emigrating to australia
 

Hi,
Hope someone can help with this. My husband and I have spent some time talking about emigrating to Australia and were wondering if anyone can help us with some initial enquiries.
1. We have no relatives out there so were thinking about using the points system to apply. I am a teacher and my husband is a graduate who currently works in an office. How long does this whole process really take? Also is it reccommended to go through a migration company or to apply independently? Is there in fact a better way to apply?
2. Does anyone know where we can find information on the best part of Australia to go to? - possibly an impossible question!!
3. Is it possible to buy property out there (either as a cash purchase or with a mortgage)?
4. Probably a stupid question but can they refuse one of us for a visa or do they view us as a couple and will either accept both of us or refuse both of us?
Thanks to anyone for any advice they can give us
Susan and Rod

Re: emigrating to australia
 

Hi Rod and Susan,

    > Hope someone can help with this. My husband and I have spent some time
    > talking about emigrating to Australia and were wondering if anyone can
    > help us with some initial enquiries.

Actually, most of the people on this newsgroup can help with this. It
should be re-named misc.skilledmigration.aust+nz . The trick is to make
sure that you visit the DIMIA website, purchase the skilled migration
booklet, and make judicious use of the views posted here. There are three
registered agents who come here regularly: myself, Alan Collett and Jeremy
Jenkins; there are also a lot of very well informed people with current
applications. So welcome aboard.

    > 1. We have no relatives out there so were thinking about using the
    > points system to apply. I am a teacher and my husband is a
    > graduate who currently works in an office. How long does this
    > whole process really take? Also is it reccommended to go through a
    > migration company or to apply independently? Is there in fact a
    > better way to apply?

As a teacher it will take you about three months to get your skills assessed
by NOOSR. Your husband may or may not require skills assessment, however it
is unlikely to take as long as NOOSR. Using an agent is a personal choice.
We recommend that anyone thinking of using an agent do a price comparison
because many overcharge.

    >2. Does anyone know where we can find information on the best part of
    > Australia to go to? - possibly an impossible question!!

What do you want? Culture, snow, beach, isolation, tropical wilderness...

    > 3. Is it possible to buy property out there (either as a cash purchase
    > or with a mortgage)?

Yes, although doing this without having a visa and having lived here for a
while is a risky venture.

    > 4. Probably a stupid question but can they refuse one of us for a visa
    > or do they view us as a couple and will either accept both of us or
    > refuse both of us?

You will apply together as a couple. The basic rule is one fail all fail
(but this would normally only apply to medical or character issues).

Cheers

George Lombard
--
www.austimmigration.com.au

Re: emigrating to australia
 

Hi there,

Have you had a look at www.immi.gov.au? This should help answer some questions regarding points. As for the best part of Oz it really depends on what you are looking for. there is a lot posted on this site try doing a search on what you want to know. If either of you apply you would include the other on the application. You may be failed on the medicals even if you as the main applicant pass but your hubby does not. Try having a look at the website but any more questions just ask.

Regards

Ginny

Re: emigrating to australia
 

Hi Susan, I had posted the following before I don't know if you got a
chance to look through


Hi,

For the newcomers:

Below is a list of Links and information I obtained during my migration
process. I hope they do get to help as much as they have for me.

I am in the process of waiting for my medical requests. Therefore, if you
are in the same shoes, you definitely know how that feels.

Wish you all the best.


Rosemary

GENERAL INFO - Regardless of country


http://australianz.topcities.com/ -
FANTASTIC SITE PUT TOGETHER BY JEREMY

(Australia & New Zealand Migration Resources)



http://www.threen.com/oz.htm - The move to
OZ- an especially good site for
people migrating from the US


Australia - http://www.immi.gov.au

Question: Where can I find info on the IELTS language tests? To show proof
of English Language?

http://www.ielts.org

Question: Where can I find Immigration Bureaus?

