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And so the journey ends... Well kind of, anyway. Australia Day 2021 is the day that we will officially become Australian Citizens. To be honest, I an not sure how I feel about that. I am glad to have made it this far, I really am. We have no desire to go back at all. So this kind of makes it final. We are not keeping our RSA Citizenship, that is a decision that we have both made for ourselves. I know that there are pro's and con's relating to this decision, but it is the one we made. I just want to say Thanks again to all the people who has help us along ou

@zootMy wife did her CELTA course in the January of 2014. The requirements for entry to that specific course (back then) was a minimum of any 4 year bachelors, or equivalent Australian degree (did not have to be teaching orientated). She had a choice to study the normal course over a 3 month period or the express course which had exactly the same course workload but was done in 1 month instead of 3. Both options are residential. The course and accommodation in 2014 cost us around $4000.00 but I am sure that the cost would have gone up since then. Having said all this I would strong

@Barkies and all new members. Welcome and enjoy the ride! I know it feels like an eternity in the waiting room, but when you finally get your visa and have to sell up and plan to move to Aus, it becomes a rollercoaster riide. So worth it in the end though. Good luck to all. Re the question of aged care etc. One can not access any Centrelink benefits for the first 10 years even when one becomes a citizen as confirmed by @Dirkz. We have also been here 3 years now and absolutely love it. I work in aged care myself and am so grateful to be able to have found a job and still wo

LOL you're definitely not spamming them then! Maybe check your junk mail as their emails can sometimes go to spam.

@TeeTMI I have sent about four emails in four years, lol. The last one I sent was about 6 months ago and then I sent another one this week.. Anyways.. we are getting closer - slowly but surely!

Possible cause? - If you send too many emails they stop replying - you need to leave a decent gap between sending emails. This is the January email responce PROCESSING DATES Temporary to Permanent Contributory Parent (143) + Contributory Aged Parent (864)* Contributory Parent (Temp) (173) + Contributory Aged Parent (Temp) (884)* Parent (103) + Aged Parent (804)** Acknowledge New Application

Thanks @WendyAllison! Did this come from parents@homeaffairs.gov.au? I have tried a couple of times for the auto response but have received nothing

We submitted an EOI in February 2020 to Victoria for a SS 190. Didn't hear anything before Covid struck. We have been renting for the past three years, thinking that we would be leaving the country. Now our landlord wants to use the house for his business, so we have to move. We're both 33, so already in the older age bracket. Both programmers, so we shouldn't struggle too much to find work. So I'm wondering what the feeling/opinion is about whether things will be slightly more normal in a year of two? To me it seems that they Australians and New Zealanders are paranoid about Co

HI, I received this last week

Hi All, I was wondering if anyone has heard any update on the processing times for the subclass 143 visa or where they’re up to? Thanks in advance.

The Dept of Home Affairs have announced that they will run quarterly invitations between now and the end of June (as opposed to monthly previously). "The Government is closely monitoring migration and visa settings to ensure they are consistent with public health measures, are flexible and do not displace job opportunities for Australians, so that Australia can effectively respond to the immediate and subsequent impacts of COVID-19. As such, targeted invitation rounds have occurred since May 2020. The Department will run quarterly invitation rounds for the remainder of 2020-2

Hi Zoot, What would be the reason for doing the TEFL course? It would be sufficient to teach English to foreign students and there does tend to be a demand for this. It wouldn't really count as a qualification is you are looking to apply for a visa as a teacher however.

I would strongly recommend that you look at the requirements by way of qualifications and work experience required to meet the requirement that you can be considered skilled in the nominated occupation. Plus, be aware that occupations / visa options can change over time and what type of pathway you may need to take if aiming to use this occupation.

Congratulations - all the best with the application.

Did anyone study TEFL or TESOL for teaching English to foreign students if do which did you study, what did it involve and was it worthwhile? Was it sufficient or did you need to do the equivalent of a teacher's degree?

I got an invite ... crossing fingers it all goes well

Tasmania State Advise The Tasmanian Nominated Skilled Migration Program will reopen with updated requirements to general applications on 29 January 2021 at 1pm (AEDT). Due to related system maintenance, online application access will be shut down at 5pm (AEDT) 28 January 2021 and all draft applications on-hand will be closed and archived. Online application access will then reopen 29 January 2021 at 1pm (AEDT). As there will be new requirements and compulsory documents, please ensure that you read all program updates prior to commencing your application.

We homed and settled our our gorgeous Dachshund with my Mother-in-law before we left. Then due to a change in circumstances, we painfully had to move both MIL to a retirement village and find a new home for our sausage dog a couple of years later. After much searching we were introduced to Cape Dachshund Rescue and they were absolutely amazing in finding him a wonderful new home. 5 years later I am still in contact with them and get photos and updates on the wonderful life he's now living (although he's now a very old man). I'd suggest chatting to a similar Jack Russell group - I s

Hi, I wanted to hear how some of you guys went about finding new homes for your pets that might have stayed behind. I really don't want to take them to a shelter as that would be the very last resort but currently trying to rehome a jack russel and 2 cats. Did you advertise or please share some ideas. Thanks Mike

Yes, at the current time Management Consultant is still available to the 190 and the Regional 491 (491 - State/Territory as well as Family)

I see management consultant is still on the medium term skills list. Does this mean management consultant could still be invited on a 190 or 491?

The ACT Skilled Migration Program 2021 has reopened. There are NO changes to the eligibility criteria for ACT nomination and the Matrix scoring criteria. Overseas applicants. The Canberra Matrix remains closed to overseas applicants. The ACT Critical Skills List (NB: below is not the full occupation list) was reviewed and updated on 11 January 2021. CHANGES to the ACT Critical Skills List below REMOVED Sales & Marketing Manager REMOVED Adverti

@MovedAlready did you ever get an answer to this question? We just got our citizenship test and interview appointment date for 9 Feb and we don't have hubby's unabridged cert, only abridged, and it clearly states they need a doc with both his parents details on it? SA Home Affairs had also "lost" his details when we applied last time so we never got it.

Have a look here: https://www.australiasnorthwest.com/page/outback-road-trips?gclid=COik3c2do8wCFRRvvAod4XoMqw (Still on my bucketlist...) Get this Kimberley destination guide by Bridgit Bradtke and sign up for her newsletter - an absolute wealth of first hand know how and information, everything from up to date road closures, weather updates etc https://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/destination-kimberley.html You can download it as en e-book.

Info on Home Schooling in Australia: https://myhomeschool.com.au/homeschooling-in-australia/ The legal requirements are different for each state. Depending on where in Australia you're heading, I would contact the relevant homeschool authority in that particular state for more information about transitioning into the regular school system. I can see no reason why it would not be possible for any home school child who followed an approved cirriculum of their home country. That said, if the plan is for your child to attend a regular school in australia, why not simply enrol in a r