Jon the Hat

Usually the advice is to wait for the police checks and medicals - they can usually be arranged in a week or so when requested, and you only have a year to enter Australia to activate your visa from the date of the checks / medical. They will tell you which ones you need when they request them.

I think your challenge is going to be you are looking to release some equity as well. They might convert your current mortgage, but they are unlikely to extend it.

It certainly makes the assumption that the government is well placed to spend your money!

Unless you will pay medicare levy surcharge without it (single 90k or couple over 180k earnings) and it makes sense.

An individual is UK resident for these purposes where they have spent 183 days in the UK (judged by their location at midnight) over any consecutive 365-day period beginning 12 months before the transaction and ending 12 months after. Stamp Duty Calculator for Non-UK residents | Overseas Buyer Stamp Duty Surcharge 2021/2022 - Knight Frank (UK)

Technically speaking the taxpayers are paying the university to provide the course. You could argue if only people who where going to pay it back did degrees the university system would collapse and we would all be the worse for it. There are plenty of worse wastes of public money than this to get worried about.

Wise are good, used them the other way several times. It is worth ringing them whoever you use to get the best rate on larger amounts.

I don't think you need one until you are 17; Police certificates We may ask you to provide a police certificate (also called a penal clearance certificate) from every country you lived in. If we ask you for one, it will usually be if you are over 17 and lived in any of the listed countries, including Australia, for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date. They must cover: the time you turned 16 up to the issue date or the whole time you were in the country We may ask you to provide a new police certificate if you have returned to the country after your previous certificate has expired. Character requirements for visas (homeaffairs.gov.au)

My company has people up there, and generally people consider Karratha to be a town where you can live safely and comfortably with a family. Port Hedland is a bit rougher I believe.

It certainly pays to shop around. Our 777 pharmacy 24 hour is literally double the price for lots of things.

Yes doing pretty well thanks, we found a part furnished rental pretty quickly (our airbnb wasn't great), moved in after a week in early October. Kids into good schools the week after, and I got a great job and started beginning of Jan, all going well. My wife is halfway through a TAFE course for her new career direction. The car arrived in November, and our container eventually in late Jan, and we are mostly organised now! The heat was a bit full on so we are enjoying the cooler weather now. I am working in West Perth and the office is pretty quiet, but hoping it all picks up a bit once masks come off later in the year.

I certainly wouldn't do it when the exchange rate is 1.74!

Technically speaking you don't need a passport to enter the UK if you are a British citizen. I have entered on my drivers license when I left my passport at home and went through security and had to come back through passport control.

Congratulations! Does this mean you have to get a job now ?

If anything its more middle class to camp in Cornwall than to fly to Spain for a week...

Yes they are, brought mine over with them in October. There is a phone number on the website, give Kristian a call.

You have two options here, and only you know which one is right. If you cannot imagine rehoming your dog you just have to accept the cost is what it is. It is a huge amount of money, but consider what else you would do with it - a holiday probably costs that right now, so skip a holiday and you have your dog with you.

Congratulations - you have the dream ticket here! After 6 months in Perth we are settling in nicely. Honestly the biggest worry has been getting a job and the kids settling in, our 13 year old has taken a while but now has made friends here and is chatting to them more than those in the UK. You have the job nailed already, so you are halfway there. Enjoy!

PSS. Shipping is all over the place, so our container came on a different ship from Singapore to Fremantle than originally booked.

Right now I miss the ability to buy a cheap decent car. A combination country / covid timing issue.

Defo to the Nursing reg before you come, but everything else is pretty much a case of turn up with loads of documents. Get your drivers license sorted quickly it helps with everything else.

It is a worldwide problem, and Australia has some specific issues with reduced container and ship capacity. The prices are out of their hands, as is the timing. We came the other way, but out stuff was collected - then took a month to be put in a container. Then 3 weeks to get on a ship. Then 3 weeks in Singapore waiting for a space on a ship to Perth. Then 3 weeks for clearance. I think this is about as good as it gets at the moment. So all in we slipped about 9 weeks from original plan, and about GBP2k cost increase.

Availability and cost of shipping containers is expected to remain very challenging for the rest of the year. There is also I believe fewer container ships routing to Australia as there is more money in Asia / US routes at present. Assume whatever they tell you it can be 2-3k more come the final invoice. It isn't their fault, it is just the market.

I bought mine when I got here, its a little cheaper imo.

Studland Bay possibly? Lovely beach although can get very busy.