Anyone got good advice for starter?

[katherinebrad4d]

Hi there guys,
I'm new to this so if i get it all wrong please be patient.
My husband and i have many times discussed moving to Oz.
He has an Uncle out there and i have a cousin out there too.
This time we are gonna do it (hopefully).
We have 3 boys aged 13, 9, and 7 and feel that now is the right time to go for it.
We did a free online assesment and he scored 160 points.
He's also been in touch with someone, that for a fee, help you get the right forms to fill out, help with sorting out Visa's and also do a formal assesment where he sends his CV to them and they send it to the right channels in Oz. Also due to my husbands skills they said that it is possible for him to be "Fast tracked".
We are going to have roughly £42,000 to go over with and are looking to be in the Sydney area as that is where family are based.
According to the company he spoke to about our emigration, because of his skills we don't need a sponsor.
This is a massive move for us as we will be leaving behind all that we know as i know does everyone doing this so we wanna get it all right.
If anyone has got any ideas or info that would help us i would really appreciate it.
I've read some great things on here and feel that this is gonna help us.
Many thanks
Katherine
x

[koala12]

Hi Katherine,
Have you been to Oz before or you just feel now is the time to come over and see how it goes? I think it will help you having family when you arrive as at least you will know people and not be totally alone! I moved to Sydney 9 months ago with my husband and eldest daughter (youngest still in UK) and I found it helped that my husband has family over here as we could stay with them whilst looking around for somewhere of our own to live. From what you say it sounds like you won't have any problems getting your visa so if you feel now is the time I'd go for it!!
Good luck and keep us posted how things are going and feel free to ask questions!

Karen

[Abi&Dan]

Lucky thing - sounds like your hubby's on the Most Wanted list. I think those one's do get pushed through very fast.

With your agent have you had recommendations to them? You could post the co name on here - there's bound to be someone who's used them and can confirm if it's worth the cost - it's not cheap but I think worth it when you get a good one.

Good luck with it all

[buckbuchanan]

Hi. I would say don't bother with a migration agent. All the info you need is on the dima web site ( www.immi.gov.au ). For everything else there is this site! When you first look at it, it seems like a really difficult process, but it's not. We had a much more complicated case than you and I am really thick, so anyone can do it!!
All you need to do is put a few evenings aside to look at all the information online, and be fairly organised with it all.

[ali]

Hi and welcome to PIO, if your hubby has got 160 points then you may not need an agent. Apply for a 136 skilled visa.

Collectively, one of us usually knows the answer to something and if we don't we're pretty good at giving moral support.

Ali

[The Broughtons]

Welcome to Poms in Oz. As everyone has already said, any questions ask away and between us we'll try to answer them.
It is scary at times but we're all here to support each other.

Wow 160 points - get going with the skills assessment and visa application!

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is keep visiting this site - the information I have picked up since joining is amazing, stuff I didn't think I needed to know and then - would you believe it- that snippet of info came in useful after all!

Felicity

[katherinebrad4d]

Wow! you guys are GREAT.
I wasn't sure what i was getting myself into when i signed up for this.
It sounds like as long as i have you to turn to things just might go our way
Hubby is away for a couple of days on buisness now, but on his return i shall let him read all your comments.
If we were to go through this without using an agent, will the fee's work out any cheaper or will it cost around the same.
For the formal assesment we were quoted £95, then for all the other gub'ins it was gonna come to around £4,000 roughly. That is for a family of 5. Is this good or not?
I don't know the name of the company but i will find out and let you know so if any info on this would be great.
Also could you guys (both using agents and not) let me know your own personal experiences with both so we can get a feel for what would seem the best root for us. Thats if you don't mind sharing.
Also on a side issue, if you don't mind me waffling on a bit.
I am stewing about telling the boys.
My husband told his parents yesterday and they were surprisingly ok.
It turns out that when he was young his Dad wanted to go to Oz but his Mum said "No".
They think it is well worth doing if we can.
I've told my sister who i am very close too. We had an argument about it today as she feels we are running away from something.
The truth is we are not. My husband is 38, i'm 31 and the kids are still young enough (with the exception of our 13yr old) to start afresh and one day get to a point in life were they won't remember here. I mean i don't remember much from when i was their age.
It's not even like we've just pulled this idea out of a hat. We've now been talking about it for a year.
I've read that there is an age limit on emmigration of 45, so if we leave it too long we may not have an option.
I do not wish to bore you too much but advice on this would also be great from anyone that has had to do this.
Do we tell them now, or wait till we have been given the green light?
Thanks
xx

[clayton gang]

[quote=katherinebrad4d;116891]Hi there guys,
I'm new to this so if i get it all wrong please be patient.
My husband and i have many times discussed moving to Oz.
He has an Uncle out there and i have a cousin out there too.


Hi Katherine and Family

Just wanted to welcome you to PIO. I'm sure you will get all the help you need. Good luck.

Jenny

[Abi&Dan]

Originally Posted by katherinebrad4d

I've read that there is an age limit on emmigration of 45, so if we leave it too long we may not have an option.

xx

You're right about the 45 limit on a skilled visa.

£4k does sound reasonable - but then as others have said your hubby's pretty much a shoo-in as an occupation on the MODL so if you have a little time and a lot of patience you might want to do it yourselves and spend that £4k on something Oz related!!

Also re the bother with family - we're really lucky on that front but there are loads of people on here who've really struggled with their family's accepting it and they'll be able to give you lots of advice - mine would be that she will get used to it even if she's not too happy - give her time and lots of hugs!!

Again, your kids might take some time to get used to the idea - but once there they'll be fine - I would guarantee they'll settle in fastest.

[Scarletfever]

Hiya...We're using an agent and to be honest, we wouldnt even be bothering if it wasnt for her. She made a difference in relation as to how we were able to apply as my current job isnt on the MODL. Saying that, if your oh has 160 points (thats really high, I heard that the Pope only got 120!) I'd be thinking bout going it alone.

An agent will probs set you back at least £1500. So many guys on here have done it themselves that, with their help, I'm sure they'll guide you the right way. Theres also a few migration agents who log on here now and again, so if you decided to go via the agent, you're already on the first step.

Go into the search feature of the forum and whatever you have a question on, no doubt its already been raised by someone and the replies will give you some food for thought.

Good luck with it anyway.

Dan