http://www.********************
http://www.dorchesterimmigration.co.n-
z
http://www.austimmigration.com.au
http://www.nsis.co.nz
http://www.macleod.co.nz
http://firms.findlaw.com/JSUppal
http://members.aol.com/ianharrop/mig-
.htm
http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au
(for South Australia only)

Question: What if I am lesbian/gay?

http://www.glitf.org.au





AUSTRALIA
Part 1 Migration and the process

Question: Where can I find info on migration to Australia.

http://www.immi.gov.au

Question: Where can I find info on assessment of my qualifications and
skills for migration to Australia?

http://www.deetya.gov.au/noosr/recog-
.htm
http://www.bhtafe.edu.au/VetAssess
http://www.acs.org.au

Question: I am about to lodge my migration application sometime in the
next month but I was hoping to travel to OZ on a holiday visa to check out
the work/housing situation. Are there any restrictions to entering the
country once you have lodged your application ?

Any positive decision on your visa application made whilst you are in
Australia will be invalid, but in your case, it is unlikely that the
decision would be made so soon. Otherwise, you would have been best
advised to let DIMA know so that they were aware of the situation.

Part 2 General info - weather, tourism etc

Question: Where can I find general info on Australia?

http://www.australia.com

Everything you ever wanted to know about Australia but were afraid to ask:

http://home.mira.net/~lions/aussie.htm-
Blackstump's Australiana section
with links to every possible Australian thing there is.

http://www.dreamtime.net.au on Indigenous
Australians.

Question: Where can I find info on public transport

http://www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au -
Sydney http://www.victrip.com.au -
Victoria
http://www.maxlink.com.au/bcl/trans
- Queensland (Brisbane)
http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au - Perth

Question: Where can I find info on climate and weather?

Bureau of Meterology http://www.bom.gov.au

Question: What is the national anthem?

http://www.immi.gov.au/citizen/inde-
x.html

Question: Do you have some more general information?

In Australia, very little is calculated on a monthly basis. Rent is
usually per week, wages are either per week or per year. Some things are
"per fortnight" meaning every two weeks.

The drinking age is 18 in all states.

Most states allow learner drivers to start learning at under 18 - 17 and 6
months, sometimes 17.

For high school and primary school (up to year 12 or about 17) a fee is
required (up to $350 a year).

Permanent residents or citizens can go to University for fairly small fees
- $2500-$5000 a year. See http://www.hecs.gov.au

For information about government services in each state that are not
covered in the FAQ, start at the govt websites

http://www.fed.gov.au - Federal things
http://www.nsw.gov.au - New South
Wales http://www.vic.gov.au - Victoria
http://www.wa.gov.au - Western Australia
http://www.qld.gov.au -
Queensland
http://www.sa.gov.au - South Australia
http://www.tas.gov.au - Tasmania
http://www.nt.gov.au - the Northern Territory
http://www.act.gov.au - the
Australian Capital Territory

For general searches:

http://www.yahoo.com.au
http://au.altavista.com
http://www.anzwers.com.au

Part 3 What can I bring?

Question: Where can I find info on taking my cat/dog to Australia?

http://www.affa.gov.au/-
docs/quarantine/import/animals

Question: What household goods can I bring?

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/q_r-
ef.htm
http://www.affa.gov.au/outputs/-
quarantine.htm

Question: What about my car?

importing:
http://www.cust-
oms.gov.au/bizlink/imports/motor/index.htm#top

licence and registration:

A page on the Western Australian Dept of Transport (DOT) site listing
links to other states' DOTs. Go to the state's site to find out how to
transfer your foreign license to a local one.

http://www.transpo-
rt.wa.gov.au/licensing/out_wa/links.html
http://www.drive.com.au - a site to find out
about Australian cars, prices
of new & used cars, car reviews, tips, etc.
http://www.tradingpost.com.au
- prices of used cars

Part 4 Daily life - money, taxes, insurance, cost of living

Question: How much is an Australian dollar?
http://www.x-rates.com - (no
it's not what you think...)

