Marisawright

3 hours ago, Homesick1 said:

Yes my mental health really suffered in Australia (as I’m sure it will again!),  but I’m also struggling here as I miss my son & feel terribly guilty for splitting up my family.

You didn't split up your family.  Your son chose where he wanted to live, which he has every right to do, at his age.  Even if you move back to Australia, there's no guarantee he'll stay living close to you.  

What does your husband want to do?  Given that it's his health which is the driver, his opinion is important.

8 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Is this an Australian law, which goes against the universal law of common sense? Haha! 

Yes, I'm afraid it is.   It's always struck me as daft, because there are often cases where two cars reach the roundabout at the same time, and then it's a question of whose nerve holds.  The rule of "giving way to the right" makes a lot more sense.  

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

They seem to have no anticipation of the road conditions ahead and as they're approaching a roundabout they're never looking at what's entering from the right. They drive up to the junction, completely stop, and then look right - by which time something is already coming so they (and the rest of us) have to wait.

You are so right.  I learned to drive in Australia and my oh is Australian so we were both taught to do exactly that.   The idea of flying into a roundabout, looking to your right instead of where you're going, is completely alien.  The speed with which people negotiated roundabouts in England frightened the life out of both of us.  British drivers seemed adept at making such split-second decisions in all kinds of situations, whereas we're so used to taking our time -- in spite of having spent our lives driving in Sydney and Melbourne. 

@Homesick1, do you remember writing this?

Quote

He wants to go back for the same reasons that I do, but he thinks it’s unfair to punish the kids for our choices. He regrets not going back years ago when the kids were younger but he has the ability to ‘grin & bear it’ as he always says that things could be a lot worse as our life here is generally good. He’s right but I just can’t see through the fog right now. I know that my heart will never be whole here & I feel that in turn, my kids will never get the best of me. 

It's human nature to remember the good stuff and bury the negative memories, so be sure you're not underestimating how awful you really felt.  You must have been in a bad way, because why else would you have uprooted your whole family and moved halfway across the world?  Please make sure you're facing up to that. Read some of your old posts and put yourself back in that place.

If the NHS has failed your husband, have you considered going private?  I know it's expensive in the UK without private health cover, but you're contemplating spending tens of thousands of pounds on moving to Australia, plus the upheaval and stress of moving which won't be good for his health either. Private providers usually have fixed-price contracts so you should be able to get an idea what it would cost. 

I assume your daughter is a permanent resident, so she could equally sponsor you.  However, are you are that the waiting time for those visas is at least 12 years?

13 minutes ago, ramot said:

Plenty of things to do and enjoy in Brisbane. Most of the top shows are on at QPAC,   visiting international  art exhibitions, Monet in Paris, the French Impressionist live was here recently. We have the  Queensland Ballet with the amazing Li Cunxin as Artistic Director. We saw Strictly Gershwin last week, 40 piece Queensland Orchestra on stage plus 60 dancers, a spectacular tribute to George and Ira Gershwin,  it was wonderful. I’m going to see Il Divo perform next month. Brisbane isn’t quite the backwater small town that some people might think, shouldn’t judge a place if you don’t live there.

Worth remembering that Brisbane is 4 times the size of Edinburgh.  Also unlike Perth, it's within reasonable travelling distance of Sydney and Melbourne, so lots of international tours will include Brissie where Perth often misses out due to the logistics.  

2 hours ago, 123Family said:

II've spent a bit of time reading lots of stories on this website. Wonder if all the people fully settled when they moved back. Maybe people settle and then don't write anymore. Hard to know what the right thing to do is. Stay or go. Go or stay. Do you think, on balance, people who feel like this, in a similar situation should always act on it?

That's the thing, Once people have made the move, a few will stay on the forum because they've made friends, or feel they've got something to contribute.  But most will just stop posting.

