where your heart is. Australia could be an absolute paradise but if it doesn't feel like "home", there's no point in staying - you'll just end up miserable in your old age. Money isn't everything. The south of England is pretty much a write-off because everywhere within two hours of London has become so expensive. People like the idea of being close to the beaches and accessible to London. In your shoes I'd be looking northwards.

This is true. We were there a couple of years ago and I was stunned at the number of people who were commuting all the way from Bournemouth to London. Zoopla is a good site to check out rentals. Southampton is one of the few areas which is reasonably priced but there is a reason for that - a large chav (bogan) population. Anyone who can afford it lives in the outlying villages, but we are big-city people so village life didn't appeal to us. If it appeals to you, that might be an option as there is work in Southampton and some of the villages are very nice. The traffic is dreadful, though, because everyone is commuting all the time!

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/credit-rating-credit-score/ It's a long read but worth reading all of it.

How old is your Mum? Potential snag: if she moves to the UK before she's entitled to the Australian govt pension, she will never get it. Ever. She will be entitled to some British pension and (unlike you) can do the "claiming work years before 2001" thing. She could also pay extra NI contributions to top it up to the maximum. Same advice as you regarding her super.

Oh drat yes, you are right, I was forgetting about that. To the OP - you won't be able to cash in your superannuation, you'll have to leave it in Australia until you reach retirement age. That's not a problem as it will go on earning income. Then when you retire, you can convert it to a pension. You won't be able to take a lump sum because the British taxman will take a big chunk of it if you do. Important - enquire with your superannuation fund about insurances. If you want to keep the insurance, ask them whether it will cover you when you're living permanently overseas. If they say it does, then make sure you get that in writing, in case they try to fob you off later! Usually, the insurances become invalid if you relocate permanently, and the person you talk to on the phone probably doesn't really know. If you don't want to keep the insurances, or they won't be valid, then write to your superannuation company when you're ready to leave, advising that you are no longer resident in Australia and wish to cancel all insurance. Make sure you get an acknowledgment. It will save you a bundle in fees. Lastly, make sure you're in a good superannuation fund. A lot of the big ones are total rip-off merchants. Also make sure it's all in one fund.

It is overwhelming, isn't it? You'll get there, just take it one thing at a time. Some answers: Please don't even try to secure a rental before you get there. You (or a trusted friend) HAVE to see the place, as adverts can be very very very misleading. Book an Airbnb or a holiday home for three or four weeks instead. When you find a long-term rental, you'll be asked to pay six months rent upfront. If you're currently renting in Australia, get a written reference from your landlord to take with you. New school year starts in September. Money - DO NOT close your Australian bank accounts, because it does take time to get your British bank accounts fully set up ( you can open an account on the day you arrive, but it was about three weeks before I could get any money out, and my husband's took six weeks). The easiest option is to change banks in Australia now (it's not as hard as you think). Move to ING Bank and get yourself an ING Everyday account with a debit card. Their exchange rates are pretty good and there are no fees to withdraw money from ATM's or pay for goods while you're overseas, so you can use it just like you would at home. That way there's no drama if the UK bank process takes time. If you have a large amount of money to transfer, consider using Moneycorp or Transferwise - you transfer the money to their account and it then sits there safely until you can transfer it to your UK account. You'll get a NI number when you get there. Once you've got it, you can claim any work experience in Australia up till 2001 towards your balance. In your case that won't be many years but every little helps! You could also enquire about back-paying missing years, but do check whether it's going to be worth it. I'd suggest rethinking the shipping. Look into getting a Movecube - the small one works out cheaper than sending a few boxes, and the larger ones hold a lot. Maybe your furniture is too old to take, but it's well worth taking ALL the small stuff. Do a trial shop on UK websites like Dunelm.com for all your pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, kitchen utensils, bowls, Tupperware, bedlinen, towels, doonas, pillows, etc and see what it comes to! We've all accumulated that stuff slowly so we don't realise how much it costs - I know I was shocked. And it's not just the cost, it's the time it takes to shop for it all, at a time when you've just arrived in a new country and you already have a thousand other things to do.

