realist7

Hello there,

Nick here, I’m new to the forum. A little bit about myself first, I am a 34 year old British citizen (was born here and a native English speaker) and visited Australia in 2013 on a working holiday visa for around 10 months and liked it out there. I have missed the place since I have been back in the (overcrowded) UK. I have since gotten married and have now decided I would like to emigrate out there so I could primarily create a better life for my future family and better opportunities and also I would like to enjoy a more sunnier climate as I get older. I did look into jobs which could offer possible sponsorships while I was out there but did not get much joy as I was on a WHV which restricted the amount of time I could work for any one employer.

I have looked into possible routes to emigrate out there mainly on the official immi.gov website and am a bit bemused by all the different types of visas available. It also seems that they have recently changed some of the rules and made it more difficult to emigrate.

Despite gaining a BSc (Hons) in IT back in 2005 my work experience is has been various retail and office based sales positions but I have not as yet gained a trade or any experience in any trade. I did do a level 2 plumbing course at my local college when I got back from Australia and passed it but did not manage to find a job with any local plumbers after I completed it. it seems like most all of the ones I contacted either were sole traders and did not want to take anyone else on officially as it would mean they would have obligations in regards to National Insurance contributions/Liability insurance or in other cases they preferred to hire lads straight out of school/someone they knew etc.

So, basically I am in a position where I do not have any experience/skills in any of the occupations listed on the MLTSSL/STSOL (formerly SOL).

I am currently out of work and want my next position to be something which could help me emigrate in the future as opposed to just another job which leads just to pay the bills. I have gone through the current MLTSSL/STSOL and there are a few occupations on it which I feel like I could do but of course it could take a varying amount of years to gain the necessary skills/on the job experience to be eligible to apply for any given skilled visa on this basis – I know I would need to be assessed on any of the given occupations on the list but I am not sure how many years of on-the-job experience I need in any of the given jobs on the list to be able to apply for a visa and how this is determined so I would appreciate any feedback regarding this aspect if possible.

I am even open to the idea of starting my own business (it is something I have always been interested in doing) if it could make this process any easier by making me eligible for a permanent business/entrepreneurship type visa of some sort which could lead to PR?

My newlywed wife works in retail and also does not have any experience which is on the MLTSSL/STSOL. She has told me that she would like us to start a family soon and her preference is to then be a stay at home mum so I doubt there is anything she could do to help.

I thought about getting in touch with a UK based emigration agent but as I don’t really have any relevant skills/experience I wondered whether it was worth it?

I am in good health but have a small blip on my criminal record (A non-custodial sentence of Common Assault back in 2012, I got an absolute discharge with no fines to pay and no community service) so I am hoping this will not be too much of an issue? I was told that under the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 Rehabilitation period is none and the conviction is spent. I still declared this however when I entered Australia just to make sure everything was above board. They asked me a few questions at the airport when i arrived but thanked me for letting them know and I was given entry without any further hassle.

My current position is that I am open to try anything to try and emigrate to Australia as soon as I possibly could. I have thought about this for a few months there is nothing i really want more in life. I wake up sometimes and wish I was still there and am racked with guilt and regret as to why I didn’t try sooner when the rules were less stringent. However I have realised that it is important to have some sort of a dream in life and I’m willing to start now and try my best to achieve it.

Apologies for the long post but I wanted to be as clear about my situation as possible and I have tried my best to be as detailed as possible.

I would really appreciate any assistance or advice in regards to all current permanent visa streams or streams which could lead to permanent residency. Also I would appreciate any advice in regards to agents/contacts (either here or in Aus) who could possibly help.

My hope is that once I do decide on the best visa stream and course of action, I will then just spend the next few years or however long it takes, without changing the plan, working as hard as possible to move toward that end goal. I know how hard this is going to be. I do understand that it is a massive undertaking which could take up to the closest part of a decade and there are so many different hurdles and layers I need to go through (and other factors besides skills/professional experience which come into play) to achieve this dream but I am willing to be as persistent and dedicated as I can and give it my best shot so there’s no regrets in the future.

Thanks for reading. All constructive replies would sincerely be welcomed.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Regards,

Nick.

quoll

Probably not worth it - train or get experience in something you really want to do in your life and which (and it's always a gamble) might get you a visa down the track by all means but requirements change all the time.

Don't be seduced by the "better future" "better opportunities" mantra especially if you are planning on having a family. Women (especially) change their minds about raising a family in isolation on the other side of the world once they actually have the Kids.

If it's nice weather you want, you could try Spain.

geoff52

How about another dream, of being happy in the UK, with your family, friends and the other things that life has given you.

old.sparkles

I have deleted the other thread you created to prevent people answering in two places and causing overlap and confusion.