Question: Where can I find info on taxes?

http://taxreform.ato.gov.au
http://www.ato.gov.au - Australian Tax Office
(ATO) site
http://www.quicken.com.au/tax/defau-
lt.htm

Question: Where can I find info on social benefits?

Centrelink is Australia's agency for social & family assistance and
benefits: http://www.centrelink.gov.au

Question: Where can I get info on comparative costs of living e.g.
shopping in Australia?

http://www.woolworths.com.au - try the
demo of the home shopping service
Cost of living estimators:
http://www.yourmortgage.com.au
For rental prices, try
http://www.selecthome.com.au which has
details for
SA, Vic, and Wld.

Question: Should I buy a house or rent?

It is better to rent at first, to get to know the neighbourhood - crime
rate, noise level, demographics, accessibility to things that are
important to you, future plans for the area etc. When you are very sure
where you want to live you can make the big & expensive decision of buying
a house.

































Part 5 Where can I go to find a job?

Different sites for looking up jobs (however most will not have salaries):
http://www.mycareer.com.au
http://www.itjobs.fairfax.com.au -
ITJobs http://www.jobnet.com.au - IT
job search site http://monster.com.au
http://jobsearch.deetya.gov.au
http://www.employment.com.au
http://www.seek.com.au

Question: How much will I earn?

http://www.wagenet.gov.au/index

Question: Where can I find links to newspapers and current affairs?

http://www.abc.net/newsradio - this has a
24 hour Real Audio newsfeed of
the Parliamentary and News Network, plus on the Useful Links page are
links to newspapers around the world including Australia.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au - The
Australian is the national newspaper
http://www.theage.com.au - The Age is
Melbourne's main paper
http://www.smh.com.au - The Sydney Morning Herald
is Sydney's main paper
http://www.canberratimes.com.au - The
Canberra Times
http://www.thecouriermail.com.au -
Brisbane's Courier-Mail
http://www.thewest.com.au - Western
Australia's main paper
http://www.afr.com.au - Australian Financial
Review for business news













Part 6 Miscellaneous

A list of ISPs in Australia:
http://www.cynosure.com.au/isp

http://www.whitepages.com.au look up phone
numbers, and also find out what
time it is in Australia or other parts of the world. In addition, there are
links
to the Yellow Pages, and "Where IS" street atlas of Australian streets.















NEW ZEALAND

Part 1 Migration and the process

Question: Where can I find info on migration to New Zealand?

http://www.immigration.govt.nz

Question: Where can I find info on assessment of skills and qualifications
for migration to New Zealand?

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz

Question: Where can I find info on citizenship?

http-
    ://www.citizenship.govt.nz/DIAwebsite.nsf/URL/CitizenshipOffice-Home







Part 2 General info - weather, tourism etc

Question: Where can I find general info on New Zealand?

http://purenz.com
http://www.vnz.co.nz
http://www.kiwinewz.com
http://url.co.nz/nzl.html
http://www.aaguides.co.nz
http://www.govt.nz
http://tepuna.natlib.govt.nz/web_d-
irectory

Specific info on some regions:

http://www.akcity.govt.nz - Auckland
http://www.wcc.govt.nz/wellington -
Wellington
[url="http://nz.com/rotorua/attratct/index"]http://nz.com/rotorua/attratct/index[/ur-
l] - Bay of Plenty
http://www.canterburypages.co.nz -
Canterbury/Christchurch

On indigenous New Zealanders (Maori)
http://www.maori.org.nz

Question: Where can I find info on climate and weather?

http://www.metservice.co.nz/f-
orecasts/index.asp For general searches, try
http://www.searchnz.co.nz and
http://www.nzexplorer.co.nz
Part 3 What can I bring?

Question: Where can I find info on taking my cat/dog to New Zealand?

http://www.maf.g-
ovt.nz/biosecurity/imports/animals/index.htm







Part 4 Daily life - money, taxes, insurance, cost of living

Question: How much is a New Zealand dollar?

http://www.x-rates.com (no it's not what
you think...)







