Originally Posted by BadgeIsBack

And Carling was in the Bay area - I'm not clear where this is - someone put me in the picture.

There are places in Australia where there is enough nightlife for a 40ish couple. Melbourne!!

Originally Posted by louie

Depends when in 2009 you left and when you will return (if you do). Unless you return within three years of leaving, you'd have to do the full 2 years.

Originally Posted by louie

No you wouldn't. Assuming you either get a new visa before your old one expires or you go back before your current visa expires, you'd need three years plus the number of days you spend abroad during the time after you returned.

If you went back to Australia and didn't leave again for three years, you would qualify exactly three years after you returned. This is because you can disregard one year of the four for citizenship. So in your case, assuming you moved in September 2012, you would count from September 2011 to September 2015 with September 2011 to September 2012 being counted as allowable absence and September 2012 to September 2015 being the necessary presence.

Originally Posted by comet555

Why would you rent a fully furnished place? It'd be far cheaper to rent an unfurnished place and renting furniture through a company, or just picking up the basics at Ikea or second hand.

Originally Posted by alipally

I have to say that I'm with the others on this....

I'm only going on what you've written in your posts on this thread, there may be more to it that you're not telling us, but, from what I can gather, coming back to Australia will just be an exercise in keeping your visa.

This isn't good place to be starting from, in fact I would go as far as to say that you are setting yourself up for a fall before you even get on the plane.

If the mere thought of being in Australia for 18 months makes you then stay put where you are happy and fulfilled.

However it's yours and your partners' decision and you must do what feels right for you. I'll be interested in what you decide and what happens afterwards though.... it may be an enlightenment for others in your situation... I'm pretty sure that you're not alone in this, predicament, particularly with the economy and exchange rate as it is at the moment.

Originally Posted by louie

Originally Posted by louie

Originally Posted by Cheetah7

I would pick this to the bare bones and ask yourself if you really want to live in Australia.
If the answer is yes then look to moving ASAP before your visa runs out - many of us move without jobs and get something when we arrive.
Do you want to commit to Australia, if you do then stay there so you can get your citizenship.
If you look on living in Australia as 'doing time' or whatever and it bothers you to stay there in order to meet various requirements, then I would be questioning on whether or not this is for you.
Living there should not be something you have to 'endure' in order to keep your visa. When we moved here we knew we would stay the full four years to qualify for citizenship which we do now.
It never occurred to us we would 'have to stay' certain lengths of time in order to keep our visa, we knew we were here to live.
It isnt about 'doing time', its about making a new life and if the thought of spending any amount of time here scares you or bothers you then seriously, I would stay where you are and embrace the life you do have rather than jumping into one that you clearly have reservations about.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Originally Posted by Bluefish

Hi CBl, reading your post is like reading our exact scenario!!!!! Scary!

Originally Posted by carling black label

Yep, we would love to give Australia another go, the heart says yes, the head says no? The option to make the move being withdrawn is a factor, having committed so much time and effort and cost to obtaining the visa and making the initial move. I guess making a new life in you mid forties is a bit more frightening unlike when you are in your mid forties? The first time we moved over we were very naive, whereas having lived there before, knowing the stress, the pain levels we went through last time, kind of makes you aware, maybe nervous, knowing what’s coming. But what is worse, is i feel the economy has deteriorated since we arrived last time. Which could make settling and making a new life all that much harder?

Thanks for the feed back

Originally Posted by carling black label

You have had you visa, a permanent residency visa for four and a half years. It expires in September this year. We validated for a three weeks stay in 2008, we spent six months in Australia in 2009, but returned back to the UK, mainly because we could not settle because of the area we chose and also the lack of vibrancy, we like the hustle and bustle of city living which we did not get in the Bay side area. We both missed the UK, we both missed, pubs, night life, friends, and the general easy life we have here in the UK. We rent a fully furnished luxury place here in the UK, cheap rent relative to what we earn; we can leave at a months notice and go anywhere. We both have full time jobs here in the UK, i am a nurse, and my partner is delivery driver, unskilled but loves his job. We have a good life, no kids, mid forties, no money worries, no debt; we go without nothing. We have around £28k in savings as well, so life is good. God friends, good jobs, good health touch wood.

When we applied for our visa in late 2006, the world seemed a different place, this forum was buzzing, and everybody seemed to want to move to Australia. The exchange rate was around £1 to $2.5 dollars, house prices were going up and up, plenty of jobs in Australia, it was a no brainer; we thought let’s give it a go. But five years on, well it seems our general perspective of the economy here in the UK and more importantly life in Australia, does not seem so rosy. We do not know whether to spend our life savings, as buying a car, making the move, living costs prior to finding work; well it will eat into a large chunk of our £28k. I know i will find work, my partner has no particular skill set, so may struggle to find work in Australia. We will give up our jobs here in the UK; our lives may never be the same again. We will leave a rental here, we are very settled.
I do not really want to return to Australia, my partner is quite keen, but not to the extent where if i say no, well we will never return. Us, our life, our relationship is far more important than Australia, than giving it another go. If we do give it another one last go, we cannot decide between Broad beach on the Gold Coast, and New Farm in Brisbane. We like to go out, eat, drink, i work at the hospital, my partner, will need to find a driving job of some kind? Rents on the Gold Coast, well for $500 bucks a week, you can get luxury, a two bedroom fully furnished place, easily. Not so in New Farm, you need to spend maybe $650 bucks a week and upwards to match what you get on the Gold Coast.

Anyone reading my tale, what are your thoughts, what would you do if you were in our position? How many expats would make the move, knowing what i have told you? Would you give it another go, or leave it knowing what life, the economy is like in Australia?

Thanks in advance for any replies and advice Ms CBD.