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Since arriving down under I’ve already written about the wonders of the bird life here in Western Australia.

Coming from Northern England, the most exotic birds we saw were the pigeons we’d often see waddling around. The poor things normally had a toe missing or stumpy foot due to a close call with a piece of rubbish thrown away by one of the local yobs to!

I was pretty surprised to see this little collection of Birds sat in a couple of trees near one of the petrol stations we pulled into during our road trip.

If you were a pet store owner with a large net I’m sure you could have a field day. There were literally hundreds of Budgerigars and Zebra Finches.   Birds I’d only ever seen before in a Pet store back home.

The Budgies here in their natural-habitats of Australia are noticeably smaller than those in captivity. Whether that’s down to diet, breeding or what I’m not to sure but they all seemed pretty happy chilling out in the shade of this tree. Continue Reading

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Bruces Barbecue gets a little out of control

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I wrote about the recent hot weather we were experiencing here in Perth.

We were hitting temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius and I have to say it was pretty warm. We were grateful for the air-con that’s for sure.

Now pop a few thousand miles South East of here to good old South Australia and Victoria and the guys over there are having a seriously hard time of it.

Adelaide has had a 15 day string of temperatures in excess of 35 degrees C which is a one in 3000 year event apparently.

Meanwhile, In Victoria, bush fires have destroyed at least 10 homes with nearly 500,000 people in the state losing power (and the all important air conditioning) following severe pressure on the electricity grid. Continue Reading

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As I mentioned yesterday, we travelled quite some distance during our road trip, 4449 kilometres to be exact and I have to say, I have never been so awe struck by the vastness of the place that we now call home.

The reality of the sheer size of Australia first struck home when I had to fly from Sydney to Perth on Business a year or so ago. The flight takes you from one side of the country to the other and (dependent on which way the wind is blowing) takes in the region of five hours

Yes, five hours people! Five hours flying in a plane over the same vast landscape. Absolutely amazing!

Driving through Western Australia was an altogether different and frankly, more amazing experience. I’d read stories about the remoteness of Australia’s roads but never fully appreciated how vast and remote some of these roads would actually be, some of them appeared to go on forever.

During our journeys, it wasn’t unusual to not see another single car or vehicle for 10 – 15 minutes at a time. There was just nothing else but mile after mile of endless tarmac. Continue Reading

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The South Australian Government has finally reinstated the capital investment pathway to Australian skilled migration for those who lodged their visa application before September 1, 2007.

After 13 months of patient waiting, those skilled migrants wishing move to Australia using capital investment scheme can now finally proceed with their Australian visa application.

On the 1st September 2007, as part of changes to the Australian General Skilled Migration programme, the Australian government removed the right to gain five extra bonus points towards an Australian skilled migration application if the applicant invested a minimum $100,000 for at least one year in a nominated Australian bond.

The removal of the capital investment scheme meant that applications for skilled migration lodged after September 1, 2007 could no longer use the capital investment scheme to gain bonus points towards their application.

After reports of a scam involving unauthorised loans, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) then ruled that the capital investment scheme would no longer be open to any applications, even if they submitted their visa applications before September 1. This affected thousands of migrant hopefuls, who until now have been left without a pathway to Australian migration.

The South Australian Government Financing Authority (SAFA) is now officially reinstating the capital investment scheme for the General Skilled Migration program (bonus points for capital investment). However, this applies only to those applicants who applied under this category before 1st September 2007, and were instructed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to invest a minimum $100,000 for at least one year in a nominated Australian bond.

As it has been over a year since applications for migration under this category have been allowed, eligible applicants are encouraged to consult their migration agents before proceeding with their application to ensure they are eligible.

Applicants are also warned that the processing times of applications may be considerably delayed due to the expected influx of applications under this re-opened pathway to Australian skilled migration.

To discuss this change please feel free to post a response to the thread started in our forums here.

Article Source : visabureau.com

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It’s been a while since we arrived in Australia and even though we have been living down under for over two years now we have still to undertake any kind of extensive travelling.

We have always been very busy since the day we arrived down under. To begin with we had to find somewhere to live, then we became pregnant, and bought a house. Add to the mix a small thing called work and you’re not left with very much free time. That was until now!

During the past week we’ve spent over six days travelling around Western Australia.

We left our home at Quinns Rocks and travel north to a place called Geraldton, then from there we travel to Carnarvon, Monkey Mia, Kalbarri with a final stop in a beautiful little coastal town called Dongara.

If I’m being honest, the distance was a lot more then I ever anticipated. After all we were travelling across only a small section of Western Australia but somehow managed to cover nearly 4500 km within this time!

Over the next few days I’ll be posting a few Blog entries covering some of the things we saw and some of the places we’ve been to. To begin with though, lets look at our mode of transport. Continue Reading

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In response to the current demand for IELTS test results for candidates with Student Visas expiring by 15 March 2009, a number of IELTS test centres throughout Australia have opened emergency places on February 7 and February 21 2009.

There are additional tests available in Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Rockhampton and Darwin.

These tests are for students based in Australia if your visa ceases on 15 March 2009 and you want to apply for General Skilled Migration.

You will only be able to secure one of these emergency test places by presenting proof that your student visa ceases on 15 March 2009 along with your passport. Continue Reading

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The Australian state of Victoria has announced sweeping changes to the list of occupations that it deems eligible for state sponsorship under the class 176 visa for emigration to Australia.

Migrants to Australia who seek permanent residence have the option of applying for a subclass 176 visa, if they are unable to pass the immigration points test for independent migration. A 176 visa allows a migrant to be sponsored either by an eligible family member, or the government of an Australian state or territory.

In the case of state or territory sponsorship, governments can sponsor the residence application of a migrant, in exchange for a commitment to live in the state for at least the first two years after migrating to Australia. Each state has a list of occupations in demand that it deems eligible for sponsorship.

