We are new to the site and would all like to say hi, just discovered it and it looks great, certianly a good place to start meeting like minded people. Going to Brisbane in March for a recce, but hoping to make the move permanent towards the end of next year.

Cheers
bobnhope

 

Brizzie bound

Hi, Jamie & I are also planning to fly out to Bribane in March '07, hopefully to 'activate' our visa's, if they come through in time.
We plan to move out their for good the following year, initially based fairly close to Brisbane CBD (renting an apartment).

We will also be 'fact finding' during our holiday, to gather further knowledge of the suburbs, employment, transport & costing of furniture/electrical items.

Have you been out to Brisbane/Queensland before?

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie

This will be our first visit to Oz, we received our visas at the end of July and will validate them in March.

We have booked our flights for early March, but as yet, are unsure whether to book a hotel, or try and find a unit we can lease for the 3 weeks we are there.

Like yourselves, we will also be on a "fact finding"
mission, so i suppose you really can't call it a holiday! Looking forward to it none the less!

Have you booked your flights yet?
Have you been to Oz before?

all the best
bobnhope

 

HI Guys,

Yes we have been to Oz before, we based ourselves in Sydney for the first half of our 'recce/holiday' trip, then Brisbane for the second half. Both places are very nice.

We can not book flights yet as we are awaiting visa approval, but hope we will get this by years end

Which cities/regions are you planning to visit on your trip?

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie

I'm sure you will be chapping at the bit awaiting the visa approval so you can get those flights booked, i know we were.

We are flying into Brisbane and staying in Queensland for 12 days, we are hoping to see as many places as we can in that time, aswell as checking out the jobs, housing, schools etc.

We then fly on to Melbourne for 5 days, where we hope to do alot more sight seeing and relaxing, as March is apparently a busy time in Melbourne we were advised to book early, so have booked a hotel in the city centre.

Fingers crossed, hopefully won't be too long before that all important letter drops through your door.

all the best
bobnhope

 

Wish we could book our flights

Hi Bobnhope,
Yes indeed, we are 'chomping at the bit' awaiting news on our our visa application, the whole process seems to take ages doesn't it ! How long did it take you guys from start to finish?

I am sure you'll enjoy Brisbane/Queensland, there is lots to see, do & enjoy, the gold coast is very nice, the beach at surfers paradise is wonderful & maybe you could try a Jet - Ski Safari !, we did this, what a hoot :lol:

I know that Melbourne is supposed to be a pretty city, with many attractions (especially the food!), but the climate is a bit to cool & wet for our liking
I look forward to reading about your trip & your thoughts & information on Both cities.

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie
Yes, you a correct to say that the process takes forever, but when you get your passports back with that all important visa in place, it somehow does not seem that long and drawn out. We used the services of an agent and in total it took us around 15 months.

We are sure to enjoy Brisbane/ Queensland, the relevant websites certianly paint a pretty picture, and as we love the water i'm sure the jet-ski safari will be high on the list, just have to get through this miserable winter first

All the best
bobnhope

 

Use of Agents helps

Hi BobnHope,

Good to hear from you again.

I agree with you, that when you get the visa stamp in your passport, the time it took to get to that point will not seem that long , the months & years seem to pass quickly anyway!

We also used the services of an agent (perth based), mainly for the reason that it is easy to make little 'errors' on the paperwork & that ends up wasting many months, which we did not fancy.

You say it took you guys about 15 months in total, may i ask which type of visa you applied for?
I'm applying for a 136a (skilled) visa & my occupation is on the MODL list, so hoping that the processing time will be a bit less.

When we visited Oz a few years back, we did 90% of the planning & booking, over the internet, we stayed a small B & B's in both cities, both were located in the Inner Suburbs & both were run by Ex-pats (not planned that way!) both ladies, who had lived out their for many years.
It was great & both places were different but very enjoyable & we got a fair bit of local info from our hosts.

Do try to fit in the Jet Ski 'safari by the way, it is very unique 8) & good value to!

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie

It's nice to hear from you again, your replies are alot quicker than mine i'm afraid, i sometimes never quite find the time to sit down at the computer, i must try and be more frequent!! :idea:

The migration agent we used is based in Manchester, and like yourselves it was the 136a (skilled) visa we applied for, it is Hope who was the succesful applicant, being a hairdresser her trade is also on tha MODL list, and although i am a fitter and turner to trade unfortunately i have been away from it for a few years now.

I noticed from your post to brissiebound/hotpigeon3 that you also lived in South Africa, we lived over there for a while too, and actually found it difficult at times to settle back in the UK, but passed all that now, so i'm sure we will use that experience when we finally move to OZ.

Thanks for the hints on the B & B's, that's one avenue we were thinking about for Brisbane, must get the finger out and get something booked :roll:

All the best
bobnhope

 

Hi Bobnhope

Please allow me to introduce myself.
I am the female in the "restlessly awaiting visa game"......Jamie.

My other half has been doing all the posting so far - (A women's work is never done).
I log in everyday & check for comminications form our agents in Perth.The last we heard was that at present the MODL 136 is taking about 5 months.We hope so, mind you, being optimistic it would make a great Xmas present!

