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VISAS LODGED April/May 2017


Karools

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I'm sure the school will be able to advise about accommodation for when you first arrive. As for buying in a regional town, I agree with your wife to rather research this carefully (just as you have everything else) and not to jump too quickly into property which may be hard to sell down the track. Buyers (and capital growth) can be hard to come by in regional Australia (you'll see what I mean when you get there). First see whether you like the place, whether the climate suits you, etc.  Going to a job is a great start but might not be your "forever" settling spot. PS I love how eager you are to put down roots there... 

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I am in total agreement with RYLC about waiting to jump into the property market...definitely better to wait until you are here and you know how the system works. We always advise that it is better to rent for a year and then think of buying.

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What you can do right now already is to go onto realestate.com.au and look at the market in the town where you are headed to. Find out what's available and what it's advertised for. Then also go to the SOLD section and do the same search. Then while you have the time, pick a few of the houses listed as FOR SALE, take a screenshot showing the listed price, and watch the SOLD section to see A. how long it takes for the house to show up there, and B. what it finally sold for. We live on the outskirts of Melbourne and in our area the houses regularly sell for 10%-30% more than what they are listed for. And they only stay on the market about 10 days (often) to 1 month (rarely). This is a total reversal of the house market in RSA.

So do your research really carefully! I'm quite sure the housing market is very different in rural towns compared to Melbourne, so our buying advice for our local area won't be suitable for your case. But do your own research.

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I can't believe how much has changed since we got our grants last week.

Our one way tickets are booked for 2 Nov (I booked through Discovery/Kulula/Qantas as we get 20% discount through vitality- Total cost for 4 x people: R24687)

We have booked an airbnb in Fulham Gardens, Adelaide from 3 Nov to 30 Nov- this gives us just over 3 weeks to secure a rental and to start looking for work. The kids also need to be enrolled for reception year next year before schools close in December

Our movecube has been booked for 28 September- this gives us only 2 weeks to pack (and clean) everything that we want to take with

Our house was sold at the beginning of last month, and we expect registration to go through within the next 2 weeks: This means we must sell/donate/ get rid of everything else that we own that is not going in the cube- also in the next 2 weeks

We then move in with the in-laws for the month of October, with only our luggage

I also still have to figure out how we are going to get to the airbnb after landing in Adelaide- the flight arrives at 10pm, and there are no shuttles that run after 9pm. I guess renting a car would be the easiest thing, but not sure how it works on that side with credit cards etc. 

 

Wishing everyone the best of luck with the final stages

 

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On 9/17/2017 at 9:46 AM, Karools said:

Yes, most of the schools where I applied (and it was plenty) only required that you be registered OR eligible to register as a teacher in the specific state. Some of them required a registration number on an electronic registration form, so those were a no-go for me.

 

This specific school is an independent school and the contact was much more personal. Direct communication to the principal, so could explain my situation easily.

 

You also a teacher I am assuming?

@Karools , Thanks hey.Yes, I too am a teacher and as I wait for our visas to be granted I feel a bit helpless twiddling my thumbs and wondering what next I ought to do. So recently I submitted an application for registration with the TRBWA and was wondering whether or not I would be able to find work should the visas come and I'm not registered yet. You've really shed a lot of light on this dark area. Thanks. If I may ask, which websites do you recommend to job hunt in private schools? Is there something similar to ISASA in South Africa?

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Hi @JaxBaker83 - thanks for the update - bet you all cannot wait and as you get closer to the date the excitement is going to build.

 

For getting to the airbnb when you land, have you thought about using Uber? you might even be able to get them to pick you up in a bigger car for all your luggage.

Or alternatively, give a local taxi company a call and i am sure that they can organize someone to pick you up.

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A lot of jobs on SEEK.com. There are also some recruitment agencies (eg. SMART teachers) but they won't be helpful until you have the visa. Happy hunting

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9 hours ago, JaxBaker83 said:

I can't believe how much has changed since we got our grants last week.

