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Hi Rob and Louise,
We're just like you - been members reading all the great help on PIO for a while, but too shy to say hello! - never been into chat rooms and forums and things before, but we took the plunge today and added our bit to a thread! You probably wont stop us now!
Darren (43) is a builder/machine driver and me Sharon (38) at the moment working in Social Care but keen to get back into the financial world if possible when all three children are in Secondary School. Megan our youngest is 9, then we have Kalem who is 13 and Joe who will be 15 in May.
We started the whole application process around about October 2006 after a fantastic holiday on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts (I insisted that we had to visit Oz before finally deciding that it would be the right move) and got the magic phone call from our agent saying that our visas had been granted on 28.02.08!!
We had several problems to overcome on the way, this is why it took so long - although Darren is a builder/bricklayer he never obtained any formal qualifications - just learnt his trade by starting as a labourer and working alongside the other bricklayers, gaining mounds of experience and knowledge along the way. The whole TRA thing was therefore a bit of a pain, proving that Darren knew his trade,but we got there in the end!
Then, because the two boys, Joe and Kalem, are Darrens children from a previous relationship we had to get a statutory declaration from their natural mother that she had no objection to us taking them to live in Oz, even though she has had nothing to do with them for 12 years (her choice). We had to track her down, then catch her when she was sober enough to understand what we were telling her. She didn't object - said she felt a bit sad that she might never see them again (a bit rich considering she hadn't seen them for so long, and we've been living in the same house with the same phone no. for all this time!) We then had to get her to a Solicitors appointment sober and on time which was mission in itself, to pledge her oath and sign the declaration! Phew, were we glad when that was over.
We finally sent the Visa application in July 2007. A CO was appointed at the end of Nov. and we then arranged our xrays and medicals. In our part of the world (Forest of Dean) they had to be done in two separate places - the xrays were done two weeks before Xmas and the medicals three weeks after. Our initial request for the Police checks "went astray" and so these were finally sent towards the end of Jan. As Darren had been a bit of a lad in his younger days, he had a couple of binding over orders for (kicking over a flowerpot) criminal damage and (falling asleep outside a pub) drunk and disorderly - (it is very quiet around here!) and so we were always worried that these would be our next downfall. In fact we had already obtained about twenty character references from various people of goodstanding within our community ready for the appeals process - but they weren't needed!
Like you, we used an immigration agency and although costly, their advice along the way has been worth it.
We are now in the process of trying to sell our house, and also another house which we partly own which got flooded in the January storms (it just had to happen - insurance claims are another nightmare), getting the best price for the endowment policy and then we'll be off!!!!
Good luck with your application, I'm sure everything will be fine, and you'll receive that life-changing phone call soon. Where there's a will there's a way!
Sharon & Darren xx
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Good Luck with your application & fingers crossed you dont have to wait too long!!
