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Reviving an older thread... Any recent experience on processing times for 186 Visas? We will start the process soon for our 186 TRTS. I know there is info online but thought there might be some real life feedback?

And just like that we've celebrated 2 years in Australia... What an amazing time this has been, really enjoyed every step of the way. Won't say it was always easy, but definitely not as hard as we thought it would be. We focused a lot on our mindset and approach to this process and I think this has played a huge role in settling in. Still no contact from the family members who was the motivation for the start of this read. The kids no longer ask about them. I still tend to think about them ever so often and have gone through a period where I really missed them. It would have been nice if it did not turn out this way. Bu it was their choice and we are making the best of ours.

Hey @TeeTMI good to hear you after long time … this group went silent after you went silent lol

The number of visas lodged each year in May and June are often higher - therefore it can take a lot longer for these months to be processed compared to other months. The legislation is at https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00428/asmade/text

Have you guys seen this https://absoluteimmigration.com/news/family-visa-caps/#:~:text=Contributory Parent Visa Quotas%3A,visas for the Retiree Pathway.

Justice of the piece, go ask at your local library, can also do at the pharmacy, but they get grumpy when you ask

Thanks Nev, where did you do the certified copies - at the consulate, or your local police station?

We sent certified copies, and got a response back that it had been done, so that is fine, also don't send originals as you may need to show previous citizenships sometime in future (You never know what life brings) so keeping the originals is the way to go

Hello everyone, I hope that someone who has successfully renounced their South African Citizenship will be able to answer, because I'm very uncomfortable to send my original South African Identity Document with the Renunciation application. I can't help to think that it might be used to commit fraud. Will it be OK to send a certified copy? Do the certified copy need to be done by South African Consulate, or is certification by the local Police Station acceptable? Thanks.

For anyone interested, South Africans living abroad can vote online for the 2024 elections. Information can be found here: Voter Portal - Home (elections.org.za)

Positive movement folks … finally the assessment date moved from May2017 to June 2017 as of 31st of Dec … probably after 4 months .

Hello Erik and Nix. I would like to connect with you as i will definately need your help. I also have a PhD in chemistry and I am planning to take a plunge next year to Australia. I would need to have advice on securing a job.

Citizenship

Just my 2 cents. CV: I also re-did mine with Roland. Recruiters: From my experience, AU is a recruiters market (at least in IT space). I did not hear back from roles I sent applications to directly. But for every role a recruiter has called me about (that I have shown interest in), I have been able to at least get to the second or third round of interviews. So, like you said, it's worth working on your CV and getting it placed in the right places (Seek, LinkedIn) for visibility. Location: I failed to get an offer offshore, but I had 2/3 face-to-face interviews the week I landed, all resulting from the groundwork I did while still in SA. So yes, always good to start the search early. Salary: If/When you find a good recruiter, they will help you navigate the right salary/experience/role fit. I, too, tried to undercut myself initially, but the recruiter I was working with was able to negotiate +40k my initial timid ask.

I guess "No news is good news" is not quite what we want at the moment!!

Have been back twice using my Australian license. Rental cars both times and been pulled over once at a traffIc stop. No issues at all. Was only PR both times.

Anyone got any good news

Hi all. I'm a PR in Aus, been here for 4 years. Going to SA on holiday and realised that my South African license is expired. Trip is too short to apply for a new license in SA. Will I be allowed to drive on an Aus license in SA when I don't have an Australian passport?