One thing to bear in mind:  don't ever think that you can stay in Australia until you retire, then make the move.  It can't happen. There are too many snags to do with pensions.  You really need to make the move as soon as you can, so you can establish a home, get your UK pensions going, and build a life there.   You only have to delay another 3 or 4 years, and you'll be stuck in Australia for the rest of your lives.  

If that statement sends your heart into your boots, then that's a sign that you need to do something about it.  If you're just shrugging your shoulders at the thought, then maybe it isn't worth the upheaval.  Only you can decide.  

If you are a permanent resident, you can buy any kind of property you like.  it's only temporary residents that have restrictions.

7 hours ago, Leeds123 said:

Thankyou for the replies, the company is huge and in over 150 countries so they aren’t short of resources I have forwarded the messages above to my MD. After my next consultation on Wednesday I will know more and I’m sure it will get sorted out and we will come to some kind of an agreement. 

I suggest not having the meeting on Wednesday.  If you are already sure that you meet all the requirements for the visa, there is no point in spending any more money, until you know whether the employer is ready to proceed.

During my working life, I worked for several large corporations.  Almost all of them have a policy on sponsoring foreign employees.   Often, senior management (like your MD) doesn't even know what the policy is.  The Human Resources department are the ones to consult.  Unfortunately, many large companies have a policy of not sponsoring below a certain pay grade because it's too time-consuming and costly for them, and I've had a few situations where a director has been eager to hire someone and been told no by HR.  Fingers crossed for you.

10 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Erm I think Stirling may have grown somewhat since you were last there! 

I know, I looked up the current population numbers before I posted.   

36 minutes ago, Leeds123 said:

Hi thanks for the reply. 
basically I have worked for the company for 7 years and they are based all over the world (engineering) I contacted the MD of Australia and he agreed to employ/sponsor me but they are also new to this. I believe it was the 482 visa medium to long term with the hope of applying for permanent residency in 2/3 years. 

Yes, but it is a hope, not a certainty.   One of the problems is that the rules change every year, so you might find you're not eligible when the time comes.  Or maybe your company's policy will change and they won't be prepared to sponsor you for permanency.  Basically there's quite a lot that can go wrong.  Despite that, we have many members who've done it successfully.  All the same, it's best to plan/budget on the assumption it will be temporary, then if you manage to get permanent residency, it's a bonus.  

If the company is new to the process, then they will definitely need an agent. The employer's side of the application is complex and if they've never done it before, they couldn't possibly do it themselves.  I'm guessing you are the one who's initiated the idea so you're keen to take the lead, but actually they're the ones who have to start the process rolling.   You can't do anything  until they've done their sponsorship and nomination applications, which they have to arrange and pay for.

Below is an article from another migration agent. I'm not recommending them as I dont know them, but note this quote from the FAQ:

Quote

 

Who pays for the costs?
All costs relating to the business sponsorship and business nomination are legally required to be paid by the employer, including any consultancy fees for migration agents; it is against the law to pass these costs onto the applicant.

Fees for the visa application itself can be paid by either employer or visa applicant; it’s up to what is negotiated between the employer and applicant.

 

It sounds like the employer is saying they'll refund you when you get to Australia, which sounds like they're making it conditional on you getting the visa. They can't legally do that.  

https://migrationdownunder.com/australian-visas/corporate-visas/482visa-tss

49 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Totally, different strokes etc. Will see what we think when we get there. We are just so used to having everything on our doorstep that it will be an adjustment not to have that. Will definitely keep u posted. 

The best thing to do is look at the population of the cities/towns you're considering and compare them to towns/cities you know in Scotland.  They'll be much the same.  For instance, if you know Stirling (40,000 people) then a country town like Orange will have much the same level of shops  and amenities.  

I feel there's some confusion here.  The employer is sponsoring you. It's up to the employer to organise the sponsorship and it's up to them to pay the agent's fees associated with getting the sponsorship organised.  Legally they can't ask you to pay any of their costs, even if they're planning to refund them later. 

