Dr. Who

I am hoping someone can give me a quick answer to the question “can I immigrate to Australia?�

I am a Brit living in Canada for the last 15 years, I have British and Canadian citizenship. I am a University Professor with a PhD and I will be able to get work in Australia. My wife is a nurse and I suspect she will get work too.

But, here is the problem.

First – we are both 50 years old.

Next, we would want our kids to come with us and they are all over 18 and I know that our oldest (22) does not qualify on points because about 2 years ago he tried to see if he could go alone & he did not qualify. I suspect our younger ones (19 & 20) are in the same boat as him.

So is it possible for us all to emigrate as a family?
(I am not, of course, looking for the definitive answer, just an idea based on the experience of people here. If folks think there is a chance, then I will look at the paperwork in detail).

wombat42

Why do you want to immigrate to OZ? is Canada too cold.

bob and ginnie

I'd ring the Australian Consulate in Vancouver or the High Commission in Ottawa for more details relelvant to your situation. Not too many 50 yr olds are applying for a change in life nowadays.
Hazarding a guess, I should imagine that your 22 yr old would have to apply on his own merits. Not sure about the late teenage son?
With our ageing pop'n, they are screaming out for nurses here, just as they would be in Canada. I read that New South Wales is that desperate, they are recruiting African nurses from Zimbabwe to nurse in NSW country towns.. . . . as if Zimbabwe, with its AIDS crisis can afford to lose nurses? I reckon if she can tuck someone in at 70, they'd still offer her a job in one of the hospitals here in South Australia.
You'd probably get in on points with your Educational background giving you a boost, but turning 50 would lose you points.
Still, there's only one way to find out, and that's to see the boys in Immigration in the High Commission, so ring them long distance!
Hope this helps,
Good luck,
Bob and Ginnie

JAJ

How old is your wife?
And are your children in full time study or not?

Jeremy

JAJ

The problem is that most Australian missions overseas are effectively inaccessible for casual enquiries.

And not every Australian mission overseas has a DIMIA presence to begin with - the only two in the US and Canada are in Washington DC and Ottawa.

There is a toll free number that people in North America can call: 1-888-990-8888.

However, without having used it myself I'd wonder if it's capable of dealing with complex questions. For example, the original poster will *not* qualify for general skilled as he's over 45. It's not a question of whether you lose points - you are completely ineligible. Also, university lecturing is not on the Skilled Occupations List.

If his wife is under 45 and qualifies on her own merits, that's ok.

Those over 45 can get PR through the Employer Nomination Scheme, or the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme. Download booklet 5 from the DIMIA website.

There are special Employer Nomination provisions for senior academics, and nurses have plenty of opportunities. There is an age bar of 45 for employer nomination too, but there is scope for flexibility (which does not exist for general skilled on this point).

Children aged 18 or over (at date of decision, not application) need to be proved as dependents. If they are single, under 25 and in full time education this may be possible - but good professional advice can add a lot of value. It's essential if the above factors don't apply.

Jeremy

jwatsonoz

I'm also an academic and went through the ENS route. I noticed that you could apply to have the age limit waved. It depends on how specialist you are.

The impression I got was that if a university wants you...they can get you over. They deal with these sort of applications all the time...and will have come across the age barrier before.

You need advice about your kids...because they will have to come on their own merit if they are not dependant on you.

I'd find a job first and then leave the problem to them. They pretty much sorted everything for me.

Dr. Who

Thanks everyone - I will follow up on the ideas you have given.

chippy

If that old Tardis of yours is still working, why not put it to good use?

It will save a hell of a lot of rigamarole.