Woj

We loved sunshine coast to an extreme. We are worried though that jobs there mite be hard to come by, allthough I am sure that a job in retil or anything of a similar sort for my prettier half will become available sooner or later. And heres a brain squeezer for ya... with two kids we are considering sunshine coast, where we loved, ar go full into teh risk factor and even give Perth a try (have even considered Adelaide, but fromw hat I know its also difficult with work..). So I see any place is good as long as a job can be landed, full stop...

Hi I have posted a few questions here before. And if possible, will throw another one out if its not too much of a problem.. My wife and I have just returned to to Poland from Oz a week ago. My better half has had her partner visa granted, which means that she will be able to work legally in Australia. I am a citizen, who has moved out of Australia back in 1993 - so quite a while has past. Even when I lived before, I was in Sydney, a place I know I would not want to live again. Too busy for my liking. We, with 2 small children (aged 7 and 3,5) are looking for a laid back lifestyle, in a place where we will feel safe and be able to spend quality time. Our time in Iz now was a bit in Sydney but mainly on the sunshine Coast - Queensland. Honestly? We absolutley loved the SC! First in Mt Coolum and the Mooloolaba. The laid back lifestyle wa sgreat, only question will be work possibilities. SC is an area with a popullation of about 350 000 - not much, and where there arent much people, then there wont be as many job opportunities as in a bigger city. How is life in a place like Perth? There are a lot of pros and cons, but have never ad the chance to even visit. From what I read its more laid back than other major cities. Very family orientated. Safety is a question mark (but I guess all areas have their "good" and "worse" suburbs?..). Also good ting s the humidity - its more dry, which means that when it hits 35 its not a pain in the butt. Wheras a 35 on the sunshine coast hwere you get humidity of 80 is tiring..) What about work? Im a tennis coach and have an EMS studio here for personal training - something which would like to get into when in Oz. My wife would probably be looking for something in office work maybe? She has experience in that and also retail. Whats the situation with work in Perth? Is it easy to find a job? Or has the mining downfall taken a lot of other job opportunities with it? Any opinions kindly seen. We plan on making the big move around September of this year. We need to sell up all that we have here before we pack our bags and fly to Oz.. Woj

Would like to thank you all for your valuable opinions! The plan is slowly starting to get clearer. I will be leaving for australia in about 3 Months already, and for around 4-5 Months will be 'making ground' for my family upon their arrival. So first i fly to perth and stay there about a week with friends, then fly to the sunshine Coast to See How that Will go. 2016 will be a very exciting year!!

I think the best thing to do, seeing as I will be travelling solo in 3 months (wife and kids will probably arrive about haldf a year later, so I have half a year to organise job, house and financials for when they arrive) will be to first try one place (I have friends in Perth so have accomodation etc) and then after a couple of weeks doing the homework on the spot, fly down to Queensland..

Ok, i have started a thread before regarding perth and gold Coast, but now know that the gold Coast is too busy. We want laid back, easy lifestyle, thats why my eyeballs Went north from the gold Coast to the sunshine Coast queensland. To avoid writing a whole essay, ill try and keep it short not to bore you too much What are the pros and cons of perth and sunshine Coast if anybody can compare? Job opportunities, safety, laid back lifestyle? We are a family with two small children and those things are the most important ones. I have read the thread about safety in perth which has made my jaw drop, but am not writing the city off as i can only Imagine that all places , even the laid back SC, can have similar problems. I guess its a case of just minding urself. Any opinions ? Plans have accelerated slightly as i am flying down probably in about 3 Months already and not 6 like i first thought. When writing this thread i thought to put it in the perth VS gold Coast one but then thought that maybe starting a new one will be better as somebody looking for this info can easily find it. If the admin feels its better to join the two please go straight ahead. Thanks up front for any opinions. Woj.