Our one way tickets are booked for 2 Nov (I booked through Discovery/Kulula/Qantas as we get 20% discount through vitality- Total cost for 4 x people: R24687)

We have booked an airbnb in Fulham Gardens, Adelaide from 3 Nov to 30 Nov- this gives us just over 3 weeks to secure a rental and to start looking for work. The kids also need to be enrolled for reception year next year before schools close in December

Our movecube has been booked for 28 September- this gives us only 2 weeks to pack (and clean) everything that we want to take with

Our house was sold at the beginning of last month, and we expect registration to go through within the next 2 weeks: This means we must sell/donate/ get rid of everything else that we own that is not going in the cube- also in the next 2 weeks

We then move in with the in-laws for the month of October, with only our luggage

I also still have to figure out how we are going to get to the airbnb after landing in Adelaide- the flight arrives at 10pm, and there are no shuttles that run after 9pm. I guess renting a car would be the easiest thing, but not sure how it works on that side with credit cards etc. 

 

Wishing everyone the best of luck with the final stages

 

Thanks JaxBaker83 for this post, it just reminded me we can also use our Vitality points for a great deal on flights much better than what IOM quoted. :D

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Pajama Dance Time!! our 189 Visas have been Graaaanteeed!!! with my husband @matrx . We just updated my passport details last night around 10pm, visa came in at 12:45am and they granted in my new passport number. Thanks @BarryHeyns for the passport heads up. All the best to everyone waiting.

 

Visa came from Brisbane, seems there is progress going on there now. For those still waiting, fingers crossed....

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Hi @JaxBaker83 I was hoping to use my Discovery discount to book a flight with Emirates, but I read on the T&Cs that discounts are only valid on return tickets? I am happy to hear this might not be the case. Did you book online or over the phone? So far the Qantas prices I have seen online (even with the 25% discount) cost more than the Emirates flights, which include 46kg of baggage...

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 Hi @steve1990. I booked one way flights and still got the 20% off. I didn't get extra baggage though because that costs extra. We're shipping a lot of our clothes with the movecube so 23kg pp plus hand luggage should be enough. I also bought those pep bags so we can get the most of the baggage allowance 

 

All the best 

Ozzie ozzie ozzie oi oi oi

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@steve1990 The Discovery discount on one way flights is only valid with Qantas. The Emirates discount with Discovery is only valid for return flights (the airlines have different agreements with Discovery, which is why the one way flights with Emirates don't even appear as options on the Kulula site). I confirmed all of this myself with the call centre before booking our flights.  For our flight dates it was cheaper to book directly with Emirates than the Qantas flight with 35% discount from Discovery.

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Congratulations @matrx and @Samie

Wonderful feeling, isn't it? Take some time to enjoy this moment before moving to the next stage.

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Gees, I have been away for a few weeks and i see everyone got their visas granted except me :(:(:( . It seems I'm the only one outstanding without any approval. My visa application is with the Brisbane Office and every morning I wake up to check my email without any joy.

Anywhere congrats to everyone that has had their visas granted. I see some are now counting down to flying out. All the best for the future for everyone

 

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55 minutes ago, Kumbie said:

Gees, I have been away for a few weeks and i see everyone got their visas granted except me :(:(:( . It seems I'm the only one outstanding without any approval. My visa application is with the Brisbane Office and every morning I wake up to check my email without any joy.

Anywhere congrats to everyone that has had their visas granted. I see some are now counting down to flying out. All the best for the future for everyone

 

@Kumbie worry not hey. Yours should be on the way. Really wish there was some rhyme and reason to the visa grant process. Unfortunately, I don't think there is, and it aint easy to predict. For some it takes a matter of days, whereas for others months. I reckon though, that if all your ducks are in a row, its only a matter of time. Keep the faith.

 

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1 hour ago, Kumbie said:

Gees, I have been away for a few weeks and i see everyone got their visas granted except me :(:(:( . It seems I'm the only one outstanding without any approval. My visa application is with the Brisbane Office and every morning I wake up to check my email without any joy.

Anywhere congrats to everyone that has had their visas granted. I see some are now counting down to flying out. All the best for the future for everyone

 

you are not alone hey. I am waiting as well since 26 May when I lodged application. For now keep the faith. Reading the bible will help you a lot because this waiting is traumatising.

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I think that everyone in the Apr/May group has their grants. Congrats to everyone and good luck with the last few months :cowboy:

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12 minutes ago, JaxBaker83 said:

I think that everyone in the Apr/May group has their grants. Congrats to everyone and good luck with the last few months :cowboy:

How i wish it was so! Some of us are still waiting. Congratulations Exxaro

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