Alan Collett

If you have an employer sponsored permanent residency visa pathway - I would go for it. You get your visa and employment in Australia - many would bite your hand off if you offered them that! See also the fee free Visa Application Charge provisions: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/ens/fee-free-visa-apps.htm Best regards.

Remember the fee-free Visa Application Charge provisions: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/ens/fee-free-visa-apps.htm Might be of interest ... Best regards.

See the info here: http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=572 and here: http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=574 Best regards.

Maybe do a search at the ever popular Whirlpool forums: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/ Best regards.

Winding up a business that is run by a limited company can take place by either selling your shares in the company (cleanest from the vendor's position, but not so good from the perspective of the purchaser, as liabilities which might not have been fully disclosed come with the company), or by the company selling the business (which leaves the company as a shell holding cash). The former would enable the individuals to make use of the 18% CGT rate; the latter would involve the limited company paying corporation tax on the gain. Add into this: - the tax free CGT uplift in retained investment assets when an individual becomes a resident of Australia for tax purposes, - the tax exemptions that are available in Australia to those who are holding temporary residency visas and who are tax resident in Australia, and - CGT planning on departure from the UK (disposals in a UK tax year when you are never resident or ordinarily resident are exempt from UK CGT - so long as you don't resume residency within 5 complete UK tax years of your departure) => Take tax advice that looks at all aspects of your departure, including UK and Australian tax aspects, linked to your Australian visa status. Hope this helps.

Chris and Lucy, I would not be fixated on the 6 month window for transferring your UK pension benefits to Australia, as: 1. The tax liability is based on the growth component of your UK pension scheme between the day you become a tax resident of Australia and the day your UK scheme benefits arrive in Australia - not on the entirety of the value of the pension fund. 2. The receiving Aussie superannuation fund (not you) usually pays the tax on this growth component. 3. The rate of tax paid by the Australian super fund is "only" 15%. 4. The transfer of pension benefits to Australia should be seen as a one way transfer, so it would usually be best to ensure you are happy you will be in Australia for the long-ish term before you press the "go" button on the transfer of your pension benefits. This said, Australia's Foreign Investment Fund Rules can impact on pension arrangements that are left offshore - subject also to your visa status (temporary residents are exempt from the FIF Rules). The FIF Rules (broadly) require you to include the annual growth in the value of your FIFs in your assessable income if they are still held at the end of each Aussie tax year (30th June), even if the FIFs continue to be offshore => planning to mitigate a possible Aussie tax liability under the FIF Rules might be a reason to look at your UK pension fund arrangements sooner rather than later. Feel able to send me a PM or an email (click on my name to the left of this post) if you would like to know more - we are tax accountants qualified in the UK and in Australia and offer tax consulting advice, tax return assistance (UK and Australia), pension transfer services, and work closely with a selection of financial planners in Australia. Best regards.

There is no requirement to have lodged two tax returns to be considered "settled" in Australia ... Best regards.

Maybe request the Moving Overseas and Letting a UK Property tax factsheet here: http://www.collettandco.com/factsheet.cfm We also have a Tax FAQs schedule - send me an email (click on my name to the lefy of this post) if you would like me to send it to you. Best regards.

Suzanne, What is the education assessment to which you refer? I don't recognise it in the context of the skilled visa application process. If you are nominating the occupation Office Manager you will be required to undertake a skills assessment through the assessing body called VETASSESS. VETASSESS simply looks at qualifications, not work experience - in the case of a 40 point occupation such as Office Manager you will be required to submit quals that are assessed as at least equivalent to an Australian Diploma. A couple of other points: - ensure you are certain of your visa strategy; do you have State or Territory Government sponsorship in prospect, for example? - if your existing quals are not sufficient it is possible to obtain an Australian Diploma through distance learning via providers such as Orion Training In case of need: http://www.gomatilda.com/contact.cfm#ouroffices Best regards.

Thanks for the heads up, Mark - perhaps I should circulate a link to this thread to all the UK agents I know ... Best regards.

A good agent will clearly explain your options at the outset (perhaps inevitably, with a caveat or two, because until paperwork has been reviewed there are some assumptions to be made), advise you as to your costs if you decide to engage the firm, and be in a position to provide you with comfort as to their past successes without being overly pushy about securing your business. You should then be guided step by step from start to finish, so that the process is as painless as possible - you shouldn't expect to see the whole process or strategy at the outset without doing a fair amount of research. In hindsight you might say the visa application process was straightforward, but we are all experts looking back - one can forget what one didn't know at the start of the application. Good luck, whatever way you decide to go - either with or without an agent's assistance.

