Brucolino

Update: I received my travel exemption and left the country a few months back.

I provided following evidence:

• My booked one-way flight ticket
• My passport
• My partner's contact details
• Statement from my partner and his family as to our relationship and the address I would be staying at upon arrival
• Medical letter from my partner's mother's doctor confirming her stage 4 cancer diagnosis
• My doctor's supporting statement - as I was suffering with symptoms of anxiety and mild depression due to the travel ban
• All flight tickets between my partner and myself as evidence of our frequent travel during our long distance relationship prior to the travel ban
• A personal statement detailing my case, my partner's mother's battle with cancer and the toll the travel ban was taking on our relationship and mental health. Within this I stated that I would be handing in notice to my workplace and letting agency upon confirmation of my travel exemption

Upon travelling I was initially overwhelmed and somewhat traumatised by everything - getting stopped by police at the airport to check my travel exemption was valid, mandatory masks covered by face shields on the plane etc.

Once I landed I was relieved but it still took me a couple of weeks to return to my normal happy and calm self. I am finally in a happy place, reunited with my partner, breathing well again, sleeping peacefully again

Hi again all,

When I'm filling out the online exemption form - both options for "compassionate grounds" and "urgent personal business" have planned return date as a mandatory field. Whichever option I were to choose I am essentially leaving the country for the foreseeable future, particularly with the uncertainty of coronavirus I really do not plan or intend to travel in the next few years.

I am confused as to why this a mandatory field if it is the right option for those wanting to leave the country   Any thoughts/suggestions?

10 hours ago, Marisawright said:

c). 

So, if giving notice makes you nervous, choose Option 1.

I pasted a checklist in the post above.  The only thing y

Thanks Marisa makes sense now.

I'm not reluctant, I just like gathering as much information as possible as I have been reading about many cases of skilled workers struggling to get travel exemptions (albeit they are returning from overseas) have even known of cases at my workplace. Was reading an article yesterday about one person getting refused 9  times and having to provide a mountain of evidence before getting approval.

Partner is not a PR, when he came out initially it was on a working holiday visa. This is not really an issue as we are planning to get married and would have other VISA options. At the very start his mother had not had her diagnosis so this changed things. We started traveling multiple times throughout the year to meet up. Very expensive and not ideal but it really kept us motivated. Now with this pandemic we are both misserable.

Anyway, our situation makes it very difficult to make a plan (or for me to know which travel exemption option to choose). It's likely we will just have to give up on Australia.

Thanks again for all your help

10 minutes ago, Brucolino said:

Hi Marisa,

Apologies - I'm not trying to place any responsibility on you, or anyone else.

Of course my partner and his family are more than happy to provide support via statements or what not. It's more the fact there doesn't really seem to be a checklist or formal guidelines on what evidence is required for a successful application. Which in itself is stressful when talking about handing in notice to landlord, workplace and paying for international flights without guarentee you will be allowed to travel.

I speculated a 2-3year travel ban because Simon Birmingham made an announcement last week that Australia's international borders would remain closed till at least 2021 and with cases on the rise and restrictions not even fully lifted (in Victoria at least) I simply made an estimation that international travel may not resume for the next couple of years.

This is important to -both of us- as we no longer know when we would be allowed to travel and see each other again. Hence I am feeling the only realistic option is to unfortunately leave Australia

22 hours ago, Marisawright said:

If I went down the route of "compassionate reasons" what evidence would I need to supply? What reason did your member give for example?    Things I am thinking of for example is whether I need to prove my relationship, which I know is required for partner visas etc. - The member in the example was leaving Australia forever to go and live in the UK, so that is not relevant to you.  

 Is there a chance you could be denied travel? And if so - would I be allowed to appeal this decision?  Yes, there is a chance it could be denied if it's felt your reasons are not compelling enough.  There is no appeal process BUT you are allowed to apply again immediately, and it costs nothing so there is no reason not to try again. 

If I go down the route of "urgent personal business" is it enough to supply a written statement that I am leaving Australia? Or would I need a statutory declaration witnessed and signed by a legal official?  You need to show proof that you have given notice on your lease  (or put your house on the market) and booked your one-way flight and shipping. Also evidence of where you will be living when you arrive in the UK (if that is with your partner or your family then a statement from him/them). No need for a stat dec.  

Note that it takes about 4 weeks to get a decision so allow for that when making your plans. 

