Pensions
 

Hello everyone,
Great easy to use and honest site (must be easy if I can navigate around it!)
We are in the very early stages of applying for a 457 visa.
I have a few questions which I hope someone can answer.
Once we get over there will we have a 4 year gap in our pensions?
Can existing pensions be tranferred without paying 2X tax?
What is the percentage of PR being refused?
If I started a nursing course over in UK could I carry on in Oz or would it be better to wait till I we got there? Would I be able to do it under the 457 regulations?
I think that's all for now - bound to be hundreds of more questions!

Re: Pensions
 

Welcome Emmi!

Not sure about transferring pensions, but 'pensions' in Oz are a bit different to the UK. Over here everyone pays 9% superannuation (aka pension) - its really good, as you can pick the financial institution to invest with (and whether you want a safe investment, high growth/risk, etc). You therefore have more control over your investment. Maybe sounds complex, but you can always just take the default option :) There is an intro on it on the Australian Tax Office website: http://www.ato.gov.au/super/

As for % of PR being refused, I don't think DIAC publish anything on that - although my understanding is if you meet the points test, their sanity check of your documents and experience (and health requirements, etc) then you're in - it just takes a while!

Cheers,

Nick

Re: Pensions
 

Remember a subclass 457 is a temporary residency visa and as such you will become a "temporary resident" for tax purposes, with special exemptions available to you on overseas derived investment income, capital gains, etc.

Have a look at the ATO website for starters to better understand what this means.

Best regards.