Don't be taken in by no visa = no fee policies. The small print is almost always written in such a way that you are most unlikely to ever be reimbursed should your application be unsuccessful. I'm sure Gill can confirm this from her involvement with others. And there is no such thing as being "DIMA certified" ... perish the thought! Best regards.

(emphasis added) Maybe for some ... but not for all ... We're always happy to discuss costs though. Best regards.

And ... the AHC in London used to publish a list of RMAs based in the UK. That might also have been a factor in my decision as to which agent to engage. That list was withdrawn once the AHC realised that certain agents were not actually physically based in the UK.

Thanks Gill. We advertise in the journal that you mention, and I invite those in control of editorial content to extract details from Go Matilda News when I write an article which I believe will of interest to their readership. As to the agent I chose - it is some 9 years ago now, and time dims the memory. There was a newspaper type publication going around then, as it is now - Australia & NZ Outlook - and I recall I used to read that. The firm of RMAs had offices in SW London, and as I was in practice in Epsom I liked their (apparent) proximity. The reality once I was signed up was somewhat different. I eventually took over the handling of my application, and being an Accountant (which was on the MODL even then - the GST had just been introduced in Australia) managed to arrange grant quickly: skilled applications were being processed in London at that time. It subsequently transpired that (unbeknown to me at the time - I was advised at a Go Matilda Xmas lunch a couple of years ago) that the lady who granted my visa is now one of our UK team of consultants! The world of Aussie migration is often scarily small. Best regards.

What about the interest on their Designated Investment ... does it take them above the tax free threshold? Is any tax in fact payable?

Interesting - thanks for the comments above. It seems that s/he who pay for Google rankings are the winners ... I used an agent as well when I applied for my skilled visa back in 2000 (no names mentioned). I was so disenchanted with the service (and the costs) that I started my own business, resolving to look at the process from the perspective of the client - what would s/he want, how would s/he want to be treated, etc. It was also at a time when the internet was still in its relative infancy. George Lombard was already on the old usenet forums, which (for intending Aussie migrants) evolved into British Expats. A multitude of others have followed, and many have sought to earn a quick buck out of the numbers migrating to Australia. I think it probably helped that I had already run my own CA practice, and had been an articled clerk at a great firm of CAs in Central London where the partners for whom I worked were very strong ethically. I often wondered why they made the decisions they did - they seemed distinctly uncommercial to a gung ho young accountant. I know better now. More comments welcomed!

Did persons above who appointed the agents who stuffed up engage any of the agents who are recommended on these forums (and others, such as Poms in Oz)? If not, why not? On what basis did you appoint the agents in question? If it is agreed that the list of MARA agents is not to be relied upon (to paraphrase Gill's argument), why are intending migrants appointing firms no-one else is recommending? Happy to hear arguments and to be shot down in flames! Best regards.

If you have received proposals from agents all the costs of your planned migration should be set out => deduct the agent's fees and you are left with a good approximation of what you should pay if you apply without the agent's help. Best regards.

For reference State Sponsored subclass 475 visas are on the Minister's priority processing directive. Good luck!

There was clearly a clash of legs. Whether it was a foul or not, booking Lampard was a ridiculous decision. As for Chelsea not being liked ... I imagine many other clubs would have liked to have had Roman's cash and the trophies in the cabinet. Given a choice, I know I'd prefer to be in the top 4 and playing CL footie than seeing some other club doing the same. Best regards.

Unfortunately, to break into the top 4 these days you need a seriously rich benefactor. Man City have a chance, but they will need a good manager - Mark Hughes is good, but not top 4 in the EPL material. Everton are almost at the stage where Chelsea were before Roman arrived. Chelsea had been in the top 6 for a few seasons before the big money came in - they needed the cash and the nouse of Mourinho to break up the ManU - Arse duopoly. Not long 'til the new season! Best regards.

Rich - Unlucky? What game were you watching? I'm struggling to remember any clear cut chances Everton had other than the goal. If ever the comment "you can score a goal too early in a game" was relevant, it was in the FA Cup Final on Saturday. And Hibbert .... oh deary me ... Unfortunately the top 4 in the Premiership are in a league of their own - they have won the FA Cup in 17 out of the last 19 seasons (I think - happy to be corrected). There are half a dozen team playing for UEFA/Europa Cup places. The rest are battling to avoid relegation each year. Best regards.

Likely to be of interest: http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=522 Best regards.

Hmmmm ..... that doesn't sound correct to me, Joanne. Have a look at the Designated Investment requirements here: http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/retirement/405/eligibility.htm#f and the renewal requirements for a subclass 405 visa here: http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/retirement/405/eligibility.htm#k As an aside, are your parents aware that 405 visaholders can make use of the temporary resident provisions in the tax legislation, and pay no Australian tax on overseas source investment income and capital gains? Best regards.