You just have to make your visa application for yourself (with your partner as a dependent).  It's up to you whether you want to hire an agent to do your visa application.

It is expensive to make the move, and I'm sure you know that a 482 visa is only a temporary visa for 2 to 4 years.  You're not migrating, you're just coming for an adventure.  With that in mind, it's important to ensure your company is paying relocation costs etc so you don't end up out of pocket over the term of the contract.

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

January and February are the hottest months in Australia, followed by December

I always used to feel March could be as bad as February in Sydney.  Maybe it was psychological:  I'd be suffering through a sticky February, looking forward to March and then it wouldn't feel any better.  

A bit like when I lived in Aberdeen.  I'd be tholing the Arctic weather in February, thinking Spring was around the corner -- then along came March and it would snow!

8 hours ago, Gavilon18 said:

My Occupation appears on the skilled occupation for both 190 and 491 (Finance Manager). Looking at most states there are restrictions on the 190/491 visas that exclude this from their specific requirements. I can't see anything on the Victoria migration pages to suggest that there are any restrictions that would prevent me from applying - priority sectors certainly but no exclusions. 

Have I missed something?

I can't see any exclusions for Victoria either. I don't think you've missed anything. 

3 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

I fancied Newcastle but honestly the houses for our budget (around $1 million-ish maybe a bit more) seem really woeful compared to our house here! I can live with what I can get in Brisbane/Sunny Coast for that money, although in some cases it’s still not quite as good as our house here. I’m a secondary teacher to trade but have been out of the classroom 5 years working in corporate L and D in the public sector. 

Ooh, I hadn't realised they'd gone up so much.  Newcastle is still about half the price of Sydney, if you look at the equivalent quality of suburb (the median price is misleading because Sydney is so sprawling).  Remember you can be right on the very edge of Newcastle and still be closer to the city centre than a mid-ring suburb in Sydney. 

Have you been looking at Seek to suss out where the jobs are in your field?  Linkedin is also a good place to see if you can make contacts.   Employment agencies are annoying and will often ignore you if you email them -- you could try phoning, or actually walking into their offices while you're there in February. 

4 hours ago, SophW said:

Hope you don't mind me asking, but do you think you'll stay in Oz given how you've felt on this trip to England?

Proudpreston has often said that she can't leave Oz because her boys are here and they won't move back.  It's a story you'll hear often here.  So many people move to Australia, start a family and then stay because they feel it's better for the kids, even though they feel terribly homesick themselves.  They tell themselves they'll all move back when the kids are a bit older, or when they  retire.  But then, the kids grow up Australians, marry other Australians, have Australian kids themselves -- and then retiring back to Blighty means leaving them behind.

Some homesickness is normal when you migrate, but I do think that if people are still feeling 'the pull' after the first couple of years, they should pack up and go home, regardless of any financial advantages. Migration only works (in the long term) if you're able to commit to your new country wholeheartedly.  Some people can, some people can't. I don't think it's something you can control.

18 minutes ago, Parley said:

Have a wild guess. The usual suspect.

Well, it wasn't me, and did you notice the OP specifically said he was thinking about his daughter having more opportunities (otherwise I wouldn't have raised the subject).

7 hours ago, stevej said:

Again thank you for your reply and time. As stated above the information I have been given is direct from a MARN registered agent. The only bit I’m awaiting answer on is the issue of primary applicant doesn’t validate at all. 
 

If you've already had advice from an agent then Paul can't comment further due to professional etiquette.  

If you had visited Australia to activate your visa within the initial year, the answer would be easy.  You and the kids would all have visas in your own right and can travel independently. 

The tricky part is that you didn't do that, so now you're in a limbo where you've been granted your visas but you haven't been immigration cleared.  In that case, section 104 applies.  Google and you'll find plenty of websites explaining this.  Here's just one:

https://www.cpemigration.com.au/blogs/fighting-visa-cancellations-hd6a2

So I think your agent is wrong.  

