Search the Community

Hi All Well, it's has happened at last. The immigration company submitted our 457visa on Monday and now for the anxious wait for a decision. However, it is good to learn that you can watch your application online but does anyone know the stages that is has to go through? We have seen Application received Processing commenced Are there additional stages or is the next message approved or denied??? Many thanks for your help Paul

Hi All - I've a shed load of questions, and don't really know where to start, so any advice is welcome. We're in the extremely early stages of considering a move as an opportunity for a job transfer has come up. But - we know very little about the Melbourne area! So, I'm throwing self on your mercy and begging you for as many titbits of information you have, that would have helped you when you moved, or what I should be considering and all things like that. ? i've 2 small children so have to consider schools and stuff too. What's the cost of living like compared to the UK do you know? (I've done an online shop with "Coles" and for basics it seems pretty comparable - obviously delivery from there to Southend in the UK would bump it up a bit ;-) Looking on the net, things like car insurance/tax seem high, but that's only an average - can anyone shed any light on things like insurance costs and other living costs compared to the UK? Even things like - would my childrens Nintendo Ds work? Would any of my electricals work!? (food mixer etc). What's worth taking initially, and what's worth dumping before leaving because it's cheaper to buy out there than store/ship? We're not expecting perfection but we're not totally naive, this opportunity has come up and it seems too good not to take, but we want to make sure we've at least some idea what we're potentially going to! Thanks for your time...any advice on where I should even start would be great :-) Thank you Tanya

I am just about at the point of accepting a job offer as a nurse with visa sponsorship and am totally torn as to wether it is the right thing to do, probably a good thing I am having these thoughts before starting the process and paying anything out, but I am really stuck on what decsion to make firstly i should probably tell you a bit about my background I am a nurse and live in Scotland with my hubby and 2 kids who are 9 and 7. We have no close family whatsoever, my parents are down in Yorkshire, hubby's parents are over in Cyprus, we have had no family support for the past 6 years since moving to Scotland. We don't own a home and rent a 2 bed flat which isn't ideal by any means with 2 growing kids of opposite sexes, but there is very little else to rent in this area and no prospects of buying anything in the near future. We had a bankruptcy 8 years ago and although it is spent and supposedly off the record it still impacts on our life and means that we have no chance of getting a decent mortgage (not that we have a deposit anyway) Saying that we live in a lovely town, my kids go to an excellent school and honestly I am settled here in many ways and I have lots of close friends here something i never seemed to have in all the other places in the UK we have lived. We moved up to Scotland with hubbys job but he was made redundant 2 years ago and i took over the role of breadwinner going back to working full time as a nurse, hubby has had no luck even securing part time work to bring in extra pennies but he does have his own business doing IT repairs, website design etc. It is by no means a lucrative business bringing in millions but he ticks over and it helps. I have done well in my career since going back to nursing after having 4 years working just casual bank shifts and a year ago i pretty much got my dream job and I love my work and I have aspirations of where i would like to take it in the future. Of all the slagging off the NHS gets I have to say that NHS Scotland is not a bad company to work for at all. So I would say that in no way are we living an excelent life here in the UK, don't own a home, we manage to get by every month and do have occasional treats, but generally we are happy, I have a great job and I hope that eventually we could get a break and start to have a bit more of a comforatble life. We have thought about moving to Oz on and off for a few years now, we are not expecting to suddenyl be rich or wealthy and have everything one could dream of but we would like to have an adventure, experience life in another country etc and it seems sensible to do it whilst the kids are young and we have no real ties here in the UK, but i still can't help having that feeling that it could all go terribly wrong. One of main worries is financial. We don't have a lot of money, we can scrape together the costs of moving over there but we would be going with practially no money behind us, just enough to survive really until the first pay check comes in. Hubby would try to establish his business again over in Oz i think as it would be most practical from a childcare point of view (as it is in the UK) but we would cross the bridge with him working/childcare etc once over there. I wold be working full time as a nurse and with my level of experience i would be on the top of the RN pay so i estimate approx 80K per year with shift allowances etc. I haven't been converting it to it's equivalent in GBP because i don't feel that appropriate as we will be earning and spending $. What i have been doing is trying to omapre percentage of wages for living costs eg. % of my wage we pay currently to rent here in the UK vs % of my wage to rent in Oz and for a less percentage we can get a bigger house, with a garden adn wher the kids can have a room of their own, nothing flash but that is all we require. As for food etc we will have to budget but we are used to that anyway, we already make meal lists, buy specials etc. My other worry is my job, as i said before i love the job i do at the moment, however i hav been through some pretty roughtimes in my career to get where i am now and have thought of packing it in on many occasions, due to bullying etc. I have finally managed to get a promotion to a band 6 on a fantastic ward, and I'm worried that I might hate nursing in Oz, might hate my new workplace and might never get back to the level i am at now and then i will regret the move. My hubby has suprised me a little in all of this. He has always been very laid back about it saying whatever he will go along with, he's happy to move if i am as he feels we have no prospects here in the UK, but I always had a bit of feeling he was not 100% behind the move and if it all went wrong then it would be my fault and could cause problems, however since telling him I am not sure i want to go through with it, he has come across as quite dissapointed. As you ca tell I am really torn here and there is no major pros or cons as to why i can se but something just hit me the other day and made me panic. Thanks for reading if you have got this far and i welcome any kind of advice or reassurance you can give me

