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we bought some tickets today for dream world on offer to members of racq, 50 dollars per person, for a 2 day pass, the second day can be taken within 14 days of the first visit, and can be used to go from park to park, also an hour early entry, anyone been there, will post tomorrow to let you know how it was, i think the tickets have to be bought by 8th august, but can be used up to 31st august.

Hi all, Before starting in talking about Pain dream, thanks for the forum that sent an e-mail that they missed me as i have not been active. Pain dream those words that was known before as immigration, specially for Africans or other poor countries. How many people dead to get an illegal immigration all over the world to live in Australia, Canada, USA, swizerlands, etc... A lot, they lost their chance to live and their chance for a better life. They even lost a lot of money in case acceptance for their application to immigrate, if they have that ammount of money, why should they leave their country and not open a project that could enhance their life and provide them with good profits instead of debt that make them slaves in order to get it back and also make them suffer during their first steps as an immigrant. That is why it is a pian Dream, That make you separate from your mother country and even your family. That is what was known as Human Rights, There is no right to live,to work and to educate for poor people. But you have to think positive and looking for some people life like Lizzie Velasquez and Amy Purdy on youtube and how they think positive to conquer the surrounding factores and enojy they life. Don't think i am not looking for immigration, i prefer to immigrate but also keeping my dignity or stay home. BR, Optimistic Andrew Youssef

Hi guys please help anyone. Right so me and my hubby wanted to go to Australia on a skilled sponsored visa as im qualified in being a hairdresser and beauty therapist and his father lives there hence the sponsor. But have been told now as i have not done the hairdressing for last 12 months this was not possible, then i said well massage therapist was on a list which i also do in work, and the agency said my nvq was not high enough for this he said i would need a diploma of some kind, so then it was back to the drawing board. What can i possibly do now it just seems an impossible task of us getting there, we have evan thought of doing a working holiday visa but im 30 in a couple of months so am i too late, my husband is 28. What other ways can we get there we are hoping to spent at least2 years there with possibility of citizanship. But it seems to be looking bleak, also my hubby said he has a friend who works in the mines and there could be a job available if we ever went there. My hubby is in the construction industry and his job is also not on the list. HELP!!!! What can i do next?? xx Denise:arghh:

Hi After some advice really. I am 3 years post breast cancer and my family and I are seriously considering moving to Perth. Thankfully I have no lasting ill effects from my surgery and treatment but continue on oral hormone treatment until 2013. I am curious to find out if there are or have been other women in the same situation and whether they had any problems with visa applications/medical assessments. As the main applicant for our Visa applications I am worried our 'dream' of a new life in Australia may just be that.

Live the Aussie dream close to Bne & Surf beaches- House for sale Beautiful house for sale, can be bought fully furnished as in attached pictures. Stunning views. Just over 1 hour to Gold Coast and 1 hour to Brisbane. Perfect location in resort village overlooking lagoon. Wallabies and parrots around - one acre block with paddock for horse. We will be heading back to the UK for family reasons after 20 years here, beautiful Queensland. :yes:See photos attached http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...lbyn-107581094

Hi Everyone. I'm hoping that some of you will be able to help me, hopefully I am not being cheeky. I am currently researching providing a bespoke shopping service for expats. I have lived abroad myself, and spent a year in Australia. I know that some items can be expensive for you to buy there (random items like books, greeting cards, perfume etc). My younger sister has been in Brisbane for over 3 years and has given me her list of 10 things she would like delivered tomorrow morning (it's a dream box :wink:) but she had to think back to her first six months when she missed everything so much more. My intention is to provide a personal service that will cut out high shipping costs. I feel for anyone who is homesick & sometimes a few things from home could help you get through the worst of it..or maybe you just can't do without your No 7 Protect & Perfect serum & your M&S undies or NEXT childrens clothes!! I understand also that you may not always want to have to ask family/friends to send items out. I really really appreciate anyone who has time to think about it & send me a reply. Because of my geographical postition I will be able to provide both UK & Irish goods. Thanks so much in advance if you can help me out, really looking forward to reading what's in your box...enjoy the sunshine & your new lives. xx