Other than that:

Hi Nick and welcome to the forum

For a very long post, I could not find any real questions to answer for you. Not sure emigration has gotten any harder - it is what it is. Countries need people with certain skills, so if you have them all good. Without an occupation on the skills list that you could pass the skills assessment for, there are very few options. As you are currently looking for work, and possibly to retrain, why not focus on something you like doing since you are more likely to excel in that job and stick at it.

Unfortunately, not everyone who wants to move to a different country can but if you retrain in a skill, Australia will still be here - and you can always holiday here until then

Amazulu

We're all different and want different stuff in life - maybe those things are not enough for the OP

Different strokes etc

spouse of scouse

Well said Zulu. It's not up to any of us to tell a person what to think, what to dream, or how to live their lives.

jolder

When I applied for my 189 a few years ago I was able to use a previous positive skills assessment that was based on my degree alone in an occupation on the SOL that I had no experience in.

Experience wasn't imbedded in the skills assessment process that it is today but I did have to do an IELTS to get the extra points.

So basically my degree alone got me my visa.

When I first started out I trawled though every visa and every assessing authority known to man looking for any possible path.

I ended up choosing my assessing authority before anything else because it was the only one that would give a positive skills assessment as long as you had a degree equivalent to an Australian degree. So the degree didn't even have to relate to the nominated occupation.

So I kind of found and created my own path rather than just thinking what is my job, what do I do, is it on the list?

I know they have since changed the rules and as I understand it work experience is now part of the skills assessment however I would suggest doing the same thing and trawling through every visa and every assessing authority there is to see if you can find an opening. I'm talking days/weeks of trawling. Just rule them out and you will probably end up looking at a 189, or regional/state sponsored visa.

You have a degree which is a good start. So you could either base your next move on that and build on it to get experience in an IT occupation on the SOL or retrain and start from scratch, however what is on the SOL today may not be on the SOL tomorrow.

Be mindful that the points for age will drop around 40-41-ish so you need to make your move now.

Medical/nurse always seem to be on the list but I understand you now need a nursing related degree for that.

realist7

Thanks for your replies. I know it is a long post and perhaps what I am looking for from it has been lost within it.

So to make things clear:-

We have decided that this is what we want in life. I have a clear goal and this is what I’m going to devote my energy to going forward. My wife is happy to support me in this goal. So, with all due respect, in this instance, we are not really looking for any life or relationship advice in regards to :-

• · Us changing our mind in the future
• · Missing family and coming back
• · Retraining in a profession which I enjoy and not worry about migrating for the time being
• · The fact that Australia is not really better, just different etc, and will not really provide better opportunities
• · Any other advice which basically encourages me to give up or delay pursuing our goal.

I am looking only for constructive advice on how to actually move forward and achieve this goal in the quickest possible time. I know it’s an extremely difficult thing to accomplish and it will take years so I’m not underestimating the task but any posts reminding me of this or discouraging me from trying my best are not helpful in this situation. It’s probably one of the hardest things I could try to achieve given my current situation. I know this already.

I know it is a long post but I wanted to describe my current position as accurately as possible so that I would be in a position to receive the best advice. So to make myself clear ;

The main things I would like to know are :-

· A complete list of ALL possible current visas (of any other type) which definitely provide a pathway to PR (excluding all student visa options).

· The procedures involved and the stages I would be required to go through to gain PR with each of these visas.

· Information on current business/entrepreneur visas.

· Information on how Victoria/NSW state sponsorships work.

· Contact Information for great lawyers /agents/contacts/ who are able to ‘think outside the box’ and could possibly advise me on the ‘path of least resistance’ or help me to achieve my goal of PR in the shortest possible time.

Thanks for reading. All constructive and practical replies on how to achieve this goal successfully would sincerely be welcomed. Once again I know how difficult this process has now become and I know there are no guarantees. Any number of things could cause complications within any future visa application and cause it to fail. I understand this clearly. If you have any further questions feel free to ask.


Regards,

Nick.

realist7

Thanks for reading my post and your replies. I have spent months and months thinking about this and I have come to the realisiation that I must give every fibre of my being to try to achieve this almost impossible goal. After all what is life without having a dream and working towards it. Thanks.

realist7

Thanks jolder for your inspirational post. My current stage is as you say trawling through every available option which currently (after the recent rule changes) provide a pathway to PR and eventually citizenship. I have compiled a spreadsheet and I am adding to it every day. Within it have everything from the currents skills list to MARA registered agents. It will probably take the best part of a month to fully complile it with all the information I would need in one place so I could then start narrowing my options down.