 

Information from the Home Affairs website about applying for travel for compassionate reasons:

In your request, you must provide us following information:

• the reason for your visit, include your compelling or compassionate reasons
• which countries you will be visiting (include stopovers)
• how you are related to the person you are visiting
• details of the people you plan to visit, including their:
  • full name
  • date of birth
  • your relationship with these people
• when you plan to travel (both to and from the countries you wish to visit)
• how long you wish to stay in each country
• why you need to visit these countries
• evidence of compelling or compassionate reason
• copies of any identity cards or identity documents with your photograph
• copies of passports (or other travel documents) of all visa holders wanting to travel
• your travel arrangements (if already made)
• your contact details while outside Australia
• your contact details in the country you wish to visit
• contact details of your migration agent or representative (if this applies)

Compelling or compassionate reasons can include:

• visiting or caring for a close relative who is seriously ill or dying
• attending the funeral of a close relative
• attending the birth of your child

Thanks so much for the information Marisa,

The summary of what I am thinking of adding in my application is that I want to leave Australia as my partner and I are in seperate continents and due to the pandemic can no longer travel to visit each other which in combination with his mother's condition have made us both decide to remain close to home & family for as long as the pandemic restrictions are in place (recognising that this could be years).  - Does this seem more or less like the level of detail needed?

Some follow up questions I'm hoping you can help answer:

• You mentioned a decision could take around 4 weeks. How many months in advance should I book my flight date? If for example I were to book travel 6 weeks away, is there a chance the review of my case could take longer?
• Is there really any guarentee I will not be denied travel ? It still seems very high risk booking a flight and handing in notice to workplace and landlord without prior approval ?
• Lastly, would I be eligible to apply for a RRV in the future to extend my PR for a further 5 years, if after say 2-3 years COVID travel bans were lifted?

Thanks again!

24 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

In your particular case, you have two choices. 

If you choose to apply under "compassionate reasons", then you don''t have to give notice or leave your work until you know you have the exemption.  You just need to supply evidence of your compassionate reasons. 

If you choose to apply under "urgent personal business" and declare that you want to leave Australia forever, then you will not be refused, so you can confidently hand in your notice, leave work and arrange to ship your belongings, and then submit evidence of all of that.  You will not be refused because they don't really care about you leaving. They only care about people who want to leave for a short period and then possibly bring the virus back with them.    We had a member here who left recently without any problem.

If you are really not confident about the process, how about asking your partner to help you understand it?   It's not a migration issue so an agent wouldn't normally get involved, though I suppose one would be happy to help you if you are willing to pay for their services. 

Hi Marisa,

• If I went down the route of "compassionate reasons" what evidence would I need to supply? What reason did your member give for example?

            Things I am thinking of for example is whether I need to prove my relationship, which I know is required for partner visas etc.

            Is there a chance you could be denied travel? And if so - would I be allowed to appeal this decision?

• If I go down the route of "urgent personal business" is it enough to supply a written statement that I am leaving Australia? Or would I need a statutory declaration witnessed and signed by a legal official?

Thanks

On 19/06/2020 at 05:04, Marisawright said:

Are you getting confused by the list of evidence on the Home Affairs page?  That list covers all the possible kinds of evidence you MIGHT need, depending on your reasons for wanting to leave. You choose the ones relevant to your reason for travel (compassionate), and ignore the rest.  

If you have decided you want to leave forever, then by all means use that reason instead of compassionate reasons - but you'll need to show evidence that you've given notice to your landlord, booked shipping for your belongings, and that you have a home to go to in the UK.   If you wish to apply under that category, you select "People who are travelling on urgent and unavoidable personal business" instead.

The British Consulate might help with repatriation if you were stranded in a foreign country.   You may feel stranded because you're separated from your partner, but you are living comfortably in your own home, in a country where are legally resident, so it doesn't come under that category.

I don't understand how the process works. Obviously I'm not going to hand in notice to my landlord and work without getting prior approval to leave Australia. The last thing I want is to be stuck here without a job or place to stay..

Has anyone on here (as a PR) applied for a travel exemption and been successful? What type of evidence/documentation did you provide?

Did you consult with a migration agent on how to submit a case? Are there any migration agents on this site who can offer advice please?

5 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, you are right.

I'm very confused about why you're asking the British Consulate about this. It has nothing to do with them.   Your right to leave Australia is checked when you get on the plane in Australia, not when you get off the plane in the UK.