Hi everyone im new to this but ive been told this is one of the best places for advice on immigrating to Australia as most people are in the process of so or already have done so. My very keen are moveing my family from the uk to Australia, theres 5 of us myself my wife and 3 daughters ages 3 ,4 and 7, i want to do this by 2014 but i dont really know where to start ive been on the Australian gov website and i believe i pass for the SOL list as im a CNC Machinist in the steel industry but what to do from herei have no i dear, do i apply for a visa first then look for rented houseing and a job, when do i put my house up for sale etc any advice would be great im so comfussed:arghh: cheers paddy P.S if i sell my house i would walk away with about 45000 - 50000 AUS dollers is that enough

can someone tell me where im up to, ive got an agent doing my 176 visa app, im on the skills wanted list, going for state sponsorship. doing my vetasses test in a couple of weeks. once ive got thru this whats the next step. do i have to go through medicals and everything else before i get a case manager who looks at my application?? do i have to go thru everything and spend all my money before they say yes or no. also worried, on my police checks i got found guilty of an offence (wrongly) but then i got a not guilty and was cleared of it. but it still shows only on police records. but in effect i have no criminal record. is this going to get me a knock back

Hi all, I'm new to PIO and am looking to start my 175 visa as soon as I can for myself, partner and 2 kids. I do qualify for the visa as an electrician but I've no idea where to start ! I downloaded the 1276 application document, but what is the first step? I am from Ireland and I have to to the TRA with Victoria University. Do I have to do this before anything else? Thank you all.

hi i am in the verry early stages of moving to australia with my partner and kids who are 22 25 and 19 . i am a paint sprayer my partner is a care assistant one son a roofer the other a painter and decorator and the daughter has good grades . we are thinking of south australia but nothing is definate , we would like to be close to the coast and not in the middle of no where . my job is in demand or so i am led to be believed. so i am after any genral advice best area for jobs is it best to apply for one visa for all of us or seperate ones i may have a sponserhip job offer what is envolved many thanks an advice welcome.

My son in law is due to sit IELTS as part of via app for ACT. Can someone please tell me what the stages cover. i think that there are 7 according to some threads that I have read on this forum. I don't think that he will have any issues with it but I know that he needs to prepare properly. Luckily I can also offer support as I have been involved with both youth and adult training covering literacy and numeracy for the past 20 years. Regards

Hi, my daughter is almost 3 and I was wondering what the stages of education are before she actually starts proper school. I know in SA (where we were originally) they start at kindy at 4 but what is it like here in Qld? Is there anywhere they can go before they are 4? My boys started nursery when they were 3 in the UK and I find that they really needed it and so will my daughter. She is so eager to learn and I find that waiting until she is 4 feels like she is missing out. I have heard of prep and pre-school, is this the equivalent to reception. Sorry for all the questions. I just want to know what the process is and if there is anything out there for kids that are 3plus. We live on the GC, by Pacific Pines, so if anyone knows of anything around that area, I would be grateful of any recommendations. I am also looking for a playgroup as well as she really needs to interact with kids her own age as I don't know anyone with toddlers. Thanks.

Hi There, I completed my RPL skills assessment with the ACS online on the 1st March and posted my documents on the 5th. I received my acknowledgement email on 11th March. I emailed my assessment officer today (25th March) to see if there was anything missing so I could send any documents ASAP and she emailed me back saying 'Your file is currently with an assessor'. Does this mean my assessment has moved to the next stage as on the ACS website is still says 'In Process' Cheers in advance if anyone can shed any light on this. Thanks.

Hi, I got my email acknowledgement from ACS about a week or so ago and its been "to be allocated" since. Once its allocated does the assessment result normally come out quicker?

