jasey

So good to hear from you, Pete! Great to hear that you made it over - can't believe you've been there a year already! Will need to have a pint or three with you when I make it over, even if I'm just visiting

You're not wrong. At all. Luckily I have a lot of experience in online gaming, so the roles available in that arena specifically don't pay too badly at my level. But you're right, it's all about who you know, who knows you, and who wants to go to the hassle of a Certificate of Sponsorship.

I may need to make Australia my next move as a stepping stone, get more international experience and work for a company with offices in the UK for a intra-company transfer in a couple of years. That may be the smart/only move.

Thanks for keeping the ideas coming!

feelbritish

If your mother would relocate with you, then I think you may have to think that Australia is the way to go as you already hold permanent residence! You may actually like it better too, after all loads of other South Africans have settled happily there

I would take the easiest route first!

Shirtback

+1. As far as I can see so far, Australia is the *only* route open to the OP ATM.

*Even if* *he* manages to get a visa to the UK, how would mum be able to follow?

jasey

Thanks guys. It's up to the universe now ... wherever a great job comes up!

feelbritish

Be warned as it has been said before, jobs over internet without being in country are hard to get. You may have to help the u iverse a bit too if you are serious

jasey

Yes indeed, I know that the odds of securing a job from here are less than being there, but I've had one bit of interest via a Skype interview, and have a couple of friends who've done it, so am holding thumbs. I'm happy to visit the country for a series of interviews at one time, if I'm able to set them up from here first.

Shirtback

Great. If you were to get a job & visa for the UK, what visa would/could your mum get to join you there? Could mum survive financially in SA with you in the UK (it sounds like you share living expenses there ATM? Or maybe I read that wrongly?)

jasey

She doesn't really want to move from SA, so the UK route would be a win/win, other than us missing each other of course. I'd get UK citizenship over time and then see how things turn out from there. In the meantime, I'd need to send funds back to SA for her, which goes back to the numbers I explained my first post on this thread.

Aus is a win in terms of simplicity, because we're both in one location with one group of expenses, both with PR. Except for the fact that she'd have to move, which she's not keen on.

Life hey ... not always simple

Shirtback

Yeah, not always simple. I sympathise. However, if mum doesn't want to move, you can't force her.

I still think your best & only option if you have to move is AUS, given you and mum already have PR.

I think you are underestimating the challenges involved in :

- getting a job in the UK;
- getting one that pays enough to support both you there & your mum in SA;
- getting the UK visa;
- eventually naturalising there & getting mum a visa.

I wish you the best of luck.

jasey

At the end of it all, I know that you're right. I've got one iron in the fire in the UK, based purely on reaching out to the head of the company directly, and we'll see what comes of that. Funnily enough, even though they're registered as a sponsoring company already, they don't want to go to the hassle of issuing a certificate of sponsorship. I can't really blame them. They probably have 10 million other candidates to choose from every day of the week. If this one doesn't work out, then Aus it will be. The UK may be something that happens a few years down the line ... or not. At least I'll be earning a salary that'll let us save and travel - which is a lot more than we have now. And we should be grateful that we have that opportunity.

Thanks very much for the sincere replies and good wishes

Alfresco

All the very best. Always keep your options open if you plan to move again further down the line.

jasey

Thanks so much Life is a great adventure!

tee1

Good luck with whatever you decide.
One things for sure if this was me, I'd 100% activate that OZ PR visa before the deadline next year and that gives you guys much more of a grace period to decide.
Maybe a nice trip to Melbourne could change your Mums heart about moving
Sometimes you don't know you want to move until you visit somewhere better.
With you both having OZ PR and you mentioning the health care cost you are paying in SA, makes much more sense for you both to head to oz

Alfresco

jasey

I've been giving this a lot more thought and, together with the fact that it seems that Tier 2 sponsorship is a 1 in a million shot - literally, it doesn't make sense not to take advantage of the opportunity we have with PR visas. And you're right, a visit would - at the very least - give us 5 more years to take it up