Definitely different. Although it's a capital city, it has a very "small town" feel IMO. Good restaurants and cafés, good cultural activities, but I've known people move there and find it difficult to find jobs and make friends.

What kind of accommodation?

That doesn't matter. You're claimining citizenship by descent not citizenship by residency so there's no need to prove residency. She has to prove her identity, that's all. Note those documents must collectively contain a photo, signature, current address and birth details. That means each one can show something different. Photograph - Passport Signature - perhaps you could go to a notary public and have her sign something in their presence, so they can verify it's her signature? Current address - maybe go to your doctor and ask the receptionist if they can send a letter to her? Or the school? Birth name, date of birth and gender - birth certificate

Birth certificate

Maybe there was some change in the legislation? The thing is, you were presumably already renting out the property by that time, unlike the OP?

It doesn't look like it. I think what confuses the issue is that you got an interim card. Once you've got that card the clock starts ticking, no matter what visa you're on. The question is whether you should've got the interim card in the first place. I always understood that on a temporary visa, you couldn't get one, and you were only covered (for more limited services) by the reciprocal agreement. However I've now seen a few British migrants getting an interim card on a temp visa - I do wonder whether it's the right thing or if the people at Medicare don't know the rules?

If it's citizenship by descent, surely you just need to prove she is the daughter of a citizen - there's no residency requirement?

Why do you think that? You have no tax liability for the time the house was your principal place of residence, so you just need a valuation for the date when it stops being your home. It sounds like you're still living in it, so you haven't incurred any liability yet, therefore you just get a current valuation. Then in the future, when you decide to sell, you will be liable for tax on the difference between that valuation and what it sells for.

Talk to one of those three agents and you'll be fine. One basic point to note: there are two broad types of visa. One is the PR visa, which gives you the right to migrate to Australia and stay permanently. You don't need an employer to sponsor you. That's the best one, especially with a family - BUT it takes about a year to come through. Not many employers will wait that long for you - they may make promises, but if a local candidate pops up in the meantime, you lose out. There are no desperate shortages in any occupation in Australia these days, so it's quite likely another applicant will turn up within the twelve months. The other option is a temp visa, sponsored by an employer. They can come through very quickly, but they only get you 2 to 4 years in Australia AND you are tied to the job. If you lose the job, you all have to go home. It's not a good visa for a family because it's so insecure and there's too much that can go wrong - maybe you hate the job, or the boss tries to screw you to the floor because he knows you're trapped in the job, or the business goes belly-up. At the end of the 2/4 years, you can apply for a PR visa - but the rules are changing all the time, and a lot of people find they're not eligible by the time the contract is up (maybe the points threshold has gone up, or the occupation has been taken off the list). So they still have to go home. I believe it's possible to get the temp visa then, if you're currently eligible, apply for the PR visa immediately instead of waiting. If that's true then it would be the best of both worlds, but check with Paul whether it's possible. Of course the downside is that it means two sets of visa fees - but with a family, I wouldn't be risking the temp visa on its own.

If you have a PR visa then you are always fully covered by Medicare whether you are working or not.

Indeed they are. You may be aware of Tony Abbott and his "Fair Work" legislation (talk about Orwellian) - ScoMo can't wait to bring it back, IMO. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-16/wages-growth-stagnation,-industrial-laws-effect-workers-business/11118924

No, I am not. I have provided you with new information and new explanations to amplify my earlier comments, but it's obvious it is all falling on deaf ears. You've convinced yourself the Immigration official will be nice to you and excuse you from providing evidence. You choose to believe that, good luck to you. Do come back and let us know what happens.

Talk about reiterating the same thing - pot kettle black?

Yes, you will be liable for capital gains in Australia. I don't know what the rules are for UK capital gains, sorry. You will definitely need a good tax agent to work it out, as there could be a heap of pro rata calculations to do. Since you haven't bought a new home, your UK home can be classed as your "primary residence" for the first six years, which will reduce your capital gains liability. But then you have to add back in expenses you've already claimed etc, so it's all a bit head-spinning.

I had to look it up and yes, you are right. If they have a proper lease agreement and they're paying the going rate for the property then it does count. The snag is that many people will be tempted to charge a bit less since it's their family, and then they run into trouble.