Hi All, I like many others have been affected by the new Priority Changes made on 23rd September:arghh: Have you been Requested to get your Medicals and police checks? Are you in the final stages of your application (all docs Met and Meds Finalized)? Are you going to lie down, or do you want to be heard? The more people that say something about how unfair it is to process our applications just prior to finalization and then put them on hold! The more likely he is to listen. After all he is a Senator, surely his actions should only be fair If you feel you should have a voice please join my campaign!!! I have decided and as advised by my agent to mount an Email/Letter campaign to: Senator Evans as the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship He is the individual responsible for this!!! His Contact details are: Senator Chris Evans Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Telephone: 02 6277 7860 Fax: 02 6273 4144 Email: minister@immi.gov.au and senator.evans@aph.gov.au Please, Please, Please write we need to stick together. If you decided to contact Mr Evans please leave a comment to keep this thread alive. Kevin Rudd is next on my list!!!!!!! Good Luck to all caught up in this mess and thanks for your support

Hi All, I am in the final stages of a "Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (Subclass 119/857)" visa for Australia. Applying from the UK. Step 1 (Employer applies for certification) and Step 2 (Employer nominates the position) have both been approved and my application (step 3) should arrive with the aussie authorities next week. I believe they will go through my visa and if approved send me for a medical. I just wanted to know if anyone can give me a rough idea how much longer i should have to wait before I'm over there living the dream! How long 'til I hear of the decision against my application? How long to then sort out medical stuff? Then how long til I can book my ticket Thanks in advance!

Good morning all!! This is a brief history of my application: Received SA state sponsorship in September 2008 Lodged an application in Jan 2009 Was given a CO in February, who requested 4 extra pieces of information (amongst them medicals and police chekcs) I supplied two of the 4 pieces of information in March I supplied police checks in early May (I had to obatin police checks from SAfr as well, which took a while) Medicals were done and supplied late in May (my wife had a procedure done late 2008 so we had to wait for the specialist report) My medical status changed to finalised on 25 May My wife's medical status did not changed, so I assumed it went to MOC, after a while I contacted the HOC who told me hers were finalised on 29 May and I had to contact the DIAC for an update - this I did very early this morning, and the operator checked the file and told me both were finalised and cleared..... SO - what is the next stage of the process? They have all documentation they need, does the CO simply pick up my file and asses it when he gets round to my file (although its for a state sponsored 475 visa). What if the quota runs out before then? Do I have to wait for the next allocation year and when is the next period? Do I have to obtain new police checks and medicals again then? ANY ADVISE please guys!! E

what is the correct way of doing the visa stages, only i see people doing things a bit different to the way other people do things, one of the things is at what point people get the police and health checks, my agent told me to get them once ss has been given yet others get the before hand, may be some one can stete the correct way and stages of the visa should be. cheers

can you advise, what are the 176 visa stages after paper base and practical by vetassess......up untill you book your flight.:wacko:

hi all, me and my oh r at the early stages of looking into moving to oz. my oh is a primary school teacher and i am a joiner. not sure if its best to try and get sponsored and the best way to about it, or a skilled visa. any help or advice would be very helpful. cheers sandy

I recently got a c/o assigned to my VE:175 visa application after applying last July 2008. The email they sent me had 4 incomplete items: Resend passport bio data pages? Resend skills assessment? Medicals? Police Checks? We've since had our medicals in Manchester so no problem there. Obviously the results go straight to Sydney and we'll be informed of any issues with blood tests. Today I sent our police checks to ACRO. I'm hoping this should satisfy points 3 & 4? Although I sent colour scanned documents for items 1 & 2, the latter being my ACS acceptance letter. I'm not really sure why they are asking for them again when they we're all very clear. So my plan is to get a solicitor to certify them and resend like that. Does this sound like the right thing to do? My wife were also talking last night and we thought....would the DIAC really send you for medicals costing over 500 pounds if they had any intention to decline your skills assessment? I certinaly hope not, any thoughts? It's all very exciting nonetheless.... Cheers Kev

Hi all, Firstly i understand this forum gets very similar questions all the time but cases vary so much depending on different circumstances. My wife and i (both 34)have been looking into moving out of the UK for a number of years but wanted to wait until our children were a little older,the eldest now being nearly 15 and the youngest nearly 12. We narrowed our search down to Australia,New zealand and Canada which seems to be the norm however you guessed it we decided on Australia. I have operated various construction plant i;e excavators,dump trucks and site fork trucks for around 10 years but due to lack of construction work and the wages i have been training in the air conditioning trade for the past 12 months and really enjoy it so would like to continue within the trade over there, there does seem to be a demand for it and the wages look ok aswell.My wife currently works with adults with learning disabilities mainly with things such as downs syndrome and autism etc and would really love to continue along the same career.It seems that my job is a required skill but i'm not sure on my wifes? We have friends that live in Perth and have recommended that area and have also recommended Ian Harrop as agents which although will cost us more it is probably the route best for us as i can work upto 80 hrs per week so struggle on time for forms etc. We are now at the very early stages and plan to speak to the agent in the next few days to maybe get the ball rolling,we are looking at somewhere between 18 months and 2 years before we feel that we will be ready as i want to learn more about a/c and we need to settle various loans and cards before leaving although it is tempting to leave without settling you never know if you can be found or even if we may need to return. A few of general questions are; What are the school ages would the kids have to go back a year? Opinions on Perth? A/C trade looks promising any opinions? My wife is classed as a day services assistant for social services does any know the name for the same job over there if there is one? Think we may need to sell house in UK rather than rent it out is this wise? We would probably only ship our sofa and double bed and maybe a new plasma tv i've just bought as the rest is a bit tired but doubt it's worth the cost unless i'm filling a container completly would you agree? Anyway i understand if this gets no replys as if you look around you find answers but it's nice to have it specific to our own situation.I have also posted some of these things in the more relavent areas.. Many thanks for any responses and hope to be a regular on here. DEC

