Marisawright

What will happen in November is that some jobs will be taken off the list and some jobs will be added to the list. However the ONLY jobs that are ever added to the long-term list are highly-skilled jobs that require years of study, and that's never going to change. Australia is not short of people any more. In fact, unemployment is about the same here as in the UK. So if there's a need for clerical staff, care workers etc, there's a big pool of Australians who can be trained up in less than a year to do those jobs. So there's no way the government will ever import more people with those skills, as the perception would be that the migrants are taking those jobs away from Australians. An exception is made for the Northern Territory because the average Australian simply won't live there. It's seen as too bogan (the Australian equivalent of chav) and the climate is hard to tolerate at some times of year.

20 hours a week is part-time, so I don't see how that could count.

Sometimes changes can be retrospective.

I'm convinced there are two kinds of people. Some people are nomads, who can move from city to city, country to country (and probably even planet to planet if we could), and wherever they hang their hat is "home". They make great migrants because they're able to make logical choices about which country makes more sense. But I think most people aren't nomads - they have an instinctive connection to the land where they were born. Although they can enjoy travelling to other places, that land will always be "home", and they will always feel as though a piece of their soul is missing when they try to settle elsewhere. So, if you're hankering for your old life - forget it, it's gone, things have changed since you left. But if it's that totally illogical, deep-seated and very real need to be back in the land of your birth, then you'll feel so much happier when you get your feet back on home soil, you'll be willing to put up with the negatives.

When you submit the application for the de facto visa, he will get a Bridging Visa A. You don't get to choose. If he then wishes to go overseas to visit his family, he will need to apply for a Bridging Visa B, state exactly how long he needs to go overseas for, and give a specific reason (just feeling like seeing his folks isn't a good reason, going back for a wedding or christening or something is). Then he'll have to wait until it's granted, and then he has to make sure he's back in Australia within the time they've given him. If he then wants to go overseas again later, he'll need to apply for another Bridging Visa B.

Newcastle ha better job opportunities than the central coast and better lifestyle

You need to check what experience is required. However even if you could get a visa, it would only be for 2 to 4 years and then you’d have to go home

Think twice about Sydney. Housing is horrendously expensive, double what it costs in some other parts of Australia- and yet wages are no higher.

If the occupations are not on the list then yes, I’m afraid there are no options

They can be a bit misleading. Sometimes employers/agencies don't remove old ads after the jobs are filled, and agencies sometimes advertise "phantom" jobs as a way of attracting candidates for their database.

I think at 17 he would still be a minor so you'd need your ex's permission to let him leave the country, but you should check with a lawyer to be sure of your rights, I think. It's not the sort of thing you want to guess about. Are you an Australian citizen or permanent resident? Does your child have his Australian passport?

No, the HSBC wouldn't do anything illegal, but like every other organisation, their staff are only human and make mistakes. HSBC customers all over the world can open accounts easily in other countries - except the UK. He may not be aware of that exception and assumes everywhere is the same. Amber isn't talking about a "Comm bank card". She's talking about a "travel money card" - in her case the Westpac one, but most banks have one. The limitation is that they're not a credit card, so you can't use them for everything (car rental companies and some hotels won't take them, for instance), and if you lose the card, you've lost access to the money until you can get a replacement card. The easiest thing is to just use your existing Australian credit and debit cards exactly as you do now (you shouldn't close your Australian accounts anyway for several months as there is always stuff you forget). However, check what they charge for foreign currency transactions - you might be better off opening an account (in Australia) with ING, because they don't charge fees on foreign transactions. If you have substantial money to transfer, use Moneycorp (or an equivalent money transfer specialist). Moneycorp don't charge fees if you join through these forums. Then you transfer your Australian dollars to your account with them, and you can leave it there safely until you get an account opened in the UK, and then you can move it (in pounds) into your UK account.

No, you can't hold two visas at the same time. If you apply for and get a 482 visa now, it will cancel your 190 visa. That would be an absolutely crazy thing to do. You've got a 190 visa which is a permanent visa, allowing you to live in Australia and apply for citizenship in four years' time. If you take the 482, you'll lose that and be on a temporary 2 or 4 year visa, and you'll have to go home at the end of it. There is a possibility that you might be able to apply for a permanent visa after the 482, but the rules are changing all the time, and in 2 or 4 years, you might find you're not eligible.

