jackieh23

If you think that the contributors who gave you constructive and accurate advice are having a go, I would suggest you seriously reconsider moving to Australia. I have family from the UK who have been very taken aback with the plain speaking of both ourselves and friends of ours they have met on their Aus visits. No malice is intended - we just say it as we see it.

A thicker skin may be needed methinks.

BTW Being a single parent with a support network is hard. Try doing it without any support, a very young child and shift work. Good luck.

old.sparkles

Not sure that is correct - I did not have to provide permission from anyone else, or a court order, for young spark to emigrate with me (no father named on birth cert)

Pollyana

It looks like DIBP can ask for something to say that there is no other parent on the scene-see the wiki which I think JAJ put together. Its one of those things that is largely down to the CO you get. Bearing in mind that Young Spark is much older than the kiddie in this case I would say its more likely they would ask in this case than in yours. At his age he would have had more of a say than an absent father. It should be fairly easy to do though, just something along the lines of a Stat Dec. Certainly shouldn't be a show stopper, but is something the OP need to look at along with everything elss.

Until she tells us more about where she wants to head to though not much we can do about helping her - living costs can be very different across the country as you know

teza

Was young spark over 16 though??

old.sparkles

He was 16 when we applied and turned 17 before grant.

Dorothy

Well that would be why. The OP has a 2 year old and there's a big difference between 16 and 2.

old.sparkles

I agree, but does show that not all single parents need a court order to emigrate with their child which was the question you were answering

Dorothy

From the DIBP website: Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) document checklist

Children

Copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents for each dependent child included in the application.
For all children included in the application aged 18 years or older, provide a scanned colour copy of:
their full birth certificate to evidence their relationship to you
evidence of their current or recent formal studies
evidence of financial dependency on you
a completed Form 47A
If any dependent child included in the application is adopted include scanned colour copies of the adoption papers.
If you have included a child under 18 years of age in the application, and that child’s other parent is not included in the application you must provide documentary evidence that you have the legal right to include that child in your application, such as:
copies of official legal documents, such as a court-issued custody, access or guardianship order;
Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (125 kB PDF file). If you use this form, you will have to attach a certified copy of the other parent’s government issued identification document (such as a passport or driver’s licence) with their photograph and a signature.

moneypenny20

Absolutely no one has judged single parents. But you could also be accused of the same thing as you have no idea of the circumstances of the posters. Anyway, give us a bit more info about where you'd like to be, if you know.

Being without close emotional back up can be very hard, that may be a normal situation for you now, obviously no idea of your situation and it's none of my business but if you're used to having support from family and friends, regardless of job, losing that support in a brand new situation throws most of us who come with husband/wife/kids/etc etc let alone single parents with toddlers. However if that's not going to be a problem, give us more info and good luck

old.sparkles

I know what it says, but I did not have to provide any other info.

No other parent is listed on young sparks birth certificate - he doesn't have one.

cowquineinscotland

Scottish Law states that "A father has parental responsibility if he’s married to the mother when the child is conceived, or marries her at any point afterwards.

An unmarried father has parental responsibility if he’s named on the child’s birth certificate (from 4 May 2006)".

As I am not married and my son's father is not on the birth certificate, there is no question of parental responsibility and it would be impossible to get anyway. So rather than debate the issues of responsibility please can we focus on my original questions? I would be looking to relocate to Perth where my son's Godmother lives.

Dorothy

As I said earlier, your child was 16. He was old enough that if asked he could have stated his opinion of whether he wanted to move to Australia or not. The OP's child is 2. Your case is/was very different to hers.

OP, as for your other questions,

1) How does childcare work regarding shift work? In the UK it is a nightmare.
You are going to find it difficult to find childcare here in Perth for a 2 year old when you're on shifts. Most childcare centres are open daytime hours and it's bloody expensive. Depending on what visa you come on you may or may not be entitled to some tax breaks to help offset some of the costs.

2) Does anyone know if there is a need for dialysis nurses as this is my speciality and would prefer (but not essential) to stay in the same speciality?
Have you looked at job boards?

3) Would me and my son be able to live on the income from a nurses' salary? I am aware of the salary I may receive but don't know whether this would be enough.
That depends on what your lifestyle is like. If you like to live on takeaway dinners and expensive clothes then you would struggle. If you're used to living on a budget and are wise with your money you should be ok.

4) Are there really plenty of jobs for nurses? The registration/visa process is quite expensive and I don't want to spend our rainy day money and then not have a job at the end of it.

No, there aren't plenty of jobs for nurses in WA right now. A lot of nurses have had shifts cut or been offered redundancy due to changes to the health department. I work in the WA health sector (not nursing, but am doing a nursing degree) and I've seen nurses I have worked with for years lose their jobs. Three from my department alone with over 20+ years' experience each have been made redundant. I worry about whether I am going to be able to find permanent and not only contract or agency work once I graduate.

verystormy

In Perth, child care for shift work is almost none existent and when there are places you can expect to be paying over $150 a day. You would get about $40 of that back if you are a permanent resident. If on a 457 you would not get anything back.

When looking at salaries, do take account that most nurses have to step down grades in order to get a job and that new state rules mean that if the job is replacing someone else then you will be subject to a 10% pay reduction.

One last thing about your child. Australia does not give a rats backside what Scottish law says. The entire UK is subject to the international conventions on movement of children. So, you must comply with Australia's requirements. Scotland is irrelevant.

xizzles

This last statement is so poignant, as Australia herself found out, when the 2 Australian drug smugglers were sentenced to death in Indonesia. When you're in somebody else's backyard, best to play by their rules so as to not to get one's knickers into a twist should things go all pear-shaped.

Just my 2 rapidly depreciating cents worth...

kips

Hi Jen

I think you are brave emigrating as a single parent with such a young child and wish you success.

If you do come to Australia make friends with as many stay-at-home mums as possible because I cannot stress enough the importance of having a good support network. Mothers and toddler groups are a valuable source of information and help. I would never have been able to return to work when my son was 2 years old without the help of one of the mums who became my childminder for two years when we lived in NSW. I couldn't get a child care place at the time because demand was so high. Every place I phoned had a long waiting list. My childminder, who became a great friend, was a godsend.

Your biggest hurdle will be getting child care. It is very expensive and there is a lot of compeition for places, especially for toddlers. Most families can only afford child care it because there is a government rebate which covers 50% of the cost.

Day care centres are only open from about 6.30am-6pm and are very strict about picking up your child before closing time. They will charge extra even if you are a few minutes late so having child care close to where you work is a huge advantage.

I lost count of the number of times - over 2 years when my son was in child care here - I literally ran from my workplace in the city to the train station to get to the child care centre 50km away in Balidivs by 6pm on those days I didn't leave the office on time because of work commitments. It was so stressful.

Family day care, where your child is looked afer a person in their home, would probably suit you better if you are working shifts but again there is firece competition.

And a car is a must here because Perth is so spread out so you need to factor that into costs if you move here. I would be lost without my car. Good luck