Hi all, I wanted to share some tips that I've gained from my own experience and also advice that has been passed on to me regarding finding a job in Australia. After sorting out our visas, I commenced the process of looking for job opportunities, with Sydney being our destination of choice. My idea was to secure a role before arriving. However, my enthusiasm was soon quelled after about six weeks of trying to apply to jobs and receiving automated responses with no interaction whatsoever. I then turned to our forums here to get a better understanding of other people’s experiences and came across a post by Jane, a forum member. She gave me the contact details for Roland Coombes, a resume writer in Sydney, who helped me put together a strategy for applying. Here’s what I learned. LinkedIn: From day one, I was told that my best friend would probably be LinkedIn and was given a strategy for reaching out to potential connections in Sydney. So, I spent the next month adding contacts and connections and reaching out to those connections to try and find potential opportunities. I started researching connections based on specific industries as well as recruiters I wanted to connect with. Within a couple of weeks, the dialogue started, and people were talking to me. Eventually, this would lead to interviews (and also a job offer). Job Boards: There are about 7 or 8 major job boards in Australia. The biggest, by far, has to be Seek.com.au. Apparently, it's the go-to platform for most recruitment agencies and employers, but it’s also highly competitive. When I was first applying from overseas, my contact number had +27. The problem is this prefix immediately shows that I am applying from a different country. What I would soon learn is that recruiters immediately reject overseas applications (unless you are applying for a real niche type role). However, it's still worth trying, but expect lots of automated responses. The other big job boards are Adzuna (adzuna.com.au), Indeed (au.indeed.com), CareerOne (careerone.com.au), and Jora (au.jora.com). Recruitment Agencies: During the initial stages, I reached out to quite a few different recruiters (Michael Page, Robert Walters, Hays, etc.) but got very little interaction other than thank you, and we will keep your details on file. I then used LinkedIn to connect with recruiters directly and opened dialogue that way (focusing on my niche). This generated much better results, and the communication was great. Getting your Resume Redone: As mentioned before, I used Roland from itouch resumes writing services (he did an outstanding job, not just on my resume but also with his advice). He’s on this list of Top 5 Resume Writers in Australia. Looking back, I realize now how out of shape my resume was, and I would thoroughly recommend that you get a full review of your resume before you enter the open market. Know your Salary Level: This was interesting. At first, I was under the impression I would have to significantly reduce my salary to enter the Australian market. However, I soon found out that this strategy was wrong as employers could see that I was overqualified for the salary level I was asking, and were reluctant to employ me for junior roles. Only when I refined my search and focused on jobs that aligned with my skill set was I then able to be taken more seriously in the market. There were a number of sites offering free salary survey advice. I used https://www.michaelpage.com.au/salary-guide and https://www.hays.com.au/salary-guide. Actually being in Sydney: Although I was finally able to secure a role in Sydney before arriving, from other expats I've spoken to, it sounds like all else fails, you may need to take the plunge and actually fly to Australia and physically be here for the job search process. From what I've learned, recruiters see overseas applications as a risk, and want to have candidates here and now ( which I do understand). Finally... I am so glad I made the move. It's a great lifestyle over here and fairly stressfree. However, the prices of apartment rental in obsurd! And cost of living is more expensive than back from. Definitely make sure you factor this in when you are budgeting. If you are looking for prime locations around the main CBD areas or surrounding suburbs, be prepared to pay. I wanted to pass on the above, as SAA forum really helped me (especially on the Visa and relcoation info.). I was meaning to put this post up earlier in the year, but got sidetracked. PM me if you want some more specific advice, happy to share. All the best Colin

You might ask your agent if undertaking the PTE English is an option for you. Many (not all) South Africans find the PTE test gives better results. There are free online practice web sites - practice so that you know the format / timings also often helps get better scores. Good luck.

Hello, I'm planning to travel back to South Africa soon to visit family there. As a permanent resident in Australia, what travel insurance is best to ensure that, should something go wrong, I can access private hospitals rather than public hospitals? The language in the Product Disclosure Statements of most insurers is at best vague about whether private hospitals would be covered in South Africa. Advice is welcomed. Regards, Kevin

Thanks Hugo.

Hello Log onto SARS go to the top blue bar and find services, on the left blue index select past directives and select date range 2022 and it will search up to tax year 2024. Now make sure your accrual date was not the 2024 tax year (1 March 2023 and later). If so, a 2023 nil return should be filed. Why?? in 2024 when you file there is a gap and then ask for the gap to be filed. Also, the RA contributions may increase albeit a voluntarily nil return. In short an expat should never skip a year is my feeling and guidance to my tax years, because one day, be it when you retire (lump sum), inherit or die, SARS is going to apply a different risk engine test and demand the gaps to be filled. This could be 20 years from now and you can't recall what happened in 2022 Anyway, I hope you found the directive line on the other service search and now click and download the PDF file here you may to enter it manually but before you do that, try this: Open ITR12 and say yes you have an IRP5 and add numeric count 1 Now save the return and go out to worksheet and before you re-open, select the refresh data option below the hyperlink to open the return. See if the IRp5 was found. If not, go to left index bar and select third party date, open and select tax year 2023 and now in the middle line use the drop-down menu and find the IT3a and IRP5 lines. Perhaps you can find it there. If not, use the directive and add the IRP5 yourself. The IRp5 number is the PAYE number of the fund starting with a 7, then adding 2023010 at the end of the PAYE number then add the directive application number (not the directive number) at the end after the 20230100. Now the line is red. Go to the 202301 part of the number you entered, and before the two zeros, add more leading zeros one by one, do it slowly until red line is blue. Who needs an AI tool? Now enter the IRP5 value and the source code is on the directive it is normally 3900 range say 3920. Make sure that the date range is the exact accrual date as the directive and on the bottom, right hand end the directive number. Don't forget this Now, in the middle of the screen is the taxable total, add the same value that you used for 3920 Finally on the top right-hand side enter the PAYE as taken from the directive - now you can submit

Thanks Hugo. Haven’t seem that SARS tool before, very handy. I don’t have to be submit but hubby does. Everything seems fine on efiling but “withholding tax on local interest” that AlexForbes states under note 8 - tax withheld and paid to SARS - isn’t reflected on tax return. Had a quick google and it seems that I have to request this amount from AlexForbes not SARS. That’s why I can’t find the tax withheld on tax return, does that seem right to you or am I reading it wrong?

Morning You can check this online with SARS - go to https://tools.sars.gov.za/sarsonlinequery/visualdashboard I would suggest yes and then submit TRC issued by ATO and claim the tax on the lumpsum back from SARS. Not an easy process but an be done