Advice appreciated pleeeeaase!

[Dons]

Hi, this is my first post so apologies if I make any mistakes! :unsure:

 

We are getting more and more (understatement!!) determined to leave the UK for Oz! We have spent the last year (in a great way of course!) adapting to being parents for the first time and I'm sure other mums and dads out there will agree - once you are a parent things change completely!! We want a great future for our little girl and we don't see that happening in the UK! So, having joined this fab site in July and having browsed various threads, I have taken the plunge to introduce ourselves and ask for a bit of advice from anyone if they wouldn't mind - the mind boggles when you aren't familiar with all the lingo (TRA's etc!):spinny:

 

'We' are Dons and Bran and baby Taylor Ellise (13 months). Hubby Bran is a Web Developer :GEEK:(has a degree but not in IT and think his work experience is approx 8 years(?)and I am a stay at home Mommy. In my former life (lol!) I worked in advertising for a newspaper for 14 years. I want to, at some point, get qualified as a proofreader so I can work from home when Taylor is at school. We keep dreaming of life in Oz (though we have never visited), but know a couple of people who have taken the plunge but lost touch with. The advice we would like is basically - what are our chances? I would feel happier if it was possible for hubby to get a job first (is that likely?) so there's a bit of security to go with, and it would be great to hear from anyone who has done it without ever visiting before! We aren't fussy what area, would go with the jobs!!

 

I feel so excited at the thought we could do it and provide a better future for our daughter (feel free to tell me how great it is for families out there!!) but just want someone to tell us whether they think it would be straight forward for us or not? Then we would probably go with an agent in the new year (any recommendations welcome?)

 

Sorry bit long winded but not sure what people need to know in order to give any advice, although any would be appreciated. Thanks xxx:)

[Guest maxxangel]

Hi Dons and welcome to PIO!

 

The best thing to do would be to talk to an agent for advice (this would be free). Gomatilda.com seems to be well recommended and I used A&M (Australian Migration | A Registered Agent). A good agent will tell you whether or not you will be likely to succeed in getting a visa and won't put any pressure on you to use them either.

 

Good luck,

Cara

[Guest peppa]

hi dons

 

As a mother of 4 I can completly understand your desire to leave the UK. Australia is far better a place to raise the nippers.

 

I think you should first contact an agent to get some FREE advice and then take it from there. The very best of luck any questions please ask away....

 

O and welcome to POMS!

[Dons]

Thanks Maxxangel will try one of those Agents as I see you've had your visa granted! Thanks Peppa too. You know when something just seems the right thing to do.....................have even been de sensitising myself to spiders!! I had a MASSIVE phobia but since we thought of emigrating I force myself to not look away when one appears on the tv now!! I think it would be easier to make friends too being parents, we hope to get there before Taylor has to go to school over here!!! Which is why we are thinking get started soon as the times flies by!!

[Guest maxxangel]

we hope to get there before Taylor has to go to school over here!!!

I don't blame you! I am just hoping to get out of here before my oldest hits junior school. Up to now I have managed to cope with the infants, but I really don't like the junior side of the school. I suppose it doesn't help that I have had no real experience of state school education.

[calNgary]

Hiya we used an agent (visa bureau) mainly because like you at the time i didnt understand anything about the migration process.They were great and i wouldnt be here without them.All the rules changed a few months ago and it is now a bit more complex especially if you havnt got trade qualifications,an agent will advise you of the best visa you can apply for,good luck with everything and keep us posted on what you decide

Cal x

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hello Dons

 

Welcome to Poms inOz.

 

If I were you I would ivest $25 AUD in getting an initial assessment from ptlabs about Hubby's skills. If he wants to use his IT skills as a possible route into Australia, he owuld have to pass muster with the Australian Computer Society ACS.)

 

I have seen mention of something called RPL (which stands for Recognition of Prior Learning.) I don't know anything about RPL apart from its name but Peter (ptlabs) does.

 

Peter is an IT wizard himself as well as a Registered Migration Agent, so he is defo the place to start for anyone with IT skills because he can help to put together the info that the ACS will need to be given, undertands the ACS' thought-processes intimately and so o.

 

You can use him for the ACS art alone or you can use him for that bit and then instruct him to handle the visa application for you as well if you wish.

 

Peter's website is here:

 

Ptlabs Consulting

 

He is a really nice guy and everyone who has used him speaks very highly of him, on here and elsewhere.

 

It is really too soon to try to consider which visa to opt for, bcause you need to workout first whether Hubby would qualify for skilled migration (which depends on whether he can satisfy the ACS.) If that bit is OK, next you needto work out how many points you can score. Once both of these are known, one can then start to whittle down the visa-options so as to arrive to a sensible visa-strategy.

