Marisawright

I'm not surprised. I've lost count of the number of dodgy real estate companies flogging over-priced Queensland rental properties to naive investors. It only worked when the banks weren't doing proper valuations (at one time, the Commonwealth Bank's idea of a valuation was to get a retired bank manager to drive past and confirm the property existed). An awful lot of investors have been conned into buying investment properties which make a loss, on the promise that they'd make a killing on the capital gain. No one who really understands real estate would do that. When I bought investment properties, I bought homes that made a loss on paper only. In reality I was making a profit - and thanks to the paper loss, I got a big tax break too. But even though I took advantage of it, I always knew that negative gearing was a rort and I'll be pleased if the Labor government gets rid of it.

As Raul says, I wouldn't take the chance. Up till now, people have been getting away with flouting the conditions of their 190, but the states are getting very p***** about it and are beginning to get tough. If you're only applying now, then it seems likely they'll have tightened up a LOT by the time you've completed (or not completed!) your residency requirement, and then you'd be in trouble.

It doesn't matter whether you pay too much or too little tax from your pay. At the end of each tax year, you will get a certificate from your employer, stating how much you earned and how much tax you paid. You MUST then complete a tax return and submit it to the tax office. On that form, you will write down how much you earned, how much tax you paid, and any expenses you want to claim. The tax office will look at your return and work out how much tax you should have paid. If you didn't pay enough, they will ask you for more. If you paid too much, they will refund you the extra. So it will all work out in the end. If you are not sure how to complete a tax return, go to a tax agent like H & R Block, they are not expensive.

When you say "migrants", do you mean migrants or refugees? Refugees do get some assistance in both countries. Migrants from EU countries would be entitled to assistance under reciprocal agreements, just like UK residents would get assistance if they went to the EU. If you are coming to Australia as a permanent resident, then you are entitled to benefits. If you're on a temporary visa, you're not.

You have to remember that property developers have a great deal of power in the Australian political system. They're the ones spouting the myth that "Australia's economy relies on property", because they want to keep that power. If house prices go down even a little, or if governments pass laws which might affect prices (as Labor is proposing) they lose. So as soon as there's a price reversal or sales of housing slow, they mount a concerted campaign to get the government to act (by doing things like cutting the interest rate). Some very august-sounding bodies are just mouthpieces for the developers. House prices have not tanked in Australia overall. They have dropped in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, the three cities where prices shot up suddenly over the last few years. I know that in Melbourne the "dramatic price drop" hasn't even brought the price back to where it was two years ago, so it's more about correcting an aberration than a price drop. https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/the-graph-that-puts-falling-home-prices-in-perspective-20181204-p50k33.html

The bad news is that the cut off for a skilled visa is 45

I doubt you'll earn enough points to make it worth the effort. The schemes vary, but in general, you need to do 8-10 flights before you'll have enough points to get ONE free flight on that sector. Also you should check the fees and charges, airport taxes etc - the free flight is never free, and you may not save as much as you think, compared to booking a discount flight. Let's say you go home one year and your parents come out to visit on the alternate year. Assuming you've chosen a scheme that allows family pooling, that's four or five years before you get even one free flight - always assuming the points haven't expired in the meantime. Then, as SusieRoo says, there's the challenge of getting a seat. My sister and my niece both fly back and forth to the US for work. They have squillions of reward points and struggle to use them, because the free seats are always so limited. As for credit cards: with most cards you'll get one point for every pound spent, and you'll need over 100,000 points to get a reward flight to Australia. So that means you'll need to spend $100,000 before you get even one flight for one person. If you're going to use a credit card or store card anyway, then you might think, "I might as well use one that offers airline points" - but it's been shown that it creates a strong temptation to spend money on stuff you don't need, because you want the points. That's why stores like Tesco offer them. Whereas if you cut up the credit cards and buy only what you need, you'll save the money for the flights faster than you could get them through points.

Bottom line, I can see no reason why the process for the third year WHV will be any different.

I don't understand what you're getting at. Are you assuming that most Irish and Canadians are idiots and will be applying even though they know they don't qualify? Or are you assuming that they will all be hoping Immigration will be too swamped to check their applications?

Currently, when you submit your application for your second year, you have to include full evidence that you've done the required farm work. That means Immigration doesn't have to ask, it's all there in the application. If the evidence is not there, the application is rejected. Why wouldn't the requirements for the third year visa be the same?

Yes, but the town centre is too far away from Kingston. Been there, checked it out. Kingston has a beach, cafes and a suburban shopping centre, not my idea of the big smoke. I'm an inner-city girl.

Give Paul a ring and ask him for a quote

No it does not.

OK, I learned something.

Is there a different kind of student visa for someone doing a Masters? What number is it?

Not everyone likes a country lifestyle. We did consider moving to Tasmania because we prefer the cooler weather and the house prices are lower. But I've tried living in the country and it's not for me. I want to live where I can step outside my front door and walk to a good selection of cafés, shops, cinema etc.

British citizens do not have to take the English test. They can choose to take the test to earn extra points, though.

No, it depends on residency. To claim the Australian pension, you must be physically in Australia on the date you reach pensionable age. There is also a 2 year residency requirement - which means: You can arrive in Australia two years before that date, claim your pension, then leave OR You can arrive on that date, claim the pension, and then stay for 2 years. If you don't fulfil the 2 years residency, even if you have successfully claimed the pension and started receiving it, they will stop paying it and require you to pay back any already paid.

But if you're a dependent on a student visa, taking a full-time job is breaching th econditions of your visa, isn't it? So you wouldn't be able to claim full-time work on your visa application anyway -if you admit to Immigration that you're working full-time, you could get deported.

If you don't use it, you'll probably lose it. If you let your current 189 lapse, you'll have to apply for a RRV. To get a RRV, you'll have to prove "strong ties to Australia that will be of benefit to Australia". It sounds like you've got no ties at all, so it's likely you'll have to wave goodbye to your hard-won 189. You would have to start all over again from scratch - and you'd be wise to research that, because the lists have changed, the requirements have changed, the number of points required has changed (65 is the minimum but in reality, you need a lot more to stand any chance). WRussell is an agent and you'd be well advised to have a consultation with him or another reputable agent to work out what your options are.

The same unit in a similar suburb in Sydney would sell for over $900,000. However, I've seen similar units in Hobart sell for the same price as the Melbourne one!

No, I don't think so. The auction clearance rate last week was back up to normal.

As Paul said, the only way to find out is to apply. I strongly suggest you hire an agent (Paul is one), because it's crucial to present your case as strongly as possible, and an agent will do that much, much better than you can.

How can you be working full-time if you're on a dependent student visa? Aren't you limited to 20 hours a week?

One point worth noting is that it's not a "normal" falling market. Melbourne house prices went ballistic about two years ago. Although people are getting their knickers in a knot about the current drop, prices are still higher today than they were two years ago! For instance, shortly after we arrived, we almost bought a unit for $650,000. We didn't (still kicking myself). Another unit in the same block is now on sale for $700,000, even though prices have dropped back in the last few months.