Beautiful house for sale, can be fully furnished as in attached pictures. Stunning views . Just over 1 hour to Gold Coast and 1 hour to Brisbane. Perfect location in resort village overlooking lagoon. Wallabies and parrots around - one acre block with paddock for horse. See photos attached http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-kooralbyn-107581094

hello, I would love for somebody to reply to me! I moved to australia, on my own backpacking. I met a man, i feel in love...the whole shebang. Once we'd finished backpacking, i was more than ready to go home. i love my family but he wanted to stay and because i loved him so much, i stayed too. i never want to make it seem like he forced me to stay. i stayed because i wanted to. fast forward 3 years and i am still here. many times i think i should have gone with my gut and left for good ol' blighty, but i didnt....until now. i am leaving oz in the next few months to be with my family. i tried, more than you can possibly imagine to like australia and i love my boyfriend very very much. id hoped we'd get married, i had planned our entire wedding (for the love of god dont tell him that though ) but ultimately, i will never love a man as much as i love my family. the whole time i have been in oz, my family havent visited. in no way am i indicating my family dont care, they simply just dont have the money...and if this in an indication on what the rest of my life is going to be. i'm not in. i dont want to do it. i would like my future children to know my parents, to sit on my dad's knee and listen to the god awful stories he told me and my sisters as a child. id like my mum to help me out when i have absolutely no idea how to make my child stop screaming and as for my sisters. i dont think i will ever love 2 people as much as i love them. i quite honestly (prepare for dramatics!!) feel like a part of me is missing. for years and years ive pushed down the guilt and the sadness of not seeing them all the time...in all honesty too...it is guilt i feel so very guilty i missed my nephews birth, both sisters engagements, their first homes...i shall never forgive myself and i know they feel the same for me, except for the most interesting thing i ever did was rent an apartment in inner city brisbane, wooopeee! anyway, before i bore everyone to death..assuming anybody is actually reading this. homesickness NEVER goes away, sometimes it sleeps and lays dormant..but follow your heart. if ur gut is telling you "this isnt right" then its correct. going home in 2 months time is the best and saddest decision i ever made. i may well not marry my boyfriend and that kills me because in all honesty...he is amazing but i feel if he loved me the way i do him, he would try and do something to save us and he has not. however, i cant force him. if he doesnt want to go, dont go. it may feel like the end of the world but im sure that it isnt. the grief of a break up is shortlived, homesickness stays for a lot longer. :spinny:

Hello all, I have just moved to Adelaide with my boyfriend of 3 years from London. Since I have known him he has wanted to leave the UK for Oz. We broke up because of this many times as I thought, great! I have finaly met the man of my dreams who I have fallen head over heels in love with and he bloody wants to move to the other side of the world! Just my luck! He also thought we should break up many times because we wanted different things (OZ and london!) but we couldnt keep away from each other and would always get back togther missing each other terribely. In one of our "breaks" he went to sydney to look for a job and try to get sponsorship. We were broken up but he would still call and email and while he was gone i missed him so much. I wanted to be with him desperately, even if it meant going to oz. I looked into ways i could live there and was so unhappy without him. He also missed me and ended up confessing his love for me over the phone in oz during 3 hour long talks on the phone, saying he woudl not be content without me and wanted us to marry. I also didnt feel content without him and decided I would move to oz with him. After he came back from sydney, we spend a happy year togther in london and planned how we would both emigrate to oz togther. THe plan was I would go with him and stay for 6 months and if i like it we would marry and stay here and make a life. THe only problem is that we had to stay in Adelaide for 3 years with state sponsorship b4 we could move anywhere else like sydney (where i actually have relatives). Since being here for 2 months I have felt very homesick and lonely. I miss my family and many friends who I am very close with. I used to live with my parents and see my friends all the time. We are all so close, like sisters and am very close to my mum. I speak to my mum everyday on skype and my friends every week on phone. Everyday we are facebooking. My OH is unhappy because he feels i am not giving it a go here and gets upset when i critizize oz and glorify london. I cant help it because i genuinely miss london so much and my life there where i had a great social life, good job, family etc. I have never thought of moving away from london. I did it for love. I thought it would be enough. AM so confused because i know i have to make a decision soon. am going back in march either engaged to be married and stay here in oz, or back for good on my own. It hurts that i have to choose between the love of my life who is so good to me and loves me, and my home in london and friends/family. I feel i cant just make this decision to "just go home and see it as an adventure" and "at least i tried". I cant think like this because it will mean loosing the man who i love so much. He hates the uk and has never felt at home there, this was his dream to come here and he told me that he cant live there. I insisted i wanted to come and he told meit would be so hard as he knows how close i am to the people in my life. He is scared i am going to leave him. SO sorry guys to rant like this. I just feel that no one understands my dielema. Has anyone emigrated with a partner because it was them who really wantedto go? it seems most couples just so happen to want to do the same thing and made a "joint" decision. How i envy them! AM scared i am making a big mistake living here where i feel out of place and not at home, its such a change from london and i have no friends here. I dont feel its me, if we marry and have children it sadens me that my mum wont be around or my friends, i feel so alone. I also feel that if i decide to go back i will also regret it and it will be a bad decision. I love my oh so much, without him i go mad, miss him so much, and he is so caring and supportive towards me right now, very understanding. I feel bad for ruining his dream, by not being positive enough. Sorry to do your heads in. any advice would be apreciated.