 

However,you might as well start finding your way round the DIAC website as well. It is here:

 

Department of Immigration and Citizenship

 

Best wishes

 

Gill

[Dons]

Thanks Gill and Cal, I really appreciate the advice from everyone. I can't wait to show your replies to Bran (hubby) later! I feel quite relieved that in a small way we have made a start towards our goal. Gill, your advice makes sense, we would definitely want to pursue the IT route so I think we will start there with Pete!! I know we have a long way to go but it's exciting!! Lovely to have made contact with some of you too, hope to 'speak' again soon! Have a fantastic Christmas xxx

[Guest cantwait]

Hi

We have sent our application off to the ACS and are waiting for assessment. Our migration agent is thinkingaustralia.com (Darrell Todd - great bloke). He gives an hour free assessment and is really up front and tells it like it is.

 

Good luck

Karen

[Dons]

Thanks Karen, am just waiting for hubby to update his c.v then we will decide who to go with for the assessment. We're thinking of trying Pete at Ptlabs Consulting as recommended by Gill (Gollywobbler) and hadn't realised (so new to this!) we wouldn't get an instant 'yes - it's worth going for it!', the wait for the c.v to get updated is bad enough!! Just wanna get us started! Especially after seeing 'wanted down under' recently! Perth looks like a fave of ours at the moment. What's yours (or hubbys) IT background? Wondering if similar to Brans? Do you get the feeling there are good opps in IT out there? Bit confused after seeing the 'WDU' last week where they went with the Recruitment Consultants skills though he had IT skills? I am soooo excited about the prospect of a new life down under, but trying to be sensible and get the assessment done, then if no chance decide what to do with our lives so is better for our daughters future. Have you ever been there yet yourselves? Keep in touch, be interesting to see how you're getting on.

[Guest Susie_x_Chris]

I work in IT too and have just been granted a skilled independent visa. I didn't use an agent and found thewhole process pretty easy (but time consuming). I have only ever worked for one company who agreed to give me a reference, I also have an IT degree so the ACS skills assessment process was easy enough. I would take a look at the ACS website and see if you meet the requirements for direct assessment or would need to write an RPL. ACS can be found at Australian Computer Society - Skills Assessment.

 

Also look at the IMMI website (if you haven't already) and discover your options where visa's are concerned. I would start with the Skilled Independent visa because it gives you the right to reside in Oz indefinitely. Department of Immigration and Citizenship is a great place to start.

 

You'll find forums like this really useful if you do go it alone - we did.

 

Regards... Chris

[Guest cantwait]

Hi Dons

We have been to Oz - we went to the Gold Coast last August. It is beautiful, great for the kids, lovely beaches and really clean:smile:. With regard to hubby, his IT background is infrastructure architecture and because he doesn't have a degree we had to do the whole RPL thing. We're waiting to hear from the ACS at the moment - should be within the next 4 weeks. I'm dreading the post coming!!! If you decide to go ahead chedk out RPLHelp.com to get some tips as it is a really confusing process. We are 5 points short, :arghh:so have to go state sponsored if we cant get a job sponsor. With regard to IT jobs, there are alot of them about but Dave has applied for about 100 jobs, had 3 interviews and was told he was over qualified each time. He has another 2 interviews in February. I see you are in the Midlands - same as us.

 

Keep in touch and good luck

Karen

[Xtonite]

Hi there.

 

We're in a very similar situation to you, only 12 months ahead!

 

It was about this time last year we caught an episode of Wanted Down Under by chance and it got us thinking. We checked out a few migration agents websire and it looked like we had a chance so we contacted one and he has helped us a lot since.

 

I'm the IT industry with 18 years experience but without a degree, so the first thing I had to do was apply to the Australian Computer Society (ACS) which required a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) whihc was effectively the CV from hell! I seem to remember spending most of Easter writing it. I found RPLHelp - provides assistance to anyone who is preparing an Australian Computer Society (ACS) Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application for assessment for migration, including example CBOK sections, project reports and references. a big help, it's well worth it! I finally sent it off at the end of May and received a positive result at the end of August.

 

We had already planned ahead and had all the relevant forms filled and ready to go, just in time to beat the September 1st rule change! We had an email at the end of November ackowledging our application and stating we should be assigned a case officer sometime around the end of February at which point we can go for our medicals and police checks. So I'm guessing that, all being well and me having to work a months notice, we looking at going to Australia (for the very first time ever!) sometime in June.

 

So to sum up, our application process so far has been long periods of waiting, interspersed with short periods of intense activity!

 

As for the IT industry, as far as I can make out there is plenty of work. Sydney seems to be the number one area for jobs, but the housing is not cheap. We are planning on going to Melbourne which has the second highest amout of IT jobs with much more affordable houses!

 

I hope this is of some help, but if you have any questions please PM me.

 

Geoff and Jan (aka xtonite)

[Dons]

Wow! :notworthy:Thanks so much to everyone for the advice, everyone is so helpful and friendly and it has been very useful advice too, thanks for the ACS link Chris, we had a look and it looks promising as far as we can make out - hubby falls into the Applications & Analyst Programmer category although there are others applicable too such as Software Designer, plus he should get MODL points too (ooh get me like I know what I'm talking about! Weird how it all starts to,very gradually,make sense-ish!)

