toOZ2012

I thought the same rules applied to all Australians :confused:

You make some really good points and if you reread my post you'll find that I only complained of lack of recognition for prior learning. Not just recognition of knowledge but recognition of skills and experience as well. And I also complained about lack of fast track pathways. I didn't demand a sparkie license just because I have an engineering degree and practical experience. Engineers fresh out of uni or worth **** They don't know the first thing about the practical side of things. I wouldn't hire an Engineer fresh off uni to even do basic designs let alone handle complex projects. Once they have the practical experience not just about the design aspects but safety, efficiency and ethics that's where they become really useful. I work with trades in manufacturing and as a good engineer I'll always take feedback from them to constantly make my designs better. A design is worth peanuts if it can't be implemented properly. When the tradies pick up problems in the design (mind you they do this from experience and or realize as they are building it) I learn from it. Just because I didn't realize it myself in the field doesn't make it less useful if I could incorporate that into my designs. It's no secret that Engineers and Tradies do different things but have to agree that there is overlap in knowledge, skills and experience. Agree with you on the need for practical experience for fresh engineers. Graduate programs do a good job with that. However, I don't agree they have to shadow sparkies and get all the tickets only to find out they are still not allowed to wire up an electrical socket. Also, senior engineers sign off of juniors' work. Also agree with you on office environments and age and that's my only consolation. I am in my late 20's and yes, I probably have a better per hour rate than my tradie mates but I've no freedom to put in extra hours to get paid more or put in less hours to take time off. A dollar earned today is worth a lot more than a dollar earned 10 years from now. Sorry for the long rant but I honestly think there should be better pathways for trades rather than on size fits all. Sure there will always be engineers who can't even strip a wire and sparkies who botch basic electrical jobs but those are edge cases that are not worth a debate.

Just out of curiosity - What do Engineers make in the UK? Primarily design engineers where there is little to no field/site work. I am an electronics engineer. Make a bit over $100k + super + bonus. Sometimes I feel a bit bad for myself where some of my mates in trades make twice as much. [start of Rant] At one point I even looked into becoming a spakie. Apparently my degrees in electrical engineering are worthless and I've to do a 4 year apprenticeship. No recognition of prior knowledge, skills and experience to reduce the amount of time. Simply put I am qualified/eligible to design a power station but not allowed to put a wall socket or fix a distribution system. How protectionist of them. I think the tradie system needs an overhaul. It should be meritocratic. It works for all other professions why wouldn't it work for trades? If I have the relevant background and am willing to take theoretical and practical exams to prove that I am "good enough" then they should let me. [End of Rant]

Just bumping the thread for you. You should probably post this in Chewing the fat section to get more responses.

DIAC authorises various assessing bodies for different occupations. If you want to claim points as an Engineer then Engineers Australia it is. http://www.immi.gov.au/work/pages/skilled-occupations-lists/sol.aspx

Just bumping the thread for you. I think this should be possible. Someone with know-how will probably answer this better. https://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/definitions.htm

In no particular order: a. Get my finances in order. Australia taxes residents on worldwide income. I was lazy and this was a bit of shocker. b. Dust up my resume. This wasn't important to me at the time as I got lucky with my job. Just go through seek listings and create 2 or 3 versions of your resume that highlights various aspects of your experience. This way, you can catch up on some travel while applying for Jobs online. c. If you don't have any friends/family over here to help you out in the first few weeks then sorting out your accommodation is a big thing. I know quite a few people that were tired of going to house inspections, applying and not getting in. Arrange for a reasonably priced temporary accommodation and have a few appointments lined up with real estate agents. d. If you don't already have people here then try and meet up with fellow migrants. Either through PIO gatherings or groups in meetup.com e. If you have kids then there is probably a giant list that I have no knowledge of. Other than that, just hurry up and get here. The summer is almost over.

Not from the UK but Number 1 on my list was why I didn't move sooner.