4 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

. If we come in Feb and absolutely hate it then we won’t move. Hubby is eligible for an Irish passport so at that point we’d consider Europe, but employment for him is more limited there due to the language barrier and I feel there’s less opportunity long term for our girl. 

February is a fantastic choice for a visit. You'll see the climate at its best/worst.  February/March are the hottest months, so if you enjoy it, you can feel confident you'll love it the rest of the  year, too.  If you find it a bit too sticky/humid, remember that the further south you go, the less sticky it gets.

2 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

We’ll soon have a teenager, so really feel like we need to be at least easy travelling distance to a city for decent shops, concerts, entertainment etc. Plus to be honest I am a bit of a townie, having lived half an hour from both Edinburgh and Glasgow for most of my life. My boss lives in rural Lincolnshire and she was telling me yesterday she is half an hours drive from a supermarket which kind of freaked me out haha! We have a big shopping centre here with Next, M and S, cinema etc literally a 5 minute drive. Can’t imagine being cut off or isolated. The good thing about moving as an oldie is we know what we like/don’t like! 

I know we've crossed swords in the past, but I hope you won't dismiss the advice I'm about to give. 

I'm from Aberdeen and lived in Stirling for many years (and loved popping into Edinburgh and Glasgow regularly).  If you want that lifestyle, Sydney isn't it. It's more like Manchester by the sea, far more busy and congested (unless you have several million to buy a house near the coast).   Even Brisbane is FOUR TIMES the size of Edinburgh, with all the traffic that goes with that.

As my work is corporate, I never had the choice to work anywhere but the capital cities in Australia.  I think you're a nurse, so you have far more freedom.  There are regional cities which have all the amenities you're looking for.  I'd be doing the tourist thing in Sydney for a few days, then heading up the coast to check out Newcastle.  Bigger than Aberdeen, smaller than Edinburgh. Plenty of shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, gorgeous beaches, good schools.  Two hours from Sydney by train or car.

https://newywithkids.com.au/moving-to-newcastle-a-guide-for-families/

Be warned, parts of the city centre are unattractive so it's easy to get the wrong impression when you first drive in -- but don't let that put you off.  If you know anyone in Sydney, they'll try to put you off Newcastle.  It's part rivalry, part outdated ideas (Newcastle was a working-class town 50 years ago, it's not now).

The Sunshine Coast could be a good choice for you, too.  The entire region has a lower population than Edinburgh, so it's not a city lifestyle but the amenities are there. 

1 hour ago, Parley said:

And once you have lived here for a few years, it is just the new normal and you stop comparing things to your old life.

My focus is on living well here not wondering if i would have made more money in England.

Well of course, who suggested otherwise?

Just checking, did you all activate your visas within the required time (within 1 year after grant)?   If you did, then my understanding is that you all have a visa in your own right, and therefore it doesn't matter whether the primary applicant ever moves.  

1 hour ago, can1983 said:

Yep we moved in 2017 for many reasons but financial was one of them. much better standard of living in Australia (even now) for the same job than the uk. Swapped a shoebox in a chav infested inner city area for a family home by the beach. 

As I've noted elsewhere, not all occupations are higher-paid in Australia than in the UK, so it's important people do their own research.  Also of course, now that house prices have gone daft in some capital cities, that can wipe out the benefits of the higher salaries.

For occupations where it's possible to find work in regional areas, e.g. teachers, medical staff, social workers, tradespeople, it's still possible to get the benefit of better pay/bigger house.

54 minutes ago, Parley said:

I don't think most people have ever moved to Australia for financial rewards.

I'm very surprised to hear that.  Sure, kids on WHVs come for the weather and beaches, but haven't you noticed all the people who join this forum and say they're migrating because they want "a better future for their kids"?  Not beaches and excitement but more opportunity and financial success.  In my experience that's a driver for many people.