cricha200

21 minutes ago, Sausage said:

Seconded what Bluequay says,   Getting the PR visa is a long, admin intensive process, and if you really are adamant that you are only staying for 3 years, Id certainly not exclude a temporary option. Working holiday is truly easy and quick to get. 

Caveats for WHV :

• when you do leave, you will be able to claim back your Superannuation (pension) and the tax rates applied to your super is 65% for WHV and 40% (I think) for non WHV.   This may or may not be significant enough to make a WHV less attractive as it can add up to many thousands. 
• To get second and third year WHV, you need to have had worked in a specified role for a minimum amount of time, I very much doubt social work is part of that list, so you might have to go fruit picking for 3 months of each year! 
• (Its been over 20 years since I held a WHV - so take this with a pinch of salt!)  I found it difficult to get anyone to employ me in the skilled work I was qualified for on a WHV.

Don't know if there are any other temporary work visas you can get without a sponsor, It's worth asking someone who knows! Perhaps its possible to get a social work agency to sponsor a temporary visa? I know from experience that getting a temp visa with a sponsor is 100x easier and quicker than going through the hoops required for a PR visa.

 

Social work or park of the list on MTLTSS. I was stupid and left oz 4 years ago one month short of them announcing key workers were being extended sadly! 

18 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

Thought they had ditched the regional work requirements for UK working holiday makers now!?

They have

2 hours ago, bluequay said:

If you only want to do a maximum 2/3 years, if you are under 35 wouldn't the Working holiday Visa be a better\cheaper and quicker option?

You also wouldn't be getting a PR visa ahead of somebody who wants to make the move permanently.

It would be, but getting “social work” on a temp visa never really is great. The “social work” offered on a temp visa is never the social work that is compatible experience and finance wise as the uk unfortunately! I’m keen to expand my career and not do roles that I done 5+ years ago in the uk instead. I’m not sure if they ask when applying for PR if you want to stay a short while or long time on the visa? 

Thankyou everyone! That’s helpful.

id like to do this for 2/3 years maximum. I know for sure that Australia is not for me lifelong, but I’d absolutely just love a pocket of my life that it featured and I can experience social work from a different perspective again etc. 

1 hour ago, excitedbutterrified said:

There's only one way to find out. I've fantasized about doing a similar scenario because I find UK winter awful!

Personally I think you are going to find the logistics of doing this really tricky to manage.  I think the circumstances where it could work would be if you are very wealthy, young, with no spouse and definitely no kids! You are going to need a very understanding boss who doesn't mind you going missing for half the year (on both sides of the world.)  Or a completely remote job. If you do have a job in both countries, then you may find there are tax implications?

Shipping your stuff back twice a year will be an utter pain, so I'd not do this.  Keep possessions to an absolute minimum in both locations.

With regards to your UK property, what would you do with it?  Its likely not a good idea to leave it empty, but finding a tenant who wants to stay for just 5 months every year is likely to be tricky.

For the 4 months in Oz, you are probably looking at a short term holiday style rental as most rentals will want a 12 month commitment.  Might be easier to rent a room in a shared house, or In fact I'd even say you could live in a holiday park,  -  Our favorite holiday park, Pambula Beach has basic cabins at $4.5k for 4 months. Live right on the beach with a swimming pool etc...

My advice-  If you really think Australia is the place for you, then move over, lock stock and barrel.  Perhaps delay selling your UK property until you settle, so you have an easy way back if it doesn't work out.

Ahh yes, I fully expect tax issues! I’m definitely not wealthy, but I am the rest! Job wise, in the UK I am an agency worker and independent social worker, so I just really take off / pick and choose work as and when! I was hoping to do agency in oz too, as opposed to finding employment every so often. 
 

property wise, I was just really hoping to leave it empty for those few months and have family check in on it. It’s a fairly low maintenance small flat, so not a big upkeep or liability really! I know for sure I don’t want to stay lifelong in Australia… I’ll always want to come home. But I’d like a pocket of my life spent there for sure. 
 

id never considered the holiday park idea… I really like it! Thankyou for that

Hello!

i am a uk resident, social worker who is awaiting invitation for 189 visa. If this were to be invited and granted, will I be able to operate a 60:40 split between the Uk and Oz (Uk the 60) as I hold property here. Would this be possible or a pipe dream? 
 