All you have to do is apply for permission to travel on compassionate grounds.   Write a statement explaining that your partner's mother is dying of cancer and you need to be there to provide support to her and your partner (this may not be precisely true but it is more convincing than just saying you want to be with your partner).   Provide a statement from your partner saying the same thing.   And a medical certificate for your MIL's illness. 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/covid19-enquiry-form

Thanks for your reply Marisa,

As a British citizen I assumed they would have advice on repatriating their citizens. 

Do I need to provide evidence of permanent relocation out of Australia? What about evidence of my relationship to my partner (as we are not married). I've heard they are very strict with issuing approval for travel.

Has anyone submitted an excemption requested and been successful that can offer some advice please?

8 hours ago, Nemesis said:

I would suggest speaking to a registered migration agent and see if they can build a case for you to get an exemption. 

Are there any migration agents on this site who can give me some direction?

Hi all,

So my plan to leave Australia was not as simple as initially suggested. I've discovered that as a Permanent Resident I am not allowed to leave Australia - it is completely banned for both PR's and citizens: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/leaving-australia

Simon Birmingham made an announcement yesterday that international borders will remain closed till at least 2021. With my partner still stuck overseas, at this point I just need to get out of this country.

I contacted the British Consulate in Melbourne which gave me an automated message to select from the follow 3 options:

• Option 1: VISA info - directed me to their website and hung up the call
• Option 2: Passport info - directed me to their website and hung up the call
• Option 3: Is literally for emergency assistance if you've been arrested or detained overseas ...

I then contacted the British Embassy Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They were completely clueless. The guy said "Flights from Australia to UK are operational, just fly back" .... I tried explaining the PR situation and he's now asked me to put everything down in writing so that my case can be 'analysed'.

Does anyone on here have any recommendations on how to get out of Australia? At this point I don't even care about my PR - happy to revoke it. But how does this all work? 'homeaffairs.gov.au' talks about applying for an exception if you fall under the following:

But then says the application must be supported by a plethora of evidence to support your claims. Do I need to consult with an immigration lawyer? Is there a way I can revoke my PR VISA?

15 minutes ago, Nemesis said:

for me it has already been 2 years and no prospect of getting home for at minimum another 12 months. So that is reality, not scaremongering.  

That sounds awful. Hope you can both get through this

Just now, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

 

As nemesis says, as a non Aus citizen you are free to leave at any time 

 

Thank you both,

Knowing this actually gives me some piece of mind. The whole situation sucks but I wouldn't think twice about prioritising my relationship over Australia. Just can't believe this is all actually happening

2 minutes ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

Where are you hoping to travel to and why?

I presume you’re originally from Europe?

Yes - my partner is stuck overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer and was due to fly back to Australia which has now been cancelled. We were hoping we could re-plan for him to travel over the summer but it's looking impossible. My only options now are I either Australia all together or spend the next year(s) apart.. which is really not an option at all.

Neither of us are AUS citizens..

Truth is this entire situation is unprecedented and nobody really knows how long it will last.

I keep reading and hearing from many that realistically this will last for the next 18-24 months and it's causing me massive anxiety. I am literally having nightmares related to the lockdown.. I'm hoping I will have a better indication in the next couple of months of when I might be able to travel. I'm not concerned about being allowed to return to Europe but about Australia's borders being closed.  If the situation has not changed by the end of the summer I will need to leave Australia.

I'm just stressed of potentially not being able to. Should I be getting in touch with the British embassy? Do I need to receive approval? Will any flights even be operating? And based on this - should I be planning to leave Australia sooner or wait and see? .. so much uncertainty it's driving me insane

15 minutes ago, Mcguinnessp1968 said:

Hardly years

That’s just scaremongering you have no foundation whatsoever for that comment

2 hours ago, Nemesis said:

You will need to apply for an exemption in order to leave the country - the illness may be sufficient reason for a compassionate exemption grant.

Its the price you pay for being an expat, some of us are now faced with sending years away from our partners and all of our family members. 

Hi Nemesis,

Thanks for your reply.

Can I ask: What makes you say we are faced with spending years apart? Is this a pragmatic expectation that travel restrictions will persist for over a year(s) ? Or a hypothesis? Do you reckon there will be any improvement before this?

Admittedly I am suffering severe anxiety over the prospect of relocation vs being separated from my loved ones for the forseeable future

Hi all,

I have been living in Melbs for 2.5 years now but have loved ones overseas that I'm really needing to see. My partner is also overseas due to mother in law being unwell with cancer. The current situation I'm in is we had to cancel my Easter travel and will most likely need to cancel summer travel plans due to the persisting travel restricitons. 

