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First thing to do is check the SOL and see if your skill is on the list, if it is then you need to find out if you have enough points to qualify for a visa - its all on this website http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol/#a Good Luck!

P.S. - dont let me put you off! its the best move we ever made and worth every penny to get here.

Hi Craig I think it was $2100 Australia Dollars, $600 for the first checks and then $1500 for the pratical. There is work about but not loads of it like we thought there would be and not the great money we thought we would get. It's proved a bit hard to get your foot in the door as they seem to favour local tradesmen over foreign ones because they have the local experience - so you have to persevere. But hubby did get work within 2 weeks of arriving and money is ok - not great - though now we're here a couple of months he has made contacts and is finding out about the better jobs - so we are optimistic that it will come good over the next few months. Some people have said its just the time of year and that there will be more work after Christmas? But who knows? There is certainly not an array of jobs to choose from as they always make out at the Ozzie Expo's! We're not going home though!! The quality of life here is fantastic and we're loving every minute of it!

Hi Julie, so sorry I didn't see your post to be able to reply. Hope you got sorted in the end?

VU are (or where for us) the worst company we have ever had to deal with.

P.S. We are in Oz now and no-one has asked my hubby what qualifications he has or asked to see them! They go on previous work references only - in Melbourne anyway.

Hi, I'm afraid we had a terrible time with VU, we found them really unprofessional and totally disorganised. They kept making promises and then changed their minds about what they wanted from us. They told us we were ready for interview stage, took our money and then decided no we needed more evidence. They asked for written evidence, then photos then decided they weren't good enough that we needed video evidence. When we sent that they said we needed video evidence of EVERY single carpentry process on their list which is a ridiculous request as a carpenter can't have someone follow him round for weeks recording everything he does. Its not practical. I ended up loosing confidence in them and demanded my money back and then we filed with Vetasses instead. That went much smoother and my hubby had the practical exam rather than the interview so he didn't need all the photos and video evidence. That was last year so perhaps VU have got their act together now?? Keep on top of them and if you start to feel they are dragging their heels then don't hesitate to switch to Vetassess - I spent 9 months waiting for VU to offer us an interview before deciding to switch! Good luck!

Thanks. We were in New York for 5 years and all of a sudden started to feel homesick so we moved back home. We stayed in England for 6 years and then decided we wanted more excitement so headed over here! You never know where life will take you, but its all an adventure! Good luck with the move home, .

I'm sure you'll be really happy here - we love it! If you need any info before you come I'll be happy to do my best to find things out for you - just let me know. :biggrin:

Thanks for that! I'll post there too.

Hi, we love the area! I love the new and modern developents and the whole feel to the area, everyone is really pleasant and it feels like a home from home - just need to build up some friendships now and then we'll be really settled. Theres still a bit of building work going on but that doesnt bother me. Defo need a car though! Are you moving back to UK then? Did you not like Oz?

Hi, we've just moved to Saltwater Coast in Point Cook and would love to meet up with other families in the area, for playdates, a coffee, or BBQ when the the weather picks up! We have a 4 yr old boy who goes to kindy 2 days a week and he really misses his little friends from UK so would love to help him make some new lasting friendships. We arrived from UK about a month ago so its still all quite new. :biggrin:

Hi, we are moving to Saltwater this weekend, can I ask who your internet and phone provider is? I'm trying to set up the connections but haven't a clue who to use. Thanks!

Yeah!!! Got our visa grant yesterday and it still hasnt sunk in! Booking flights today for Melbourne so should be there this weekend - cant wait!!! Thanks to all the folks who answered our questions on this formum for the last year and a half!!:biglaugh:

Hi What happens when you get the pre grant notification email? Do they tell you when to leave or is it up to you and how many days do you have to leave for? Thanks!

I sent our UK PCC's by first class post on 31/07, but haven't had an email from ACRO yet to say they have received them. Do they always send an email confirmation? How long after posting the forms would you expect to receive the notification? Thanks!

