Hi all,

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Australia, we have 3 kids, he is an electrician, I am currently in my final year of a nursing degree, so the move would probable be within the next 2 years.
We are house swapping with our friends in brisbane next year for a month and hope to gain an insight into life down under, but as I am sure many of you understand we are quite anxious and very confused about the whole process...especially uprroting kids and leaving loved ones behind.

Can anyone offer any insight into the visa process, what checks are carried out etc and also (mainly) credit checks as we had some difficulty with repayment last year, no ccj's or defaults, just missed payments-will this impact our application?

I am very gratefil for any advice offered!

Check what visas you can apply for. As you will be newly qualified your husband may be main applicant, there's loads to look at. Also UK credit rating good or bad has no standing in OZ..

Thanks Tramps_mate, thats good to know re the credit rating, the more serious we get about this move the more worried I get that something will stand in our way!

We are going to an emigration road show this weekend, I'm sure we will get a lot of questions answered there, but glad I found this website, I can do some homework before I go!

Was same for me, I expected something to crop up and ruin it, but it didn't and I start work out there on the 12th March!

Hi roberta,

Im in the same position as you, my partner is a bricklayer and we are fancying melbourne!! We have 2 youngs one. I have family in melbourne so OH is planning on going out this yr to stay with relatives and see what its like as we have no clue. Im hoping to join him for a few wks. My partner has already applied for visa and been accepted and I will get in through him. Where do you currently live as my partner is attending a roadshow this wkend in glasgow but im unable to attend as im working!! Did your friends in brisbane emigrate? Thats great that they are going to do a house swap!!

Lynsey

I think we get these feeling because we want it so badly!

Lynsey, we live in Motherwell, we too are going to the roadshow in Glasgow! I have looked into the visa options, there is so much information I don't know where to start!

Our friends emigrated 4 years ago and apart from missing family and friends I don't think they have ever looked back! They are coming over next year for a family wedding and we were actually going to disneyland (big holiday to celebrate graduation), but this opportunity came up and is just too good to let go, especially since we have been thinking about mocing for a while.

Well done Tramps_mate...very exciting news, congratulations on your new job-and your new life

For the visa process you need to check out www.immi.gov.au
Credit checks aren't generally needed, unless possibly if you are going for a business visa of some kind

wish we could swap lives, i'll live in Motherwell and your very welcome to melbourne








been here 5 years , never really settled!, I would advise everyone to have a plan B,..........just incase of unforeseen circumstances and feelings.
We came on a permanent residency visa as i was a nurse, but if i remember correctly you have to have 2 years qualified experience, so as someone said you would probably have to come on your husbands trade. Once here you would probably be looking for a 'post-grad nursing position'.
Goodluck

[QUOTE=roberta1980;9888395]Hi all,

.
We are house swapping with our friends in brisbane next year for a month.

Fantastic idea, try to do it longer if poss to help you more with the whole processalthough i can see this might not be practical

We spoke to some visa experts on sunday at an emigration roadshow and 1 years postgrad experience is required, which in all honesty I would rather get before I went over, so we will be looking to maybe apply in about a year to 18 months time!

Margaret, why do you prefer Motherwell to Melbourne? Is it pesonal reasons or generally being away from 'home' ? We are working on a backup plan, I am currently on a career break to complete a nursing degree and may exercise this option again to try Australia. I do find it a little daunting-leaving family, selling our home etc!

Thankyou for your feedback it is very helpful!

Many reasons, but mostly the being away from home,and my god i miss the people and their ways, also the education system sucks here!, but if you can afford private shooling then its not really a problem (we can't), so we opted to look at the best state schools and live and rent there. We took a huge financial hit (as everyone does!), and believe it when you read it is an extremely expensive place to live, at present we still cannot afford to buy (5 years on). Think i was just too old (emigrated at 43), too stuck in my ways so to speak. As for plan B, never crossed my mind really , went with the stupid attitude 'we can always come back', but things are never that simple.
I think Melbourne is an amazing place, and there is lots of opportunities, I have no real gripes with australia (ok i do, but read posts on here for gripes, am usually agreeing:lol)

hey roberta
have been living in mandurah wa for 7 years i am also a bricklayer but finally had enough from dec to march its so hot for laying bricks up at 4.am finished for 2.30 .winter more rainfall in a day than uk gets in a week and wind that blows work down .
melbourne is the best for work like this do not even consider queensland or nsw ,adelaide also a bit kinder for laying bricks and properties cheaper my cousin gets 240 bucks a day day work rate in adelaide and loves it.

Margaret, thankyou for a very realistic reply! I have to say that I have the same attitude you had: 'we can always come back', but in reality we will have to use a chunk of our equity, so there may be other implications arising with that....lots to think about! Do you enjoy nursing in Oz? How is it in comparison to the UK?

Hey Jeppy,

My husband is an electrician, we enquired about WA but the general advice was that most of the work is away from home and overnight because (as you say) it is too hot during the day, so I think realistically we would be looking at East coast. Why stay away from queensland etc? Is it due to the heat or lack of work/property? We hope to get about next year a bit when e are over there, so hopefully we get a better idea od life down under.