A topic which might be useful, as surely people thinking about moving here with families will have that as one of their first questions on the list.. Have been going through the net and found something like this. Was this just a one off thing? Something the media maybe picked up and blew out of proportion? Or is it somethng that was or maybe still is a problem?? movie link below:

and thats probably what I am looking for! :) I think there are no places which are perfect! Its just to find the one whos imprerfections are not a problem for you Is it true that Perth is developing rapidly and is still one of the quickest developing cities in Oz? (not taking Sydney into account which has prices of everything to the moon and back.. A video which I have been watching rughly twice a day with a coffee in my hand and the spekers on!

First of all, am very sorry if Im throwing too many posts regairding the same question. I started a thread a few days ago with a question regarding peoples opinion/information as to the living standards and possibilities in Perth compared to the Sunshine Coast. For the past few days I have been searching a lot of info and have also talked to a few people from the Sunshine. From what I have gathered, The sunshine coast is a great place, very calm but unfortunately the job situaton there is a lot harder than in Perth. besides, there are about 350thou people living there, compared to the nearly 2mln in Perth. WHich means that in my line of work (I have been coaching tennis to all ages for the past 15 years, also after school activities for kids from sport - generally all sports related). Im gettig the impression that Perth would be a better bet than Sunshine. What do you think? Have also been thinking about the Gold Coast. People have told me that Gold Coast is loud. Theres a lot going on as its a tourist place (have not experienced it first hand). Now, the life me and my wife are after is a quiet one. We are not looking for clubs, discos, or to get smashed on the weekends. We have two small kids and to be honest, we are looking for a safe place which is very family orientated. So to me nr 1 on the list is to have a nice place I can go out with the Family and a great beach we can go swimming in, rather than a pub I can get trashed in. Im 42 next year - been through those parts in my life as a student and arent really looking for that anymore So how is Perth? Is it a great family orientated city with a laid back lifestyle like a lot of people describe? What are your thoughts as to pros and cons of Perth vs Queensland (allthough probably the only option would have been GC or SC - brisbane is far from the beach and thats what I would like) Also jobs in Perth. Is it a problem. Somebody described perth as one of the most developing cities in oz at the moment. Im from the sporting industry, my wife would probably be looking for office work, generally any work where her organisational skills can come in handy, she is not very fussy. Any part time job would be great for her (kids have drop off at school at 9 and pick up at 3) BTW - is it true that Perth does not suffer from huge traffic jams? Thats just a question out of the blue that just popped into my mind. I saw a film on the web that public transport within the CBD is free and that also has an influence on the smaller traffic within the city Im soooo sorry with all of these questions, but am trying to get as much information as possible before we decide on where we will live etc.. Any info or any thoughts would be kindly seen. p.s. So as not to trash the forum I tried to delete the previous post regarding Perth of SC but cannot - I can only edit. So if the admin could do it that would be great. All the best and have a Merry Xmas and a great 2016! Woj

OK, I received info from the help desk of the immigration apartment. I must be honest I certainly did not expect such great help! They replied practically on the very second day in two occasions (I sent in two questions). Anyway, to cut to the chase. They informed me that they were updating the system, and the applications are dynamic, which means that depending on what information I had provided before, either the pages skip/miss or they dont. I explained that I had the pages before, and suddenly they werent displaying anyway. Yhey reassured me to fill the form in and not to worry about it too much. If they will have any further questions than they will be contacting me. So all is submitted and nnow I wait! Thanks for the previous opinions and advice though Heres wishing you all a Merry Xmas! Woj.

Now this is strange. I logged on from a completely differemt computer - differenr address and IP etc. Exactly the same thing. I open the document and go thru the pages using the "next" button. After the 4th page it goes dirrectly to the 7th, and after the 13th it goes straight to the 17th.. Am wondering if not to record a movie with this as I flick thru the pages (so that they see that if any parts of the form were ;left out it was due to technical issues on their part and not caused by my actions). I need to submit this form soon as my wifes partner viosa was submitted 2 weeks ago already.. Arrrr....

cleared the history. Doesnt help... Im sure you have to. A few days before i went though all the pages without a problem and stopped on page 15 or 16 - cant remember exactly as there was a question regarding all of my trips in the last 10 years. So I saved what I had done and wanted to come back tomorrow to fill it in after I checked all the dates etc. But when I went on the site, thats when the circues began. After page 4 it goes directly to page 7, and after page 13 it goes directly to the last page - 17. So it completely misses pages 5,6,14,15 and 16.. I submitted my wifes partner visa over 10 days ago and want to get the rest of the stuff in really quick so there isnt a situation where somebody checks the applications and sees that my sponsor visa is not there...

