reutmark Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I am age 50and would like to emigrate to Perth but I know my age is against me! I hold aUK passport. How longcould I move to the country if I showed I had funds to support myself and wasstaying with an Australian friend in Perth? What are myoptions in terms of getting access to Australia to work and remain? I have anAustralian girlfriend but we do not live together as I am getting myself out ofmy marriage which takes time! Any ideas/advice really be appreciated! If you needany additional information from me please do ask.... Thanks inadvance.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Can I ask what your occupation is? Why not officially start a relionship with your girlfriend, instead of staying with your friend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reutmark Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 I do careers advice with students..... I intend to officially start a relationship but I think for defacto you have to live together for at least 12 months for a visa and there is also the marriage visa which is a 9 month time window to get married? I was thinking of possibly going over there and staying with her parents although for how long would I be allowed to do this( I have savings to support me as assume I would not be allowed to work?) and then applying for the marriage visa once over there? Would this add on 9 months to my stay with her parents if I did the marriage application towards just when my time I was allowed to stay with her parents was about to expire? Any other thoughts/ ideas welcome? I am prepared to do any type of work.....retrain...etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Australia is not very friendly for the over 50s TBH And you are going to struggle to get employment. Most states did away with careers counsellors years ago. If you were a teacher (4 yr trained) you may be able to pick up casual relief but not in Careers. You could struggle to get anything more than a tourist visa if you don't go down the PMV route and that doesn't allow you to work. Could your girlfriend come and begin your relationship with you in UK for 12 months then you would be in a position to go for defacto. As pensions are very different in Aus you are going to struggle to get a half decent pension provision for your old age so whatever you do, don't quit your current job - take a career break if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reutmark Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Australia is not very friendly for the over 50s TBH And you are going to struggle to get employment. Most states did away with careers counsellors years ago. If you were a teacher (4 yr trained) you may be able to pick up casual relief but not in Careers. You could struggle to get anything more than a tourist visa if you don't go down the PMV route and that doesn't allow you to work. Could your girlfriend come and begin your relationship with you in UK for 12 months then you would be in a position to go for defacto. As pensions are very different in Aus you are going to struggle to get a half decent pension provision for your old age so whatever you do, don't quit your current job - take a career break if necessary. I have my own pension provision so this would not be an issue.Yes it does seem hard for over 50s I agree.Hence my post looking for advice and guidance. Thanks for all the feedback and any mre is most welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reutmark Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Thanks once again to the replies today and any additional advice most welcome as I will do anything to get to live in Perth....it is my dream.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 If you have the funds to support yourself you can apply for a visitor visa to stay for 12 months. You would not be able to work in this time though. If you were to live with your girlfriend in this time you could then apply for a defacto visa - I believe you could work once the application is submitted on a bridging visa. Finding work is a different issue but if you are willing to retire from your profession and take whatever work comes your way then you should survive. You need to research fully the implication on your pension there are significant tax implications and there is no reciprocal pension agreement between UK and Australia. Do also consider your health needs - most people don't realise how good the NHS is until they lose it. I was spending $2000 a year on medication I get free in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Prospective marriage visas can only be applied offshore - from London current processing is 10-14 months. You could go over in visitors visa for 12 months to build up your defacto evidence and live together, but usually a 12 month visitors visa will have no further stay composition attached stopping you applying for a further visa onshore. Being married will waiver the 12 month relationship requirement. In your situation PMV would be better option but as you are not free to marry yet it can't be granted until you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reutmark Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 So if I came over on visitor visa and lived with girlfriend for all this 12 month period but by end of 12 months I was not yet divorced what would happen? (as I cannot even start the application procedure for a prospective marriage visa unless I am already divorced I assume?) So this would mean if my de facto application was turned down after 12 months I would have to leave Aus for how long a period before being able to return on another visitor visa? Are my chances of getting the de facto granted quite high? Surely as you cannot apply for de facto until yoyu have been living together for 12 months how could I start this de facto application when based in Aus on a 12 month visitor visa? PS.....I would qualify for Aus healthcare once married to my girlfriend I assume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reutmark Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 PS I am really appreciative to all replies so far and please keep them coming as I really would like to make this move to Perth a reality in the easiest way possible both financially and time scale wise and emotionally Thanks