Sparkle67

An update....four years later Moved to the Gold Coast two years ago. Youngest daughter is still under the mental health team, who have been fabulous here. Daughter says the move was the best thing for her and she would never move back to England. Happy daughter...happy mother.

Hi I live in Benowa so if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

Hi You're welcome. No I didn't use an Immigration Expert but that's my 0ersonality coming into play - I prefer to do things alone. I made sure I had a couple of telephone calls with my appointed Immigration Officer to give the personal touch to my application. I know I am stating the obvious but when you write your letter of reasons why you have not returned to Australia, don't send it straight away. Leave it for a few days and you'll be surprised at the things you'll remember to add to it. Your final draft will be so much better than your first. Regards

Hi, I just saw your post on an old thread from 2014 where you asked how I managed to renew my Permanent Resident Visa after my being away from Australia for 20 years. I emigrated from UK to Sydney on a Spouse Visa (my then husband was a New Zealander) I lived in Sydney from 1990 to 1994. My two eldest daughters were born in Sydney. Moved back to England in 1994. In 2013 I applied for a Return Resident Visa so that I could return to Australia with my three daughters (youngest was born in England) With my application, I attached a very detailed time-line letter of all the life events which prevented me from returning to Australia sooner. These included, proof of four years of Court Hearings with the ex husband. Medical documents to show years of hospital treatment for first daughter. Medical evidence and Special Education schooling for second daughter. Proof of my University studies. The Immigration Officer stated that the fact two of my daughters are Australian citizens, only played a small part when considering whether to grant my RRV. Much emphasis was placed on the reasons why I had not returned in 20 years. I was granted my RRV (whole process took three months) I then applied for a Resident Visa for my youngest daughter, which obviously was granted as she was 13 at the time. I must add - I was granted a 12 month RRV. I was unable to make the move within that time frame, for all sorts of c reasons. So I booked a holiday to Australia and whilst here,I applied for the 5 year RRV, which was granted within two weeks. We finally made the permanent moved to the Gold Coast in July 2015. Definitely here to stay now. Every case is different, every Immigration Officer is different. I know my chances of being granted a RRV were slim but I had to try. No medicals or Police checks were required. I wish you all the best with your application. If you need any help with your cover letter, let me know. Regards I relied

Hi You will have to obtain your Real Estate Agents Certificates before you can work in an Estate Agency. Check out the REIQ website. The courses can be completed via distance learning but you need to be living in Australia. Any questions, feel free to ask. Good luck.

Hello I moved Australia on a resident visa in 1990, returned to the UK in 1994. Last year I applied for a RRV, which has been granted. I had to provide an awful lot of evidence as to why I had not returned to Australia sooner. The more information you can provide the better and evidence is the key. I hope it all works out for you

Hello AJ She wasn't born when I had my original visa, other two daughters were born in Sydney so not a problem for them but yes, I have applied for a child sponsor visa. Regards Z

Hi Quoll and thank you for your comments. I have one brother who lives 90 miles from me, my mother lives abroad and my father remarried and decided to cut contact with his whole family. My girls are my life so to contemplate leaving my 14 year old with someone else is not something I would consider. I am the one constant thing in her life and due to her circumstances, leaving her would be dire (although I do understand why you mentioned it, as it does seem like a sensible solution, if it were possible) Thank you Z

Hi Dxbox Thank you. My family are spread far and wide, nearest being 90 miles from me and her father is a "no go area." Also, I could never leave her in the UK whilst I went to Australia.

Thank you for your reply and advice. Visa states need to enter Australia prior to 1st June 2014 so I am leaving it as close to that date as possible. You are right in saying that under normal circumstances a 14 year old should not dictate the future of the family and thank you for recognising that our situation is slightly different. My daughter was almost admitted last year bless her, so I am very concerned that she doesn't have a repeat of that, which was the scariest time of our lives. That is actually why I applied for the visa - to give her a new start, seems to be backfiring though. My other daughters have been supportive but they also have an air of "she'll be fine once she's out there." I wish I could feel as confident. I will never ever forgive myself if she reverts back to what she went through last year. The therapist said it would not be good for my daughter to start again with another therapist so she suggested weekly sessions via Skype or Facetime, which I think would work for a while, but you are right - I will look into the services available for adolescents. My middle daughter is profoundly deaf, she also went through a difficult time in her teenage years and is all up for the move, although I worry that she will miss her large group of deaf friends here in the UK, she says she'll be fine though. My eldest is diabetic type 1 so need to make sure she has the right support too. Thank you again for your reply and well wishes. Zx

Hello All I would really benefit and appreciate your opinion/advice. I have been granted a Resident Return Visa, valid for one year (exp 1 June'14). I initially applied for a 5 year RRV in the hope that my daughters and I would move in two years time when youngest has completed secondary school - but did not qualify due to not being in Australia for 2 yrs out of 5. Older daughters excited as prospect of moving (they are Australian by birth). Youngest daughter aged 14 is refusing to go. Understandable so, as she had a difficult time in secondary school, followed by a 7 month absence from school due to mental health reasons. She has now settled into a new secondary school and loves it. Her fear is that she cannot go through another school move. I feel so guilty at putting her through this misery that I am scared her health issues will return if I force her to go (although how you force an almost 15 year old to get on a plane is beyond me! I would love for her to finish school here but the problem I have is the expiry on the RRV. When it was issued, the immigration officer told me she had initially put my application on the "no" pile, then changed her mind and granted the visa. She very clearly stated that if I do not use this visa, there is no chance I would be accepted if I applied again in two years time. So that is my dilemma - this is our one and only chance to make the move but I don't know what to do. My youngest sees her psychotherapist weekly and although her mental health issues are managed, it seems that undue stress placed upon her sets her back. Life has been extremely difficult for the past few years, I cannot afford to keep my property here, my daughters have had a tough time and my reason for applying to move back to Australia was for them. New start and hopefully a happier one but it's not even starting off on the right foot. My financial position is that I am unable to take my daughter for a holiday to Oz, which would have been ideal. So, if we do this, the only way is to sell my property here and make the move. I would be happy to sell up, use some of the funds to take her on holiday then come back to the UK and rent for 2 years until she has finished school but by then I will not be eligible for a RRV. I hope I have made some sense here but my head is all over the place and I don't know what to do, it is making me so ill, I can't sleep and instead of this being an exciting time, it's filled with stress. I would really appreciate anyone's views on this. Thank you

Hello You may qualify for a one year resident return visa. My situation is similar to yours in that I emigrated 23 years ago, my eldest two children were born in Sydney and we moved back to the UK 18 years ago. In April of this year, I applied for a RRV, I did not qualify for the 5 year RRV as I had not lived in Australia for two years out of the past five (in fact I have not been back to Australia in the past 18 years) I was given a one year RRV, the Immigration Officer informed me that my compelling reasons for not returning sooner, combined with the fact that my two girls are Australia Citizens (albeit babies when we left Oz) qualified me for a one year RRV. My advice is that should you apply, make sure you have as much official written evidence as is possible. You mention that you have a good case for not returning - they will need to see evidence of this, your written explanation will not be enough so, Court documents, Doctors/Therapist reports etc., will help and should be submitted in your application or, you can state in your application that these (if relevant) reports will be forwarded. I wish you all the best if you decide apply.