FAQs

Help!This page offers you quick links to the most frequently asked questions, some of which also appear on my pages, which I recommend you read, called Migration Advice and Visas.

If you are looking to move to Australia, those two pages as well as the pages that are linked from them will help you a great deal.

Even with all this help though, the process is still quite daunting to navigate through. For that reason, many people want to ask me to help them directly; I simply cannot do that. Only MARA registered migration agents are able to assist people in this process and advise on visa options, so it would be illegal if I were to try and answer these kinds of questions.

For the full explanation, please see:

Here are some more FAQs:

Important Notice:

I try to answer as many comments as I can personally, but it has become impossible for me to respond to each one individually. If you have asked one of the above questions and not had a response, it is almost certainly because your question has been asked and answered many times before in the comments of one of the above linked pages.

Anybody asking questions about their personal situation in respect of visa options or eligibility to lodge will not be answered at all.

Please take the time to read the comments and answers on these pages to find the information you need.

Many thanks

Bob

Visa Assessment Service
{ 492 comments… add one }
  • Debra August 28, 2019, 10:35 pm |

    You mention that you have double the checked luggage allowance on the flight – can you explain how that worked?

    Thank you
    Debra

    • BobinOz August 29, 2019, 5:48 pm |

      Well at the time, and this was 2007, all we had to do was speak to the airline and confirm we were buying a one-way ticket and we just needed to prove we were going to be staying in Australia by providing them with a copy of the visa.

      We flew Singapore Airlines, but we think it’s something that most airlines were doing at the time. Not sure they are still doing this, but worth an ask.

  • Nathan Hoffman January 23, 2019, 2:33 pm |

    Hey Bobin,

    My name is Nathan Hoffman and I’m the Partnerships-Manager at FindMediaPartners.com.

    We would like to advertise some of our clients on your blog.

    Can you please let me know which Advertising options you offer ?

    Thanks in advance for the Details Bobin !

    kindest regards,

    Nathan Hoffman
    Partnerships Manager
    FindMediaPartners.com

    • BobinOz January 25, 2019, 5:11 pm |

      There is a link to my Advertise page in the footer of this website, but I don’t work with media companies, I only sell advertising direct to the end user.

      Thanks for your interest though, Bob

  • Kajal January 6, 2019, 6:42 pm |

    I got 6.5 in listening 6 in reading and writing 5.5 in speaking.Am I eligible for spouse visa for Australia .

  • John Mitchell November 25, 2018, 1:13 pm |

    My favourite packaged beer is Pure Blond Premium, I find if I drink this as a draught beer it is very refreshing, however when I drink the same product packaged as a stubby it upsets my stomach. What are the chemical differences between these two products that supposedly are identical. If you can identify a chemical difference between these products I would appreciate knowing the chemical or preservative names so that I do further research.
    If their chemicalsare present in Pure Blonde the stubbies can you recommend packaged beers that do not have these chemicals.
    Regards,
    John Mitchell

    • BobinOz November 26, 2018, 9:02 pm |

      Gosh, I would have no idea what the difference is, but clearly if it is upsetting your stomach, you need to be drinking something else.

      I think there are plenty of beers around these days that clearly say they have no added chemicals, so I’d go for one of those. Keep buying different beers until you find one you like; call it research 🙂 I’m sure you’ll find something you like pretty soon.

  • Louise November 4, 2018, 5:53 pm |

    Hi Bob
    Thanks so much for all your hard work in setting up this site.
    I have been invited to apply for a 189 (secondary school teacher) visa.
    Can I ask about form 80- do you have any knowledge of it? I can’t find a help booklet online and tbh some of the details regarding exact holiday dates & employment dates are difficult to recall. I’m wondering how exact I need to be when I have the AITSL employment certificate and letters to prove my work history over the past 10 years.
    Someone told me to submit my application and see if the CO requests it: do you agree?
    My husband’s memory for dates is even worse than mine….. His form 80 would be very ‘approximate’.
    Has anyone else experienced this?
    Many thanks in anticipation!!
    Louise

    • BobinOz November 5, 2018, 6:34 pm |

      Hi Louise, thanks for the kind words.

      Can’t help you with your question though, I have absolutely no idea what form 80 is, or how to complete it. The visa eligibility and application process is something that I just do not and cannot help with, only MARA registered migration agents are legally allowed to do that.

      They are the ones that go through exhaustive training to understand the whole complicated process. If you want to find our agent, see my page about Migration agents.

      Good luck, Bob

  • Debjani Ghosh March 2, 2018, 5:07 pm |

    Hi we are thinking to move to perth. Can you suggest some good suburbs with good primary and high schools

    • BobinOz March 2, 2018, 5:45 pm |

      I don’t know it well enough over there to advise, but check out the comments on my page about Perth, you should find some talk about the suburbs there.

