3FatCats Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Seems like I can't make a decision and stick to it as something is always coming up! Just need to bounce this off you kind folk... After almost 3 years here we had practically decided that I would move back to UK this year, stay with kind friends for a while and look for work. OH would have stayed in Oz for the interim and would have joined me when I found a job, so we always had/have one salary on the go. Our decision to go back is/was based on a few things, the most important being that we are on a 457 which runs out next year, with no prospects of it transforming into PR (v. complicated set of circumstances) plus we haven't really settled here 100% as some really happy migrants seem to have, mainly due to work and feeling trapped. Then, out of the blue, a skills assessment I put in around 1 year ago and had been advised would likely not be approved turned up, and it is positive.... So now everything has been thrown up in the air and all sorts of thoughts are going through my mind and generally shaking everything up.:wacko: Do we go for the PR and move on with life here? If we are able to part from the company we both work for (tied to due to 457 and sponsorship) I am sure that in a happier place of employment we would both feel and be happier. When you are happy in work you are generally happy in life? This would also leave us free to move away from Sydney (which we don't like much) and in reality we could go anywhere, work permitting of course. The OH thinks we should just stick to the original plan and go home. I think he is fed up of life being in limbo mode and although I was very much the most anti-Oz person in the family, this new development has started me off on a thinking spree... :wideeyed: PR would mean freedom. It would mean us finally choosing what we want to do, where we want to work and live. It would also mean we could still go home and come back (if we wanted to/could afford to), of course there is Super to consider and cost of moving etc. Opinions, thoughts, helpful advice for a poor, bewildered woman?? :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Hi there, Long time no see! Oh dear, what a tricky situation! Well, I totally understand where you are coming from. You know that I am an Oz hate-lover as well. But to be honest, I would go for PR! It is a great chance to figure out what you guys actually want to do in the long-term, wherever that might be. You can still move anywhere once you have got PR. Sure, there is Super which would have to stay here when moving onto PR, but on the other hand if you left and took Super with you you would also need to pay tax which also sucks. I would think about staying in Oz for now, also considering the economic state of the UK right now. Exactly, maybe try moving to another city in Australia that you would like better than Sydney and then take it from there. I am pretty sure that it will also be much easier for both of you to find a job on PR. It is just the sound of a temporary visa that they do not like here! Nevertheless I myself have just landed a new job in Melbourne whilst being on a 457. My old contract was about to finish and I got lucky that I found something before then. My partner and I arrived pretty much at the same time as you two guys if I remember correctly. We also do not know what we will do in the long-term but should we get the chance to move onto PR we will take it. For us everything will be decided in the course of this year. Whatever you decide, take care and all the best! Edited February 25, 2014 by marta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks Marta! I really appreciate your reply. I am so divided at the moment..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hi hun First have one of these :hug: Personally if it was me, I would go for the PR, not only does it give you the flexibility to move in Australia (and believe me that does make a hell of a difference) but it also gives you the option of moving back to the UK and if you are unhappy you can get back over here easily, if your happy in the UK then fine. I've been comforting two people recently who have gone back to the UK and want to come back here as the UK is how they remembered it when they were last there, friends had moved on etc. One of these people have no chance now of getting back in the country as they left whilst on a bridging visa. Another one is suicidal and regretting their decision. Now I'm not saying Australia is or isn't for you, the same with the UK, but if you got PR it would give you the choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks Kate. It is such a 50-50 situation, which is why I'm all over the place. Have changed my mind roughly every 2 hours so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks Kate. It is such a 50-50 situation, which is why I'm all over the place. Have changed my mind roughly every 2 hours so far! Have you tried doing a for and against list. Have you been back to the UK since being here? Have you travelled Australia to see if there is anywhere else you think you could settle? Do you have the option of starting the PR application when you are back in the UK or is there a risk it may be removed from the lists? How long would it take to get the PR? Don't worry I'm not expecting you to answer the questions here but they are things to ask yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Have you tried doing a for and against list. Have you been back to the UK since being here? Have you travelled Australia to see if there is anywhere else you think you could settle? Do you have the option of starting the PR application when you are back in the UK or is there a risk it may be removed from the lists? How long would it take to get the PR? Don't worry I'm not expecting you to answer the questions here but they are things to ask yourself. Yeah, all of those lol! :laugh: I think we might go back for a visit around Easter time, that will be helpful (need to see sick oldies too). We'd love Tasmania but understand it might be a bit of a dream, or somewhere in VIC. From lodgement they are saying anything from 6-9 months, although friends got theirs in 3 weeks. You just can't tell. We deffo wouldn't apply from the UK, as we need the sponsorship to get the 186 anyway, so need to stay here in the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Going back for a visit will certainly help you decide. You'll probably either feel right at home and will have a hard time getting back on the plane, or you'll be wondering what all the fuss is about and keen to get back to your lives in Australia. I know for us weighing up the pros and cons of getting PR has helped us decide not to get it. We have two rental properties in the UK so we would have to start declaring income from them here in Oz, and then there's the superannuation aspect. I too have a positive skills assessment lurking in the background so if we change our minds it will be relatively easy to start the PR ball rolling. But it all depends on the outcome of some job applications my OH has submitted. I hope someone wants him and we can go back this UK summer.... But then for us, if we ever wanted to return to Australia, I don't think it would be terribly hard to get sponsorship again. So this didn't really factor on our decision not to get PR but it might with yourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I would definitely go for the PR - it sounds like settling whilst on a 457 especially in a company you don't like would be almost impossible. In the end for us getting PR and my OH being able to quit a very demoralising work place didn't actually make any difference but it was only when everything was 'perfect' that we could honestly 'hand on heart' say it's the Australian culture/way of life we don't like. I will never regret staying long enough to get to that point. And yet we still stayed to get citizenship - mainly to give our son options in life but it was nice to have a 'just in case' option. Even if you plan for getting PR and then leaving, if things weren't to work out in the UK it'd be good to have it. The curse of having choices, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'm usually one for keeping all your options open but sometimes that leads you to too many choices and an inability to draw a line and get on with life (only recently have I discovered how liberating it is to have been able to draw a line and cut off an option! No more angsting about the decisions one makes!). I always look for a "Sign" - there'll be something that gives you a lightbulb moment and the decision that follows will be the right one. Maybe the PR is the sign. Can you consign yourself to sticking it and getting citizenship? I wouldn't stop at PR if you get that far but then you will have the freedom to come and go along with the constant angst of where you should be. Gaze into your crystal ball - what do you want out of your life in the next year/5 years/20 years and work from there. Failing that do a coin toss (and if you feel disappointment with the first outcome and demand a "best of 3" then I think you know). Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks everyone, a lot of food for thought..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I think I'd go for the PR myself.You've come this far and really,once obtaining the pr you both might be in a different mindset.Its abit of a security blanket for the future too if you returned to the UK,and then decided the UK was'nt for you afterall.Can I make a suggestion?I'm not sure where you came from in the UK,but if its not one of the "nicer"places,then consider moving elsewhere within the UK.I've read so many posts from people returning to the UK,usually a not so nice place,and then complaining the UK is s***!I lived in a not so nice burb of Adelaide many years ago,and what sense would it make for me to return there?None at all.lol Best of luck and whatever decision you make will be the right one at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks Melza, our UK base is in Cheshire so really a nice place tbh. We wouldn't have any problems with the place, it is more the worry around securing employment and all the upheave, all over again...I still need to mull it over a bit more I think.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 How about trying for the job of your dreams in UK and seeing what happens? That'd be a sign! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks Quoll. No progress when applying from this side of the globe unfortunately. They all (understandably) only take you seriously when you are actually in the UK. It is likely I will have to bite the bullet, go over on a trip and see how I/we feel, then take it from there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 The path to PR is not easy for some. I went through hell myself and ended up doing 7 years back in the UK training and applying for visas. As you have come this far I would suggest getting your PR even if its just to stick 2 fingers up to your current situation and move on. It will be much cheaper to do all the administration from your current location/ position and it leaves the door open to come back if you decided to go home. Completely on your terms. I didn't realise you were on a 457 visa. That can be hard for people even when things are going well. Good luck with your decision either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I would also go for PR, you'd know after that if you were returning to the UK because you wanted to rather than because you had to. I was in two minds about staying or going for a long time but now that the decision has been firmly made (we're going) it's a weight off my shoulders. Limbo is worse than either the UK or Oz!! Good luck, whatever you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Thanks to all who have replied. Seems most agree with us going for PR. It sounds good on paper, the reality means putting up with working here for (potentially) up to another year for the necessary paperwork and processing. I guess we both have to decide if we can face it for that long. It would be a killer to suffer another year and after all that end up going home! :laugh: I am pretty sure that if we decide to head home we won't be ping-ponging, and based on that I have to decide if the whole PR thing is worth it, or not. Will do some more thinking over the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Thanks to all who have replied. Seems most agree with us going for PR. It sounds good on paper, the reality means putting up with working here for (potentially) up to another year for the necessary paperwork and processing. I guess we both have to decide if we can face it for that long. It would be a killer to suffer another year and after all that end up going home! :laugh: I am pretty sure that if we decide to head home we won't be ping-ponging, and based on that I have to decide if the whole PR thing is worth it, or not. Will do some more thinking over the next few days. You don't actually have to stay in Australia to apply for the PR - go home, if you're happy end of story - if not apply for the PR - I have no idea how long a skills assessment is valid for but it could be an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 You don't actually have to stay in Australia to apply for the PR - go home, if you're happy end of story - if not apply for the PR - I have no idea how long a skills assessment is valid for but it could be an option. We have to stay in the sense that we need to stay in the job, because it would be employer sponsored 186... we don't qualify for any other option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 We have to stay in the sense that we need to stay in the job, because it would be employer sponsored 186... we don't qualify for any other option. Ah okay, I understand. Does that mean you would have to commit to that employer for a further period? If so, it sounds like that might not be the best option after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Ah okay, I understand. Does that mean you would have to commit to that employer for a further period? If so, it sounds like that might not be the best option after all. They are saying 1 year from the visa grant, so yes, that also has to be factored in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Just an update to all the kind folk who have replied. We have now booked a "reccie" trip back to UK end April, and will also visit oldies in Europe. It is likely we will start to collate documents for the PR now, but only make the decision on proceeding after the trip. Hopefully we come back with clearer heads, wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Good luck, sounds like a sensible plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Good luck and enjoy the UK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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