melp

[F]Me and my family (hubby and 2 daughters 13 & 9) are really wanting to move to Australia. I have looked on lots of web-sites, all the places available to move to,but I am more confused than I was when I started. Where to live, where do I start??? Do I sell my house and live in rented accommodation until the move??? I started off all exited to get things going, but now I am deciding are we doing the right thing.Do you need to be loaded to do it?? As you can see...I really know what I'm doing !!!1 All I can say is HELP ME !!??!!::curse::curse::curse:[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]

Irish Gal

Well, we're going to Melbourne - mainly because that's where my sister lives. Having said that, if she wasn't there, we'd be heading for the place where job opportunities were best for my OH.

As far as selling the house goes, it really depends if you are looking at going on a temporary or permanent visa. Some people rent their homes in the UK/Ireland so they have something to fall back on if it doesn't work out - and there's other (like brave/nuts me) who are going the whole hog and selling up.
I suppose just do what suits you. It can be as stressful as you make it.

Best of luck with it. This site is really fantastic so feel free to ask any questions because someone will be able to answer them for you.

Irish Gal

verystormy

Pretty much as per Irish girl. We are on a temp visa - 3 year 457 visa and are selling up and moving to Sydney in May. Where you go and what visa you go on will largely be decided by what you do and your personal situation. For us, we were spnsered by a Sydney based company so the decision was made for us. We will have the house sold in the next week or two and will rent it back as we have sold it to a guy to buy for buy to let.
As for loaded, no, we will have some equity from the house sale - about £35k, but i know there are many on here who have gone with a lot less.
What do you and your hubby do?

nudefrogtrev

The options in oz are great and it depends really on what you are looking for from your new life and the type of climate you and your family want to live in. In Oz they have got so many varied climates as you move up and down the coast with the far north being very tropical and the south of oz being more med like.

Also do you want pristine coastal areas or somewhere rural with the farm/village type feel.

Try and decide on these factors and then factor in job opportunities, schools, size of town/city/village you want and then the amenities you need.

We are looking to go to WA pretty much because we can get sponsored to go there and that is where the work is.

VERY STORMY - what company have you used for your buy and let scheme?

minibelle

Hi

We are heading for the Sunshine Coast, my brother is moving from Sydney to the Gold coast so we will be closer to him and his family, they have been sponsored so will move closer to us in 2 years. We are looking at Mountain Creek and Buderim area.

minibelle

melp

Thanks for that.I work for the NHS in the community,and my hubby is a chef.Although he is fully qualified,he's been at the same place for 20 years and hasn't done anything else.We'd have around 80k from the sale of the house but I haven't money up front for visa's etc.I haven't a clue where to start,I was dead keen and excited,but now feel bogged down with it all and a bit disappointed that it's not as easy as it looks.I may try to meet up with someone who knows a bit more about it.I thought we'd have to sell the house,live in rented accommodation,and do it all from then,using the money from the sale of the house,putting our stuff in storage,but I love this house,but obviously would give it up tomorrow to go to OZ...
Cheers anyway.... Mel

jessrabbit

Hi Mel,

I was in exactly the same postion as you were a month ago. So overwhelming and hard to decide on what to do, what visa etc. I sat down and looked at the different areas, I looked at Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. I used www.seek.com.au to look at jobs opps and then I used www.domain.com.au to look at property. I then went on this forum and the state government's websites to decide on a visa. I think ours would be a 175, I had to break it down into small steps in my head to think how would I do and what would it cost. To give you an idea of our situation, my OH is a welder, so we could do TRA assessment, Visa application, then wait to be told to get medicals and police checks. There is a good booklet for this on the government visa website. I think chefs are on the wanted list of occuptaions for some states, they are for South Australia anyway, you get 60points for Cook, it is listed under trades. http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au/pdf..._Permanent.pdf
Let me know if your not sure about anything else. I know how it feels when you first begin to think about it.

jessrabbit

Sorry, should have said, the 175 is a skilled permanent visa, if you want to go on temporary four year visa, you can go on the 457 but you have same rights as a permanent resident. If you decide to do it on your own, the cost for the Visa is AUS$2060, but you have to pay for your TRA which i think is $300, then your medical and police checks. I'm no expert but I have had a good old research into it as I was very confused at first as well and went through the big excitment into a big lull when I actually thought, how do I do this!!!

