Marisawright

What’s probably confusing you is that the visa says it is to allow family to join you in the UK, as if you were already living there. But it is the right visa even if you are both still in Australia

I agree, I think the problem would be that the clock would only start ticking once she initiated the divorce.

I believe this has been asked before. The onus is on you both to prove a genuine de facto relationship. That means "the equivalent of marriage". The problem is that if she was still married and making no effort to get a divorce, that's strong evidence that she wasn't fully committed to forming a new marriage (or equivalent thereof). It wouldn't matter how much evidence you submitted of co-habitation, it's hard to see how Immigration could look past that.

It sounds to me that your agency is a fraudulent operation. I forget the name but there is a large agency that has scammed several people and they use the term. “Certificate of education” is a made -up term that they use. It is meaningless

Thirty years ago I was an Executive Assistant. Even then, it would've been impossible for me to get a visa to migrate to Australia in my own right. So things haven't changed that much. To apply for a visa, you must have an occupation that's on one of the Skilled lists, AND you must have the qualifications and experience specified. If you don't fulfil all those criteria, then you can't get a visa. The harsh truth is that the vast majority of people can't get a visa. The good news is that if you are living with your boyfriend and can prove that you're in a long-term relationship, he can include you as his partner in his application. That's how I got to Australia - my husband (now ex) was a teacher. There are criteria that you must meet and you need to look into those.

They are not contradictory but answering a different part of your question. She has a tourist visa now. If she applies for a 804, she will get a BVA,, but it will not take effect until her current tourist visa expires - so she can travel back and forth until then. However, once the BVA is in effect, she cannot get any more tourist visas. She must be in Australia when the BVA takes effect (if she is not, it may be cancelled). Then she must stay in Australia until she can get a BVB. She will have to apply for a new BVB every single time she wishes to go overseas. Each time, she must have a specific reason why she must go overseas, e.g. a wedding, illness of a family member, sale of a house. The department will grant a BVB of a few weeks to a few months, depending on what reasons she has given. Each time, she must return to Australia before the expiry of the BVB or she will lose her visa. So you see, if she applies for a 804, once she gets her BVA, she will have to spend most of her time in Australia with only a few short trips home each year. It doesn't sound as though that's what she wants.

No,they cannot travel on a tourist visa without losing their 804 application, if they applied while in Australia.

If she is not ready to move, then her child must not apply for the 804 visa for her. If he applies while she is in Australia, she will get a bridging visa BVA. But under that visa, she will not be allowed to leave Australia. She can apply for a BVB (permission to travel), but that will enable her to leave for a maximum of three months only, then she must return.

I hope you rang up the MA and gave him a blistering earful! Finding a job before you arrive is very, very difficult. After all, how many employers are willing to offer someone a job, then wait up to a year for them to turn up for work?

Points do go up and down but I'm pretty sure 85-90 is unprecedented.

Never assume that movers have insurance included. Some do, some don't, and if they do, it's very basic indeed.

They only gave you an estimate, not a fixed quote? If you get a fixed quote, there are always extra "add on" fees when shipping to Australia, because the shipping company can't predict what Australian customs and AQIS fees will be on arrival. A reputable company will warn you about that and give you a rough idea of what to expect. Some less reputable companies won't mention it, because it makes their quote look lower.

Yes you will have to give notice. What's more, you will have to tell the superannuation company that you're retiring. That's not a problem, because you can "change your mind" after you've got the money and they won't chase you for it. Make sure you get the lump sum and put it in your bank account BEFORE you leave Australia, otherwise you'll get done for UK tax.

I suggest you also look into your financial position before you make any decisions. If you leave before you reach pensionable age, you will not be able to claim the Australian aged pension from the UK. You'll be able to access your superannuation, of course, and you might get some British pension, but you won't get the Australian one. Consider how that will affect you. You can pay some money into National Insurance to top up your British pension, so that might be worth doing and could help make it more feasible.

Your experience is very common, I think. We see so many people who came to Australia in their carefree twenties and had a ball, and then they move heaven and earth to return as a migrant - and then they discover that it's a different kettle of fish when you are ready to settle down and do adult stuff. I would urge you to sit down and talk it over with your husband, and make a plan to return. It's especially vital if you plan to have children, because once the baby arrives, you can't remove the child from Australia without his consent. I'm sure you're happily married but we have a number of mothers here who are trapped in Australia because their partner doesn't want to return to the UK, it caused the breakup of the marriage, and the husband refuses permission for the child to leave.

We did the same.

If you live in a hot climate, they are a lot of work. Sunlight breaks down the chlorine (or whatever treatment you're using). That's why you have to test your pool regularly and keep topping up the chemicals. The more sunlight, the faster it breaks down, so the more diligent you have to be with testing/topping up. Also as everyone knows, bacteria and mould grow much faster in heat and humidity so if you do get slack with the chemicals, they take hold very quickly. We had an above ground pool in Africa. It needed daily attention but because we had no air conditioning, the pool was a Godsend and we used it every single day all through summer and a good part of spring and autumn as well - so well worth the trouble.

Actually I believe it’s 90 right now

Apart from the DNA evidence, what other evidence do you have that he was your father? If someone told you, then you should get that person to write a statutory declaration (i.e. a sworn statement). Also gather any other evidence you may have.

Legally they can't get a visa to enter Britain if they're British citizens so I think you have to get them their passports. You can get reciprocal health care on the NHS while you're in the UK, for essential medical treatment only. However, that doesn't mean you don't need travel insurance, as you're not covered by anything while you're in transit, and you're also not covered if you need to be repatriated.

I think that's a wise decision. Seeing too many people head back to the UK from Sydney because they can't afford it.

Officially, using an agent doesn't speed things up. Unoffficially, I wonder. It's pretty well accepted that if you use a tax agent to do your tax, it speeds things up. Tax officials don't consciously fast-track them, but when they see a familiar professional's name on the forms, they immediately trust the information more, and are more likely to wave it through. Whether that applies with migration, I don't know.

That's not the question to answer. You can sell your stuff and get back the cost of shipping. so you're at break-even. But now you have to buy all your stuff when you get to Australia. I'm pretty sure that would cost more than two thousand. The best way to check is to do a trial shop. Get online, visit Australian shops and "add to cart" everything that you'll need, then when you're finished, check your cart. There's no danger you'll accidentally buy anything as it won't go through without your credit card. If you're happy with Ikea, then check ikea.com.au. Ikea is the cheapest furniture you'll find in Australia, so that gives you a baseline. If you want more traditional furniture, then check harveynorman.com.au. Then get on thegoodguys.com.au and check what it will cost to buy your white goods, hoover, blender, TV etc. Petersofkensington.com.au is good for quality cutlery, crockery, linen, etc. If you are happy with the cheap stuff, then target.com.au. We all furnish and equip our homes gradually over time and usually have no idea how much it would cost to replace it all. And if you think shipping is a hassle, just wait till you have to buy everything for your home in the space of a few weeks! It's true that waiting for your stuff to arrive is a hassle, but there are some things you can do to make it easier. For instance, it's often easier to "camp" in your own home than in your new Australian place, particularly if you can borrow stuff from relatives or friends. So you can send the Movecube off a few weeks before you leave. It's sensible to book a holiday flat for a month when you arrive, so there's another four weeks eaten up.

You’re right

You’ve got it in a nutshell.