johnd

Great post echoes a lot of my feelings for oz. I have lived in oz 3 times over several years even becoming an oz citizen, but it still wasnt right for me and my wife. I feel we will go back to oz one day, prob an extended holiday, but you never know. Having an aussie passport is a useful thing I suppose. I sometimes wonder about life down under, I have friends who went out there and landed their dream job (s) which makes a lot of difference, I however was doing the usual, I am similarly qualified as my mates but sometimes thats just luck. Also people generally in the media, life, internet forums, say oz is better for kids, lifestyle, cost of living etc, etc is it? Im unsure, I know there is a part of me that will always want to be there, I am one of those people who didnt love the place 100% nor did i hate it, it has its good and bad it is a truly beautiful country, but when you sit back and weigh it all up is it a better way of life? I reckon thats up to the individual. On a lighter note I wish I could have brought back my 2002 4 litre lpg powered ford falcon......what a car! Ha, ha, see ya!

thanks all for the replies, i have looked at the links at it appears he is ok to apply. cheers.

advice needed , where r the moderators?

someone please read me!!

hi all, ive done my time in oz and returned to the uk in 2010, ( with an oz passport ). i returned to the north east uk and went back into engineering, so i have a good idea about what is required to get to oz, become a citizen etc,etc. however i have recently been working alongside a 21 yr old lad who is a welder by trade and , ( i went on a skilled visa ), he is getting sponsored by a firm which will employ him in the kalgoorlie area, but he says he has to sort out his visa ,meds etc himself. however he told me today that his mother was born in australia, ( his grandparents lived in oz for a few years in the 1960's and that is when his mother was born, the family returned to the uk without either parent taking out citizenship). the exact same thing happened to a friend of mine, born in oz etc,etc and when he looked into going to oz , about 2003/04, he was told he was eligible for oz citizenship,passport etc, also his two kids as well. he had never been to oz since he was 18 months old and his children,obviously, hadnt either. he duly got the passports and off they went ,( although his partner had to apply for a visa ). so my question is this: is it the same for my young welder friend? surly things/rules havnt changed that much in the last 8/9 years and his mam is an australian. if he can get the passport it would save him lot of hassle/money but also i believe the restrictions of his visa is that he has to work with the sponsoring firm for so long, and thats a bit rough when you consider he will be way out in the mines, ( in case he doesnt like it ), if he has the passport he can please himself and obv oz is such a big diverse country so he could travel etc. thanks any info would be good.