Pumpkin

To the moderator edit. I did not make any personal comments about another person's opinion. I merely suggested that what is right for that individual is not necessarily right for everyone else.

Shouldn't your employer submit the nomination? Is there any reason they / you have not provided the recommended document? What is it anyway?

Oh dear. I like visiting these remote places like Geraldton, but this is going to be a massive culture shock for anyone and going there when you don't particularly want to sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Am I mixing you up with somebody else or are you pregnant? And your husband is dragging you out to Australia against your will?

Erm well it is broke ... there is an unhappy husband in the mix.

I believe there is a quota per year for parents visas, but this does not exclude people who do not fall into the quote one year, it just impacts timing. If your mother qualifies for the contributory parent visa, I believe it takes about 18 months. But you have to be settled in Australia before she even applies. No I don't like Australia better than UK or vice versa. They both have their merits and I am happy in either.

Yes the visa is stored electronically, but Australia does not know when other countries issue new passports and accordingly the new passport certainly will not be automatically linked to the visa. Your visa is electronic, but it is still linked to a foreign (to Australia) passport. Australia does not track passport applications of foreign nationals, so it does not know when you change your passport and accordingly the visa is not transferred across all by itself when you get a new passport. You need to tell Australia immigration when you get a new passport so that they can electronically link the visa to the new passport. Getting it on paper is not what this is about (although personally, I prefer to get the visa label as well).

Well yes that is exactly why he did not have an issue, his visa is now the RRV and it is connected to the right passport..

You haven't clarified what visa you intend to move to Sydney on, it does make a difference and there is no such thing as a "working visa" as mentioned above. Again, if you mean working holiday visa, then I would say no, it is not a suitable visa to attempt this on. What you are trying to do is in fact quite complex and probably needs professional help rather than the joint input of lay people on a forum.

You can do what you want once you have a permanent visa. If you have applied for a 189 visa, why is your husband bothering with skills assessment, there is no need for you both to do this, just an unnecessary expense. His age is irrelevant to applying for citizenship, once he has been there for four years, including one year as a permanent resident, he would become eligible.

We are probably returning to UK early next year. We are actually perfectly happy here and quite sad about moving back, although we are coming round to the idea and getting more and more excited about the next chapter. Our return is out of necessity, don't really want to go into it. But being logical, the UK just makes a lot more sense for us at the moment. I know that I will be happy in either location.

I don't think anyone has said things are unbearable in Australia and quite a few posters that have commented are very happy in Australia. It is just that It is very common for people starting out to have rose tinted specs on about "better life" and so on and it can be helpful to make them think more clearly about the options and try to help them make fact based decisions.

What a tough one. It was something I didn't have to face as my parents were already deceased and in any case not particularly close to them. I always think that these factors made me a good migrant, being very independent and not having particular ties that is. As someone who would love to have a close family but doesn't, I sometimes think that people who do have one do not know how lucky they are and it is seriously under rated. Or perhaps I am being romantic there. Interested in what your parents think of you moving? Are they supportive, planning trips out etc? I really like what Melza said about dwelling on "what ifs". It is a cliché that is trotted out quite a lot, but I think Melza is right, make your decision and move forward. Don't let yourself waste time on what ifs. It is pointless, you could not move and think "what if" equally you could move and think "what if". Neither very constructive.

And then again 2 years could be a very expensive venture, kids could get very unsettled and education disrupted and the OP and their partner could be disadvantaged returning to the UK as unemployed 50-somethings...

There is no such thing as a "working visa". What do you actually mean? Have you got some sponsorship or do you mean the working holiday visa? Funny how so many seem to forget the holiday bit! The trouble with the WHV in your scenario, is that you cannot spend more than six months working with one company.

I must admit, I thought email was perfectly acceptable. But it is not hard to send something by post thousands of miles away either.