Would you apply for a visa before visiting Australia?
 

Hi Everyone,

Sorry this is a long one from two new starters!!!

Been thinking of migrating to Australia about 2 years now with my husband and 2 girls (4 and 8). We had decided it would be better to visit first so we are due to go to Sydney and Brisbane at Easter. After thinking about it a bit more we are now considering starting the process before we go (apply for skills assessment).

Can anyone advise if it will be better to wait till we get back or should we just get on with it?

The way we see it is theres bound to be somewhere in Australia that we will like even if we don't like Sydney or Brisbane (Like that's ever going to happen!)

Has anyone got an opinion of Adelaide as we are eligible for a STNI there but it's not somewhere we have thought of before?

All comments will be greatly appreciated
Thanks very much
Marie & Darrin
:)

Try and change your life before emmigrating to OZ?

(Aus not Kansas?)

Re: Would you apply for a visa before visiting Australia?
 

Hi Marie & Darrin,

Jim is from Jarrow but his dad is from Shields. Jim's mam always drags us down to the funfair when we visit!

Anyways, we applied for our visa just before we went on holiday there because Jim is getting on a bit and we didn't want to drop five points. When we got back there was a letter waiting for us requesting our meds and police check. So things can happen pretty quick or they may take longer. Luck of the draw I guess.

Our trip made us realise that we didn't want to be in Melbourne, where we'd planned to go, but we did definitely want to be in Australia.

So really, it all depends on timeframes. If you want to be out here as soon as possible, then apply as soon as you can.

Sorry, I'm rambling, but I hope I've helped a little!

Jane :)

Hi there
I guess you have already ascertained why you want to move to Australia. If you have a firm set of ideas/criteria that you want out of your new life, are you certain that Austrlai can fulfill these? If the answer is no, then it could be expensive to start on something that you're not sure meets your requirements - and may be best to wait until after your visit. If on the other hand you are going with an open mind, and are making the move perhaps for experience, or 'just because you can', without having fixed expectations, then no reason not to apply before you visit.

Sydeny and Brisbane are both beautiful cities but there are a lot of people who wouldn't wish to live there. From personal point of view Adelaide would be my first choice over either of the other two - but that's based purely on my lifestyle and the sort of environment I want to live in (Sydney - too big, too busy, too expensive; Brisbane - gets dark too early, even in summer!!! There would be lots of other reasons for me personally. ) It's all about personal preference.
Again, I guess you need to think about what you want out of the place you live in and work out what location is best for you.
Good luck.