  • Mohammad Shereef January 27, 2018, 1:15 pm |

    Dear Bob,
    I’m an Indian having my own company in Qatar. Our core business is hiring of crane and heavy equipment to oil and gas, construction companies. I have been thinking of moving to Canada or Australia since quite sometime and decided to try Australia bcoz of Canada is very cold. Can you please suggest/guide me which place in Australia offers good scope and growth for my line of business and how to move with right visas etc.

    Thanks

    • BobinOz January 29, 2018, 7:52 pm |

      Well, we do have quite a lot oil, gas and construction companies in Australia, but I don’t really know where they all are, although Queensland certainly has plenty going on.

      As for your visa though, I can’t help with that, see Would I Qualify?

  • Abi Ford October 22, 2017, 8:44 am |

    Hi Bob,

    Love your blog, it has helped me hugely over the last year! My husband and I have been granted our visas and are moving to the Sunshine Coast in February. I would like to know if you or any of your readers could suggest a good shipping company to use? There are so many we are struggling to pick.

    Thanks
    Abi

    • Mark October 22, 2017, 9:44 am |

      The prices can be all over the place and as can the view of what you can fit in a container etc etc Id as ever get three quotes.. Look for the added costs if buried and whoever turns up saying Oh you can take that, as in space wise, will generally have a better handle on the price
      We were quoted between 4100 and 7900 as you can see nearly double We did ship a caravan in our container as well…We used Anglo pacific A cheapest and B Happy to take say take more as they went round the house A lot of the companies are working together and a lot of stuff is sub contracted eg your packers

      • BobinOz October 23, 2017, 6:53 pm |

        Yes, as Mark has said, you need to get three quotes really, prices do vary wildly. I do have a removal company sponsor my website, if you click on their small banner towards the top right-hand side of this page, you can find out more about them and get a free quote.

        Worth paying extra for the insurance as well, in my view. I did and quite a few things got slightly damaged in an unrepairable kind of way, and the insurance company paid out in full for the replacement of the entire items. It was well worth doing.

        • Abi October 24, 2017, 5:29 am |

          Thanks for the replies and tips. I will check out the link.

  • Jade Varley October 21, 2017, 9:30 am |

    Hi Everyone

    My husband and I have been in Brisbane for 6 years and love it here. We got our citizenship last year. The only thing we are struggling with is that both our families are in the UK and are getting older. We’ve not bought our first home, nearly 40 and won’t be able to have kids so we are going back in December to decide. Whenever we go back we are grateful for Australia and want to come back but sometimes feel that even once a year won’t be enough to see family as my husbands dad is in his 70s. Wondering if any one else has made this decision and whether family alone was enough of a reason to return to the Uk? Thanks

    • BobinOz October 23, 2017, 6:41 pm |

      I do know of one family who returned home, mainly because one of them had an elderly father who wasn’t in great health and was on his own. Unfortunately for them, they went back before securing citizenship and I know they now fully regret that decision.

      With yourselves, at least you have the luxury of already being Australian citizens and so you can return any time you like. Without a house to sell here, then I suspect the exercise of returning won’t be hugely expensive, although it obviously will cost a fair bit.

      I think quite a few people do struggle with this, it’s probably the main reason for returning. It’s a tough one, one I haven’t had to think about, my parents both died long before I moved out here. See how it goes in December, but my view is If you are really loving your life here in Brisbane, would you or would your families back in the UK really want you to ruin that?

      These days it is easy to stay in touch via FaceTime or Skype video calls over the internet for free, and whilst it’s not the same as being with someone, it really isn’t a bad compromise as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family.

      • Jade Varley October 25, 2017, 8:59 pm |

        Thanks very much for your response Bob. You’ve raised some good points and given us a lot to think about.

  • Tracy August 22, 2017, 9:06 pm |

    Hi
    I’m planning to apply for a 189 visa later this year.
    I’m a social worker, qualified in uk for 8 years
    I have a husband and two small children
    I’m struggling to find the answer to my question in the faqs immigration website and wondered if you know?
    I am aware I need a skills assessment with aasw however if they deem me to be competent in English is this enough evidence for my application without doing an ielts?
    As I don’t want to make a mistake on the eoi ???
    Also if I add my family on do we all need Medicals? Or just me? Thanks
    Any help would be appreciated!!!
    Tracy

    • BobinOz August 23, 2017, 7:33 pm |

      Hi Tracy

      I’m afraid these are questions I’m not allowed to answer, see Would I Qualify?

      The law is very strict on this, only MARA registered migration agents can give direct advice on these matters. Sorry about that, but good luck, I hope you sort it out.