Caddy the cat lover

[QUOTE=melp;6105452]Thanks for that.I work for the NHS in the community,

Hi Mel,

Are you a registered Nurse and are you going to be the primary applicant ?
Nurses are quite straight forward although it seems like a mine field at first !!!

We did it without an agent and are off to the Gold Coast as soon as the house has sold. No jobs lined up - we simply plan to turn up !!
I am a midwife and primary applicant for our skilled independant visa -subclass 136 (which has now been replaced by a 175)

As to whether to sell up and then apply - I guess it's your decision !
You don't have to pay all of the money in one go so I guess you could make a start with the skills assessment and then save up for the visa. The medicals are the very last thing so again it gives you time to save.
You can stay in your lovely house for a while longer !

We are a family of 4 and have spent £2000 on the whole process - skills ass, visa, certifying docs, police checks, courier fees, medicals.

Have you viewed the nursing forum ?

Alison xx

melp

Aaaaahhhh.....I'm more confused now !!! I've looked at Canberra ?? My hubby said "Come on...let's go". I think he meant tonight!! Thanks alot for that anyway...I wish I was in Ireland..or moving to Ireland like my sister-in-law just has.It would be alot easier!!

melp

No..I'm not qualified unfortunately.I've done lots of various community care work which I'm hoping will help us.
I think we'll be ok...we've never been out of work or on benefits,and are both well...so we can give it a try.
It won't cost anything to see if we could qualify,and my hubby has family there too...
Thanks anyway

jessrabbit

Hi,

Sorry to confuse, we just looked at those four cities, that was just for us personally. What I meant was shortlist a couple of areas and then go through property, job opps and weather for each, plus as you have kids, schools and activities etc. Everybody's list will vary, sure one of our considerations was the prescence of an Irish community so i looked at gaelic football clubs etc. Any other questions, just ask, once you get over the initial, AAAARRRGGHHH, it is not too bad and you can start to plan. There is so much paperwork etc needed and form filling but if your circumstances are straightforward you can save money by doing it yourself. Have you been to any Expo or emigration shows?

melp

I've just had a guy on the phone called John Adams from Business Immigrants.Ever heard of him? I sent an e-mail on an Australian information web-site to see if we qualify,and apparently we don't need a sponsor at all and have more than enough points with Chris alone. Obviously he charges,and has sent me an e-mail with all the costings etc and told us we need a 175 skilled independent visa. I'm not sure, because I haven't a clue on what I'm doing, that I could do it alone, or would have to pay someone, which I don't really want to do, but if needs must. I'm going to check out the web-sites that have been sent to me and take a look at a map and schools and property etc.

Thanks again

jessrabbit

Hi there, no haven't heard from him. The 175 is based on points and you one person needs to scored the required minimum to go for this visa. There is a points test here,

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...-applicant.htm

If your partner gets the points you can go on his visa and pay one fee. If your case is straight forward you can do it yourself and save quite a bit.
My OH scores well on his points test so we could get a 175 our only problem, is we are common law partners and not married therefore have to prove we have been together for over a year.

melp

God your good !!!

He said it was straight forward...and like u said...we can all go on his visa..He said..."You better be nice to him now,he's your meal ticket"

His charge was £1500,and then there's the police checks,then something that cost £300.If I knew what to do and when I wouldn't hesitate,the form filling etc doesn't phase me at all.

I'm scared though..I don't know what to do first..I'm usually really confident and will have a go at anything.But you know what I keep thinking now. What family will I have there for the kids at Christmas,if I need help with the kids,who will I ask etc etc

I've looked at areas,education,locality with regards to facilities and I have to be honest..I haven't a clue. I'm not a good flyer,so I'm not keen on going there first.Once I go,,,, that's it...no coming back.

Thanks...............again...............Mel