Happy New Year!

Hi Guys

Just a note to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

I’m sure 2008 is going to be a very exciting year for many of our regular readers as you take your own journeys down under so I wish you the very best for your endeavours.

Drink wisely, eat lots and have a great time!

Cheers

Mark and the Clan

Popularity: 39% [?]

BBCs Wanted down under program makes a return

The BBC’s extremely popular Wanted Down Under program makes a return on the 2nd January 2008 at 9:15am.

Nadia Sawalha presents the second in the series in which British families are given a look at life down under.

Wanted Down Under will be showing every day from the 2nd to the 11th of January on BBC1

I’m unsure why the beeb has decided to show such a popular program at a time when most folks are at work but it’s still good to see so much interest being shown in a new life down under.

The first in the series covers the Treanor family from Paisley who are facing the daunting decision of whether to emigrate to New Zealand.

While parents David and Yennifer yearn for an easier life and more time with the kids, teenager Caitlin must be persuaded to leave her real dad behind. Read more

Popularity: 40% [?]

Australia - A review of living down under one year on

It’s been a while since I’ve written a decent sized blog entry so I thought I’d spend a little time writing this one.

It was the 25 November 2006 when we landed in Australia and over one year on we still call this place down under home.

Although I’ve written a lot about life in Australia during the past year I didn’t think I would be right to give an ‘informed’ view about living here in Oz until I had at least got a full year under our belt.

We still have so much to learn about this country, its culture and its people. After all, although I’ve travelled to all the Aussie states on business in the last 12 months, we decided to call Perth our home and the majority of our Aussie experiences are based on our time here in Western Australia.

Having said all that and in no particular order. Read more

Popularity: 31% [?]

Merry Christmas

Hi Guys

I Just thought I’d take a second to wish you all the very best for Christmas.

Its our second Christmas here in Australia and it’s forecast to be a chilly 38 degrees Celsius today and an even more shivery 40 degrees C tomorrow

We’ve got a pretty lazy day planned. Now we have our own place it’ll be nice to take a break with the family and do a whole lot of…well nothing.

OK, well, I’ll get chance to do nothing once I’ve finished putting the trampoline that we bought junior for Christmas together. I thought the barbecue came in a big box.

Speaking of barbecues, we’re going to cook the turkey on the barbie today. Could prove to be an interesting exercise but hey, how difficult can it be

Take it easy folks and working on the basis I don’t give myself a nasty bout of food poisoning then I hope to be back with you very soon

Popularity: 27% [?]

Current Australian Immigration processing lead time as of December 2007

Hi folks, please find below the latest time lines from the ASPC. Any comments or questions please post in the appropriate thread made in our forums here

PROCESSING AND ALLOCATION INFORMATION - For the week of 26 November 2007

Applications lodged on or before the dates shown below have been allocated to case officers for further processing.

Onshore Skilled visas (permanent and provisional)

Student/Graduate applications - Class DD and DE visas

Paper based applications: 15 June 2007 (subclass 880), 16 April 2007 (subclass 881) and 18 April 2007 (subclass 882)

E-lodged (on-line) applications: 20 July 2007 (subclass 880) and 30 July 2007 (subclass 881) and 30 July 2007 (subclass 882)

Onshore Skilled Independent Regional (Provisional) (SIR) – Class UX visas

Paper based applications:7 August 2007
eSIR (on-line) applications: 26 July 2007

New Zealand Citizen (Residence) - Class DB visas

All applications: all applications are now allocated to case officers Read more

Popularity: 45% [?]