Expat Life

LOST IN LONDON | You could be forgiven for thinking that in between all the double shot soy macchiatos and accessorising with a well-teamed top hat and mismatching colored socks tucked into scuffed brogues, that there is little time left in the day for hipsters to get those exercise endorphins...

When dressed in a cardboard box depicting the controversial and divisive topic of asylum seekers, there’s bound to be some people that consider it offensive. SHANNON GILLIES even thought she may have gone a bit too far with her fancy dress costume, but that was until she read a story...

TUBE TALK | To get into the Olympic spirit, this week I have been thinking of ways that I too can be an Olympic athlete competing for my country.

ASK THE EXPERT | How does one qualify for British citizenship?

Packing bags, whether it be moving across the world or just nipping over to Europe for a cheeky weekend, is always a complicated process. How much do you need, how much do you take, how much are you allowed? PHOEBE LEE looks at one of life’s hardest dilemmas and tries...

BRON IN THE DON | From a very relaxed and brotherly shot of Princes William and Harry to Becks catching some z’s, our London adventurer headed down to the National Portrait Gallery to imbibe some culture and tick #8 of her London Top 100 list.

LOST IN LONDON | Mention moving to London to many in Australia and they will immediately voice their sole concern — ‘but how will you get a decent cup of coffee?’.

LOST IN LONDON | A.A Gill once said about London weather: ‘it’s been incontinent for weeks.’ A statement that has never been more true than about this particular English summer.

TUBE TALK | UNLIKE some of us still hanging to get our 15 minutes of fame, the Tube has been there and done that.

BRON IN THE DON | With the Olympic Games on the doorstop, our London adventurer has been racing around the city trying to tick off as many activities on her London Top 100 list as possible. This week’s escapades brought her face to face with lions (and some very smelly...

ASK THE EXPERT | Will my brother-in-law's Portuguese citizenship enable my sister to live and work in the UK?

The 2010 Bathurst 1-2 finish by Holden gave me that warm fuzzy feeling you very rarely get in life. But then I remembered I drove a Volvo and it got me thinking...

ASK THE EXPERT | Is their a body that represents immigration advisors?

LOST IN LONDON | Dear Hipster/Bartender (if that is your actual job) at The Westbourne

BRON IN THE DON | The beauty of London is the myriad of amazing stuff this great city throws at us and when our London adventurer heard you could explore the local Science Museum via cocktails and discos, she raced on down to tick two off her list.

TUBE TALK | Etiquette: A code of behaviour that delineates expectations for social behaviour according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class or group. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

BRON IN THE DON | Our resident London adventurer loves a good museum but she found her latest one, the Imperial War Museum, to be a little more sobering than she first thought.

LIFE AFTER LONDON | If you're having indulgent visions of leaving the UK before the miserable, dark, icy winter sets in and coming back to Australia's bright and sunny days ... stop. Australia is not as warm as you remember.

TUBE TALK | EVERY DAY I am reminded about my “first” time. Surprisingly, it was only 3 years ago and I was pretty good at it (even if I must say so myself!)

NICK CLEGG | One month to go, and London is calling...As the first city to host the Olympics three times, we’re looking forward to welcoming the world to London in the days and weeks ahead.

ASK THE EXPERT | Can a refused family visit visa be appealed?

BRON IN THE DON | Aussies love their cricket. And our resident London adventurer is no different. This week she ticks off #88 on her London Top 100 list and explores the home of cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground.

ASK THE EXPERT | I have applied to become a British Citizen. What is the Oath of Allegiance?

TUBE TALK | Although London Tube carriages are quite spacious, I often wonder if they could be altered in any way?

A major earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale has hit Australia in the early hours of this evening, with the epicentre believed to be in the Gippsland Area of Moe. Victims were seen wandering around aimlessly uttering, "*%#ell" and "Whadda *#%*".

UK Parliament announces strict new immigration rules that will make it even tougher for non-European partners and relatives of UK residents to settle here.

The Twitter-sphere went into overdrive following the 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Melbourne earlier this evening (Australian time).

Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, the V&A is the largest museum of decorative arts and design in the world. The collection includes over 4.5 million objects, spanning 5,000 years of art, housed in 145 galleries.

IT’S a big part of your everyday life, starting with the early morning greet and ending with the evening farewell. Sometimes if you’re lucky there may even be a midday encounter.

ASK THE EXPERT | What are the new family migration rules?

BRON IN THE DON | Wimbledon! How can one word conjure so many images and emotions at once? Our London adventurer got her tennis on, joined ‘The Queue’ and ticked off #13 on her London Top 100 list by visiting the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

TUBE TALK | We all know that eye contact on the Tube can be an awkward situation, and so often I find myself reading the different advertisements plastered along the walls above the heads of my fellow commuters, if nothing else but to avoid their eyes.

ASK THE EXPERT | Is it true that one qualifies quicker for settlement in the UK on this type of visa?

BRON IN THE DON | Our London adventurer has found a little piece of home here in London, in the most unexpected of places — the River Thames. So, with the chance to walk the famous waterway and tick off #26 on her London Top 100 list, she set ‘sail’...

Will I be allowed to switch into UK employment from a student visa upon graduating?

ASK THE EXPERT | Will I be able to stay in the UK on an Unmarried Partner Visa, based on a 3 year relationship with a British citizen?

ASK THE EXPERT | I have recently arrived in the UK and would like to know; how would I qualify for British citizenship?

BRON IN THE DON | With summer on its way (or so we are told!) our resident adventurer set off to explore #78 on her London Top 100 list, Regent’s Park.

ASK THE EXPERT | Based on my 6 years on a UK student visa, can I apply for permanent residence visa?

Research indicates that Australian employers are looking abroad for talent to fill their skill shortages.

LIFE AFTER LONDON | When I moved to the UK my alcohol intake dramatically increased. In turn, my consumption of late-night kebabs also skyrocketed, while the number of workouts I did each week plummeted to an all time low.

I’m going to admit it. I’m a bit of a smartphone addict. But I may have found a cure.

BRON IN THE DON | There’s nothing like getting all palatial in London, so our resident adventurer headed down to Hyde Park to tick off #38 on her London Top 100 list and visit Kensington Palace.

ASK THE EXPERT | How does the increase in the probationary period affect an indefinite leave to remain?

RIGHT SAID ED | In less than a month London is going to be transformed. Not from Olympic fever or Trenton Oldfield histrionics (fingers crossed) but from a righteous celebration that will be the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

BRON IN THE DON | Already a theatre aficionado, our resident London adventurer rushed at the chance to tick #79 off her London Top 100 list and visit Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington.

UK ARRIVAL GUIDE | Use our countdown checklist to help you plan ahead for your UK trip.

As an Australian living in London, you probably crave the coffees so easily available Down Under. So, if you are after a Tim Tam and the best flat white or even a Violet Crumble with your top roast bean, sip no further than our list of recommended Australian coffee shops...

ASK THE EXPERT | I have some outstanding tax issues. Will this influence my application for my British citizenship?

BRON IN THE DON | Champagne, oil, photos and Saatchi! Our London adventurer gets the VIP treatment as she ticks #90 of her London Top 100 list and explores the fabled Saatchi Gallery.