Do we go for it or not????
 

My husband, myself and my 6yr old and 3yr old came out to Brisbane (Sunshire Coast, Caloundra) at Christmas time for a month.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and are now back in the UK wondering whether or not we should go for it!

It's such a big decision to make, and whilst I can't think of a good reason to stay here, it's a big decision to actully take the plunge.

One minute I know exactly what we're doing (we're starting to fill in our Visa forms) and the next minute I''m very unsure and almost frightened. I worry about the kids and their schools etc. We've always lived in the same village but something does feel very right about immigrating.

My Husband is a Carpenter, so we don't have to 'blag' our way through the forms, so are going to do it without an Agent.

Whilst we were on King's Beach the day before Christmas Eve, we met some ladies from Little Mountain who told us about this site, and they told us that we'd get some honest views - so lets have them!!

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Hi there, well the mixed emotions are kinda common and have lasted me right through this process. Yeah it is a huge step BUT if you think it is right for you and yours why not give it a bash. What's to lose ( maybe don't answer that yet!). Nothing ventured nothing gained. We are hopefully off to Brisbane the end of April. Excited and scared at the same time but I can't wait. :D Good luck with whatever you and your family decide. :thumbup:

Donna

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

It's such a big step isn't it. On reading some of the questions on the site, I realise that we're not on our own. I don't feel that the children have a wonderful future in the UK and want what is best for them.

I know that I will make new friends, and ou friends here can come and see us. My Mum and Dad will be out like a shot for 6 month holidays at a time!!!!! but it is still a huge huge change.

How long did it take you from start to finish?

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

We went out on holiday 2005, started our skills assessment Jan 2006 and finally got our visa sent off May 2006. Visa granted Feb this year. It is a long process and patience is so needed. It I guess is a kinda of trial, if you want it bad enough you will go thru it. This site will be a godsend to you. So much info on it, good for answering queries and sharing with folk in the same boat.

Donna

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Did you do it yourself or go through an Agent? My Husband is a Site Manager/Carpenter, so has all the relevant skills and qualifications so it is just a case of filling in the correct boxes, I'm guessing.

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Hi we did it ourselves. Lots of info gathering and the forms are really repetitive, however we managed. Do lots of research first, read the immi booklets and there is always help on here. Where you thinking of heading to in Oz?

Donna

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

We stayed in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, but went to Brisbane and Sydney. We found a little suburb called Little Mountain, which was lovely, but because of Georges' work, I think we might head towards Brisbane more, although in saying that, there is a huge hospital planned for erection at Caloundra in the next 2 years, so staying up there could be a possibility. what about you?

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

If i were me i would but thats me and we are:confused: the question is do you wont to emmigrate and you sound like you do so go for it , if you dont try it you will always wonder what if. I am a sparky and we used an agent due to the complexity off my personal case ,but it all went plain sailing and got visa within 9 month from start to finish. good look and go for it.:thumbup:

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Hi we are heading to Brisbane. Loved it when out in 2005 and have researched jobs for us. We are both mental health nurses and are hoping to work at the Royal Brisbane. Are you in health care.

Donna

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

I don't think this is something anyone else can help you with really,

I read the posts of the people who hate it and are returning home and also the ones of people who have gone updating everyone on how they like it to get a balanced view, I think that is all you can do really,but good luck in what you do decide

Kim:D

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Hi

When we started the process we were the same. We were so sure that it was what we wanted but we got a bit scared once we'd got the ball rolling. We just kept in mind that we may get knocked back and then the decision is out of our hands. The process is long but it's for a reason, it gives people time to really think about it at each stage and I expect that many people drop out in the early stages. When we were due to hear whether we had our visas I wasn't feeling good anyway and was worried about how I would react to the news...either way. We got the visa and I was ecstatic!

We've been here for 14 months now and the first year had it's ups and downs but we've really settled down now. Our girls settled incredibly well, they are aged 9.5 and 11 now. They love their new school, have lots of friends and are involved in so many activities. They don't really mention 'home' which is a bit sad really!! They have the odd msn conversation with their friends back home but that's about it.

That's our experience anyway but as somebody else said on BE, it's different for everyone.

Good luck.

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Thanks for the advice! I started to fill in the forms last night. They seemed relatively easy, just repetitive.

Alot can happen in the months that it takes us to collate all the information, so that will give us time to really think hard!

Sharon.

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

Hi, It's good to see we are not the only ones with this dilema!! We have 2 young kids 4 and 1 and are keen to offer them the best quality of life we can -I've spent so long researching property prices, schools and job prospects that my head hurts! I guess what we really need to do is bite the bullet and make a decision (finally). One thing that bothers me is for my skills assessment needing to tell my employer of my intentions. :(

Best of luck with your application & I hope you and your family enjoy the adventure!

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

lets hope we dont see a similar post from you in ten years time. think about it?

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

A year ago I would have said "Go for it - you only live once"

Now I'm not so sure.

For us it has been a good move (but I'm not sure how long we'll stay).
But for too many others it has been a nightmare. Just spend a bit of time reading the Moving back to the UK forum.

From your brief post I'm not so sure that there's much evidence that it will work for you. Same village all of your life? That would be my number one alarm bell.

Not thinking of a good reason to stay in England would be my number two alarm bell. Shouldn't you be driven by a desire to see the rest of the world?

If you do take the plunge for goodness sake don't sell your house!

Re: Do we go for it or not????
 

OK, don't take all this the wrong way but you did want an honest reaction ...

If you cannot think of a good reason to stay in the UK then you clearly have a warped perspective of life and would therefore not be moving for the right reasons. There are plenty of ways of leading a perfectly good life in the UK. If you have always lived in the same village then this hardly gives you a UK-wide view of life.

Maybe trying life outside your village in a significantly different environment would suffice for now? It would be cheaper and less prone to disaster.

Maybe you are just bored and need a distraction, yeh, emigration is an pretty big distraction and yeh, it might even be what you need but you'd only find out by luck and good fortune ... and what's wrong with that? Nothing. Think how fortunate you are to be able to even contemplate the decision.

Only do it if you take a good look at yourselves and can honestly say that there isn't something deeper (and closer to home) that is causing you to think this way. Think of all your family and friends in the UK that you will leave on the basis of the experience of a sunny holiday.

Australia ain't a utopia, it will not solve personal problems and if you have 'issues' in the UK then they sure as hell will follow you here. If you do make the move then go back then you could end up in a worse position that if you'd stayed in the UK and made more effort to discover what it was you were lacking (and a 'laid back lifestyle' just don't cut it).

But sheesh, it works for me at the moment and I hadn't visited the place before ... it helps that I have an Australian wife and daughter who make ALL the difference, I still work, there are still bills to pay and the commute still drags some days. Yup it's sunnier and that is nice (most of the time) but it ain't a reason to up-sticks and leave your nearest and dearest.

You sound like you have plenty of 'unknowns' and unexplored paths that need to be followed before you make such a big decision.

Matt