again all...... PS yes would need to check out pension but I have own private pension which I am told I could draw on living in Aus and UK state pension is small so I would not miss that a huge amount. My private pension would be my main income once I reach retirement age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I believe you have to be divorced for any partner visa. I'm assuming your ex is not very keen? It can be a fairly quick process, it's just a hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 PS yes would need to check out pension but I have own private pension which I am told I could draw on living in Aus and UK state pension is small so I would not miss that a huge amount. My private pension would be my main income once I reach retirement age. You will be able to claim your British pension from Australia. If you've got 30 years' record of paying NI contributions, you'll get the full pension but it will be frozen at the same rate forever. Assuming you get to Australia within the next couple of years and continue working, you'll also be eligible for the full Aussie pension while you're resident in the country, but it is means tested so it's unlikely you'll get it until your own pension is exhausted. Do you have records documenting your relationship with your Australian girlfriend? You don't have to be living together with your girlfriend to claim it as a relationship - but you do need evidence to prove how long you've been together. I don't believe you have to be divorced but you do have to be living separately from your ex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozmaniac Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 You must be divorced before you can apply for a Prospective Marriage visa but you can apply for a Partner visa on the basis of a qualifying de facto relationship. While living together is an essential component of meeting the de facto requirement, DIBP appreciate that partners can be separated for periods of time due to work and travel commitments and even when the periods apart are caused by visa issues. From the One-Year Relationship requirement fact sheet: "Living together is regarded as a common element in most on-going relationships. It is recognised that, for various reasons, couples may sometimes have to live apart. Provided the separation is temporary and the couple had, at some point since commencement of the relationship lived together, their relationship might still satisfy the requirements of a de facto relationship. For this reason, the one year relationship criterion does not require the couple to have physically lived together for the entire 12 months, but rather to have been in a de facto relationship for that period. Partners who are currently not living together may be required to provide additional evidence that they are not living separately and apart on a permanent basis in order to satisfy the requirements of a de facto relationship." http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/35relationship.htm The One-Year Relationship requirement If for example, you were to come to Australia on a Visitor visa even for a period shorter than 12 months and during that time, live together and establish a marriage-like de facto relationship with shared finances, joint commitments and other things to show that you are a genuine de facto couple (e.g. being mutual insurance/will beneficiaries), you would be able to leave Australia because your visa expired yet still have the subsequent time apart counted in the 12 months required for your de facto relationship to be eligible - you would of course need to maintain the non-cohabitation aspects of the relationship during the time apart. http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1127.pdf Partner migration booklet - see 'Evidence that your relationship is genuine' on pages 39-41 for the type of evidence they will be looking for. When the 12 months is up, you could apply for an offshore Partner visa or, if you were able to get back to Australia to lodge an onshore application for a Partner visa, you would be granted a Bridging visa with unrestricted work rights to enable you to stay in Australia until a decision is reached on your application - the BV takes effect when the visa on which you entered Australia expires. You become eligible for Medicare as soon as you lodge the Partner visa application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Hmm I didn't think a year long tourist visa could be used to clock up partner visa time. Or maybe that was for waiting for a partner visa grant. If you are clocking up 12 months de facto why are you even bothering with the PMV? That's an off shore visa anyway with a fair wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Yep, you can use any of the tourist visas to clock the time up. I'm sure there have been people on here before refused a partner visa for not being divorced yet though (at time of application). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozmaniac Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I don't think there's anything to stop someone who is in Australia on a Visitor visa (of any length), moving in with an Australian and then using the time they live together to meet at least part of the One-year Relationship requirement. You could (would) be denied a Prospective Marriage visa because you're not yet divorced but I believe a large number of applicants who apply as de facto partners are still married to someone else which is fine with DIBP as long as they meet the de facto requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reutmark Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Thanks v much indeed for all these replies and most helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrutineer Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I have my own pension provision so this would not be an issue.Yes it does seem hard for over 50s I agree.Hence my post looking for advice and guidance. Thanks for all the feedback and any mre is most welcome I don't see anything that suggests life in Australia is any harder for the over 50s than it is UK, to be frank. Both countries treat older people increasingly poorly and with less respect to their own detriment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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