MartynAndSam

Hello. My youngest son (7 years old) has a condition called multicystic dysplastic kidney, basically meaning he was born with only one kidney. He doesn’t receive treatment for it as it is not needed and only has a blood test once a year to check the remaining kidney’s function. My question is - as this condition doesn’t require ongoing treatment and only annual checkups, could this affect our visa application?

Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies, there seems to be a few conflicting views on the subject.

I think (please correct me if I’m wrong) that the way to go will be the 189 visa. Sort out my skills assessment and get through that, then submit an EOI and wait for an invitation and go from there.

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, if you can get a sponsored visa, then your wife and kids are included.   

There is a catch, though.  Most sponsored visas are 482 visas.  They're just a temporary work contract, for 2 to 4 years and then you go home.  Employers will tell you that after you've completed that contract, you can transfer to a permanent visa and stay in Australia, but that's a con job.  It's more accurate to say that there is a possibility that you might be able to apply for a permanent visa towards the end of your contract -- and an awful lot of people don't succeed.  If you were single then I'd say, what have you got to lose?  But when you've got a family, it costs a fortune to move halfway across the world and back again, so it's  not worth it unless feel like an adventure and can afford to splash your savings on it.

There is an employer-sponsored visa that gives you a permanent visa.  That's a 186.  If you can get one of those, grab it.  You need to find an employer who's willing to offer it though, and that's not easy.

There's no point finding an employer and then sorting out a visa yourself.  The visas you can sort yourself (skilled visa 189, 190 or 491) take over a year to go through, and no employer is going to wait that long to fill a vacancy.  You need to go about it the other way around -- apply for a skilled visa first, wait until you get it, and then start applying for jobs. 

However, the first step is to work out whether you're even eligible.  As an electrician you should be, but things like age and qualifications are factors too.  The quickest, easiest way to sort it out is to have a one-off consultation with a good migration agent.  They'll give you an honest appraisal of your chances. Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matilda.

Thanks for the quick, in depth and detailed response. 

It seems like the first step is the consultation with a migration agent so I will look in to this for now, and then take on board your advice for the next steps.

Thanks again

My wife and I have been talking for a while now about making the move from the UK to Melbourne. I’m an electrician and have been for 15 years now. Currently the QS at my company, basically the one with responsibility for all jobs done, signing them off, quality checks etc. 

I see that electricians are in the shortage category for occupations and hopefully this works to my advantage. Will I be better looking for a sponsored visa or just contact various companies about applying for jobs and then sorting the visa out separately myself?

If I did manage to get a sponsored visa, are my wife and children included in this or does my wife have to apply for a separate visa?

Thanks.