      Cheers, Bob

      • Tracy August 23, 2017, 7:43 pm |

        I’ll figure it out but thank you anyway
        Tracy

  • Eve July 10, 2017, 5:30 am |

    Hi Bob,
    Me and my Family (husband and Two Kids 4yrs/14yrs), want to immigrate to australia… we are from Angola, is in Africa… is difficult country to live, the country is very pour and the government is very corrupt in many ways… we don’t have a proper school, hospital… I need to know if only In country’s that are in war, is considered a person a refugee.
    Ps: sorry but my English is not to good

    • BobinOz July 10, 2017, 7:21 pm |

      I do not know what qualifies for refugee status, but I do know of a couple organisations who may be able to help, take a look at iarc.asn.au or refworld.org.

  • Willem June 2, 2017, 12:27 am |

    Hi Bob.

    We are looking into immigrating to Oz from South Africa. A young family of 3 (husband & wife 33yrs old, daughter 4yrs old). We started contacting immigration specialists to review their assessments, and so far it would seem as if my wife (Lecturer with Master’s Degree in Education and 9+ yrs experience) would be the main applicant on a s189 visa.

    My degree (LLB law) is not acknowledged in Oz so I will either have start building a career afresh or hope to find something similar with my 10yr experience in the Legal Insurance industry.

    Starting salaries in Oz for teachers seem to be around $55000 and with me having to find work when we get there (eventually)… I was wondering how far a $55000 salary would get us? Would we at least be able to rent, do transport, afford basic groceries, travel to work etc?

    I know it is impossible to give a definitive answer, but I would appreciate your opinion and advice. We don’t expect a better life financially there, but a higher quality of life – especially for our daughter 🙂

    Appreciate the advice. Love your blogs!

    • Mark June 2, 2017, 10:03 am |

      Hope you don’t mind others chipping in… You seem to have started down a path but not quite got all of it correct , close but not spot on…I remember when we started it was darn confusing, so you have my sympathies and understanding..In fact I’d go as far as to say getting a visa for Australia is perhaps the most complicated process (and its not a process at times) I have ever experienced by a long margin. Makes a MARA worthwhile! Id guess your wife may be betst as main applicant but a bachelor of Law I would have thought from South Africa would have counted for something. I am not too familiar with South Africa on this but I very much doubt you would have to start a fresh. e.g. from scratch, it may just be you would have to be recognised by Australia or even a state within and that may mean some tests, some accreditation, some in job training etc.
      Similarly you wife nay also whilst being the main applicant have to register with a teaching lecturing body here and be accredited by them as a lecturer with experience even before she can lecture…So more homework on that score for you…
      To you main question though and there was a reason I explained all the other stuff first …As a lecturer with experiences its likely but I cannot of course be sure until you start looking at jobs that she would not start on the bottom of the pay ladder and I am assuming that like teachers there is a pay ladder lecturers you climb yearly to a point. That said the 55000 dollar question may become irrelevant… Id guess for her job she would be looking at one of the bigger cities (as with your possible rebuild) so Sydney Melbourne Brisbane even…I am not sure id like to try and get by on 55K. in Sydney or Melbourne ..Its probably ‘do able’ but might be tight and depends what you are bringing with you….of course I would hope the answer doesn’t matter as an experienced lecturer may start higher…
      Hope this helps if not creating more research for you .

      • Willem June 2, 2017, 3:11 pm |

        Hi Mark.

        Thanks for the reply. I will definitely do more research. This is a big move for us, so a little bit of reading beforehand is nothing compared to the quality of live waiting on us – should we do the move!

        Regards,

        Willem

        • BobinOz June 2, 2017, 8:25 pm |

          Just to add here I am in full agreement with Mark. $55k per year would definitely be a struggle in Sydney and Melbourne, it wouldn’t be much fun elsewhere but possibly just about manageable depending on your housing costs.

          I think there will be some kind of accreditation hoops for both of you to jump through to be able to work here in your given professions, and I think a good MARA migration agent would be able to assist you with that. Most professionals and trades need to do some kind of retraining in order to work here in Australia, from lawyers to electricians and plumbers to teachers, it seems there’s always something you need to do to be able to work in Australia.

          So yes, more research is the order of the day. Good luck, Bob

          • Willem June 2, 2017, 9:22 pm |

            Thank you Bob!

  • Shraddha Satyapal May 9, 2017, 2:01 am |

    Hi Bob,
    I’m Shraddha from India. My husband, myself and my 3 year old son are shortly planning to move to Melbourne as we have just got PR for Australia. My husband is from the merchant navy, I am from the communications background. Can you throw some light on how we could look for jobs. Secondly we are looking for places to rent in Melbourne with access to good primary schools, day care public transport and hopefully affordable stay. Could you help with some suggestions on areas we can explore for rent.
    Thanks in advance for your response
    Cheers,
    Shraddha

    • BobinOz May 9, 2017, 9:20 pm |

      If you look at my main menu across the top of each page, and hover over each of the headings, you will see more page titles appear. I have a page about Melbourne, I have a page about the cost of renting houses, I have pages about finding jobs I have lots of pages about schools.

      Have a good look around my website and you will find answers to all of your questions and so much more. Good luck, Bob

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