As I understand it, it's the right word for when you convert your superannuation into a pension. I think they avoid the word "pension" because that's commonly associated with a monthly payment that you get until you die. Whereas with super, your pension is funded by your super "pot" of money, and when that runs out, the payments stop. There's not much difference, as far as I can see, between how super works and how the income stream works - they're both still invested in shares, bonds or whatever (depending on your fund and your choices). The main difference is that as soon as you convert to an income stream after retirement, all the profits are tax-free (whereas profits within super are taxed at 15%). https://www.industrysuper.com/retirement-info/income-streams/

You can apply for a tourist visa to come and visit her for a few months. If you want to move permanently, you must qualify for a visa. If you are married or in an equivalent relationship for a long time, you can apply for a partner visa. But if you are just boyfriend or girlfriend or just engaged, you cannot. Otherwise you will have to see if you are eligible for a skilled visa.

i believe HSBC, like Citibank, has a Global Account which allows you to hold several different currencies, including Pounds Sterling. But that is not an account with the UK arm of the bank.

No one can do it for you. You have to do it yourself. If someone is offering to do it for you , you are being scammed.

Not quite. If it's sitting in an Australian bank account, it''ll be going backwards because the interest rate will be low, and the interest it does earn will have tax deducted by the bank at source (because you're a foreign investor). Your two options are: 1. Leave it in the superannuation fund and withdraw small amounts as you need it. That should get you a much better rate of interest than the bank account. However the profit will have tax deducted at 15%, same as it is now (you just don't see it because the fund pays it in the background) 2. Convert it to an "income stream" (you can either tell your super fund to do that, or switch to another fund if you prefer). Again, you'll get a better rate of interest than the bank account - but there's absolutely no Australian tax to pay. You have to take a minimum amount each year (I think it's 4-5%) but other than that, you decide how much you want to get paid and how often.

Maybe the Australian staff member is not familiar with the rules, or misread the information? Before I moved to the UK a couple of years ago, I was a Citibank customer. At the time, according to the Citibank Australia website, I could open a UK bank account through them. I spoke to the bank who assured me it would be no problem and in fact, I could open it while still in Australia. About a week later, someone rang me to say they were very sorry, but it wasn't possible after all, because the UK rules didn't allow it. Several weeks later, the wrong information was still on their website.

Aha , I wondered how you managed it. The drivers license acted as proof of residence. Best thing is, don't close your existing Australian bank account or cut up your debit/credit card and just keep using that. Especially if you're with a bank that has decent exchange rates/fees.

Yes, if you're travelling the other way, it's easy. Australia allows foreigners to open bank accounts without proof of residence, whereas the UK doesn't any more.

You can open an account with a British bank simply by turning up at the branch with your passport. I did that the day I arrived. However all that does is create an account in your name, you can't actually do anything with it until you've had an appointment with a bank official and provided them with evidence of your residency in the UK (i.e. a bank statement or some kind of bill with your new address on it) - and that took me another three weeks! Under the new money laundering legislation, It is illegal for any British bank to allow you to start transacting on a bank account without proof of residency in the UK. I have heard of someone who said HSBC allowed them to, but if they did, they broke the law. Whether they're still doing it, I don't know. One way to speed it up is this: five or six weeks before you go, tell your bank you're moving to the UK and give them a UK address (a friend or family member). Don't use "care of" or include your friend's name - just your name at the address, as if it's yours. Then make sure your credit card statements are set so they are printed and posted to you, not emailed. That way, when you arrive, you'll have a credit card statement waiting for you at your friend's address. That means you can get an appointment with the bank in your first week and offer that statement as proof of residency (you just need to keep a straight face if they ask you to confirm you live there). By the way, I hope you saw my reply to your post on another thread: if you take your superannuation as a lump sum when you retire, the Inland Revenue will gobble up a huge chunk in tax! It's tax-free in Australia but NOT in the UK. Your only sensible options are to withdraw funds in small amounts as you need it, or convert it to an "income stream" (a pension that's paid monthly or quarterly). You'll still have to declare the income to the British taxman but you'll lose less in tax.

This is why we warn people against going for the 457. The employer knows they've got you trapped, because it's not easy switching jobs on a 457, and some employers take advantage of that - whether by misrepresenting the job upfront or not treating you well once you've arrived. I suggest contacting a migration agent for information on the 820

There is no easy way. It is very difficult to get a visa for Australia.

You just need to be sure you’re moving somewhere you can afford to be close to the beaches. I’m Sydney for instance, the average person lives an hour or two from the nearest beach, far inland, because homes near the beaches are for millionaires only