I have always had a dream of moving to australia but things in my life have so far prevented me which leaves me in the position that I am 31 with a daughter, I am a qualified hairdresser and have been for 3 years and have an NVQ 3 and my partner is a part qualified electrician hopefully will be fully qualified next year at an age of 42. I have been told that my best chance is to take my ILETS english and get my NVQ3 turned into an AQFIII and then work with my AQFIII over here for a further year and hope that I can still get state sponsored at a cost of £1900. Or wait till my partner qualifies and try get VETESSES and wait a further year then again apply state sponsored?? I have been told that because I didn't do a full apprenticeship my quals don't count and need to get AQFIII status? Has anyone else been in the position because I don't think if we wait a year we will get enough points due to my partners age - any help would be greatly appreciated I'm so confused over the different things i have been advised by an agent?? I really don't think we are going to get there and am devastated

Hi all Is there anyone out there that used a employment / migration company called Live the dream Australia. The thing is I'm about to use them to help find me sponsorship & sort my visa, but before I go any further I just wondered if anyone else out there had used them & if you have could you advise me of your experiences with them. Thank you Martin

Hi this post is for a very good friend of mine who is not yet a member on here, it would be greatly appreciated if anyone could give us some advise on obtaining a visa. Age 46, Fire Alarm Technician , we know it is covered by Electrician Special Class anzco code. All the necessary work experience but unfortunately no degree. When the age limit was raised we thought it was the answer to his prayers but he still falls short on points. Under the new criteria, taking into account an 8 score with ielts etc, etc i think he falls about 5 points short after taking into account state sponsorship etc. We have now seen that you can get additional points for partner skills. His wife has an AAT in Accountancy, can anyone be kind enough to advise what the criteria is to gain the additional partner skills points. Sorry for rambling on but any advise or pointers would be greatly received. Thanks in advance. Chris:notworthy:

I'm new to PIO but not new to wanting to move to Oz. Ever since I visited my sister and her family in 1997 with my husband, I have wanted to move there permanently. At the time neither of us had any skills that they wanted and then we started our own family and other priorities took over. As my kids grew up I would have my sister visit and we would visit her and the pull was always there. Now I have been to university and got a degree in social work. I qualified last year and have been working for a local authority children's team for over a year. I finally thought, yes, I can apply for my skilled visa - but no, they've changed the points test as of 1st July and I don't have enough points :arghh: I've looked into employer sponsorship and applied for a few jobs on seek.com but I would prefer to try to get a permanent visa rather than risk having to work in a job for years that I don't like. I'm going over in October for a wedding and was thinking I could make a few appointments or show my face in a few places I'd like to work at - the personal touch. My husband is a HGV driver and we have both worked since leaving school and would be happy to work in Australia and contribute to the economy and so forth. However, I am losing faith in the whole system and my husband is getting more and more frustrated at the fact that we seem to have a lot to offer but have to jump through so many hoops for the Australian Government. He has never really wanted to go but understands that we have to try and look back with no regrets. I just felt like I needed to rant and I guess I hoped someone may be able to offer some positivity as I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle here.:sad:

Has anyone used the recruitment service available on the Live the Dream website to help find a sponsoring employer in Australia? The recruiting company is called Futurenet and they manage the MigrationWatch e-newsletter from what i understand.

Hi, new user here. I am looking at re-locating to Perth with my wife & 3 kids. We don't live the high life, but don't want to be skint as well. I know it seems like a lot of cash - but will we do Ok for renting a decent 4 bed house & everything that goes with a family of 5 for $130k plus sup & LAFHA. I am estimating spending $600 or so week on rent - will we get a nice pad?? I hear cars are quite expensive. Also how far can we go out NOR and SOR if I have to commute to CBD as we want some "elbow room" if we can get it, but I don’t want to be sat in traffic all day long. Any help would be great Thanks

Wife booked ticket back to home for next week and she will be taking our daughter. I really tried my best to make things happen, its been a long journey of sacrifices and financial difficulty but nothing stopped me until now. There was a little probability that wife would not stick to OZ and give it the best try. Everything was going well, I'm settled and enjoying my new job, moved to a new rental 15 mins from the city, little one really enjoying her school, friends and oz and the weekends were always awesome. If you are wondering why, it boils down to mental, phychological and emotional instability. I won't be going back, at least not for now. This is one of the sadiest days of my life, I accept it though, it's part if life. I truly wish all the best luck to everyone and may all your dreams come true. Cheers

Hi everyone most of us are dreaming about living in Australia one day and i just wondered what that dream was for each and everyone of you? Live in a nice house near the sea? Live in a warmer climate? Buy a boat and fish till you drop? Some new adventure? A pool, or a jacuzzi? Nicer sausage? lol Barbies all the time? Outdoor lifestyle? Good well paid Jobs? Anything else? For me there are a number of the reasons above, especially the weather, outdoor lifestyle and a new adventure............. whats your main motivations?

Hi everyone, we have been here for 6 weeks and unfortunately my OH can't get a regular run of work. He is a plasterer. People keep promising they've got a long run of work and then after a couple of weeks lay him off without notice when they've caught up with their workload. He then has to look for more work meaning he is off for 2 or 3 days. We are also having to wait for payment as he is self employed. We have been chasing $2000 owed and have just got $800 in today but the rest is still outstanding. We have only had one person that has paid on time. The upshoot of this is that we are eating into our savings to survive. My OH can't find permanent employment as a plasterer so has gone for a couple of other permanent trade jobs. He has been offered one today but because it's through the books the hourly rate is 50% less than on ABN. The long and the short of it is we can't survive on that and I am limited as to what work I can do because my little one is not at school. We have been so stressed and have decided reluctantly to go back to the UK for the time being. My husband can get his old job back and my little one is of school age in the UK so I can work. It will cost a small fortune to ship our things back and put the dogs in quarantine, but our fear is that if we stay we will use up all our savings and end up in debt. At least in the UK we will have the means to pay the cost of returning off. I can't express how awful I feel, I have felt physically sick for days worrying about people not paying up what they owe. At least I feel we are doing something positive about it rather than just sticking our heads in the sand. Not such a happy bunny today.

Hi all My partner and i are both 30 and have been considering the big move to australia for the last 2 years. recently this idea has developed and we now have staretd to read through the application and the booklets on the immi.gov website. which is a minefield of documents and very daunting process. we hope to apply for a skilled visa based on my job as an electrical design engineer. the thing is we have read through some threads on forums along with watching various relocation programmes on the telly and are getting very concerned that we cant afford to continue. Most people appear to move to Oz with some form of money in the bank and enough to put down a deposit on a house. We are in the unfortunate position where as first time buyers 3 years ago bought our property in the UK when the market was at its peak and are now burdened with negative equity. we have little to no savings as our incoming match our outgoings. This means that should we be able to scrape enough money together to go for a holiday to Oz and the visa application, we wil be fully reliant on getting work straight away. we have no problems in renting when we first arrive but the obvious dream is to eventually buy a house. what is the mortgage system like in Oz? are desposit required as high as those required for UK property? i guess this does depend on area but we are looking at the queensland or NSW as our preffered destination. I have so many more question regarding the visa process and what to do next but i am going to continue to read some of the other threads on PIO first to see if my questions have been asked. Thanks Joycey

Hey everyone & sorry in advance for the long post. There are 4 of us, me Sara 43, OH Paul 50, daughter Lucy just 19 & son Adam 16. We have been wanting to make the move for many years now. We originally applied when the children were younger on a skilled visa as my OH is a brickie by trade. We missed out by 5 points & decided maybe it wasn't meant to be!! However I think it has always been at the back of our minds & when my OH was made redundant in 2009 we decided to use the money & go out to Oz & see if Paul could find sponsored work. I have a lot of family in WA so there was no problem with having to sort accommodation. We had a wonderful 6 months & Paul managed to find a fellow pom who was willing to sponsor him. However in June 10 Paul's father was taken seriously ill & we had to return to the UK. He passed away 3 weeks after our return & Paul is still trying to sort things out!!!!!!!!!! As you can imagine due to the time it has taken the sponsorship is no longer available as he was looking for some-one to start ASAP. :arghh: Since returning I have been unable to find work & our daughter has had the same problem. This has been extremely difficult & we still hanker after a return to Oz. I have been checking the job situation in Oz & applied for a position for my OH which comes with sponsorship, & it is looking promising. Our dilemma is our son went back to school & is studying for his GCSE's. He has caught up on all the coursework he missed while we were in Oz & got brilliant mock results in December. He has decided that he would like to stay in the UK & go to sixth form & continue his education. To top this our daughter has recently got herself a serious boyfriend & her best friend from Oz has just come to the Uk to live with some-one she met. Our daughter has also now said she doesn't want to return to Oz. :confused: Is it time we just gave up on our dream & let the kids live their lives? Part of me thinks this would be the best thing as I don't want to be without either of my kids, but the other part of me wants to go for it. My OH also wants to go for it & says that at 16 our son should come with us anyway & at 19 our daughter has to make up her own mind!!!! :arghh: Many thanks for taking the time to read my post :unsure:

Hi Like many, we're considering the big move. We're still in the very early days of discussions, but each time we end up at the same conclusion: - "Why not?". Would really appreciate any advice on the following, as it may put an end to the dream, meaning we can get on with our lives here, or it may give us more incentive to actually do something about it. First up, my wife and I are both approaching 43/44, so I believe the pressure's on (if the cut-off age is 45). I currently run my own web design / development business. I'm a sole trader, and do a mix of work for my own clients, as well as some work for other agencies. I make a decent living out of this. Question 1: would it be feasible for me to emigrate and keep the business running, maintaining my UK client base, while hopefully gaining new clients in Australia. And if so, what would be the tax implications? Question 2: if moving the business wasn't an option, I'm an experienced web developer / designer / programmer, and my wife's a secondary school teacher. Would we need jobs before arriving, or could we get in based on the desirability of our skills? I've been working for myself for 5 years now, and I don't relish the thought of going back to the 9-5, (even if it was in a warmer climate and we had a bigger house!) so ideally I'd like to just keep doing what I'm doing. I've tried googling for similar situations but haven't managed to find any. Many thanks in advance for any help or advice!

Just feeling really discouraged about the whole migrating to Oz thing. We are stuck in category 4 and have no clue how long it will take and even if the visa will ever be granted! Meanwhile, my kids are getting older one being 18 in May, another getting really attached to a person of the opposite sex! On top of that, the exchange rate is stupid, and our property price has dropped whilst Oz properties prices have risen! Also, my OH has been overlooked for promotions due to the fact that he has been open about our visa application, and friends naturally don't want to invest time in people they believe are heading off any time!! Just wondering whether its more realistic to forget the whole idea, but then that leaves me feeling really flat.

Been watching a few programmes about Australia , WDU, Phil, etc, and to an extent the programme seems to concentrate on the house that may or not be available to 'clients'. Of course dependant on price, locality, amenities , etc. And while I wholly agree that to have a nice house is all well and good, and if you can afford one then fair play, BUT. Do these programmes to some extent concentrate on the more 'peripheral' aspects of the migration process. This is a VERY PERSONAL point of view, and I don't expect anyone else to agree or disagree to an extent, so with that said. If our expectations are too high about what we can and cannot afford does this immediately put you on the back foot before arrival and in someway we may become a little disillusioned with our now higher than ideal ideas of what we may be able to afford. After all, you can only sleep in one bedroom at a time, live in one living room, use one kitchen etc, do we really need a bigger house to ensure future happiness. I realise that those with children may have their options a little limited if the houses are too small, and I also realise that it is nice to have a spare bedroom or two, maybe a pool, en-suite etc, but is this sort of dream really putting too much pressure on ourselves before we have even settled in OZ. As I said, I have NOTHING against anyone that chooses this path, work hard, you fully deserve the 'wealth' it brings you and in so doing why the hell not get a large house with a pool etc, bloody good luck to you. But, maybe, just maybe if we lowered our expectations a little more maybe it would lead to a more settled mindset is all. Again, very personally I and the good lady would be happy in a very modest one or two bedroom unit, flat, cabin, etc. I have even lived in a static caravan for several months, and if you didn't know better we could have been in any suburb, one and a bit bedrooms:goofy:, small kitchen (very) one loo and one shower/bath, and about five metres of grass outside. And I would have to say, the camaraderie and community spirit was better than any I had ever experienced in Australia when I was living in a 'proper' house. I realise that prices of even the smallest abodes in Australia have gone up, but if we ever so slightly drop our expectations a bit I reckon that whilst we 'may' be living in what some may call a shoe box, we may well be the happier for it. Just my opinion is all, I have no axe to grind with those that afford the bigger houses, my only intention of this thread is to maybe say that at times we may need a shot of reality and realise that just because it is smaller, doesn't mean it is any less of a home. The examples I have shown would suit me down to the ground, and I realise that they are not for everyone, but one in particular looks fantastic, now if I can get it erected with a view of the ocean I would be a very happy bunny.:biglaugh: Cheers Tony.

Hi all, firstly a big congrats to all here, absolutely brilliant people, advice and site, a credit to all! however here is my dilemma, my name is matt and i am 20 years old, i have some qualifications, gcses to a good standard and some as levels, however i left that to begin a career as employment consultant and also the employer engagement consultant of our firm, (it means i build new business contacts etc) our company works directly alongside the uk government and the job centre, but despite this i don't think i have what is defined as a skill, i earn alot more than my friends who are plumbers or electricians by trade... When i was 18 me and my girlfriend had a year travelling in oz on a working holiday visa, and it was brilliant we would love to emigrate to perth, i have family there, my uncle and his family and would love to start our life together. My girlfriend works as a cashier for the halifax, are we doomed to fail before we've began or is there some way we can emigrate? Thank you for your time and all comments/advice grateful

Hi everyone. This is my first post on POI and i'm looking for a little advice please. With the economic climate being as it is in the UK, my employer is looking at making savings and I have the opportunity, should I choose, to take a fairly decent redundancy package. This would hopefully give me the money needed to apply for visas etc., so that I can fulfill my dream of moving to Aus. The question is, are things any better over there? Are there jobs to be had and is it worth leaving a decent job in a country that I don't really want to be in anymore to move to a country that i'm almost certain i'd be happy in (I have visited Australia before and I have friends and family in the country). Just a bit of information about me; i'm a 32 year old Building Surveyor who would be moving on my own. I've got 11 years work experience am looking at living in / around either Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. I look forward to your comments / advice. Thanks in advance.