I had a problem, but the payment came thru. The problem was that even though I had funds - I had a limit as to how much I could pay during one day. Once I changed that, it went thrui without a problem. So maybe that could be it? That you have a daily transaction limit set to a sum lower than the visa costs?

Hi! I have written a few times before on this forum regarding the applications for the partner visa. I received the info, including the one regarding the vosa proce which knocked me off my seat , and so the battle continues.. I have allready submitted my wifes partner visa application (and paid the whopping 7grand), and have for the past few days been trying to submit my sponsor visa. The only problem is, that automatically, from the 17page form to fill in, after the 4th page, it takes me directly onto the 7th page. And after the 13th page, it takes me directly onto the last, 17th lage. I now there are pages in between, becasue a few days before I did fill out the 14th and 15th page. Now, when I wasnt to go back to the application, it skips the pages. Has anybody been thru this? Thanks up front for the info, and heres wishing everybody a nice day Woj.

so my kids and I in my wifes application are not to be included? My kids on the other hand will have their own citizenship so they will have their own visas/ passports..

I wanted to ask a question as to terminology in the partner visa that we are applying for, as tere are a couple of things I wanted to make sure of. Then I thpought that this topic would be a pretty good one as I am sure that there will be a lot of people who sooner or later will have querries regarding questions in forms that need to be filled. Ok, so let me be the first to get the ball rolling.. We are at the stage of lodging online the partner visa (form 47SP). There is a question on page 11/26. [h=2]Non-migrating dependent family members[/h] Family members are of course me the husband, and our two kids (aged 1,5 and 5). Thing is, I have an australian passport (invalid - I have to file for a new one) and our two kids will have citizenship by descent (on account of me being aussie). As we will not be needing a visa, do I include our details in the part with the non migrating dependant family members in my wifes application form? Also, seeing as my kids dont posses a passport yet, and mine is not valid (since 2011) - do I just miss the fields where there should be our passport details included? If anybody has any concrete info, would be gratefull. Cheers! Woj.

GOOD LUCK!! Will be showing that post to my wife roughly two times per week for th enext year!

Hi gys. At the stage of getting documents for visa ready. Paperwork I presume will be a pain in the bum, the second pain is paying the 7grand AT THE TIME of applying the visa, which will hurt. Oh well, u live once. Money you earn in order to spend I guess From experience, because we are applying from Poland, would it be better to fly to the UK in person (as I understand that I cannot fill in the paperwork in the warsaw embassy but only either in the UK or aussie office?) and file all the papers? We have a bit of it - my aussie passport is expired, our kids passport have to be filed for and my wifes visa. Would I be able to do all of that in one visit to the UK in the embassy? The flight is a pretty quick one and fairly cheap one to london from here in Wroclaw.. What are your thoughts? Once again, thanks for all the info

TheMackemSlayer - thank you very much for the info

That is fantastic news. So just to make sure. We fill the paperwork for the partner visa, and after processing our info, my wife gets the PR visa instread? or in a quicker period of time, like a year or something? Sorry for the questions galore, just want to make sure with what we are dealing with..

All of this info greatly helps, thanks everyone. meaning, that my wife would be eligable for the permanant partbner visa straight away, or atleast in a shorter peiod than two years? That might be good news...