Hi dazzmatazz, That makes sense for us now too, becuase the CO (when he emailed asking for medicals) also asked for the email transcript from VIC to say they had granted the SS. They must have been missing form 1100 as well. Our CO said just to scan a copy of the email from VIC and send it to him through the "contact us" page on the online tracking account. Maybe that may speed up things for you too?

We didn't need it either but they did ask for our GP details and looked them up on the computer and of course your GP would have your NHS number anyway.

Hi, We also lodged 27/06 and apparantly was allocated a CO on 24/06 but we didnt know about it. The CO then emailed us on 27/06 asking for medicals, etc. Yours should surely contact you Mon / Tues. Can you please update our line on the spreadsheet. We are in Team 2. Medicals are on 07/08, PCC going in post tomorrow ....

Hi We have 2 kids over 18 too (but under 24), I'm really worried about them getting on the visa although they are both still at Uni and still live at home. Has your CO questioned you much about this or just asked for the form 47A? Thanks!

Hi I'm getting nervous now as we seem to be the only one without a CO and we lodged 27/06. The online application says "application being processed further", does anyone know what that means and what the next stage is. We havent had an email from a CO.

Thanks, I'll try that. We also have an agent but I've found over the whole process I've had to chase things directly with organisations myself. The agent is good at sorting paperwork but obviously isn't stressed with the waiting game - whereas I am totally stressed!! LOL Can you please add my details to the spreasheet. We applied 27/06, no CO yet. Trade is carpenter and we're heading to Melbourne. NO medicals or PCC yet either - agent said to wait until CO is allocated. We are from Midlands, UK. Many thanks!

Hi, I also lodged on 27/06 so the 4 weeks will be up tomorrow and my status still says "processing commenced". Do you know what email address to contact about getting a CO. My SS is Victoria. Thanks!

You get the exact same qualification at the end of this process regardless of what route you choose (the AQF 111 in carpentry). I can't imgine less skilled carpenters getting the qualification just because they talked nonsense in an interview instead of doing a practical - that would make a mockery out of the whole system and make the AQF 111 worthless for everyone. I would imagine the employer won't care what route was chosen to get the qualification either, he will just want to know you have it. Anyway a few days on any job will tell an employer all he needs to know regardless of how many certificates anyone has and thats what its all about in the end - getting work once you get out there ... and keeping the work. We run our own carpentry business in UK and the amount of tradesmen coming in looking for work with all the qualifications you could have are usually useless at the job. We always find the older tradesmen who are time served with plenty of experience are the best workers. So I personally am not a fan of bits of paper that say you can do your job, but this is a visa requirement so it has to be done one way or another, and the quickest route for us suits best. Different routes suit different people for different reasons. All the best with your new journey! :biggrin:

Hi Julie, knowing what I know now, I would most definitley have got my oh to take his NVQ 2 in carpentry way back in April last year as it would certainly have made the skills assessment much easier. Because he didn't have a formal qualification (although 20 years exp) the information we had to put together was crazy. He had to write down all the processes and procedure for hanging doors, doing a roof, stud walls, and loads of other things, he needed photos, video evidence, references, he had to prove work exp going back 10 years with references, tax records, payslips. Of course we didn't have all this info, but as the agent said it was better to overload on the evidence rather than have to little and be rejected due to lack of evidence. To be honest without the agents help and experience I don't think I would have known where to start. I mean who keeps all this info for the last 10 years! So you have to start contacting people and going through old files and folders hoping to find something that would prove your were a carpenter in 1998! This bit is the most frustrating and it would have been much easier in hindsight to just do the NVQ over here instead. It only take a couple of months to do it and it proves you are a carpenter. My family in Melbourne say carpenter jobs are advertised there at anywhere between $25 - $40 an hour depending on the job and your experience. Not sure about the rest of Oz. But all the states seem to be looking for carpenters so I would say there is plenty of work around. Good luck on your new journey!