shorrock

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Hi All

I thought I would write about my 7 years in Australia. This was inspired by reading the main site and reading everybody’s. “Been here for X months” stories.

Where did my Australian Journey begin? It began sometime in 1997. I met a wonderful Irish girl at my best mates 21st, she was his cousin. Anyway, we got together and she moved in with me in Manchester (UK). Shortly after we got together, she told me she always dreamed of being in Sydney Australia for the 1999 – 2000 New Year and just like any typical bloke I forgot. Fast forward to Jan 1999, were I am still with the same girl. I am told (by her) that she will be going to Australia in June and I can come if I wanted. This was kinda funny as we had been living together for 2 years. Having just started a fantastic job 6 months before, working for a Tier 1 IT Consulting firm it wasn’t a very easy decision. Sure why not, nothing to lose by taking 12 months back packing around Australia.

Within a month we had got the Working Holiday Visa, Booked ONE WAY ticket to Sydney via Bali with Garauda Airways. Who knew at that time that we would only need a ONE WAY ticket, was this a sign that Australia was meant to be our home.

Fast forward to the beginning of June 1999. We had a family do, where we got all the family together and ate and drank. Everybody was happy, except my mum. At the end of the night my mum came up to the both of us and said “You won’t come back” , We brushed this off and said we would see them in 12 months time. Sign number 2 that Australia was meant to be our home.

So a few days later, off to the airport for a slow flight to Bali for 2 weeks of holidays before we get to Sydney. The flight to Bali was long and it stopped at a few airports along the way. The service was good and staff friendly.

I still remember landing at Bangkok airport, and seeing somebody playing golf next to the runway. We get to Bali and have a fantastic 2 weeks, eating and drinking good food.

The flight from Sydney was not as planned. We get to Sydney, well a few thousand feet above it. When the captain comes over the PA and tells us Sydney is fogged out (first time in 4 years) and we will be diverting to Melbourne.

Well we arrived in Melbourne and sit on the plane for 4 hours, with NO updates from the staff. After 4 hours we are informed that we will be getting off her and alternative arrangements will be made. Another 2 hours passed as we offloaded the plan using a 6 PERSON minivan/people carrier. The mini van broke down twice during the off loading of passengers. So we got to immigration, expecting something different. Some big welcome, just something to signify our arrival in Australia, albeit a different city we had been planning for.

NOTHING happened at immigration. The bloke asked us what we planned on doing and then stamped out passports 30th June 1999. This day would also be significant in our life in Australia.

8 hours later we arrive in Sydney on a domestic plane, crammed in the middle seats.

So here we are in Sydney Australia (July 99), I landed a Job in IT so easily (Dot Com time). The company offered to Sponsor (457 Visa) me to stay longer. I was kinda happy with the idea, but wasn’t to sure as my Girlfriend was on a Working Holiday Visa, and would have to leave after her time.

That is until I read the 457 Application and see those magic words “De Facto”. So I send the girlfriend off to Immigration department at The Rocks Sydney. She tells me she spent 3 hours waiting, only to be told that if we can prove we have be living together for more than 12 months she could get on the visa.

So Sept 99, we are both on my 457 visa. Thinking “OK so what is wrong with staying an extra 12 months and having a confirmed job?”

Fastford a few years and 2 job changes.

So Easter of 2002 we contact a migration agent, who give us the low down which visa and what we need to do.

It took me about 8 months to get all the paper work and ACS approval together to submit to Immigration. I didn’t have a problem with ACS as I had a degree and, they didn’t have any work requirements at that time. So the application gets submitted late 2002. Having JUST missed the fast tracking of IT skills people, we were heading for a 12 month wait.

May the 9th 2003 (My mums Birthday), I get a call from the migration agent. They had been told that a decision was imminent and that we had to leave the country before a decision could be made. Agent informs me that they are 99% sure we have been granted the visa.

I book flights for 9th of June out of Sydney to New Zealand for a 3 week holiday and to collect our Visas (hopefully).

9th of June arrived and we are on an early flight out to New Zealand. We decided to book a Camper van and drive around the North Island while the final decision was made on our visa. We had a fantastic time in New Zealand. It was cold at the time, but nice.

The day we went to collect the visa, we had major problems figuring out the lift system where we had to collect the visas. After watching a few people using the lifts, we figured out that you had to use a “Computer Directory”, select the organisation you were visiting and it would TELL you which lift to get in. Very strange I thought, but maybe this was the final test for our visa.

So we get to the little office where we had to collect the visa. Holy cr@p, there is about 50 people waiting, some people are waiting outside. We thought this was going to take hours. Seeing as they only had 3 windows/desks that could be used to help people and only 2 were manned.

So we went in and pressed the button to get our number. We looked around the room for two seats we could sit at and began to walk over . Before my bum hit the seat, our number had been called. “Holy Cr@p” I thought. We walked up to the counter getting the death stares from everybody in that room. I though I was going to be killed for “Jumping” the queue. The girl at the counter asked what we wanted, we showed her the pre grant letter. She tapped away on the keyboard and said. Yes the visa had been granted and congratulations. She took our passports and put in the visa yayay Visa number 3 (2 previous 457s) in our passport.

We fly out of NZ on 30th June and arrive in Sydney on the same day. We hadn’t planned this and only noticed when the immigration guy said it to us. We initially arrived June 30th 1999 and arrived back in Australia with PR on June 30th 2003

Fast Forward 3 years. We got our citizenship yesterday (13th June 2006 - Sydney Town Hall). I can’t believe how quickly the time has past since we first arrived.

Thanks to past BE (and some current) members for their advice and input. I still lurk around the forums and add my 2 cents worth. I also submit using usenet with the nick Test

Anyway good look to all those people on the journey and I hope you all make it.

Kieron

P.S The misses and I still haven’t got married (soon to change ) and it would all be different if Australia didn’t have De Facto

avroncotton

Good going...Me and the wife were backpackers in June 1999 and will be citizens on Australia Day Next year.

Fiona&malc

Really interesting read, thanks for doing that, i love hearing other peoples stories and where and how they ended up in different places.

We too went to Auckland to get our passports stamped, and id forgotton about the lift system until you mentioned it !!!! It was a tad confusing wasnt it. Only difference was we had to wait over an hour (with two small kids) in that small cramped smelly wating room to get our visas, but never mind, it was worth it.

Congrats to you both and thanks for sharing your story

I'll get round to doing mine one of these days

brisnick

I was a backpacker in 2001, and I became a citizen 5 months ago I went to Auckland to get my visa too (about 2 months after you) but I don't remember the lift - and I was sober!!

moneypenny20

Great post, thanks for that. How weird would it have been if your citizenship had been in a couple of weeks time

See, mum's are always right!

mand8002

What a great story! You see mums are always right lol. I hope she wasn't too upset when she found out you were staying here.

Bidd

Myself and my husband (boyfriend at the time) travelled to Australia on a working holiday visa in 2000. We loved it and it was always our intention to go back if we could. We applied for permanent residency visas last August, got married in March and our visas were granted in May. We're heading back in September and can't wait!

BadgeIsBack

I did it in 4 years. Had the operation a few months ago.

shorrock

Ya something has happened over night as now my written english is shocking. I re-read my post and was shocked at the english in it.

O well I'm an ozzie now

KS