Marisawright

As Quoll says, if you're worried about her education then you need to make the move now, before she gets into the throes of exams. She has time to catch up now, whereas later it will be more difficult. If you're thinking of waiting till she's finished secondary school, then do check out the situation with nursing courses in the UK. I do know that for university, she has to be resident in the UK for three years, otherwise she'll be treated as a foreign student and charged eye-watering international fees. The process for getting a spouse into the UK is easier and much quicker than the Australian one, however there is a financial requirement. If you don't meet the financial requirement, you can't get the visa for him - no exceptions. This article goes into it in some detail. The only comment I'd make is not to worry about the "adequate accommodation" requirement (unless things have changed since we applied). I just used my sister's address (she has a spare room). I warned her I had done so but they never checked. https://www.freemovement.org.uk/appendix-fm-financial-requirements/

Bear in mind that car finance contracts last for a number of years,. We've had several people on these forums who arrived, took out a contract, then for various reasons had to go home again before the end of the contract - and they can't sell the car because they don't own it. I know you're moving to Australia with the intention of staying for good, but the fact is that you can't know for sure until you've lived here a while - so it's a lot more sensible to buy a second-hand car, outright, when you first arrive. You can always trade up later once you're sure of your plans.

We were told you must apply from your home country, that was a couple of years ago though.

I’m pretty sure you can transfer the money to Moneycorp in pounds then wait for a better exchange rate before you convert it, Give them a call. The exchange rate won’t be any better in Australia but it does vary from day to days

Forget the “life is better in Australia” rubbish. That was true twenty years ago but not now. Personally I prefer Australia but it’s just a personal preference. Neither country is better, they’re just different. Your kids will have just as bright a future wherever you live. There is a thread on these forums somewhere full of stories from people who went home and are loving it

Transfer most of your funds with Moneycorp. Get some Australian dollars from your bank before you leave for immediate use when you arrive.

Go home. Your feelings will only get worse as time goes by. You’re not crazy for not liking Perth. Sydney and Perth are as different as London and Dundee. Just because you felt at home in one, doesn’t mean you can settle in the other. My niece did the same as you. Did her WHV in Sydney and loved every second. A few years later, working for a company inLondon, she got the chance of a transfer to the Perth office. She hated Perth and only stayed for six months.

Unfortunately you need them more than they need you, so it’s not likely to change

It used to be that if you marked them as used goods and valued them as NCV (no commercial value), there was nothing to pay. I haven’t posted anything for song time though

If you look at the policies on the link I gave you, you'll see that they go all the way from hospital cover only to fully-covered for GP visits and the lot. Even the ones with hospital cover only are enough to satisfy the requirements for a 457 so obviously, since yours covers so much more, it's satisfying the requirements plus a whole heap more. If it's not in the salary package then that's great to know, you can sit back and enjoy.

How strange that you don't know who the insurer is. Who do you claim from, then? The rules posted previously apply to residents, but they also apply to 457/482 holders who have the usual medical cover. Citizenship is irrelevant as far as health care is concerned. However, it does sound as though your husband's company has gone above and beyond the minimum required, and that's unusual. It's worth noting that these days, it's unusual for employers to offer a benefit like this as a perk, in addition to salary. It's more usual for it to be part of a salary package. It might be worth checking if that's the case here. If it is part of his package, then he could downgrade to a cheaper health insurance (potentially costing about half the price) which would fulfil your legal requirements, and then he'd have more cash in his pocket. https://www.finder.com.au/457-visa-health-insurance

It's a very difficult situation. As someone who is your parents' age, I can fully understand them not wanting to take the CPV route. For one thing, if they applied now, there is a 5-6 year waiting list, so your older parent would be in their seventies when they move, and it's hard to uproot your whole life at that age. Besides, your daughter will be at school by that time, and busy with after-school activities, so it's not as if they will see her all that often. They would be giving up everything they know, in exchange for seeing their darling granddaughter on a Sunday, or maybe on the school run. I've met a few sets of aged parents living here in Australia. They're settled in Australia, but they say they were so desperate to be near their grandchildren, they didn't realise how much they were sacrificing They miss their home. They miss all the treasured possessions they had to dispose of. They miss their dearest friends (of course they make new ones, but it's not the same). Also, because they had to pay such a huge application fee, they've had to downsize their home and live on a tighter budget, so their life is more limited. Taking all that into consideration, I think your parents are being sensible in deciding not to join you, so I hope you are not holding that against them.

