miss T

Hello there anybody who finds this message. ive just registered to this forum and not sure if im in the right place to find out what i want to know, or how i will view any replies. im going ahead anyway. im a 24 year old female psychiatric nurse. i have almost been in nursing for a year which means i will soon be able to apply for a post in australia. i have been looking into recruitment agencies and have decided to apply with healthstaff recruitment. before i begin the process however, i need to know if i'm doing the right thing. i would like to live in brisbane. i will be coming over alone. is brisbane the right place? will i be able to make friends easy? it has always been my dream to move to australia, but my biggest fear is going out there and just being alone. is there anybody out there that has done it alone? is brisbane a good place to be in your 20's or would most 20 somethings look at moving to Sydney? if there is anybody out there that can give me some advice i'll be very grateful.

looking forward to hearing from you

Teresa xx

tiredwithtwins

hiya teresa,
first of all, welcome to the forum!
you are in the right place to ask anything...there is also a nursing forum on here which you will find extremely helpful when doing your nursing assessment.
with regards to are you doing theright thing, only you can answer that!
I first went to oz when i was in my early 20s and loved it. went back for another holiday a few years later, then spent a long period travelling when i was about 27/28 - I went on my own - i stayed in hostels then, and made HUNDREDS of friends within a short space of time (no exageration!!) As a nurse you will have NO problems finding work, or friends !!
why dont you go out on a working holiday visa first....you can suss out the ok hospitals by doing agency and can apply for jobs while you are there, many agencies will sponsor you for a 4 year temp visa, but you can apply for permanent residence while you are working on that visa if you decide you really want to stay.
good luck, and ask anything you want!!!!!!
sue

wmoore

If you fancy the adventure and have no ties (hubby and kids) then why the hell not??

I'm in Brisbane at the moment (just on hols but hoping to move out here next year) and it seems like a friendly place to me. We've had a good crack with loads of people and I wouldn't imagine it difficult to make friends if you're outgoing too. I like this place a lot

PS I would never recommend you put your email address in a message like this. It can be picked up my mechanical or human spammers and you could end up with loads of junk in your Inbox. People can email you by clicking on your name on the left of your message. You can edit what you wrote by clicking on the Editt button in the bottom left of your message. Lecture over

miss T

thanks for the tip, i think its deleted now, i just wasnt sure how i would receive a reply if i didnt put my address in.

wishing i was in brisbane already (its icy cold here)

CasG

Hi Teresa,
I'm a nurse going out to Melbourne at the beginning of Jan on a temp (4 yr Visa - 457 LSBV) I will apply for PR once I get there - it's much quicker from Aus once you are working.
I went through an agency called Affinity Nursing Recruitment who have been really great - very supportive and efficient. I began the process at the end of July and am now at the last point - getting my medicals finalised, should get the visa through by Dec (been told by case officer everything is fine).
One thing about these agencies is that the support continues once you have got to Aus - I'm being picked up from the airport, and then when I've got over my jet-lag, will be met and taken around Melbournes suburbs so that I can look at areas/houses as well as showing me the hospital I'll be working at. Regarding initial accomadation - they will help you with that as well, prior to leaving the UK. They will also help with tax files and banking - although I have done the latter myself - just transferred my HSBC account to Aus.
I really wouldn't worry about being on your own - as Tiredwithtwins suggests - you have a ready-made social life just by being a nurse - and you could go into shared accomadation initially until you have sorted yourself out.
Goodluck with your plans and the process, PM me if you want any further help and I'll send you my email address.
Cas

jimtrish

hi teresa,
welcome to the forum.
you could always do a search on the net and email some hospitals direct to see if they are interested in you, its not always necessary to have the full 12 months before you can get a job.
there are lots of mental health nurses on here who will be able to help.

goodluck

Trish

tonyk38

Hi Teresa and welcome to the forum!

As others have said, if you're friendly and outgoing then you're probably going to make friends more easily when you get to Aus.

I would definitely recommend going for a working holiday to get a feel for the place and to experoence the Aussie nurse working environment. At the end of that, I think you'll have a much better idea if Aus is for you, and at your age you have plenty of time to apply for a Skilled Independent visa in due course and go back already as a permanet resident and the ability to work and live wherever you want.

Good luck!

vikk

Hi Teresa I have sent you a private message

JAJ

I would take a different view. If you already qualify for Skilled Independent migration, then go that route and don't waste time and energy going for temporary visas. Including working holiday visas and sponsored work visas.

Permanent residence gives much more flexibility than *any* kind of temporary visa and even if you don't plan to spend the rest of your life in Australia, you can become a citizen after 2 years with a permanent visa. That's not possible with a temporary visa, and while switching to a permanent visa in Australia is sometimes possible, it's hassle you could do without.

Nurses get priority when applying to migrate, and it's definitely the smart option if you're eligible.

Jeremy

Jeremy

CasG

I have been reliably informed very recently that being granted PR once working in Australia as a nurse (MH) (I am going on a LSBV) is currently taking 3 - 6 weeks, this information derives from knowledge of nurses who have just got PR this way. I have 125 points. Personally I do not see this as 'hassle'. Could you please enlighten me from your perspective.
Cas

JAJ

Timescales for skilled independent are identical whether you apply from offshore or onshore. Nurses get priority either way. Are you talking about employer nomination?

Also note - timescales can vary from case to case. All you need is some complex health issue, or a background check that takes ages because you've lived somewhere 'exotic' and that processing time goes out the window.

It's down to the individual. Personally, if it's possible to arrange things so you step off the plane as a permanent resident, I fail to see how anyone could want to do things in a more complex and roundabout way.

Jeremy

glittababe

Hi Teresa, be very careful with nursing agencies. Avoid Oxley Nursing Services at all costs! Also go for a permanent residency visa over a 457 temp one! It ends up cheaper in long run. Companies will promise the world but deliver nothing when you get here and you'll have to foot the bill for everything from medical insurance to the application fee. Good luck!

ireland

Hi Teresa Welcome to the forum Good luck to you go for perm. residency and Im sure you will make lots of friends both on here and in OZ love ireland

CasG

Can someone please tell me what exactly is so wrong going to Australia on a 457 LSBV, and then applying for PR once I get there - having decided I want to stay?

I am a experienced mental health nurse, have no children, would have 125 points, no health problems, have lived in the UK all my life.
Surely the potential for getting PR onshore is equal to getting it offshore, and that I am not disadvantaging myself by being settled with a job, tax no., bank account, home etc?

It is my understanding that it is not necessary for my employer to sponsor me - and that I can make an independant application if not sponsored (I have not approached my employer with this issue as yet.)
Cas

JAJ

If all goes well you've probably got nothing to worry about. The downsides of the 457 normally only become apparent if things don't work out. For example, if you don't like your employer and want to leave (happens to many 457 holders), or some health issue shows up on your medical that means you don't get PR, or something like that.

It also depends on how flexible you are - for example, if you're a family and moving to Australia involves uprooting kids from school, and a spouse from a career, in my opinion you really don't want to risk a 457. If you're single this may not be as much of an issue, but even here some people may prefer the flexibility/security of PR from day 1.

Jeremy