VERYSTORMY

You normally have 28 days to upload medical and police checks. However, you are looking at least a year before you are asked for these. Then, you have 12; months to make first entry. That doesn’t mean you have to move in 12 months, just enter Australia. That can be a holiday or even just arrive at the airport and get the next flight out. You have five years to make the move.

It is essential you use a migration agent as things are in a state of flux. For example, at the moment, the 190 is closed.

Do feel for you. In Scotland we had a fairly hard lockdown and I was put in shielding at first, so couldn’t leave the house for any reason for the first month. But, you all get through it

Well, at the moment, the 190 is effectively closed. Have you obtained a skills assessment?

It depends on the occupation. Some don’t. But, although you may pass a skills assessment without experience, the chances of an invite are close to nil without.

Why not give Paul a call who replied above and is one of the most respected agents out there.

They would entitled to Medicare, but nothing else. They would also need to pass the medical at the end

All adult need their own application. When he does his, there is an option to link to yours so that you get invited to the same ceremony

Speak to an agent. Though it is all a bit moot at the moment as Australia has closed its borders and isn’t expect to open up till mid next year.

I think for most people, it is a hard decision. We returned in 2016 after eight years in Australia. There are things we miss, but overall, we are very happy to be home. I do think the way in which we did it was the best way. We made the decision on the Monday and I flew that Friday with my wife following a week after as we had to wait for the dogs rabies vaccination time. It removed the dithering which I think many people find stressful and although it was stressful selling all our possessions in a week (the house was already on the market) it meant there was a fixed line in the sand. You will miss things about Australia, that is normal. But, we were also more amazed by the U.K. than we thought we would be. Things we had taken for granted are seen in a totally new light. All I can say is that for us, it was the right move and I doubt we will ever even visit Australia again.

That does sound like a gap. If one visa expires, even by minutes, that it can not be counted. Also, you most meet the residency rules.

It does depend on the situation, but £30k is a good average in “normal” times. However, we are not in normal times and so it is hard to say. The biggest cost is living expenses until you find a job. Normally, I would advise someone to have enough cash to be able to live on for at least 3 months. But, these are very different times. The world, including Australia is going to be in recession. A severe one. So that needs to be factored in.

If there is any gap in visa then that can not be included. You must have held visas continuously

Yes, as long as there is no gap in visas.

The world is going to have some issues. But, different areas are going to do better than others. My own for example is booming. The companies biggest headache now is that while we were locked down, we had so many orders come in, we don’t how to get them all done.