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Living overseas

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Original poster

Migrating to Aus ...

61 replies

Kaloo20 · 18/05/2006 10:12

Just splitting this topic off into a new thread as I haven't had a chance to ask my migration agent why we were quoted 18 months .... from application to completion of our visas. Why have other people got much shorter timelines ?
We are going for skilled migration visas and are heading for just North of Sydney. Need to pay a hefty Gov't Bond for 12 months too. We have no sponsors or jobs lined up.
LOL have never been to Aus !

OP posts:
suzywong · 21/05/2006 05:06

eidsvold is lying about the chocolate, it's pants.

But you can get Lindt and Suchard and in some store, Green and Blacks - YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

SueW · 21/05/2006 05:59

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

EmmyLou · 21/05/2006 09:29

Rissoles???? Haven't had those since the 1970's! Perhaps its some kind of twenty first century fusion version, not the pasty leftovers my mum used to make...and yes, I too found Green and Blacks after only a couple of days in Melbourne. My kids thought I'd sniffed it out from accross the world. But would agree - the Cadburys is pants. God these things must be sooooo important to us!

melissasmummy · 21/05/2006 11:59

I wasn't overly kken on the cadburys I had ter when we were on hol. & Turkist delight is one of my fav, but didn't taste the same.

Glad on the Ferrero tho...yum! I'm sure I'll find something I like, doesn't usually take me long!

I like Bonds clothes too, brought a couple of T'shirts last time I was there & they wear/wash well!

Can't believe I have less than 4 weeks here!

eidsvold · 21/05/2006 12:20

not cadbury - darrell lea - perhaps that is only a QLD thing...... i am mroe a lindt 85% cocoa girl.

eidsvold · 21/05/2006 12:20

melissasmummy - you want the straight turkish delight you can get from a place called priceline - my mum swears by it.

melissasmummy · 21/05/2006 21:14

Oh, eidsvold, I'll have to remember that!

jenkel · 23/05/2006 08:46

What do people do about schools, I guess do some research over here first and they get a shortlist to look at once in Oz. Not much experience of schools yet as DD is due to start here in September (her 4th birthday is in August).

melissasmummy · 23/05/2006 09:11

jenkel, we have plenty of time to look at schools once we get there (dd only 2.8) so we have'nt done anything about that at this stage.

Original poster
Kaloo20 · 23/05/2006 09:11

The school thing worries me too. I have chosen a school on Central Coast and two on the Gold Coast, but now, after reading this thread have started looking around North Shore area too. I have found a few websites about state education but little about private. I have decided to try and use the services of an independant education advisor (if there is such a thing!) to help me select a schools. We are unsure whether we should go for a state or private education. How has everyone else approached this ?

OP posts:
hannahsaunt · 23/05/2006 09:32

Kaloo20, not sure what age your looking at for schools but we just went with net searching and then email correspondence with schools we had picked out for ds1 who was going into g1 here. Having done all that, I discussed what we had selected with the wife of a contact we had here (north QLD) and it turned out we had selected the school her children attended. TBH now that we're here we couldn't have made a better choice though frankly the standard of state schools here made it much less of an issue than back home - they are well resourced, well equipped, well staffed - absolutely fantastic (this is the place where ds1's school is capped at 420 pupils from y1 - y7 because they ONLY have SIX acres of play space Shock). Can't complain!!!

PS Eids, Suzy - can someone explain State of Origin? TVL is a sea of maroon at the moment and everything is cancelled so we can all watch the game...(rugby union?rugby league? AFL?)

jenkel · 23/05/2006 09:51

Does anybody know what age they start school in Oz, DD will be 4 in August and she is due to start Reception at the local school in September.

melissasmummy · 23/05/2006 10:04

I thought i read somewhere that it was the year after the turn 5. (i.e my dd is 5 in august 2008, so she will start school Jan 2009??) Please be welcome to shoot me down if I'm wrong tho.

eidsvold · 23/05/2006 10:55

originally the rugby league competition was solely based in NSW - well the premiership comp and so in the 80's they devised a State of Origin whereby players could be picked to play for the state that they started their a grade career in and so lots of players who were playing for nsw clubs but were in fact qlders were picked obviously for the qld team.

QLD - cane toads and maroon

nsw - cockroaches and blues

Obviously especially for you in country qld - high rugby league territory barracking for blues could be detrimental to your health.