Hi  

I am currently awaiting my 189 visa to process, and wondered if I can travel to Australia from the Uk on a working holiday visa while this is processing, or will it end up cancelling it / causing issues? 
 

the reason being is my mortgage here in the uk is due to renewal in June and I had wanted to rent it out at this point and don’t think my visa will be sorted by then! Hence the working visa idea. Any help / advice would be appreciated

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Check with your agent, but the important thing is to establish Victoria as your main place of residency and your main place of work I believe 

Perfect, sounds good! Thanks again

4 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, the 190 is much more achievable.  The requirements are the same, and the 190 is a full permanent visa just like the 189.  The only difference is that you have to choose one state and submit your application to them.  If you're successful, you must live and work in that state for 2 years.  After that, you can work anywhere you like, and apply for citizenship etc exactly like the 189.

The 190 is more achievable because everyone wants total freedom to live anywhere in Australia, so most people go for the 189 and that pushes up the points score required to beat the crowd.    Also, the 189 criteria are (usually) applied rigidly - candidates with the most points win, end of story.  Whereas the states look at what skills they actually require, and may give a place to someone with fewer points but who has the experience they're looking for. 

If you wanted to go for the 190, then I'd go for the states with the highest populatin (NSW, Victoria or Queensland) to ensure you have plenty of options within the state.  

 

Hi Marisa, 

the 190 does sound more achievable then. So if I went for that, in say, Victoria where I know there is a high demand for social work, I would need to live and stay there consistently for two years? Could I still go with the original plan to come back for 3-4 months to the uk? Ideally, Melbourne would be my first choice of city so spending two years there would be no hardship.

51 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

This is the reason I'm saying, get your application in asap.  Pre-covid, you needed 90 points+ to stand any chance of getting a visa (social workers come under "All other non pro-rata" at the bottom of this table:

https://iscah.com/will-get-189-invitation-january-2020-estimates/

Currently, I've seen a report of medical staff being accepted with only 75 points (though I'm not sure if that's true or just an internet myth!).  

Most people take the English test to get more points, even though it's not compulsory for native English speakers.

You should look at the 190 visa too, because the states have always been far more flexible about point scores.  They tend to look at other factors besides points based on what their needs are.

 

Back again Marisa,

having looked at the 190 visa as you suggested, I can't see the difference except in "independent" and "nominated". If a 190 visa was the one i applied for, would this mean I was tied to one state? Would you suggest the 190 is more achievable?

6 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

This is the reason I'm saying, get your application in asap.  Pre-covid, you needed 90 points+ to stand any chance of getting a visa (social workers come under "All other non pro-rata" at the bottom of this table:

https://iscah.com/will-get-189-invitation-january-2020-estimates/

Currently, I've seen a report of medical staff being accepted with only 75 points (though I'm not sure if that's true or just an internet myth!).  

Most people take the English test to get more points, even though it's not compulsory for native English speakers.

You should look at the 190 visa too, because the states have always been far more flexible about point scores.  They tend to look at other factors besides points based on what their needs are.

 

Hello again! Your advice has made me actually get to work on my visa today. Have emailed my university to get everything to start the skills assessment off, and done the mock points test etc, and have 85 points, including the English. Unsure how I can muster up any more than that looking at the factors. Do you think work experience is worth getting assessed for points? I will have 3 years worth in may this year. Will explore the 190 visa too, see what position states are in aswell. Thanks again for it your help here! 

Hi! (Again)

have any other social workers applied for a 189 visa and have any positive stories to report? Also, with how many points did you apply and what was the outcome? 

It's a good point! For me, my preference actually lies in doing agency work, i.e taking fixed contracts here and there, as I find it helps me develop more professionally, do different roles, learn from different people etc. As you rightly said, doing this leave very little in the way of public entitlements in the system which is a huge downfall. However, given the current state of things in the UK and pension ages increasing constantly, this leaves me thinking my entitlements would be quite low anyway, and I might as well make the most of my life pre dependence on public entitlements (if that makes sense). I suppose I am quite the millennial thinker.

9 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Sounds good.  I would urge you to get things moving asap, because being a social worker right now, you have an advantage, and it would be a shame to lose that. 

Currently, visa processing is almost at a standstill EXCEPT for occupations that are on the Priority list for Covid - and Social Worker is one of those occupations.  It means that in the current emergency, your application will be processed much faster and you may need fewer points to get a place.  

Applying now doesn't mean you have to move now.  Once you get your visa, you just need to fly over to Australia for a short visit to activate it, and then it's valid for almost 5 years. So you can take your time to plan for and make your move. 

100%...particularly as the skills assessment alone takes 5-7 months. When I was there during COVID beginning, there became a massive demand for social workers particularly in mental health as the pandemic went on. I predict this will be ongoing for quite some time, hence being on the priority list. Fortune is for sure in my favour!

