anitalund Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Hi We are trying to get to Australia but my son has Downs Syndrome, very mild, goes to mainstream school, socially aware and no physical problems. He has had a health assessment but now they are asking for a psychological assessment too. The company my husband will be working for is paying all school and healthcare costs. Our flights are booked for 1st March but no visa, no go. I didn't think a 457 would be a problem, I knew that PR would be a challenge if and when we decide we want that, Can anyone offer any glimmer of hope? My husband is there now and me and our 3 children are in the UK. If anyone has any advice I'd be grateful, I'm trying to get as much information together about my son that paints a glowing picture of him as I can. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I thought I had replied to a post of yours on this topic before, but if it has disappeared into the ether then here goes. You can find a psychologist to do a psychoeducational assessment on the "Find a Psychologist" pages of the BPS site http://www.bps.org.uk/psychology-public/find-psychologist/find-psychologist Your "glowing picture" will have to be very objective BTW with IQ, skills, adaptive behaviour all documented. Unfortunately your aspirations for his future functioning arent really going to come into it but if you can show that his intellectual disability is borderline/mild, his skills are within 2 years of his age peers and his adaptive behaviour is similarly within the average to low average range then you might have a case. Those, combined with the fact that he copes in mainstream with little to no support (if that is the case) will add ammunition but if he has a half time aide in order to manage mainstream, along with an IEP and an individual program administered by the aide then it is going to be difficult. I believe you said that your husband's employer was going to foot the bill for special ed support in addition to his regular school fees - you might be OK with that but if they arent prepared to pay the (think of a number and multiply by 2) - let's say $12-15k for a teacher aide half time then you are potentially going to struggle. NSW is expensive for temporary visa holders for bog standard education so any additional needs will be quite costly. I think you were also advised to contact either Peter Bollard or George Lombard for advice - they are agents who specialize in medical conditions and they will give you the best advice for whether you are going to encounter difficulties or not. Good luck - and perhaps can you postpone your departure until you are sure that a visa is in the offing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anitalund Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Thanks for your reply. Yes I have posted a similar thread before but things have moved on. I have found a psychologist and we have an appointment and she will submit a report. The trouble is my husband is already out there on secondment and the rest of the family are stuck here because of my sons disability. His company (in my view) have not done their homework with regard to our visa (although they have amigration agent dealing with it) they don't seem to have any experience. My son does have an IEP and although he is doing well in mainstream the fact is he has 20 hrs TA support in class and he probably works at about 3-4 yrs below his actual age. The employer has already state in my husbands contract that they will pay school fees plus additional support up to 25 hours (we have been told that this will be around $28000 per year just for the support). I just want some reassurance that we have a chance to get him through but my hopes are dwindling and my husband is on the other side of the world. I guess we will just have to wait for the assessment and see what comes of it. Just wondered if anyone had any experience of the same etc. What a mess, wish we'd have just said no thanks we're staying put. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Thanks for your reply. Yes I have posted a similar thread before but things have moved on. I have found a psychologist and we have an appointment and she will submit a report. The trouble is my husband is already out there on secondment and the rest of the family are stuck here because of my sons disability. His company (in my view) have not done their homework with regard to our visa (although they have amigration agent dealing with it) they don't seem to have any experience. My son does have an IEP and although he is doing well in mainstream the fact is he has 20 hrs TA support in class and he probably works at about 3-4 yrs below his actual age. The employer has already state in my husbands contract that they will pay school fees plus additional support up to 25 hours (we have been told that this will be around $28000 per year just for the support). I just want some reassurance that we have a chance to get him through but my hopes are dwindling and my husband is on the other side of the world. I guess we will just have to wait for the assessment and see what comes of it. Just wondered if anyone had any experience of the same etc. What a mess, wish we'd have just said no thanks we're staying put. Thank you. Well you probably should have waited until it was sorted and gone together but hindsight is a wonderful thing eh? It really is very hard for anyone on a forum to predict the outcome, however children with DS have got on a 457 visa before for sure. As you already know, it is the PR step that would be the real challenge. Has your husband got his 457 then by the way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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