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Hi all! I'm in the midst of choosing a registered migration agent to handle my case and have spoken to about 10 so far. Out of these, I've come down to 3 agents who have similar service charges and experience. However, I'm still not able to decide which one to go for. You could say that reading stories of people getting scammed or the agent not being helpful enough in sticky situations has got to my head. The whole visa process is already so daunting to me and I haven't even started it Any advice or tips on this would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi, Me and my partner are looking to move to Australia. We have 2 children also. Any information and help would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hi, I am an only child with parents who are 62 and 67. My fiancé is Australian and we’ve decided we would like to relocate to Australia with our little girl who is 10 months old. Initially, my parents took it ok. We asked them to join us on a CPV which they were up for and also very excited about. After a couple of months, they decided they didn’t want to leave the uk. They are a very anxious pair and decided it was too much for them to cope with. Fair enough, I totally understand and empathise with them. Since deciding they won’t be coming, it has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. They’ve been so upset and very vocal about it and I feel horrifically guilty. They said they don’t want to come and visit after coming for the first and only visit and they aren’t sure they want to FaceTime as it will be too painful (we are very close now and live in the same town). As time has gone on, it has become more awkward when I see them. Today I got lots of angry messages from my dad saying we had been selfish and not thought of them at all (we did though as I wanted them to come with us and when they said they couldn’t, I tried to work out a plan with them to make it work). My dad says he’s glad our relationship seems to have changed as it will make it easier when we leave. I 100% empathise with how they must be feeling, I feel dreadful, but I also feel that it’s unfair to call me selfish for thinking of my fiancé and my daughter’s future. Has anyone else been in this position? Please tell me it gets easier! I love my parents to bits, but at the moment I just can’t be around them. We are all too sad and that sadness is slowly turning into anger and resentment which breaks my heart. I’m crying as I write this as I feel so awful and so guilty for making them feel this way, but I feel like we can’t go back on this now. I really want to make the move and if we cancelled the move, we would always wonder ‘what if?’ And I would also feel awful for putting my fiancé and child in second place.

Hello, My name is Adam Taylor from Go Walkabout Travel Insurance. We offer a unique ‘One Way’ cover that not only covers travel to the destination, but also provides comprehensive travel insurance for up to twenty-one days after arrival at the migrant’s destination. As well as our 21 day policy we are able to cover shorter periods of 17 days and 5 days only. The cover provided is second to none and the premiums are truly competitive. We are also able to endorse the policy to cover high value items such as Laptops, camera's and camcorders. We have been providing 'One Way' cover for 10 years and pride ourselves on our professional personal service. We are happy to speak to you and answer any queries that you may have. Telephone direct on 0845 3450327. (local call tariff) Our policy comes highley recommended within the migration market. Please feel free to PM me

Hello to all :biggrin: Having recently spent two years on a working holiday visa in Australia, I have decided I want to move to Ozzy for good! I am a NVQ3 qualified Painter and Decorator, so will be applying for my visa with this. I wont be arriving in Australia for a couple of years so I have decided to train again (this is where I need help!) I have two options, firstly i have been accepted into college to do an HNC in construction and i have also completed my General certificate in Health and safety. The HNC will allow me to get in to Quantity Surveying and Project Management. The Diploma, a Health and Safety Advisor. I wont have time to study for both so what I need to know is what is going to be of more advantage in terms of salary, job availability, career progression once in Australia?? Is the HNC recognised for Q.S roles? As I will be emigrating on my NVQ3 I will have to keep Painting so will not have experience in either of these occupations until I make the move. I have experience working in the Pilbra and would like to get back into FIFO work with one of these occupations. I am quite happy to work regional if it means gaining experience in my new occupation. Any help will be greatly appreciated Kind Regards, James