Hi! I wrote before but in the meantime have found some more info, which only confirmed to me that I may be pretty far from knowing all of my options. In brief: I am an aussie citizen with an aussie passport. My wife and I have been married for nearly 8 years, we have two small kids which are eligable for citizenship by descent (so its only paperwork to get their passports ready). My wiofe on the other hand has only her polsih passport. We plan to move back to Australia (she has never been) in 1 year. Tickets one way, we will live there, work there and blend in with the community and after 1-2 years see how life is treating us there. If we decide that its better here than we come back (this is mostly a condition that I understand, as my wife is terrified of the move and to lose what we have here). Anyway, from what I have been reading, a few weeks ago I thought that THE ONLY option we had was: - the Partner (provisional) Visa (subclass 309) and partner (migrant) visa (subclass 100) - (I understand that the first 309 is for the first 2yrs, and then after 2 yrs I can apply for the 100 which will give permanent residence? The cost of this visa is a whopping 7000AUS which completely blew me off my seat. Now I see there is a second option: - Partner Visa (subclass 820 and 801). From what I know the only differences between the two is that on the first one (subclass 309 and 100) you have to be outside Australia when you apply and when you receive the visa, and the second visa (subclass 820 and 801) you can be in Australia? Are those teh ONLY TWO options that I have? I'll be straight to the point, that the cost of the visa just blew me away and seeing as in Poland 7000 AUS is probably about how much you can put away in a year, I am seeking for any pother possibilities. Another important factor is that my wife must be able to work legally. I know my second half quite well and know, that she cannot sit on her behind for too log and not do anything. We want to avid going to the unemployment office and would rather try and find work as soon as possible, that is why my wife would need a visa on which she can work on without a problem. Any informatuion kindly appreciated. Maybe somebody has been through a similar situation?? All the best, Woj.

Thanks Happy Little Vegimite for your reply. Yes, our situations seem like "copy paste" ones.. We on the other hand have one tougher side, we are leaving our whole Family behind. Here in Wrocław, we have my parents, my wifes mum, we have around 10 cousins here, aunts, uncles and grandparents, everybody that we are attached to (close Family). And that is all in Wrocław. Going back to Oz, we are by ourselves. I think the good idea would be to stay 2 years, as after two years on the partner visa, my wife can apply for the permanent visa. I dont really want to bring it up yet, we want to clear the air with finances etc. I deeply believe that when my Mrs comes to Australia, a lot of weight will fall of her shoulders when she sees its not snakes, alligators and spiders on the streets, but beautifull weather and friendly people. My aim is to show the family a different life. Wheretheres a will theres a way. It has to work out, I dont see any other option..

we wont be shipping. So in short: 7000 visa around 4000 car 4000 plane tickets 1600 bond for rent 1600 rent upfront for first month 120 medical around 3000 miscellaneous costs (thinking minimal) that about it? Gives us around $21320. Thats 3 years of a single income in Poland. My goodness. Time to start saving...

Hey! Im just doing the math and am trying to find out, what is the essential finance that I will need to be able to get the necessities sorted out upon arrival. My kids and I will have aussie passports, my wife on the other hand will be on the partner visa (I know, my jaw dropped - 7grand.. oh brudda..) So seeing the 7 grand (that is like 21 000 PLN - which comes to around 9-10 moths salary up here!), I thought that I have to do the math which will enlighten me as to how much we will be expecting to spend at the start, but I have no idea as to school costs, medicare - how the system works. OK, so in short.. My wife and me, and our two kids (they will be 2,5 and 6 when we fly down, so will be starting school in January). So far, I know this.. 1. 7000 AUS - partner visa for the Mrs.. 2. around 4500 AUS - 4 plane tickets one way 3. around 4000 AUS - car (essential) 4. .... what else will I need to spend on at the start? Are public schools free? What about medicare (on the partner visa my wife is eligable for medicare), rent is around 350 AUS per week. Do u usually pay for a week upfront? or do you put in a months bond + the 350$ weekly (meaning around 1400 AUS before u move in)?. Anything else?? What are average bills like (gas, electricity)? So sorry for the questions galore, but the visa prce gave me a jaw dropping and I feel I have to find out as much as possible. Better know now than get a suprise 3 days into our stay... Thanks everyone

My god, whats going on?... It doesnt frighten me, but opens my eyes that crime is an issue in perth. Suprisingly, something that we dont really get too much of here in Wroclaw.. All in all, I think everywhere you get your good and bad parts of the city. Getting as much info as possible before we make the move in a year!!