We can't really tell what is going on with the DIMIA processing side as our agents advised us to get our PCC's & medicals done as soon as they had confirmed that they had lodged our visas.So who knows....... :?:
Bored & restless is the order of the day & the thought of the next 5 or so months in the cold,dark & damp is not a pleasant prospect for us.

Can you please let us know the process from when you received notification that your visas had been approved ? ie: did you receive a letter instructing you to post your passports down to australia house for your visas to be stamped in?

We look forward to hearing from you.

Jamie

 

Hi Jamie & Trev

Things are obviously done diffrently up North, only after i've completed all the housework and related tasks, then settled my good wife down in her comfy chair with a nice glass of shiraz (a mans work is never done) can i sit myself down at the computer and start posting (it's a hard life!) :twisted:

On a serious note and getting back to business, we lodged our application in Dec '05, then we were asked to make the necessary arrangements for the PCC's and medicals in May '06, so the timescale you were given of around 5 months seems about right. The PCC's only took around 10 days to come through. We attended our medicals at the end of June and received the good news on 26 July, so getting back to your original question, yes, we received the letter asking us to post the passports to Australia House where the visas were put in place, this only took about 5 days. Here's hoping you can celebrate xmas with that extra special present

Look forward to your reply.

All the best
bobnhope

 

Good grief!

Do they really do that in the U.K. - I thought you were in Oz already,having time for a sit down & glass of wine ????

My mans work (at home) involves complete control of the remote control,but it doesn't work on me.........

Thanks very much for the info on the visa stamp procedure,we imagined it was something like that but no one had actually told us.

Maybe our agents are being optimistic in requesting our PCC's & medicals as they lodge, or maybe they are hoping that if DIMIA have everything we may get a nice suprise before Xmas.We shall remain positive & keep you informed.

A few questions,if you don't mind :-
Did it take you very long to be advised your application had been received?Was this in the form of a file number? Did you get a case officer?We haven't been notified yet - but I'm here on the computer most mornings checking for that much wanted e-mail notification.

We are both looking forward to a life without winter & central heating bills.Queensland can offer us that!

Where were you staying & how long were you in S.A. for?
We came back here in Oct 2000 (not willingly) & it has taken us this long to actually see ourselves moving back to the sun.
After 25 years in Jo'burg region you can imagine our state of shock returning here.
We look forward to hearing from you.

The not much sit down & wineless couple (giggles)

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie

Well, there may have been a slight exageration in my last post, normally when i go to fill the wine glass, there remains only sediment in the bottom of the bottle (better not let my good wife see this), other than that the rest is pure fiction. Remote control, what's that?

I assume the migration agencies work differently, our agent obviously thought it better to wait on word from Adelaide before asking us to undertake the health/character checks. I've noticed from reading posts on other sites that some people like to front load(if that's the correct term) their relevant checks, perhaps this is a quicker method.

Adelaide received our application in Dec '05, to which we received acknowledgement of this on 9 Jan, the file reference number was in this letter, but no case officers name appeared until we received the letter requesting the health/character checks, we received this on 11 May. All correspondence was done through our agent so we had to wait for the letter to drop through the post box, no e-mail activity at all.

We arrived back in Scotland in 1993 after living in the southern suburbs of Jo'burg for 17 years, where as you know the winters are mild and the summers are great, so the winters here took a bit of getting used to , our kids safety was the reason for our return (seen to many dodgy things happening)!

Well, it's been good chatting, must go, that wine glass is empty again

All the best
bobnhope

 

Mornin' Bobnhope !

We'll forgive the exageration & can relate to the sediment.....

I would have thought that it would be better to wait for DIMA to give the go ahead before us sending in our meds & PCC's.
We didn't front load but did get our PCC from S.A. in June as we know how long they can take,but know that they are only vaild for a year & therefore we will need to vailidate by June 2007,because we got them so early.U.K> Pcc & meds only done in October,so they are oky.The hardest was S.A.not taking credit card payments for PC & they don't post them wither(although they said they did on the forms,couriers are very expensive.
When our agent advised lodging on 28th September they called for meds & PCC's which we thought a bit odd,but they know better then we do.We are still awaiting notification of receipt & case officer.looking at various websites some people don't seem to get a case officer at all!
We are grateful to you for advising the procedure.

so where were you in the deep south? Glenvista,Alberton or closer to the CBD? We were in Lambton initially,then moved to Edenvale & laterly Midrand.
Like yourselves it was the safety aspect that concerned us,also the fact that good jobs disappeared faster than a white rabbit.
We are peaceful folk & like wide open spaces,sunny spaces.
We liked Sydney & Brisbane.Sydney would be a tad too expensive for us.The south doesn't appeal because of it having similar weather to the U.K. (mucho overcast skies & rain).
We haven't been to Perth but half the wolrd seems to be going there.We loved surfers paradise & have yet to see the barrier Reef.
We are presently in the process of confirming B & b arrangements with the ladywe stayed with in 2002.
Lovely suburb of Brisse called Paddington.
OMG is that the time - work calls!
Catch oyu later

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie

Once again you will have to forgive the delay in my replying to your last post... pc problems (not the uniformed type... thankfully).