Victoria has been an active participant in the 176 visa scheme. The changes, effective from January 12, 2009, reflect the changing labour market in Australia’s second-most populous state. Continue Reading

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It’s only been a few days since I last blogged about the weather but thought todays forecast would be worth a mention.

All I can say is ‘Hot!’

Last night was hot to. I had to get up during the night to put the air conditioning on and at 2am the temperature was 86 degrees farenheight (32 C)

I love it though. Today the forecast is in the 100’s (40’s C) and I just feel like ‘bring it on’! (click the map for todays forecast)

It’s very easy to winge about the weather but back in the UK days like the days we’ve had pretty much all month so far would make headline news, Just as they did when I wrote this entry whilst still living in the UK. Continue Reading

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Just a quick heads up that Channel 4’s  A place in the Sun Down Under will be visiting Sunny Perth in Western Australia this Friday (16th January at 8pm)

During the 60 minute episode, Amanda Lamb helps Dave and Joan Todd from Liverpool use their £400,000 budget to start a new life in Perth. Will the family find the home of their dreams?

With a £400,000 budget, I recon they’ll find a decent house with some change to spare. What people need to remember though it’s not just about the bricks and mortar, it’s more about the place! Stick an identical house in the middle of the UK and it would be a very different place to live indeed!

Anyway, interesting viewing I’m sure and hopefully more entertaining then the BBC’s wanted down Under program based on some recent reviews from our community!

How to take part in Channel 4’s A place in the Sun?

Easy as ringing a number apparently! Register your details on Channel 4’s dedicated line 020 7739 9357.

Edit: Apparently this number is not currently working so in the mean time if you think you might fit the bill, call Natalie on 0161 235 6542 or email natalieg@fftv.co.uk

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Getting down under has been around for a number of years now and during this time we we’ve written quite a large number of articles.

I know that it’s a given that you need to speak a decent level of English to migrate to Australia, the IELTS tests see to that, however I’m also mindful that English may not necessarily be the first language of all the visitors who come to our site.

With this in mind we are in the process of translating Getting Down Under into Multiple languages.

Apart from the  native English version of Getting Down Under we have choosen to translate Getting Down Under into four additional languages.

From today  getting Down Under is now available in Italian, German, French and Spanish.

We’ve translated over 900 pages at time of typing and will extend into additional languages as time goes on.

I’m not saying the translations will  be perfect but hope the translations will helps those folks who’s first language is not native English to find some useful information on our site.

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Since giving birth to our own baby girl since migrating down under we’ve had a number of comments made on this associated post asking what the immigration status,  residency or citizenship status of their own  baby will be following the birth.

With this in mind I thought I’d write up a quick article to summarise the residency and citizenship status of your baby should you be blessed with the birth of a new child whilst spending your time down under.

On the assumption that you applied for your Permanent Residency visa before your baby was born the following circumstances will normally apply.

If your baby is born in Australia, and at least one parent is an Australian permanent visa holder or Australian citizen, your baby is an Australian citizen by birth. No Australian visa is required for this baby.

If your baby is born in Australia and neither parent is an Australian citizen or permanent visa holder, your baby will generally automatically acquire the visa of either parent dependent on whichever visa is more “beneficial”.

If your baby is born outside Australia, and at least one parent is an Australian citizen otherwise than by descent, your baby is eligible for Australian citizenship by descent.

If your baby is born outside Australia and at least one parent is an Australian citizen by descent and that parent was present in Australia lawfully for at least 2 years before your baby’s citizenship registration, your baby is eligible for Australian citizenship by descent.

If your baby is born outside Australia, and neither parent is an Australian citizen, your baby has no immigration status in Australia and will need a visa to enter Australia. Continue Reading

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In an effort to enjoy some fresh air whilst trying to remain cool in the 33 degrees heat, I decided to walk down to the Swan River this lunchtime to enjoy a sandwich.

One of the great things about working in a CBD the size of Perth’s is that the river is less than a 10 minutes walk from most office buildings and the cool breeze provided by the fremantle doctor was especially welcoming today.

My normally uneventful trip from our offices down to the foreshore was made a little less so when I caught site of a 60-metre high Ferris wheel that has been erected right next to the Bell Tower. It must have been put up pretty quickly to as there was nothing there but grass less than a couple of weeks ago.

I’d heard about the wheel on the radio a few weeks ago. Apparently it was 10 meters shorter than expected and I was surprised by the laid back attitude of the counsellor being interviewed. It was only 10 meters shorter than expected after all.

Back at the office I thought I’d utilise my time doing a little ‘Googling’ and have since found out a few additioanl facts about the wheel.

The “Wheel of Perth” consists of 42 gondolas which take paying passengers around once every 12 minutes. Continue Reading

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Hi folks and let me take this opportunity to wish you a very happy new year! Hopefully 2009 will bring many opportunities including a new life down under.

Updated Information on skilled migration applications being processed in the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre (ASPC) and Brisbane Skilled Processing Centre (BSPC) can be found below

To discuss these latest updates please post to this thread in our forums. Remember you can also join other members of our community who applied for their Aystralian Visas at the same time as you within our Australian Visa Timeline Forum.

Adelaide

1. ASPC APPLICATION ALLOCATION INFORMATION

Applications lodged on or prior to the dates shown below are being allocated to case officers for further processing.

Onshore Student/Graduate GSM / Paper & E-lodged / Class DD and DE visas

Subclass 880, 881 and 882:
E-Lodged: All Allocated
Paper Lodged: All Allocated

Offshore GSM / Paper lodged / Class BN, BQ, BR, UX and UZ

Subclasses 134, 136, 137, 138, 139, 495 and 496: Continue Reading

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