I'm not wanting to leave Australia but if the situation does not change in the next few months I will most likely need to as I can't maintain this distance for a year+. Is international travel even possible at the moment? Can anybody offer any advice as to when I should be attempting to do it? I.e. should I start planning my relocation asap so that I get out sooner rather than later or should I wait it out and hope things will improve over the next few months (over the summer perhaps)?

Any thoughts/advice appreciated - thanks all

13 minutes ago, paulhand said:

To answer the above questions:

- yes, you can apply at any time, but in your case there is no point until you have spent 2 years in total here, as you would actually shorten your travel period if you applied now.

- no, but until you have you will only get a one year RRV, which would be pointless. 

- yes 

- you count the actual number of days you were physically in Australia. When you get to 730, that's 2 years

- if you meet the 2 years in 5, then 5 years. If not, 1 year.

As mentioned by @ali it would be worth you running your scenarios by an RMA to make sure you fully understand how this works.

Thanks Paul! Very helpful indeed.

Do the 2 years need to be within consecutive years or is it enough to just have the 730 days throughout the 5 year period? I will definitely be joining my partner for a few months after completing my work assignment in Sep. to support him and his family. But I'm now thinking of returning to make up the 2 years.

Thanks to everyone for your inputs

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

No, you can't count any time you spent outside Australia for any reason.

Just to clarify. I have been on holidays outside of Australia, both in Asia and Europe while still renting here and being employed here (as part of my holiday leave). So these dates would not count as me living here?

7 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

In that case, you cannot apply for another RRV now.  You need to wait until 2021.  

By far the safest solution is to stay in Australia until you've fulfilled your two-year requirement.  Your time absent from Australia will not count.  

If you don't fulfil your two year requirement, then when you apply for your RRV, you'll have to show evidence of "strong ties" to Australia.  If you have no home, no job and no relatives in Australia, that will be impossible, and you won't be able to get a RRV.  You will lose your PR.

Does this include time outside Australia spent on holidays?

Thanks Ali,

My sister is living here and has been for the past 5-6years so I do have family ties in Australia. I was hoping to find out if family illness is potentially categorised as an exceptional circumstance when it came to a decision regarding the RRV and the length of extension.

The diagnosis was unfortunately made straight after our VISA was granted. We still came out here in the hope the treatment would be successful. Unfortunately the cancer has metastasised and treatment is continuing.

It's this uncertainty that is making it very difficult to plan ahead. It's been incredibly straining on our relationship living in different continents and we are spending a fortune on back and forth travel which is why I am making the decision to leave Australia. I still want to try keeping my options open though.

It's all very stressful.

December 2021

Hi all,

I am on a PR visa (189) which I activated in Nov 2017. I stayed in Australia with a family member for 3 weeks or so but then went back to Europe for Christmas and to come back to Australia with my partner. We returned Feb of '18.

Since then I am living/working in Australia.

My partner had to go back due to serious illness in his family(cancer) and wants to be close to them for support. Treatment has been on-going for the past 2 years and will continue. We don't know what the future holds right now. The distance and time-zone difference has been extremely difficult for us especially since we recently got enganged. With everything going on I am thinking/more or less decided I should also leave Australia. My current work assignment ends in September after which I am thinking of leaving.

It's far from ideal and I feel very sad about it all.. but I don't feel like I have much of a choice. Rather than turning my back on Australia indefinitely I'm hoping of keeping the option to return open.

My questions:

• Can I apply for a RRV before my 5 year PR unlimited travel expires?
• Do I need to have stayed in Australia for 2 years before applying for a RRV?
• Would people recommend I stay on a few more months to meet the 2 year residency requirement?
• If so - would I be able to count my residency status from Nov onwards(when my PR visa was activated)? Or will the fact I returned to Europe for a couple of months work against me?
• How long does the RRV extend to? Is it just 1 additional year or more?

If anyone else has gone through a similar situation please feel free to offer advice.

Thanks everyone x
 

My update so far. I went through a contact that my sister's partner knew and he got me an interview for a position straight away. He knows the hiring manager there and gave me some good advice. I attended the interview today which went really well and their HR called me to set up a 2nd round interview for Monday.

I'm staying positive and hopeful. In my experience, knowing the right people really is the way forward.

