About VickyM

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Female

Currently Lives:

Northern Territory, Australia

Citizen Of:

United States

HR/Relo
Professional:

Provider of Expat-Related Services & Products

Some Forum Posts:

Australia: Info needed to move my Girlfriend over to Perth:

Hi there, It *IS* possible to include your girlfriend on your visa, if you meet certain requirements. This applies to same-sex partners, too. Read this page: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/eligibility-family.htm It sounds like the previous poster had problems because she tried to include her spouse after the fact. As long as you include your girlfriend in the initial application, you should be fine. Good luck!

Australia: How do I move to australia?:

Hi there, To move to Australia, you'll need a visa, so the first step is to find out whether you qualify for one. Go to http://www.immi.gov.au

Australia: moving back with my u.s. husband:

Hi Belinda, I'm an American who's lived in Darwin for the past 4 years. If you are an Australian citizen, you should have no problem sponsoring your husband for a spouse visa. That's the easy part. :) Now, about Daaah-win. The reason most people don't choose to move to a place like Darwin is because... well... it's not exactly the easiest place to live, for most "normal" people. Only Perth is more isolated; it's closer to Jakarta and Singapore than Sydney and Brisbane. Being situated in the tropics, it is around 90-F every single day of the year, and we have only 2 seasons: wet and dry. Dry is dry heat, wet is humidity hell....and trust me, this is NOTHING like the so-called "humid weather" in some areas of the USA. MUCH worse. *g* The people are nice, but a bit hokey. It's more like a country town than a capital city. Except that we now have the highest/tightest housing market in the nation!!! grrr Of course, there are LOTS of good things too - certainly are, or I never would've stayed so long. Then again, I ain't exactly "normal". :) So...umm... why do YOU want to move to Darwin? What's the pull? Have you ever visited? Any other specific questions, let me know!

Australia: Where to go??:

Hi Aaron, I'm an American who moved to Australia almost 4 years ago. The first thing you should know is that there's something of a rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, so the question of which place is better depends on who you ask! :) I would suggest visiting the two cities first, if at all possible, before you make your final decision. You may also want to ask the folks over at Yanks Down Under: http://www.yanksdownunder.net BTW, why do you want to move to Australia?

Australia: Political problems in US want to move:

Hi there - I'm an American who's lived in Australia for nearly 4 years now. Don't blame you at all for feeling the way you do about the state of affairs in the US today... however, I must say that making an international move involves a much bigger change than just the political climate. You're not just changing countries, you're changing your WHOLE LIFE. The good and the bad. Australia is not just a more pleasant version of America.. many people who move here go through a painful adjustment period and have to deal with a host of new problems. Some people never adjust, especially to the distance from family/friends in the USA. It's kind of hard to give general advice on such a broad topic as "living in Australia"... perhaps the first step would be to do some research on your own. Visit the "Yanks Down Under" website (Google it) and have a look at the wealth of information on that site...and talk to the people there too. Good luck! :cheers:

Australia: Applying for Spouse VISA from within OZ??!:

Hi Julie, I'm also an American. I got married in Australia whilst on a tourist visa, then applied for my spouse visa onshore. One thing you need to know right up front is that it's ILLEGAL to come to Australia on a tourist visa (or any other visa) with the intent to apply for a different visa. You can get into some serious trouble if Immigration even suspects you of doing this. I was lucky, but looking back, I shudder to think of the risk I took. Unless there is some pressing reason why you absolutely have to move to Australia ASAP, my advice would be to wait and do it the right way, apply from the States. The consequences of getting caught and being excluded entry for up to 3 years are not worth it. Moving internationally is a HUGE deal and there's so much to consider... I'd suggest googling "Yanks Down Under", for starters. Good luck!

Australia: Working Visa HELP!!!:

Dear Brie, After I graduated from college, I went to Australia on a special program visa sponsored by BUNAC. It allowed me to work for 4 months in any job, anywhere, with the option of switching over to a tourist visa afterwards. The only req for the program is that you must be a US citizen between the ages of 18 and 30. I highly recommend it. http://www.bunac.org/usa/workaustralia Other options for gaining work rights in Australia would be to attend university (expensive) or get sponsored by an employer (usually very difficult). Good luck!

Australia: Declaring currency:

Angusdad, This would only apply if you are planning to show up at the airport with over $10K cash in your suitcases! :) There would definitely be some duties and taxes for bringing in so much currency. I really don't recommend sending over checks (cheques), as most banks will charge a hefty fee to process and take at least 20 days to clear. For transferring a large amount of money, I'd go with a currency exchange service like OzForEx or Xe as they can give you the best rates with minimum transaction fees. Or, another option is to leave your money at "home" and just withdraw it from the ATM as you need it. Even with the fees, it can be much cheaper in the long run.

Australia: Want to move to Sunshine coast:

Hi there, Your profile says you are in Texas? I am also from Texas and moved to Australia a little over 2.5 years ago. Overall, I'd say Australia is probably less commercialised and less about "keeping up with the Jones's" in comparison with the USA...but then, just like anything else, it depends on where you go. You'd probably see more of that stuff in the major cities. Cost of living is higher overall, wages not necessarily so. Have you been to Australia? Why do you want to move to the Sunshine Coast specifically?

Australia: Timescales of emigrating to Sydney:

Hi, There's a good site called Austimeline where people enter their visa processing times. It will give you a good idea of how long it takes other people: http://www.austimeline.com

Date Joined:

12/20/2005

Total Posts:

21

Posts/Day:

0.01