We've received an email from the dept today asking for a re-scan of one of our documents that didn't attach properly to our e-application. The message said that when they receive it, the file will then be passed onto our Case Officer who will carry out the 'final assessment'. Does anyone know if this means that we are very close to a decision? Is the Case Officer the 'Decision Maker' that we've read about? Glad for any help. Phil & Shaz

Adelaide or Perth? This is the question that you probably are tired of answering: Which place is best? this or that? Sorry, but I still have to ask. Having been devouring all the online info I can get my hands on, we came to the conclusion that only the 2 capital cities (and respective surroundings) with a mediterranean climate were of interest to us. Due to both our professions (Architect & Dentist) we don't think we'll have many problems getting visas, so it is just a question of finding the better place to settle. We do plan on visiting beforehand, but all the info we can get in advance will be much appreciated. Some of our questions are: 1) How easy is to build your own home? 2) How well are the suburbs served of public transport, trains in particular? 3) How easy is to socially integrate? 4) What are the most dangerous creatures we need to look out for? 5) How easy it is to get european goods in the local shops/markets? 6) Can we safely swim in the local beaches? 7) One of us is rather affected by extreme cold and extreme heat. How badly do extreme temperatures affect this region? 8) Can we use our UK driving licences over there? 9) How long do flights to UK take (on average?) 10) How long does it take on the train to Sidney (from Adelaide)? And finally, what are the most difficult aspects of the initial stages of the settling process (first 12 months)? I'm sure I'll think of more questions later on... Thanks in advance to all repliers. Cheers!

Adelaide or Perth? This is the question that you probably are tired of answering: Which place is best? this or that? Sorry, but I still have to ask. Having been devouring all the online info I can get my hands on, we came to the conclusion that only the 2 capital cities (and respective surroundings) with a mediterranean climate were of interest to us. Due to both our professions (Architect & Dentist) we don't think we'll have many problems getting visas, so it is just a question of finding the better place to settle. We do plan on visiting beforehand, but all the info we can get in advance will be much appreciated. Some of our questions are: 1) How easy is to build your own home? 2) How well are the suburbs served of public transport, trains in particular? 3) How easy is to socially integrate? 4) What are the most dangerous creatures we need to look out for? 5) How easy it is to get european goods in the local shops/markets? 6) Can we safely swim in the local beaches? 7) One of us is rather affected by extreme cold and extreme heat. How badly do extreme temperatures affect this region? 8) Can we use our UK driving licences over there? 9) How long do flights to UK take (on average?) 10) How long does it take on the train to Sidney (from Adelaide)? And finally, what are the most difficult aspects of the initial stages of the settling process (first 12 months)? I'm sure I'll think of more questions later on... Thanks in advance to all repliers. Cheers!

Hi guys and gals Havent yet started the application process - has anyone out there got any helpful hints and tips? We've seen there are a lot of agencies who go through the process for you - can anyone recommend any of them? My hubbie was in Oz for 3 months a few years ago now but loves Perth and thats where ideally we'd like to go... but we really are in the early days so anyone's advice would be really helpful... look forward to hearing from you all!! Sam

Hi, we are in the early stages of the immigration process and have some questions which we would be extremelly gratefull for answers / advice We have decided to go through an agency for the whole process, is this the right way to do things? My husband is a Quantity Surveyor so we hope that with his degree and experience we should be good to go, however we cannot decide between Perth or the East Coast Which coast has the better weather, i have a skin condition and the sun really helps Any other advice you can give would be extremelly appreciated thank you in advance

We are looking to escape the uk and at present have three contenders,Canada,NZ and Australia. Ausralia seems to be the front runner at present but we are finding the internet a very bewildering place with information overload! We like the look of Perth and Brisbane and would welcome any advise on house prices,job opportunities,lifestyle etc. At present we are waiting on a call from the Australian visa bureau as to wether our qualifications are even recognised there.My hubby is a cctv engineer with city and guilds certificates taken about 20 years ago and i am a uk registered podiatrist although i trained at a private podiatry school rather than at university. Any info would be greatly received.:wacko: