General Questions - Family moving down under

[PoMoSo]

Hi all,

 

I’m new to the forum, just registered a few minutes ago, but have been reading posts here for some 3-4 months now, and some of them have been quite helpful.

 

However, since everyone’s situation is unique, I feel like I should explain mine in detail, as reading these many posts here and on other site’s + trying to understand everything on the immi website is soon driving me a bit =). Especially as most of the time, I think I know how to go about to reach my dream, but then end up feeling blue coz of some obstacle found. So I’d be more than grateful for any help given! I should also mention that we’re all Swedish (EU) citizens.

 

The dream is of course, for my family and I to get PR’s in Australia, and hopefully reside in Sydney! And this is our plan to get there;

 

My brother (25 y) and I (30 y soon) will in February 2014, after hopefully being accepted at the universities we’ve applied to, fly to Sydney. We will study two years each. My brother holds a British LLB and Master of Law in IT from Sweden. In Australia, he needs to complement his degree by studying a sort of tailored law degree. I hold a BSc in Business Management from a UK uni, and will soon get my MSc in Informatics from a Swedish uni. In Sydney, I will study an ICT related degree, or possibly two just to have studied for two years.

 

Thereafter, both of us will apply for the ‘Skilled – Independent (Residence) Visa (Subclass 885) for overseas student visa holders. We will both need to have a band score of 8 on the IELTS test, but I think we will both be able to do it. That will give my brother a total of 70 and me a total of 65 on the Points Test.

 

When both of us have been able to pass the 65 mark, will then each of us get a PR? And how long does such a process normally take?

 

To be eligible for the Points Test, we also need to nominate an occupation on the SOL list. My brother has two options, either Solicitor or Lawyer. Will he qualify for this or does he need to be a registered lawyer/solicitor?

 

I was planning to nominate ICT Business Analyst as my occupation. It can currently be found on the SOL list, but not on the NSW State Nominated Occupation List. Does that change anything? For the PR (Subclass 885), it only says that I should nominate an occupation on the SOL, and get a positive assessment for my occupation. Would I not get a positive assessment if my nominated occupation is not on the NWS list?

 

If not, the alternative would be to get a more technical ICT degree when in Sydney.

 

Anyway, my parents are both over 50, but below the age to be considered aged parents, so they can only get a PR through us it seems? But they’ve said that whenever my brother and I get our PR’s, then will get ready to move down under. Now clearly, I want them to be able to move asap so we can all be together, but it seems that all their options are not only really expensive, but also takes a very long time. What is my parent’s best option? What did you guys do to help your parents move to Australia?

 

Much love to all,

 

PoMoSo

[blossom]

I hate to put a dampener on your plan, but I certainly wouldn't take the risk of coming on a student visa with the plan of staying.

 

I did the same thing. Literally, less than a week from me being able to apply they changed the rules. That made it harder, but still possible. Three months after that they changed yet more things and made it near impossible. It took five years from arriving to finally get pr, and it was such a stressful time, waiting to see what door would be slammed shut next.

 

You need to see what you need to be able to pass the skills assessment now. Bare in mind that this criteria can also change (that was one of the issues I had).

 

Your parents is another issue. Even if you get pr, they can't apply until you have had pr for two years.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't do it.

[PoMoSo]

Thanks for the reply blossom79.

 

To pass the the skills assessment now, I would need to have at least 3 years of paid work experience in my field. And that was the initial plan, But then I figured that the three years it would take to get the points required, I could be in Australia and try to get those points in other ways. The second issue is, my brother needs to complement his law degree in Australia to be able to practice law in the country.

 

You say they changed some rules just as you were about to apply to a PR, when abouts was that? And do you remember what changes were made? Also, how did you finally get a PR?

[blossom]

They first off changed the skills assessment for my job. You used to need 900 hours of work experience if you studied in oz and it cost $300. December 2009 they announced that that was changing to a year and a half and would cost close to $4500!!

I was 20 hours short, which should have been fine as the cut off date was the 1st of jan and I would have those hours by then BUT they said their offices shut Christmas Eve, and even if it got in in the couple of days before this it would be unlikely to be recorded!

 

I spent months trying to sort out what I actually had to do in this extra year. Finally they told me after three months. Just as I was about to start they removed my job from the sol (along with loads others). At that time my job was not on the state list for where I lived either.

 

We ended up having to go for an employer sponsored visa, but that wasn't easy either. We got turned down at the first stage as they had had so many applications from people who did not meet the criteria that they must not have read ours to see that we did. It was all sorted in the end, but it was mega stressful.

 

At the moment the 485 visa would probably allow you to get that work experience, but this has literally this week been made possible. Before that you could only get an 18 month visa. Elections are happening soon and the government seem to fiddle with visas a lot around election time. It can also go the other way.

And if you have to get that much experience before you can apply for pr, then that is that many years more until you have pr and begin your two year wait to sponsor your parents. I'm guessing your brother would also need some work experience for his skills assessment too.

 

If it was all guaranteed to stay the same rules, and you could afford the huge amount of money I would say go for it. The worry of what will they change next is terrible though.

 

I am now stuck in a job earning way less than I could have been earning for the next two years as that is part of my visa conditions. Had I known how hard it would have been I would not have come.

[Rupert]

I do not have the thorough understanding of the "student route" as I call it as Blossom does. But I do know that I would never encourage it, massive risk, great expense and no way of knowing if you ever will get PR at the end of it.

 

If I were you, I would work on establishing your careers where you are now and look into skilled migration in a few years time.

[Tickled Pink]

As the other two have said, hugely risky gamble, costly, no certainty of PR at the end. Also, already mentioned, your parents could not seek the kind of PR you are talking about for them until you have been 'settled' with your own PR visas for around two years. To add further possible complication to this, if one of you managed to get PR and the other didn't, thn your parents wouldn't meet the balance of family test necessary for the visa criteria I believe.