So you get beer in and food like pizza and have your mates over to watch the game - and it is marone not marooooon...... remember that Grin

there is that a little clearer.........

you should watch the game for a little 'cultural' exposure ( lol)

eidsvold · 23/05/2006 10:57

Like my dd1 - being 4 in August means she will be eligible to start Prep in 2008 - before that you could get her into a pre prep program at a c and k kindy. My dd is doing a kindy year this year (originally start kindy when they turn 3) and then a pre prep year next year.

If you do a google for education queensland - that will give you the ed qld site for school information

then if you look for creche and kindergarten association - that will also give you info.

hannahsaunt · 23/05/2006 22:46

Things are becoming clearer Smile. So - is it just a QLD / NSW thing or does it go across the whole country as a sort of interstate tournament for weeks and weeks (prob until soccer world cup Smile)?

Melissasmummy/Jenkel - you really need to look at the QLD education website for the whole kindy/prep thing as the cut off dates are changing as well. The age band will no longer work on a calendar year basis but (IIRC) you will be eligible to start prep the year you are 5 between 1 July 200x and 30 June 200y so for e.g. my friends ds2 who will be 5 in July 2007 won't be doing preschool (which is being renamed prep) in 2007 but in 2008. It's all to do with getting QLD children to finish school a bit later (they leave at 16/17 here) and it brings things more into line with other states (the new system will be the same as that in Victoria).

hannahsaunt · 23/05/2006 22:48

In fact, there is no choice but to watch the game as the TV schedulers have been conspiring - ER isn't being shown this week and instead of carrying on the current season of House they are showing an old episode so the schedules are so dreadful there is nothing else to do but get to grips with RL!

(rugby league that is, not real life!)

eidsvold · 24/05/2006 03:33

you are right about the conspiracy - 3 hours miner interview so I missed the next CSI and then tonight - due to RL no Prison Break - just as it is getting really exciting!!!

just a NSW/QLD thing - and of course very very parochial support - as you would see esp. in country QLD. Have you not ordered in your beer and got Dominos on speed dial Grin

eidsvold · 24/05/2006 03:34

3 games and they take it in turns - so this comp will be Sydney, Brisbane and then Sydney for third game. Next year would be Brisbane, Sydney, BRisbane. iyswim.

hannahsaunt · 24/05/2006 09:44

Don't get me started on the TV scheduling!!! Beer is in (selection of Toohey Pils and XXXX gold stubbies - am getting good at the lingo Grin). Still debating the takeaway options before settling down in front of ... Absolute Power Smile (ABC). Some judicious flicking will take place to ensure parity in the playground in the morning. Even our church house groups have been cancelled in honour of SoO and they are showing the game on a big screen in the church hall instead!!

Original poster
Kaloo20 · 24/05/2006 13:25

hannahsaunt

I have dd Y2(just7) and ds Y1(just6) in private sector in UK. Semi forced into this route as local school is awful and refused to go to church to get them into church school.

Would like to have them in State schools in Aus if schools are as good as they sound.

This is more scary than the actual move as they are both in small schools and very happy and happy kids = a happy family.

OP posts:
eidsvold · 24/05/2006 22:39

hannahs - you could have missed the first half but the second half was sooo much better Sad face for the loss - must have converted dh as he was shouting at the telly and commenting on various things - of course it was my fault QLD lost ?!?!?

Hopefully a better game in 2 weeks here at Suncorp stadium.

Then tonight - Australia v Greece on SBS real football as dh calls it Grin Lucky me!

hannahsaunt · 24/05/2006 22:45

So Sad for them! We watched the whole match (other than the 30mins for Absolute Power) and it was so exciting at the end. Guessing lots of unhappy people at school this am (even P&C had been cancelled for the game). Lots of the QLD team are from the Cowboys which is our home team. Fingers crossed for the next one (I could get quite into it despite being much more a Union girl Smile).

eidsvold · 25/05/2006 04:14

oh yeh - forgot about all the cowboys in the QLD side...... I could not beleive dh getting so worked up - I have seen him do that for football - and his beloved Chelsea but never before for league.

bloss · 25/05/2006 06:09

jenkel - start dates depend on the state you're in. In NSW, they MAY start school if they turn 5 before July 1 that year. They MUST start school if they turn 6 before July 1 that year. In one state (SA?) they start when they turn 5, whenever that is in the year. There are all different rules. But on the whole, most children start somewhere between 5 and 6. Few start at 4.5, as my ds did.

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