nikkinoo30

Thanks for your response Whites! We are now a little further ahead. After a lot of late nights drafting we now have a statutory declaration (many pages long) signed by my Hubby & a solicitor, We have a statement signed by the Ex-Director of the company my Husband used to work for and trained with (which no longer exists) and this is also witnessed by a solicitor, we then have statements drafted by us but which are in the process of being printed on headed paper from various other employers and signed. We are gathering all the back up evidence (Bank statements & Tax returns etc. It's a full time job in itself isn't it?! We have an agent to advise us which has helped. Are you planning to go to Brisbane? ("Brisbane is the dream!"). We are planning to go to Queensland but on a regional sponsored 489 Visa we have to live and work in regional Queensland (i.e.not greater Brisbane or the Gold Coast). We have family friends in Toowoomba so may end up going there. I imagine the move will not be until January 2016. Nikki.

Update - we have actually manage to now get everything signed and witnessed!! I remembered a Solicitor friend who was able to come and witness signatures for us and the ex-director that my Husband had worked for was happy to sign his statement! Happy days !

Hi There Chipvan! My Husband and I have been talking about moving to Oz for the past 11 years and finally this year decided to take the plunge! We have holidayed there and I have lived there as a child. We have two young children aged 8 yrs and 4 yrs. We have found it really hard discussing it with our family who we are very close to. They are devastated (in-laws and brothers & sisters!). It really is an emotional roller-coaster and it does make me think (sometimes) why would we leave behind our whole support network but we keep thinking if we don't try it we will always be wonder what if!? We don't want to stay in the UK and always regret it. We are thinking along the lines of we go for 2 years initially and rent our house out here so that if we did decide to come back we could. If we did come back at least the kids would have had a amazing experience and still be young enough to fit back into school and life here. I have a sneaky suspicion we will end up staying!! I hope you are able to decide how you feel about it! Nikki.

Hi, We are currently in the process of drafting employment statements and statutory declarations for skills assessment. We have to get the signatures on the statutory declarations witnessed by a solicitor. We have a couple and they are being signed by different people living in completely different places. I am trying to think of the best way to get these witnessed without spending lots of money on different solicitors. What is difficult as well is that when you are asking the ex-director of a company you started working for 20 years ago and the company no longer exists (you don't know the guy that well anymore!) to sign something for you, how do you ask him to travel to a solicitors office to have his signature witnessed as a favour to you?! What did you all do?? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Nikki

Thanks Bugbrock, We will bare that in mind if we decide to go for the permanent visa.

Hi Bugbrock, thanks for your responses & advice. Yeah we were going to try for a permanent visa but my husband has already had 3 attempts at the IELTS for extra points and hasn't quite got there yet so I think we will go for the 489 with state sponsorship and try to get permanent after that. Enjoy oz!! Nikki

Thanks Bugbrock! My a Husband did his NVQ at college on day release. Is the TRA the assessing board you had to go through? We have to go through VETASSES. I will double check this all with the agent. Good to hear you were granted your visa! How long would you say it took you to get through the whole process? It feels like a nightmare already and we've only just started!! Lol Nikki

Hi Vicky & Drew, Sounds like you are in the same position as us. My husband and I are applying for a 489 Visa too and are hoping to go to Queensland (he found the IELTS a nightmare too!). We are at the start of the process currently drafting employment statements which I am finding hard work!! My husband is a builder and is applying to have his skills assessed as a Bricklayer (which his qualification is in). Although we are right at the beginning of the process I already feel so stressed about it and feel that it is going to take forever!! We are also going through an agent. I have no idea how long this will all take - we are thinking we will make it to Australia by Christmas 2015 - am I being pessimistic with this? I hope that we can get there earlier than that! Feeling like the dream is so far away right now! (sorry up late last night typing statements - I am excited about it all really!!) Nikki :ssign7:

Thank you for your advice Adam. I will check the Visa/Licence situation with the agent. Back to drafting now! Nikki

Hi all, I am new to this site and wondered if anyone had any advice: My Husband is a bricklayer by trade and is applying for a Regional Sponsored 489 Visa for Queensland. We are using an immigration agent. We are currently trying to draft all of the employer statements and gather evidence to show his employment / self-employment. (and trying to get this completed before Bricklayer gets taken off the list again!!) The agent has told us that, in addition to detailing fully his qualification (NVQ) and what he did to obtain that, we need to expand on his training/apprenticeship and detail who showed him how to do what on site when he first trained. This is very difficult as he trained 22 years ago (with a Company that no longer exists although we do have the ex-director's contact details and he has agreed to sign a declaration), my Husband says that back in those days you just took your trowel and got on with it. You didn't have someone explaining everything step-by-step. We are in a position where we are just going to have to make it all up! Any tradies having the same issue?? Did you describe the training in lots of detail? Thanks!