Given my lack of relevant work experience and the fact that I am basically starting from scratch, I honestly feel like my best option would probably be to aim to go down one of the 'lesser travelled routes' to speed things up and reduce the risk of it bieng closed due to over-subscription in the future. Perhaps a business/entrepreneurial based visa stream? or one of the less popular skills on the MLTSSL/STSOL? Or maybe as you did I could somehow create my own path?

Any other ideas you may have would be greatly appreciated. It seems that the quickest people to reply to these sort of posts are always people who try to discourage you?

Once again mate thanks for your post, just what I needed to hear.

Regards,

Nick.

old.sparkles

Current PR visas - https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-...t+visa+options (and that list also includes the visas you need before PR for some such as 887 which requires holder to be on 489 or similar at time of application)

If you follow the links you will find more info, but the basic eligibility for each visa is given. Some can obviously be ruled out quicker (RRV, child visas, etc) but that is the full list.

The quickest posters do not set out to discourage you but provide realistic information which given your chosen user name would appear to be what you are asking for. The simple answer is not everyone who dreams of living in Australia will be able to, but rules change so what is not possible now may be possible later. You are young enough to retrain in another career which may be on the skills list now, and hopefully remain there but life does not come with any guarantees.

spouse of scouse

Hiya Nick. Just a bit of well meaning advice from an old hand.

One thing to remember is that you're posting on a forum whose members aren't immigration advisors, nor do we profess to be. We're a community of expats who've done the emigration/immigration thing, some of us more that once (ping pongers!), so we volunteer our time to try to assist, within the boundaries of our own personal experiences.

In that context, asking for lists of visas that you may be eligible for, and the steps to follow for each visa, is quite simply not going to happen. We each applied for one visa type, not the whole lot. You're going to need to explore each visa yourself, and look at it in tandem with your own situation. Old Sparkles has given you some great resources.

Finally, as a public forum, anyone can post their thoughts and most do so in an effort to assist, even if it's not something the original poster particularly wants to hear. In the words of an old song (I forget the title!), 'just take what you need and leave the rest'.

Hope that helps a bit, it's difficult as a new member to know all the ins and outs. Best of luck with everything

Pollyana

With all due respect, for that lot you need an agent not a forum.

jolder

Nick,

You're welcome.

Regarding your further post, I'll be honest, no one will have the time or inclination to spend the time it requires to look into your questions for you. It's a very time intensive process just doing the research and it's best done by yourself since you alone know your own circumstances. I lost count of the amount of hours I put in for my visa, it became a second life for me but I enjoyed it.

As the amount of info out there can seem overwhelming I will offer you some fundamental advice which I think will help you.

1. As Old.Sparkles has mentioned, all the information you need is on the DIPB website. Don't get carried away with spreadsheets or who the latest MARA agent is. I didn't use a spreadsheet and I didn't use an agent.

2. What is important is that you familiarize yourself with the visas and the visa application process. Rule out those visa's that are not relevant to you quickly and focus on the ones that are. Research each remaining visa until you know the requirements of each like the back of your hand. You will then probably have it whittled down to one or two.

3. Assuming a skilled visa, understand the elements to a successful application. The skills assessment process and the main application. Research the assessing authorities websites to understand what is required from you in terms of skills and experience. Research the DIBP website to understand the points system and how many points you need. You may not even need points for skilled experience on your main application if you have gained enough points from elsewhere eg. an IELTS test. I was encouraged to know I didn't need to claim points for work experience, thank god because I didn't have any.

4. Look at the ANZCO Occupation list to understand the definitions of each occupation.

5. Understand the occupation ceilings and results from previous rounds for your nominated occupation. I was encouraged to know previous applicants were successful with the minimum number of points required. I didn't need 65+

6. For a skills related visa, once you have an occupation in mind, it all starts will a positive skills assessment. Focus on the requirements to achieve this first. Without it you are going nowhere.

If you want me to have a stab in the dark at a quick answer i'd say go with a skilled visa and either:

1. Use your degree (it's very valuable in terms of a skilled visa) go for a 189 in an IT related occupation (check the SOL). Spend the next year getting post grad industry qualifications eg MCSE etc. (they can be studied online in your own time) then get the required experience in work to get a positive skills assessment for an IT occupation on the SOL. See the ACS website:

https://more.acs.org.au/migration-skills-assessment

2. Retrain in a trade. EG. Electrician. Do whatever night classes/courses that are required to be certified in UK. If you can't get a job as electrician work for yourself. Get the work experience required to pass the skills assessment. See the TRA website http://www.tradesrecognitionaustrali...s/default.aspx

Understand you could do all the above but there are no guarantees the path you choose will be on the SOL when you have enough to make your application. But I reckon you could do it within 2-3 years. It all revolves around a positive skills assessment.

That's all I can offer for a Sunday. You can do the rest yourself.

xizzles

Spoon feeding only encourages sponges.