19 hours ago, Dis said:

Hi all,

We're at the halfway point and OH is eligible for his Sub Cat 100 in Feb next year.  Currently looking and applying for jobs (know it's a long shot) from the UK.  It's ok, we're not completely deluded and are fully prepared to get nowhere, but gotta be in it to win it I guess.

Anyhoo, this is kind of a shout out, if anyone willing to give a Pom network tech a go, would be great!?  Currently employed as a hands on internal IT Manager, Senior Network Tech for about 10yrs beforehand.  He has some weird and unusual ways to get around things on occasion, thinks outside the box, a lot at the moment.  Honest (to a fault), hardworking and holds his hands up when he's messed up, royally or otherwise!

Knows he'll prob have to take a step or two back, which he's fully prepared for, just needs a bit of a helping hand.  Will pretty much go where the work is.

Good luck to everybody else currently and soon to be searching, from wherever you are currently based!!!

 

Just thought I'd mention that I was applying to multiple positions in Australia while I was still in the UK. I included in the cover letter than I had permanent residency and was in the process of migrating on a permanent basis but did not get a single response. Even when I would send emails to recruiters I wouldn't get any reply back. I think the moment they see a UK mob.# on your CV/application they just bin it.

It's also my understanding that a lot of people who migrate end up moving back home within 1-2years. I met a lot of people like that actually when I was furnishing my flat. Most people selling their furniture on gumtree seemed to be migrants who were moving back. I spoke to them and they were all saying the same thing - that they gave it a go, but that it wasn't for them. I got a few things from an English and Irish couple and then some off New Zealanders moving back.

I was also asked in all my interviews ' are you here permanently? '. My point is - because a lot of people do move back home I think there is a level of prejudice when it comes to migrants out of fear they will(and can) get up and leave at any moment. Clearly though there is a large majority that does stay, including my sister, her partner, and others I have met and interacted with, so everyone's experience is different!

I think a Pom Tech network sounds like a great idea! I've been looking into similar networking events myself on meetup.com

@Wayne There are massive differences between the UK and Australia. Even after months I am still adjusting to it all. It doesn't feel like home but I was expecting this when I made the decision to move here. It was never going to be easy and to a certain extent I was prepared for that. I haven't actually met any people here. Back home I knew and spoke to all my neighbours. It doesn't feel the same here. Every place is different and everyone's experience will be different too. That side of things doesn't bother me too much because I'm with my partner and I have some family here too so I'm not alone. I do hope I can expand my social network once I'm in work though.

Regarding the Australian recruitment process, it seems to be heavily focused on who you know. My sisters' partner has been offered a couple of jobs just by speaking to the right people (no interviews) and the IT security specialist I spoke to last weekend was offered his job through a friend, also without an interview. It does seem to be fairly common here. That's not to say I haven't had any interviews. I've had 2 that were extremely positive, but despite telling me they were very impressed and would be setting up a 2^nd round interview, they never followed up. I have read a lot of similar stories. It’s almost as though the jobs aren’t genuinely on offer but they are simply sussing out candidates for potential future hire. I have thought about this especially with small scale businesses because they possibly have plans for future expansion. For one of the interviews I attended I was sent a message about a month later telling me that the process was taking longer than anticipated but that I would be hearing back. They didn’t specify a date. I think in Australia things just tend to move a lot slower.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that almost all the jobs advertised seem to be contract work as opposed to permanent positions. The issue with contract work is that the role descriptions are extremely specific so even though you may come across as a talented/competent, highly experienced professional, you may not tick just 1 of the multiple boxes and that’s enough to deem you unsuitable. I’ve found this to be the case in roles where they’ve asked for Australian Finance industry specific experience. I think a permanent position would be more willing to develop you, having you learn on the job.

Remember to take everything with a grain of salt. This is just my experience and observations so far. Everyone's experience will be different. I still find Australia an exciting place and can't wait to earn some money so that I can afford to do more travelling and see more of it!

@Tootsie yes there are many IT professionals in the market but the fact they are still issuing skilled migration visas for these professions, in theory, indicates there is still a demand. I don't believe there is much point in comparing IT students or qualified graduates to experienced professionals. Skilled migrants typically are both - I'm not competing against graduates and graduates aren't competing against professionals. Back in the UK, most companies offer graduate schemes and internship opportunities. I've seen internship and graduate roles advertised in Australia too so I assume the process is pretty similar here.