Part 5 Finding a job via job search sites, newspaper sites

Question: What job search sites are there?

http://www.seek.co.nz
http://www.jobs.co.nz/NZjobs.html
http://www.careers.co.nz
http://www.jobnetnz.co.nz
http://www.monster.co.nz

Question: Where can I find links to newspapers and current affairs?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz
http://www.evpost.co.nz
http://www.press.co.nz
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news

Part 6 Miscellaneous

To look up phone numbers

http://www.whitepages.co.nz

You will find some travel links listed at

http://url.co.nz/cgi-bin-
/searchnz.cgi?category=agent

Some New Zealand Internet Service Providers
http://www.voyager.co.nz
http://www.iprolink.co.nz
http://www.actrix.co.nz
http://www.iconz.co.nz
http://www.paradise.net.nz
http://www.clear.net.nz
http://www.xtra.co.nz





"sunny_samantha" wrote in message
news:450385.1035221366@britishexpats-
.com...
    > Hi,
    > Hope someone can help with this. My husband and I have spent some time
    > talking about emigrating to Australia and were wondering if anyone can
    > help us with some initial enquiries.
    > 1. We have no relatives out there so were thinking about using the
    > points system to apply. I am a teacher and my husband is a
    > graduate who currently works in an office. How long does this
    > whole process really take? Also is it reccommended to go through a
    > migration company or to apply independently? Is there in fact a
    > better way to apply?
    > 2. Does anyone know where we can find information on the best part of
    > Australia to go to? - possibly an impossible question!!
    > 3. Is it possible to buy property out there (either as a cash purchase
    > or with a mortgage)?
    > 4. Probably a stupid question but can they refuse one of us for a visa
    > or do they view us as a couple and will either accept both of us or
    > refuse both of us?
    > Thanks to anyone for any advice they can give us
    > Susan and Rod
    > --

Re: emigrating to australia
 

just a thought but what about a teacher exchange for 12 months ?
abit like a try before you buy !!
I now some aussie friends that did it a scot and swapped perth for scotland (scot got the better deal with the weather)
:)

Re: emigrating to australia
 

Hello Rod and Susan,

George has very kindly mentioned my name so it would be remiss of me not to mention that there is a fair amount of information (including the ability to register for free e-newsletters) on the Go Matilda site ... :-))

This page is probably the one to start at:
http://www.gomatilda.com/visas/overview.cfm

As a general rule, if you aren't married or in a relationship with someone who is an Australian citizen/permanent resident, and haven't been involved with a business as an owner or senior executive, you are looking at skilled migration as your route to permanent residency.

Another possibility that some look at is to set up or acquire a business interest in Australia via a 4-year temporary 457-Independent Executive visa and to then apply for a permanent Established Business visa once their business meets the criteria for the grant of the permanent visa.

Processing times ... this site is worth looking at to get a feel for processing times and when you can expect certain documents to be requested:
http://www.austimeline.com/index.jsp

As a guide, for general skilled visa applications you should expect a waiting time of about a year. That said, the processing time would come down to about 4 to 6 months if you were a nurse, or if you could obtain a State Nomination from Victoria or South Australia.

Added to this, you should allow 2 to 3 months to obtain the Pre Application Skills Assessment, which is a pre-requisite of applying for a skilled visa.

As to costs - the fee payable to the skills assessing body is between A$300 and A$600 depending on which body is relevant to your occupation (for NOOSR the fee is A$300). The DIMIA fee for the visa application is A$1,745, and in due course you will have the cost of medicals, chest X-rays, and police reports. As to migration agents' fees - happy to advise if you want to contact me or my colleague John Sylvester directly (telephone number and email addresses here: http://www.gomatilda.com/contact.cfm).

As George has said already, both you and your husband would be included on the one visa application (only one fee payable) - on a one fails/all fail basis in respect of the medicals and police reports.

Hope this helps.

Re: emigrating to australia
 

Just wanted to thnk all of you for your help. Much appreciated!
Susan and Rod