How's life in NZ/Aus?

brendansmith

jank wrote: »

OK I think my GF is officaly fcuked as I can only get a work permit for 3 months and a defacto visa cannot be issued for a work permit under 6 months so ...... holiday in OZ and back to NZ on a tourist visa?

Uggggghhhh, fukkin tell me about it!!

The hassles with visas is a complete nightmare, and its never ending!

Here maybe we should take a boat out and set it on fire. Thats seems to get you residency in a matter of days. :mad:

Crumble Froo

yeah, i had to go on a wee holiday to oz for a while too, last xmas.

why can't you get a longer one with work?

jank

Yep only a 3 month contract for now.

Did you need an outward flight out of OZ before they let you in Crumble?

Crumble Froo

yep. basically just buy the more expensive ticket that lets you cancel it, instead of losing money cancelling the cheaper ticket. oh man, this is all just reminding me how much last xmess SUCKED!

can you re apply for another contract for longer than three months? what happens after the three months?

jank

After 3 months there is a full time job for me in Sydney (99% chance of this as there is nothing signed yet) with the compay I am with. Good job and good oppertunity for me so mad not to take it and see what OZ has or not has to offer.

If I hate it after a few months well by that time residency should (touch wood) have come through and we can move back to NZ and have the freedom to work where ever & whenever we want. Its a bit messy at the moment but it will all work out..... kinda... LOL

I really dont want to leave NZ but there is no other way as I left my residency app waaaay too late but ill give OZ a chance and I will be back!

Crumble Froo

oh sweet for the opportunity for sydney and all that (personally, i hated it, but im just not good with heat, or cockroaches, as i think we discussed to a certain degree of detail at our wee chch beers ).

aaaaanyway, best of luck with all of it, and hope things work out for your g/f too!

gotta hurry up and figure out a date for our ChCh beers, running outta time!

jank

How about this weekend. Parents are around next week so will be tied up for a few weeks with them.

Ill send a PM

Mr Benevolent

Well that's it for Australia and me... I'm here 10 weeks and no job. I'll be booking my flight home in the next few days and I'll probably land back in Ireland mid-January. I've very little money left and it doesn't make sense to continue on like this. My girlfriend will stay on until June as she has a job, but for me it's back to rainy old Ireland and start college next September.

The_B_Man

bummer! could ya not get an outback job for a while? or work in a bar?

just whatever u do, dont get a job with the agency im with!

had the xmas party the other night. it was all the contractors and the agency staff. at the end of the night, it was just me and the agency staff. the staff had a little staff huddle and told me to go away coz i wasnt allowed listen in! :rolleyes:
but then the head bloke turns around and starts goin on about the tits of one of the other girls. so i called him up on that and told him someone in his position cant say stuff like that. he got embarrassed and that was it. went to the next bar and straight away the branch manager tells me to **** off (he actually used the word f**k). then i was pulled aside and told i had to leave! was pissed off! ended up reporting them all.

then got a call monday morning from the guy who told me to f off telling me im a liar and making it all up! he was more concerned about the head guy making the comments about your ones tits tho. glossed over the way i was treated completely. he did acknowledge it but that was it.

shocking stuff altogether!

Xavi6

Got my first sunburn of the summer season on Sunday. Went to the V8 race here and it was a great day out. And as for the pit and promo girls.... :eek:

Mahatma coat

Jaysus Confab

PM Me, what can you do, If your not fussy I can surely get you a start somewhere, I have contacts in Construction, Joinery, transport and Hospitality.


I need a Labourer/Chippie for a few weeks to start the Reno on the new house.

jank

Just a quick question, do you need to have a garda cert for a 457 visa. I am apply for it with work and with my OH.

Actually what do you need to have for this visa apart from a job that is.;)
Birth Cert, University Qualifcations..??

Mahatma coat

Job + Pulse + Right 'nationality' == 457 Sorted

jank

So thats a no then for the garda cert.

hussey

Sent away my skills assessment for my PR today! woo hoo .. the 9month wait starts now

Mellor

hussey wrote: »

Sent away my skills assessment for my PR today! woo hoo .. the 9month wait starts now

I was thinkof doin this, but the poxy thing costs 1k and i'm not guaranteed to get it,
add to that the fact that even with recognaised degree, i might not reach 120 points or what ever. Sponsorship first me thinks, the effort

hussey

Just got offered a technical lead role in my company
15% pay increase!