Depends on your area of expertise. Have a few friends in .NET, front-end/full stack, app development. All pretty happy. Don't be too fussy with your first job offer and you should be fine in the long run.

Has anyone been through Engineers Australia's chartered process? Is it worth the hassle and yearly membership fees? If your particular profession doesn't need it, would you have got it anyway?

Came across this: http://www.watoday.com.au/comment/stress-the-hidden-cost-of-having-children-20150221-13k6cr.html

How nice of you. Don't have an answer for you but cases like these are best handled by a migration agent as you/they won't get too many chances. Couple of good agents hang out on this forum. Good luck.

Indeed but can easily be protected with full disk encryption and a decent password. Data at rest is more easier to protect.

There is a booklet that explains things in good detail. Can be found here: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/About%20Us/Migration%20Skills%20Assessment/msa_booklet_november.pdf and other general information here: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/about-us/migration-skills-assessment

I can list a few probable reasons: a. They are acquiring information through not so legal channels/methods. b. Computer security skills like those will fetch six figure salaries and upwards in the corporate market. Far from a cop's salary or even that of senior level federal agents. The few that are interested in working for the government are probably scooped up by intelligence agencies. c. Need a dedicated and large network of people to gain useful information. With current day inter-departmental politics and non-cooperation who has time for real crime fighting?

How long before your partner becomes eligible for UK citizenship? UK is pretty strict with return resident visas - https://www.gov.uk/returning-resident-visa I personally know someone who lost his ILR as he didn't meet residency requirements and his RR application was rejected as well

You are eligible for Medicare from day 1 but you still need to apply for it to be useful for GP visits. When you apply they'll give you a piece of paper that can be used as a temporary Medicare card until the real ones come via post.

That was the case when I applied to EA but things could have changed. Better to shoot them an e-mail, they are usually very prompt with replies.

I am all for migrants not just because I am one but it makes sense for the economy/nation but only when done right i.e skilled migration based on market demand. The new 'Express Entry' system in Canada is a good example. It essentially is equivalent to ENS or state sponsorship with no chance of an "independent" visa. That is pretty harsh to potential migrants but apparently Canada has a oversupply of "skilled" migrants that can't get jobs. The 'temp visas' are really worrying as there is a very high possibility for exploitation. I've seen this happen in Singapore where foreign workers are paid peanuts, treated like s**t, pretty much left to fend for themselves and practically no recourse whatsoever. Raise your voice and your visa is cancelled in a matter of minutes. Migration targets at 1% of total population is a bit on the high side but it has to make up for the ever increasing number of people that are retiring every year and high levels of aging population

As a general rule never cross-collateralize. As for preferential rates, I doubt that simple residential mortgages can span borders. You can always try to directly negotiate the rates with the bank. I, personally, only use the banks to get information and a broker to mediate the loan.

Then it should be pretty straightforward. Apply as an Electronics Engineer to Engineers Australia.

There are quite a few CDR templates online. Check them out. The CDR process is very straightforward albeit bit tedious. Just be technical and give as much information as possible. http://www.gettingdownunder.com/free-cdr-samples-template/

Can get it done through Engineers Australia as an Electronics Engineer. Get you work experience assessed as well. http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/about-us/migration-skills-assessment EDIT: The above may or may not work based on your undergraduate degree. Is it EE or Computer science?

This is a simpler version of the ATO's calculator but I found it to be pretty accurate. http://www.paycalculator.com.au/

Not an expert. If you live in the UK, you'll generally be considered a non-resident for tax purposes. Which means there is no tax-free threshold that tax residents get. So if you interest income here in Australia is say 50 grand. A non tax-resident will pay something like 30%+ flat, which is like 15+ grand where as tax-resident pays something like 9 grand. You have to lookup the exact tax numbers to get accurate figures but you get the picture. There could also be other tax implications when it comes to retiring. Best to talk a professional.