 

Does anyone know if a Bachelor Degree in Applied Science is regarded as an equivalent to a degree in IT as hubby explained to me that he choose that one because the modules covered database design, computer interface design, realtime software, graphics programming etc. I thought his degree was to do with the chemistry type of science!!!:embarrassed::smile:

 

I know we will find out when we get the assessment but I'm sure you all know the waiting is the worst bit and all your replies and the information we have picked up has made us so hopeful! The RPL part sounds tough but it's good to have a bit of an insight (thanks Geoff and Jan and congratulations - so exciting! We are definitely considering Melbourne now!), and I have a feeling that's the path we will probably end up taking (would be great to have a nice simple Skilled Independent Visa from the sounds of it!)

 

Karen, can you tell me what a state sponser is? Has hubby had to go over for interviews?Sorry so many questions! We would ideally want to have the job lined up before we go too, seems so much more scary to go over first then find one! How does it work,do you have to have the visa first to apply?

 

By the way we recently discovered (since immersing ourselves in all things australian - been to the library, trawling the internet when time allows etc!) that it could soon be compulsory in Australia for children to finish their education at 18! We think that's fantastic and that's yet another reason to go! Kids here seem to be very unprepared at 16 for the real world! It seems also that children can stay children longer over there.

 

It is so interesting to us to find out how everyone else is getting on so please update me and keep in touch. Thanks again.

[Guest jogrant3232]

[Guest cantwait]

Hi Dons

State sponsorship is when the state is so short of a particular skill they give you an additional 5 points to go to that area. Lots of states sponsor for IT, but in specific catagories. Because my OH is a infrasructure architect, the only state that will sponsor this particular IT field is the Northern Territory. Each state needs different types of IT people but i would advise you get some advise from an agent about this.

regards

Karen

[Dons]

Thanks for that Karen. Good luck with everything, I hope the postman brings you good news soon! We live in the broken bottle strewn streets of sunny old Dudley so that would explain a lot about why we want to emigrate to Australia if you have ever been here!!!!

[Guest cantwait]

Hi Dons

I know Dudley - we are not too far from you - in fact, just by Brownhills :arghh:

 

regards

Karen

[Guest cantwait]

Hi Dons

I saw on here somewhere that you had a good assessment or something, but when i tried to find it again i couldnt. Did i imagine it or did you post something along those lines? What's happening with you and your move? Have you decided you are definately going for it?:yes::yes::yes:

 

Karen

XX

 

PS: Your baby is gorgeous!!:smile:

[Dons]

Hi Karen

 

aww thankyou - we think she's gorgeous too! Lovely when other people agree too!

 

I posted to your thread 'ACS skills assessment positive' cos your hubby in IT too isn't he? We are in limbo at the moment, waiting for the Uni my hubby got his degree from to send us a transcript showing the modules etc from his degree in 'Applied Science' which to me sounded like chemistry etc (?!!) but was programming, computer based. So Peter is waiting to have that confirmed so we can find out if it will be the RPL route or the more straight forward route (if there is such a thing!) of the degree being recognised as an IT one. Fingers crossed it's the 2nd one but if not hubby is prepared to do whatever it takes as the more we think about it the more we can't wait!! The RPL being like 'the cv from hell?!' We have yet to tell hubbys family but that will probably happen the next time we see them. Not looking forward to that!! So definitely going for it!

 

What stage are you at now?

 

Dons xx

[Guest cantwait]

Hi Dons

Trust me not to be able to find something on my own thread!!:wacko:

 

Dave had to do the RPL because he doesn't have any kind of degree. We put about 50 hours work into the application between us. He did it and i neatened it up (as i am unemployed with time on my hands!!). It's a lot of work but worth it in the end.

 

Good luck telling the family. My sister is going to come out too. She is living in Moldova at the moment with her husband so trying to get them to Oz from the far flung corners of the old Soviet Union should be fun!! We are working on Dave's mom but i think she'll come. Daves dad and my mon and dad are both dead so we dont really have any family issued.

 

i have 2 brothers but they are both really young, in their 20's so they have lots of time to think about it.

 

Tell them all at once and get it over with in one go!!:idea:

[Dons]

Thanks Karen, I think we will need it!! Definitely will take your advice and tell them all at once! That's kind of how his side of the family are, very close, they all live 2 mins away from each other and have done so all their lives!

 

Sounds like you were a good team then to get the RPL done, we are similar I think as hubby got me to check over his c.v. Like you say worth it in the end.

 

I hope you get your sister to go (lot warmer than Russia!) and your brothers at least can come for holidays til they decide what they want in the future. Our daughters godparents would definitely visit and you couldn't stop my mum booking her ticket as soon as she had the cash, and staying as long as possible before coming back to save up again! Watch this space!!!