Hi All. I am now ten months into emigration, and I am finally sitting down and composing a post, I found these very helpful in my own planning, as well as all the great folks on the forum who advised me along the way. Be warned though, this may be a long post! Feel free to ask questions on any aspects, I will be happy to reply. Myself and my now wife ‘A’ made the decision to move from Dublin in August 2011 after a particularly wet bank holiday weekend - the kicker here is that a heat wave was forecast during the week and after all the BBQ prep was done on Friday, the heat wave was cancelled! A had been struggling to find work over the past few years due to the public sector freeze, and after spending seven years in Uni and a BA, MA & MSc under her belt, it was very tough and frustrating for her. Going to Australia was something that we had discussed briefly before, but after recently buying a house, getting engaged and being the proud owners of two dogs, we brushed off the idea. Got on the phone to an agent to discuss my options the next day and I discovered I was eligible to apply for Skilled Migration. We went with OE Visas, and I can recommend them. To keep this short, applied for the skills assesment, got the IELTS, medicals etc. and we received out PR Visa’s in September 2012. If you’re interested, I work in IT. We rented the house in Dublin out at the beginning of January 2013, shipped our stuff (Airsea) and I flew out on my own a week later. A was following me at the beginning of March and the dogs were staying with my folks for a little while until we were settled enough to bring them over. I had about 6-7K euros total, the mission was to find work, get a place to stay and try get as set up as possible before A arrived. Luckily, I had a friend here in Melbourne where I could stay for a week or two which cut down on cost. Flew with Singapore Air, Dublin - Frankfurt - Singapore - Melbourne. I had a seven hour stopover in Singapore which was tough, but checked into an airport lounge there. It was less than 20EUR and included food, soft drinks, tea & coffee etc. and most importantly, hot showers. I highly recommend avoiding a seven hour stopover, but if you need to, this was a good option. Overall, I really underestimated how tough the flight and jet lag would be. My tip, lots of water and avoid alcohol! I unfortunately did the opposite! Jumped in a taxi, got to my friends place in Brunswick, happy days. Got all the normal stuff sorted, bank accounts, VicRoads, medicare etc. Pretty much got started on the job hunt straight away, but as I suspected, December / January is not a good time to be looking for work in Australia. I sent off loads of applications with very little response. Began house hunting almost immediately, however, I quickly learned that unless you have a job, you will find it very difficult. Only option to start with was a short term house / room share which I found without any great hassle, a empty room in a house share for three weeks. Moved into that place after a week or so on my friends couch and continued to look for a short term apartment. We needed a house with a garden for the dogs, but until I was more settled I decided that 3-6 months in a apartment would do. I found myself spending a lot of time walking around discovering the city, went to the zoo, QVM night markets, sports in fed square etc. Rented a car for a week, started exploring the city a little, checking out areas - We wanted to be somewhere fairly close, I looked at Elwood, St. Kilda, Brighton, Windsor, Brunswick, Parkville etc. On the car rental, they hand out parking and speeding tickets here for fun, it is insane - 66 in a (sneaky) 60 zone earned me a ticket, as did 8 mins over metered parking. Just a heads up! About 2-3 weeks in, I got a couple of interviews, first job was eventually pulled, second one was only three days a week, applied for that one by accident! Got a call regarding a great full time position, good money, permanent etc. in Melbourne CBD around the second week in February. Put my name forward for that, it was the first really suitable role in four or five weeks of looking that came up. About the same time I found a one bed apartment in St. Kilda, 6 month lease, $390 a week. Place was small and dingy, but practically on the beach and beside the tram so I took it. Gave it a good clean etc and it wasn’t too bad. Picked up a PS3 for pretty cheap (about the price of 1 or 2 nights out), there was a TV in the apartment, thats how I spent a lot of evenings - Can be tough to fill time when you are on your own, especially as you find yourself constantly worrying about money, work, accommodation. Also, you realise you have a container of stuff and a wife arriving, it really piles the pressure on. Week two in February, I got a call about that one opportunity that i was a good fit for. Had an interview and the next day got a phone call offering me a second interview. About 5 weeks into the job hunt at this stage, and not much more had come up at all, apart from the odd role that would have been right for me about four years previously. The following week I had the second interview and the week after on March 1st I was offered the role. A was arriving the following week, and my stuff soon after so not a minute too soon. The role wasn’t starting for another two weeks, but once I knew there was money coming in soon, a heap of the pressure faded away. Quick side note, I had applied for at least 50 - 60 roles, and after getting that job, only got a call for 2 or 3 after that. I have since learned that IT is getting more and more competitive here, especially in the entry level and high end roles - The guy I replaced is looking for work for over three months now, and he is highly skilled with over 20 years experience. I now realise how lucky I was. I was pretty broke at this stage, but the next week was spent chilling on the beach, walking around the city and doing stuff cheaply. Looking forward to A arriving, again completely underestimated how tough it is spending the best part of two months on your own trying to start a new life. A arrived, moved in and we had 5 days before I began work. She held here role in Dublin right up until she flew, so having that wage at home really helped with everything. We were still pretty broke, but luckily I got paid the day after I started which was fantastic. Had so much to get, but could treat ourselves to a nice BBQ and a few bottle of wine guilt free! A started job hunting straight away, but while there were a lot more jobs coming up than in Ireland, you are still only looking at 1 or 2 a week, with a good few applicants. I was settling into work well, a month or so went by (End of April) and all was fine except for the apartment. Heater broken, weather getting colder, stuff leaking, noisy etc. We put a few calls into the landlord, nothing done about it, another call went in and so on. We eventually placed a serious call saying we were moving as soon as we found something better, we couldn't last during the winter there. The landlord agreed to cut the lease short. At this stage, my shipment had arrived, but for $20 a week, the shipping guys would hang onto it at their warehouse. It wouldn’t have fit in the apartment! We started house hunting, I had a permanent job and two payslips at this stage, so we were feeling confident. We found a lovely 2 bed victorian house with a back garden for the dogs, we applied and we got it. In the St. Kilda / Prahan / Windsor area. $620 per week. We got our full bond back on the short term place, and moved into the new place two weeks later. We arranged for our shipment to be released, and a few days later it arrived. It was an amazing feeling to have our stuff back, in a clean nice house, a back garden etc. Now all we had to do was furnish it…. It was not all work and business at this stage, we went to a few good gigs, Springsteen, Young, Stone Roses, Manics. We went to three of the Lions games, including the third test in Sydney where we caught up with a lot of friends from back home. We were making friends, getting invited out to events and parties, everything was coming together on the social side. A month or so later, the end of July, A finally got a job - took her about four months in total. We were furnishing the house in small bits, got the fridge, bed couch etc. Once the second wage came in we didn’t know ourselves, we could actually begin to think about finishing the house and shipping the dogs. We had all the rabies work etc done for them in Ireland, so that was fine. The role was ten minutes from where I work on foot, and I didn’t mention that my commute home is only ten minutes on tram or fifteen on a push bike. That was pure luck. So now, we can catch up for lunch, then meet up after work and grab a drink or grab some bits for dinner etc and be home in 15 minutes. In September, we got the ball moving on our dogs. We used Kevin Kenna in Dublin, cheapest quote and quickest response by email. All vet visits were booked, flight sorted etc. Total cost of bringing both dogs was about 7500-8000EUR. Mid October now, the sun is out, staring at the lovely Melbourne skyline from my office. The house is fully furnished, the two dogs have just left Dubai and are landing within hours. The only decision I need to make today is beef or fish for dinner and whether to use the gas or charcoal BBQ. Maybe pick a wine to go with it. Emigrating is not an easy thing to do, it has been scary, stressful and it really pushes you to your limit. On the other hand, I don't think I have ever lived so much. Good or bad, chilled or stressed, crazy busy or completely bored. At the end of the day, so far, it is been fantastic and we have zero regrets. Kev

As part of an upcoming publication I am in Melbourne and Sydney to document the stories of anyone who emigrated under the Assisted Passage scheme. So called Ten Pound Poms. I am looking to record peoples spoken histories of this transition from England to Sunny Oz and am in the Melbourne and Sydney area should anyone be interested in providing me with their story. Alternatively a written account would be as greatly received. Please feel free to message me on this forum. Many thanks and all the best, Rob

Hey everyone! Last year I had the privilege of spending a year in Australia on a 417 working holiday visa. I have been back in the UK for a year now and I am absolutely sure that the quality of life here is inferior. I currently have a girlfriend who is getting her degree (psychology) and is also set on coming with me once her course is finished in 3 years time, and if I'm not mistaken, this will open up the skilled migrant visa option for her? As for me, I'm 22 I build websites I have a diploma in IT. I've visited on a working holiday visa (if this gives me an advantage for emigration?) I have no criminal offences Considering that I have some time to prepare, what is my best option for emigration? Thanks in advance, Lewis

Hi everyone, My name's Max, I'm 27 years old and I work as a journalist at a national television news channel (2 years experience). I went to visit Australia over New Year and absolutely loved it. I'm keen to move over for around 3 years and continue my career Down Under. If it goes well, I would definitely consider moving permanently. I'm a very active person, yearning for a sporty, outdoors lifestyle whilst taking my work seriously at the same time. I've had a look at getting a visa to move over - but my line of work (understandably) isn't on the SOL given by the Australian government. That said, I have a lot to offer, strong qualifications and want to work and pay my taxes whilst out in the country. Getting a sponsored visa in my line of work is near impossible - so that rules that out I guess. Does anyone have any bright ideas? I would fully appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks! Best, Max

Me and my husband planning on moving to Perth, he's a bricklayer and we have all the points. We have phoned lots of agencys and my gut feeling was to choose this one-before I do can anyone recommend them? Thanks Vanessa

Hi guys, I'll make it short and simple, basically I've spent two years in Aus on working holiday visas, fell in love with the place, now I'm back home in the UK and depressed as hell. I want to emigrate within the next 18 months and looking at getting in via skilled occupations. A few things about me that I put on the points calculator: 23 years old 100% English language proficiency 5 years in my trade (painting and decorating) No family or sponsors in Aus I would be happy to go ahead and apply now, the only issue I'm having, and it's a big one at that. I don't have a qualification in Painting & Decorating. Like I said before, that's my job, I do it just fine but don't have the piece of paper to match it. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to get through possibly my first hurdle into emigrating to Australia? For now I am looking at doing the fastest NVQ 2 possible to avoid having to enrol on a 1-2 year college course... Thanks guys, Tom

Just had our flights booked by my husbands company only to be told we have a 23kilo allowance.....just like a normal traveller eventhough we are going one way...with Quantas. When i called them they said the company should have booked a "emigration fare" ticket which is only £80 p/p more and you can get 40kg allowance......i'm so annoyed as the company dont seem interested in amending the ticket for us........ and to pay excess baggage it will be approx $800 agggggghhhhhhhh..........fuming!:arghh:

Hi all, Thought people would find this interesting, its a new feature on the irish times website about peoples experience of emigration /http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigration/

Who did you get 'hand-over files' from? :wideeyed: So far, I have asked for my Sons school records :yes: What about Doctors, dentists etc....& do they charge? :unsure: Thankyou in advance :wubclub:

:GEEK: Hey All, we are finally off to the Sunny Coast QLD on Monday and are just tying up loose ends, one of which is to arrange TRAVEL INSURANCE that will cover us for the journey and for a month in OZ while we sort out a permanent address and get Aussie health cover. We have looked at " duinsure.com " who have an EMIGRATION POLICY which will cost us £56.00 each ( this seems very reasonable covering 5 days travel and 1 month in OZ ). Has anyone used this company or recommend similar cover ? Excited & Apprehensive. Russ

Is it still required to have a certain amount of savings before being able to emigrate or does that only apply to those retiring or without jobs to go to?

Not sure if this is the right thread to post this. Quote from the website: FREE ACCESS Immigration records - 29th August - 5th September We’re giving you a ticket to follow your travelling ancestors all over the world, absolutely FREE! From 29th August to 5th September, you can search and view all our immigration records – without paying a penny! http://www.ancestry.co.uk/

Hi, We're due to fly out next week (one way ticket) on a 176 visa. I'd like to arrange travel insurance. However, as i understand most 'norma'l travel insurance would not be valid for one way travel and we'd have to return to the Uk to make a claim! Anyone know/recommend a company who specialise in this type of insurance? Thanks for reading!

Hi there, I am about to start the emigration process. Can anyone recommend a decent migration agency? I'm based in London but am happy to deal with people on the phone. Thanks very much, Jules

Hi My name is Paul and my Wife (Claire) is training as a nurse in the U.K. We are looking to emigrate to Oz when she completes her training with the NHS. We understand Nurses are in short supply but would she need some experience before applying for a Visa or would the three years of training count as experience? Any info on this would be great, as there is alot of conflicting advice on this subject online. Regards Paul :eek:

Hi, Im thinking of emigrating to Oz, howver I have heard that the cut off age is 45, Im 42 and a registered nurse, will my age go against me? HELPPPPPPPPPPPP!!! Thanks.xx

Hi All I was just wondering if any of you who exported your beloved pets to oz took out insurance for them whilst in transit..? Cheers Juls x

Hello All I just need somebody to point me in the right direction if at all possible as seem to be chasing around without actually achieving anything. My husband and I (and on the way Junior) are hoping to apply for emigration - however thusfar we have just managed to fill out a few self assesement forms from agents on line who all say yes yes yesy but pay us xxxx Aud and we will get the ball rolling. I have no issue with using an agent but my concern is that I would rather pay a bit at a time as we go trhough thr process if that makes sense.... so far example one agent as said yes - pay us aprox 2300 aud ( can't remember exactly) and we will begin, however what if we fail at the first hurdle and the skill assesments mean that we don't get thr points - I would be much happier paying a smaller amount to be told No.... Is that possible? I do have time on my hands so maybe we could look at doing the visa independently but then can anyone recommend a good source of infromation regarding how to do everything? To be honest any advice would be welcome just so I can at least start something rather than head scratching. Ps... we would be looking at a 175/176 visa - hubby would be applying as General Electrician pps sorry for typos but cant see the spell check onhere :arghh:

Hi we have been at this process for over 2 years with a skill that is in high demand. Our emigration officer has made mistake after mistake with our case. We have been billed for work that was not even ours paper work sent to brisbine not checked and filled our properly. They aloud us to have an old ACS code(we were caught up in all the changes) and all computing codes were changed while our state sponcership was being proccessed and expected them to grant s/s with an out of date code. We are at the end of our tether 2 years in thousands been spent and no further forward than we were 2 years ago. What do we need to do to get some justice has anyone taken there emigration firm to court or been to a solicitor Please help

Hi All Was just wondering if any of you who have recently emigrated took out any insurance...? Cheers Juls x