bandman

Thank you for the reply. I should also add that the mother, while living in Brisbane with her current boyfriend, is originally from elsewhere in Australia (small town with unpronounceable name). It's a concern for me that if I go the route of the student visa, or any kind of employment sponsorship, then I am tied down to one place. If the mother decided to leave Brisbane for whatever reason, then I would once again be left helpless... and possibly with even fewer options than I have now.

Hi all, I have just joined this forum in the hope of getting some advice. In early September, I found out that I have a 2 year old daughter living in Brisbane. It was completely by chance that I found out and my head has been spinning for the past three months. I flew over in October and in the 4 weeks that I was there, I fell in love with her. I had never previously even considered moving to Australia but the thought of not being there to see her grow up is breaking my heart. Since leaving, every day that I haven't seen her has been agony. Sadly, I had no idea that moving there would be so difficult. The mother, while amicable enough to let me see her, refuses to offer any kind of assistance. She will not register me as the father or aid in any kind of sponsorship arrangement. One option I have is to get a student visa. If this is the only option I am left with then I will try to make it work, but it's not ideal. Firstly because it is only a temporary solution, and secondly because I cannot financially afford it. The only other option that I can see is to try for skilled migration, but I know this would be incredibly difficult. On the plus side, I am a car mechanic, which is on the skilled occupation list (or at least "Motor Mechanic" is). On the down side, I have no formal qualifications. My dad owned a garage, and it's something I learned from him growing up... but it has been my only occupation since leaving school (I am now 32). I'm confident that with some preparation I could probably pass a skills assessment but I don't know if the lack of qualification makes this route a waste of time from the outset. I have a university degree, but it is completely useless and unrelated. Does anybody have any suggestions?