Yes that would explain it

I don't know if there are any in Malta, but you don't need a local one. You can do it all by email and phone. Here are two good companies: https://www.ozimmigration.com/ http://www.pinoyau.com/

I wonder what kind of policy it is? It sounds very unusual - lucky you, if your employer is paying for it. Most Australian health insurance doesn't cover the cost of visits to the GP, or the cost of medications.

Only one of you needs to qualify for a visa, and that person becomes the "primary applicant". Then the other partner comes along as part of the family. It sounds like your husband would be the primary applicant. What does he do for a living? You can check rentals in Melbourne on realestate.com.au, but you'll find it hard to make much sense of it, unless you know the area you want to live. You can pay $1,000 a week for a unit in an inner-city suburb, or $300 a week in a poor suburb a couple of hours from the centre. Most jobs are advertised on Seek.com.au, but unless there's an extreme skills shortage, very few employers will offer you a job while you're overseas. The application process takes months and employers would have to be pretty desperate to wait that long. However, as others keep telling you, your first step should be to contact a migration agent and find out what your chances are. The harsh truth is, lots of people want to migrate to Australia but only a small minority are eligible to apply. There's no point doing all the research if you discover you haven't got a chance. Many agents will give you an initial consultation free of charge.

The main function of a migration agent is to make sure your application is completed correctly, with all the essential information and all the necessary supporting evidence. The application process isn't hard to do yourself, but there's a lot of detail involved. Immigration is very unforgiving - if you make a silly mistake, they won't come back and say, "did you mean....?", they'll just reject your application. Then you've lost your money and your chance to migrate. So investing in someone who knows all the fiddly ins and outs can be worthwhile.

If you've still got a British credit card or debit card, then just order from any British online store, like you would when you were at home. A lot of them will gift-wrap and send straight to the recipient. I often use Lush (https://uk.lush.com/) Lakeland's good (https://www.lakeland.co.uk) I like this one for silly presents https://www.thepresentfinder.co.uk/ At one time, very few British online stores would accept a foreign credit card, even if the delivery address was in the UK. That is changing now.

Do you have your own migration agent or are you relying on the company's lawyers to do all the work? I suggest you engage a reputable migration agent to represent you. It's often advised you do that, since the company's lawyers are working in the company's interests, not yours. Of course it is an extra cost, but how important is this to you? Raul Senise, who replied to your post, is one such agent. It is vitally important that you get this right because if you take the wrong approach, you could destroy any (slim) chance you might have of including your son in your PR application later, should you manage to get to that point.

They are wrong about needing a EHIC card. Here is the relevant excerpt: "How long your cover lasts It starts the day you arrive in Australia. When it ends depends on the country you’re visiting from. You can only use it while you have a valid visa. It ends on the day your visa expires if you’re from: Finland Norway the Republic of Ireland Sweden the UK It ends on the day your European Health Insurance Card expires, or the day your visa expires if earlier, if you’re from: Belgium the Netherlands Slovenia" You can refer them to this page: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/reciprocal-health-care-agreements/visitors-australia/medical-care-visitors-australia#a2 However, they are right about the private hospital: What’s covered The agreement covers: medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital and out of hospital care What it doesn’t cover It doesn’t cover: medicines that aren’t in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) care planned before you got to Australia care for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) private hospital care public hospital care as a private patient ambulance travel dental care unless it’s in the Chronic Disease Management scheme care from a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, eye therapist, chiropractor, podiatrist or psychologist unless it’s in the Chronic Disease Management scheme acupuncture unless it’s from a doctor glasses and contact lenses hearing aids and other devices prostheses costs someone else is responsible for - for example an insurer, employer or government agency care that isn’t clinically essential cosmetic surgery checks for life insurance or superannuation or to join a friendly society home nursing

If she's just coming for a holiday, then Hawthorn wouldn't be my pick as a convenient place to stay to see the sights.

How long ago was that? I know the WHV used to be granted in a day or two, but it seems to be taking a lot longer these days.

Before you even ask that question, you need to work out whether you qualify to apply for a visa.

From seeing other people’s experience here, I’m afraid your agent is probably right

The only way to find out is to ask your HR dept to clarify exactly what they did, preferably in writing.