I was quite surprised to hear that post sent from SA actually arrives at it's destination, I know from personal experience that it's not the case when it is sent to SA, the Post office over there tend to lose much of the overseas parcels/letters and don't really care about trying to retreive them, oh how times have changed!

We lived in Linmeyer for a few years, then moved out to Ridgeway, just off Riflerange road, perhaps you know it? I attended the local high school in that area and was there on a visit 3 years ago, not quite the same.
I know Edenvale fairly well, worked out in the Spartan area for a while, at one time there were quite a few engineering companies in that area, still seems a busy place.

Well, has that all important letter arrived yet? If not i'm sure it can't be too far off.
Speak to you soon.
All the best
Bobnhope.

 

Hi Bob & Hope

We were wondering what had happened to you.
We can relate to pc problems as we are having our own at the moment.IE is freezing up & bombing out & there are no competatnt computer techs in our area to fix it.In fact there are very few computers in the area. :?

The suburbs & areas you mention are familiar to us.
I worked in Isando at one time but I have been told that it isn't safe to even drive through Kempton Park now.

The Police clearances arrived in S.A. safely because they weren't of any value & we sent them recorded delivery.It means nothing really but deters petty pilfering on that side.Our clearances were collected by a friend & then sent over via a company's internal mail to London,otherwise they probably wouldn't have arrived.Generally items sent either way do not arrive. A postal order that was sent by a relative,(crossed), from the U.K. was even cashed,but not by the recipient, so criminal activity over there is as rife as ever.

The DIMA is now on skeleton staff for 4 weeks & we have been advised by our agent that things just chug along & pick up again mid Jan.We received our file number on 30th November so we know that we are past the first stage.Our medicals are already with them so it is just a matter of our agent advising us that they have requested the police clearances then after that the visa should be granted 2 weeks after that.

In the dark & damp we are telling ourselves it is really only 12 weeks until March & things look better when viewed that way.
We have obtained a rough quote from Pickfords & we are looking at £ 1400.00 to take our basics & about 10 boxes with us.insurance will be on top of that.Not bad I guess.We never received a reply from UPakweship so are unimpressed with their customer service.

What other news from your side?

Best regards

Trev & Jamie

 

Hi Trev & Jamie

It's nice to hear from you again, hopefully that's the end of all our pc problems :evil: We agree with you that it is difficult to find a decent repair shop, most want to charge a small fortune and i'm afraid it's the wrong time of the year for that! Other than that there's not much news from up here in Scotland, just completely shopped out!!

It's good to hear you have received your file number, so hopefully it shouldn't be too long now before the good news arrives, although with it being the Christmas preiod and all that, i'm sure the DIMIA like everyone else reduce their workload, it just means that all involved obviously have to play the waiting game for a wee while longer. It just makes it all the sweeter when the good news eventually arrives though

It seems the manner in which you dealt with your Pcc's is probably the one and only way to guarantee their safe passage, like yourselves we too have had items dissapear....without a trace?

Well, it's not too long before we jet off to the sub-tropical climate of Queensland, 10 weeks this coming Sunday, (and counting). We have still not booked any accomodation in Brisbane as yet as we are unsure of our itinerary, we must make a decision early in the New Year. Would you advise booking accomodation and car hire from this side, or do you know if it's more of a hassle doing it when you arrive there? Any recomendations greatly received :lol:

Thats all from us for now, look forward to your reply.

All the best
Bob & Hope

 

Seasons Greetings Bobnhope!

You guys are most certainly going to feel a change in temperature flying out from Scotland & arriving in Queensland in March!

We are itching to book our airfares but we can't do a thing until we receive those illusive visas......On the upside, it will be cheaper(if an airfare to Oz is ever cheap) past Feb as the fares drop then - they are horrendous at the moment!

We can recommend the B & B we stayed at which is 10 minutes bus ride from Brisbane CBD in a charming area called Paddington.(Not to be confused the the area called Paddington in Sydney).
We would be pleased to send you a link to the B & B if you are interested & ofcourse having stayed there we are in a position to recommend Annette highly.

Regarding car hire, Trev believes it is cheaper to do it this side but it is prob best to Google a bit & compare.We didn't hire a car when we were over there as the buses & trains are so efficient(Trains are aircon'ed).

We are soooo jealous !

Och ie the noo!

Trev & Jamie

 

Seasons Greetings Trev & Jamie

We noticed from your last post that you too are aware of that famous Scottish Indian...... Hawk Aye the noo!! He certianly gets about! :lol:

We can relate to your unwillingness with regards to booking your flights, and certianly are also aware of the price differences throughout the year, hence our decision to leave it until March (no, it's not true what they say about the Scots)

Thankyou for your advice regarding car hire, we have been on a few sites and most of them are pretty similar price-wise, we are also glad to hear the bus and train service is efficient, so we will probably leave the car hire until we arrive, should the need arise.

With regard to the B&B you stayed at, it would be great if you could forward us the link, we can then check availability etc. Much appreciated :!:

Well, if you don't hear from us before Christmas, we wish you and your's all the best.

Enjoy
Bob & Hope