17 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

There are lots of good tax people who know the British system and lots who know the Australian one, but very few who work across both systems.  Alan is one of those few, which is why his name crops up so often.  

He's also a migration agent so you could consider using him to get your visa application done.  I don't know if he offers discounts for bulk!

Perfect, sounds like the most sensible option! Thanks so much for your help here.

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Just curious, why are you thinking of coming for a few years only?

For me, I just feel "home is home", and I have a large family here with ageing parents. However, I am 27y.o and want to make the most of my 'better years' of life, and build myself professionally and have the life experiences I want that being in that corner of the world will offer me. That said, I have only lived / worked in Oz on a working holiday visa, which restricted my work options to NGO and not statutory social work which is my preference. So whilst I am minded to split my time between the two, who knows, that might change once I find the right job and the right state.  

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Working in two countries

Once you have your 189 skilled visa, there is no obligation to work as a social worker or even to work at all.   So there is nothing to stop you working in both countries if you wish. It will be a bit of a tax headache but that is easily solved by using a tax agent to do your taxes.  It doesn't cost a fortune. Just make sure you use someone like Alan who knows the tax rules for both countries.  They can overlap and someone who only knows the British system or only knows the Aussie one, can make mistakes through ignorance than could cost you dear!

You do pay tax in both countries, BUT you don't end up paying double tax, because there is a double taxation agreement and they offset each other.

Passports

The 189 gives you the right to live in Australia, not citizenship - so no Aussie passport unless you decide you want to be a citizen (which you can't do until you've been a resident for four+ years). Even then, you don't need to hand in your UK passport.  Many of us hold both passports. 

Just be aware that on a 189, your right to live in Australia isn't permanent (which is why getting citizenship is a good idea if you want to stay long-term).  I won't go into it now, but make sure you look into the ins and outs once you've got the visa. 

Owning property in the UK and living in Australia

Lots of people do it.  Again, it's a tax headache if you try to DIY, but you get the same tax agent to look after the tax returns for you - then it's a dawdle!  If you're planning to return to the property eventually, then it's probably the best option for you.  

You'll hear horror stories about bad tenants, and anyone can be unlucky - but it depends on the property and who looks after it.  Take a look around the suburb and see how other rental properties in the area are looked after - that will give you some idea of the kind of tenant you're likely to get. Prepare the property as if you were going to live in it, that way you'll attract a top-drawer tenant.  Do thorough research into local letting agents before choosing the one you want to manage it. 

Hi Marisa,

Thankyou so much for taking the time to go through each of my points - much appreciated.

You are the second person to recommend discussing with Alan so i have dropped him an email to scope things out. Thanks for the clarification on passports and points for thought regarding renting property here in the UK.

8 minutes ago, DukeNinja said:

 @Alan Collett would be the man.

Grand thankyou! I've pop Alan a message  Many thanks for your help!

13 minutes ago, DukeNinja said:

Yes, the tax implications can be confusing and you may end up being out of pocket. There are also capital gains implications for both tax jurisdictions when and if you decide to sell.

Not to mention the nigh impossibility of finding a lender that will remortgage if you're trying to do it whilst is Oz

Plus the nightmare of trying to manage a rental from halfway around the world. 

i hear you! sounds all very complicated really. What kind of specialist would you recommend to talk this over with? Would an accountant cut it / a tax specialist? 

2 hours ago, paulhand said:

You don't get an Aussie passport until you become a citizen - that's generally a good 5 years away from when you get the visa ... 

Perfect thanks Paul, that’s good to know! Reason being I know Oz won’t be a forever thing for me, but definitely for a 5-10 year thing

Just now, DukeNinja said:

Proper headache

Ahh really? I did think as much tbh but was hoping maybe not. Have you experience in this? My thoughts were on renting my property here in the UK.

Hi There,

I am a qualified social worker in the UK (Scotland) and looking to apply for the 189 visa specifically. I was wondering though if anyone has experience / if it can be the case working in both Aus for say 9-10 months out of the year, and working in the UK the rest? I understand that with the 189 PR is granted, but wondering if that entails moving to an Aussie passport or keep my UK one? I can't find anything online to indicate this.

Additionally, I am wondering if anyone has experience in owning property here in the UK and living on a 189 visa in Aus - how does this work r.e tax etc? 

Any help is much appreciated! - Cassie

Hi There!

I too have been looking into this - the AASW site says around 20-28 weeks so around 5-7 months. Quite a while eh! Did it take you long to get your docs together?