mark_sheffield

Hi,

Precisely a year ago today I left Australia as my backpackers working holiday visa was coming to an end and I had to leave.

I spent 2 wonderful years living, working and travelling around Australia and I said to myself that one day I would like to return to live. During my time in Australia I met my wife and we moved to Taiwan as her visa was also expiring.

Our life here in Taiwan is going ok but I am worried that neither of us is developing ourselves for a better future together. I spend my days trying to teach small kids English and she works at a local bank. Of course none of these positions will qualify us for a sponsorship visa to return to Australia. Without a specialist trade or qualification as well as a lack of any discerning skills we are both pretty much stuck.

Living in a Chinese speaking country I am self-studying mandarin Chinese and making steady progress. However to obtain a decent level in this will require many years of full-time study. Combined with our desire to start a family and lack of motivation this may well drop off in the future.

We are both reaching the upper edges of the “youth” age range being 25 and 30 respectively. We lead a very simple life and enjoy simple pleasures. We certainly didn’t party away our 2 years in Australia and have left around $AUD35,000 in our Australian bank accounts in the hope that one day we can return.

Our preferred areas to return to would be Perth, Karratha, Richmond (Rural Tasmania) or Townsville. Of course all of these places are vastly different to one another but these are the areas where we had the most down-to-earth normal living situation and weren’t’ just passing through travelling.

I feel that a return to the UK is just not possible the way things are at the moment with the UK economy. We are visiting for 2 weeks in January but apart from visiting my family I don’t have a strong pull to go back.

So there it is. It all seems so far away now, both our previous life living in Australia and the possibility of a return one day. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions to offer?

Thank you for reading.

SKIPPI79

I don't see a reason that the ozzies will let you back in for good. Like you said yourself, you don't have the qualifications the be allowed in on a skilled visa, or for anyone to sponsor you. The best bet is to go and get a degree and several years work experience, whether it be where you are now or in the UK

Goodluck

pumpkin blossom

We were the same, but younger when we left. We knew there was no way for us to come back for years. We eventually came back on a student visa for two years. At the time that visa could lead to permanent residence. It has been changed now and is near impossible.

If I were you, if either of you have any interest in it, I would go to the uk and train in nursing. Nurses will always be wanted, all over the world.

innojuk

You already know the answer to your question, you won't get a visa without having a skill that is wanted in Australia.

Do lots of research into the skills that are in demand and then retrain. If that means coming back to the UK for a few years then so be it.

Don't give up hope though, it's taken me 23 years to get that visa and I go back to Aus in 3 weeks!!!!

Good luck

phat-dave

holy shit, i cant believe anyone would want to go to richmond, tas!!! lol

i know your feeling though.... except i miss canada! is it possible for you and your girlfriend to try a year in canada to satisfy that craving for a different lifestyle?

with your savings, it would be very nice in canada at present with the AUD/CAD exchange rate! plus their day to day items are cheaper thus lower cost of living

Vash the Stampede

Hey, don't knock it. Richmond's a beautiful place. Not a bad substitute for English countryside.

Pollyana

Lovely little town, I remember wandering round it on a scorching hot day! Nice friendly pub too

phat-dave

dont get me wrong, it's a "cute" place... just wouldnt put it into a category where one would consider moving half way around the world to it....

Vash the Stampede

Yep, Richmond is a big personal favourite of mine. I always stop there when I'm doing the Launceston <-> Hobart run.

Fair point. I imagine there's not much work besides counting mangel-wurzels and randomly muttering 'AARRRH...' at nervous tourists.

slapphead_otool

It really isn't that hard to get into Australia if you are serious about it. Take a good look at the skills lists and pick something that looks easy, then work on it.

Right now I would pick the "recruiter" option. Half of the current IT recruiters in Sydney are like you, ex backpackers who liked the place. Like you they taught English in Asia for a while, then decided to settle in Australia.

They went back to London, did a spell in recruiting and turned up here clutching a visa. One of my recruitment agents was a pro football player before he turned up here ( he wasn't a very good one). They don't have degrees, or very much epperience...

Another option is to do a Masters degree in an accounting based subject. I worked at Macquarie university, and the whole place was full of Chinese all Doing accounting subjects to get the 50 points. Hardly any of them wanted to be accountants, and I saw one working as a shop assistant in David Jones a few months ago. But she had her citizenship.

There are always easy routes in if you look. In the late 80s there was a skills class for "Asian waiter"!!!! Next time you have yum cha look carefully at the level of skill involved. And yet thousands came here on those skills...

If you want something enough, you can have it. And that includes a life here.

Good luck mate.

moneypenny20

[QUOTE=slapphead_otool;9772086
There are always easy routes in if you look. In the late 80s there was a skills class for "Asian waiter"!!!! Next time you have yum cha look carefully at the level of skill involved. And yet thousands came here on those skills...

If you want something enough, you can have it. And that includes a life here.

Good luck mate.[/QUOTE]

Up to a few years ago I would probably have agreed with you. It's very different now, DIAC have closed more loopholes than you can shake a stick at. Bloody hard to get here now without putting in the hard yards for a few years first.

slapphead_otool

I agree MP, but there are till some odd roles on the skills lists:

Picture Framer? 394212
Snow sport instructor? 452314
Real estate representative? 612115
ICT sales representative? 225313
Recruitment consultant? 223212
Etc

These are not degree plus a number of years experience type roles, these are a bit of experience and hello Australia. It's not that hard to meet some of the skill requirements if you really wanted to.

I KNOW recruitment consultants who had less than six months experience in the UK before they were granted visas.

Vash the Stampede

I thought that was true of every recruitment consultant.

In Exile

now i want to go and live in Richmond Tas. any well paying jobs round there?

calliope

But don't they look into experience and things? You can't just "become" a picture framer on week and get a visa. You have to be able to demonstrate certain skills and experience surely.