Happy days!!

Traq

Sweet, drinks are on you then!

What kind of tech work do you do if you don't mind me asking?

hussey

J2EE developer for one of the big finance house in Australia (based in sydney!)

Coileach dearg

Fair play hussey, well done. Just about to lodge my skills assessment next week as well so we should get PR around the same time

I expect it will be longer than 9 months though as a mate of mine (networks engineer) applied for his skilled migration visa August '08 and hasn't even been assigned a case officer yet!!

Coileach dearg

Really struggling with the heat over the last week here in Sydney. It got to 42 degrees last Sunday, I don't remember it being this hot last year or the year before. It's only November yet, imagine what it's going to be like in January!

P.S> for those in Sydney, I found a very nice beach down in the National Park in Bundeena, no way as packed as Bondi, Coogee or Manly. Be prepared to pay $11 in to the National Park though.

Traq

hussey wrote: »

J2EE developer for one of the big finance house in Australia (based in sydney!)

Cool, always knew you were in IT but was never sure what area exactly. I'm in the same boat as yourself at the mo, lodging the PR application in the next week or so. Then the long wait begins...

watna

I'm off to Melbourne for a holiday on Wednesday. Any suggestions on things I must do? My Oh is speaking at a conference so will be nerding it up on Thurs and Fri so I'll be wandering around by myself. I intend to hit the shops hard but thought someone might have some suggestions on intereting things to do or where is good to eat and drink (we really like our food and go all out on hols!)

Getting a guide book tomorrow anyway and bf has told me that we have to go to the MCG - no questions asked!

shirdy

bring an umbrella cuz its been raining all week

watna

shirdy wrote: »

bring an umbrella cuz its been raining all week

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Don't say that.

It's beautiful in Wellington too at the moment. How annoying is that?

Will it be warm do you think? Been looking weather forecasts and they all say different things.

watna

Also - (and it feels strange to the one asking all the questions!) I have to go to a shop called Bigw for a friend. She's spotted some super cheap shoes she wants to go with something. I've looked at the stores in Melbourne but I can't figure out which one would be easiest for me to find. I'm staying on Spencer street and here is the list of stores http://www.bigw.com.au/stores.asp?region=VICM (I'm presuming Vic metro is Melbourne)

Any suggestions on which one I should go to to get the shoes?

Traq

Hey Watna, the closest Big W to Spencer St. would be the one in the QV Village on the corner of Lonsdale and Swanston St. From Spencer you'd just need to walk straight down Lonsdale and it'd be right in front of you, or else get a tram down Bourke St from Spencer, get off at the corner of Swanston and Bourke and walk a block north to Swanston and Lonsdale!

As for suggestions on food and drink in Melbourne, where to begin really! If you like Italian, head anywhere up Lygon St in Carlton, if you like Vietnamese then head out along Victoria St in North Richmond. There's also a Chinatown in the CBD, between Swanston and Russell St. On top of those areas there are also some nice restaurants down on Southbank as part of the Crown casino complex, and a lot of other places dotted all over the city.
With drinks, it's just a case of picking a laneway and seeing what you find! In the CBD, they're more or less based around Lonsdale St, just hunt around the laneways there and you'll find places like the Container bar, Sister Bellas etc. along with more easy to find places like the Rooftop Bar, Cookie or the Emerald Peacock, but you'll find bars hidden away in Chinatown, above cafes on Centre Place. Outside of the CBD then you've got Brunswick St in Fitzroy, Smith St in Collingwood, Bridge Road in Richmond and Church St in Prahran!

That's all I can think of for now, but if anything else comes to mind, I'll update here!

watna

Thanks traq. You're awesome!

Really looking forward to a break now. Been working so hard and really busy so need a holiday!

brendansmith

Lygon Street has some very poor restarauts tbh, if you do venture that way i recommend getting 'universal cafe' and get the fillet steak with mushroom sauce.

Good drinking spots are 'section 8' and 'the carlton hotel'

Traq

True, it's got some very poor spots but it's got some very good ones too, just a matter of finding the right one!