Bungo Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Helen I hope you can find a positive conclusion to your dilemma. Some comments made got me thinking about my own feelings, hope its okay to post..... So many people have said life in Australia is not necessarily better, just different, which is fair comment. My desires for moving to oz include the wish to experience life in a different country (though we hope for it to be a permanent move) and enjoy the warmer climate, both of which are fairly straight forward. I also wish to enjoy a slower pace of life (I feel my life in UK is a constant rush always with so much to do) enjoy the roads with little traffic , less crowded areas in general, enjoy a much more outdoors life ie cycle rides year round, county parks, picnics, all the outdoor things I enjoy in UK that feel so limited due to cool and wet/unreliable weather. Are my hopes realistic or a bit rose tinted???? When you said your drive for moving was to experience life in a different country and enjoy a warmer climate, I thought fair enough. But as for the rest ... Australia does not provide a slower pace of life, that is all down to you and the pace you choose to live your life at. Perhaps you can use the move as a catalyst though, to make some lifestyle changes, but I think you will be disappointed if you think Australia will make the changes for you. Most of Australia is empty and the places where you are likely to be have got plenty of traffic. If you do road trips, then once you are outside the cities, and I mean an hour or two outside, you will find less traffic and many empty roads. But on a day to day basis, you will probably spend just as much time stuck in traffic as you do now. And Australia won't make you more outdoorsy, if you are put off going outdoors by the relatively mild UK weather then I suspect you will be put off by the extreme weather in Australia. Weather in Australia is just as unpredictable as UK, storms are common and can happen any time of year, I definitely worried more about adverse Australian weather scuppering my plans because it is extreme and can write off days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I'd just save up and have a nice holiday here if I were you. Maybe that might make the rest of the family change their minds but I wouldn't bank on it. I think you should just forget the emigration thing- it is clearly not the right time for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarby777 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Rather than rush it, can't you just make your initial entry into Australia before the 4 years is up, and go straight back to Blighty again? Maybe make a holiday of it and buy yourself some time before making a decision... with any luck, the family will fall in love with the place during the holiday. You'll probably want to look into a resident return visa as well, because once you have clocked up 4 years since the PR visa was granted, you lose your ability to get back into Australia from abroad (although you can still *stay* in Oz indefinitely... you just can't leave and come back to Oz on your PR visa once 4 years ticks over). I know this puts me at odds with what others have said, but my opinion is that Oz is infinitely better than the UK in just about every respect. Quality of life - for me, at least - is off the scale compared to the UK... The "it's not better... it's just different" thing hasn't been my experience at all. Sorry! Best thing I ever did and I wish I'd done it 20 years sooner. Would your family at least commit to a 2 year experiment with the promise they can go home at the end if they want to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 . Would your family at least commit to a 2 year experiment with the promise they can go home at the end if they want to? Very dangerous (for the other parent),people have moved here on that promise and then one parent decides they want to stay ....and that's where it gets messy if there are children involved. For the parent that wants to return home, sure they can still do that. However, the thing is that the children will have to stay in Australia with the other parent - unless the Australian resident parent agrees otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Very dangerous (for the other parent),people have moved here on that promise and then one parent decides they want to stay ....and that's where it gets messy if there are children involved. For the parent that wants to return home, sure they can still do that. However, the thing is that the children will have to stay in Australia with the other parent - unless the Australian resident parent agrees otherwise. Yeah the dreaded draconian Hague Convention! Lots of folk just don't have a clue about it and then come seriously unstuck, not to mention trapped indefinitely in a place they don't want to be if they want their kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 If you haven't been on a family holiday to Aus already do that first. If they still aren't interested, give it up. X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Helen I hope you can find a positive conclusion to your dilemma. Some comments made got me thinking about my own feelings, hope its okay to post..... So many people have said life in Australia is not necessarily better, just different, which is fair comment. My desires for moving to oz include the wish to experience life in a different country (though we hope for it to be a permanent move) and enjoy the warmer climate, both of which are fairly straight forward. I also wish to enjoy a slower pace of life (I feel my life in UK is a constant rush always with so much to do) enjoy the roads with little traffic , less crowded areas in general, enjoy a much more outdoors life ie cycle rides year round, county parks, picnics, all the outdoor things I enjoy in UK that feel so limited due to cool and wet/unreliable weather. Are my hopes realistic or a bit rose tinted???? Kimbodia I could have written this post 7 years ago and I do think your view is very rose-tinted - you will need to make a much larger change in your life than simply moving to Australia to achieve what you are looking for and in some ways what you are looking for is harder to achieve in Australia - what you describe is a very English lifestyle - cycle rides, country parks, picnics - my kind of life I know others disagree but I found all those things far less enjoyable in Australia (or to be more precise in the Perth area where we lived) - it was much more windy a lot of the time, rather than the 'warmer' weather encouraging outdoor activity, the HOT weather discouraged anything other than being in the sea (& the novelty wears off unless I guess you're into water sports), the norm in Perth is to get up at 5am to go cycling - not quite the family life I envisaged! Then there are the flies and mosquitoes (and not just annoying and painful but dangerous). A city in Australia is just like living in a city in the UK, ditto a suburb. If you really want a different life then a much bolder move is needed and you could do that in the UK - a slower pace of life is easily achieved here too and there are plenty of places to live with less traffic - I've just got back from a weekend in Glenties, Donegal, now that would be a different lifestyle. The weather in the UK is what it is but after 5 years in the heat I absolutely prefer the Scottish weather strange as that sounds....although having spent a week on holiday in Somerset I think I'd like that better! On the other hand if you are happy to give it a go and accept it may not be a permanent move then there is little to lose - where we went wrong was to treat it as a permanent move and plough our 'life savings' into it rather than treating it as a working holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Top post Lady R, couldn't have said it better myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I know this puts me at odds with what others have said, but my opinion is that Oz is infinitely better than the UK in just about every respect. Quality of life - for me, at least - is off the scale compared to the UK... The "it's not better... it's just different" thing hasn't been my experience at all. What you have to bear in mind is that you migrated six years ago, and even in that time, quite a lot has changed in both countries. If someone had asked me even ten or fifteen years ago, I'd have been saying Australia offered several advantages over the UK. It's less clear-cut now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helenodd Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Thanks all. Yes we have been on holiday and stayed with family and friends and yes saw that it was in fact more stressful for them juggling smae demands and more in Iz than us in London. Also they had less community. I am viewing it very much as use it or lose it and will never jeopardise my beloved family and their well being fear not, I am not a muppet! I just think it is an opportunity to have a 2 -3 year adventure and experience life in a different continent, travel within it, not sell up here and have poss to come back! They are more open to this idea. A lot will depend on OH job situ in next month .....over and put...thanks for comments much appreciated...mostly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Another thing to consider is that Australia is a big, big country with hugely different climates, different lifestyles and different values depending on where you live. Think Europe or America. Each state has a different feel and there are differences even within states Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helenodd Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Erm yep thanks for that Starlight and our visa is regional state sponsored therefore we have linked it to Melbourne and are searching for our needs in terms of school work proximity to family there . Thanks for pointing that out though in case I wasn't aware ...fair point though for us area we are going to is very specific ....whilst also admittedly quite a large geographical spread best wishes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 As a child growing up in Sth Oz,and as an adult,I can vouch the weather isn't always perfect!:cute:Sure there were days when we could go off on our bikes,horse riding,whatever,but there were also plenty of days spent inside either because the weather was too cold/windy,or scorching heat!I actually spend more time outside in the UK. Not sure about more quality time?Are you thinking of working partime in Oz?Most of my family are still in Oz,and yep they work fulltime,and seems to have as much "spare time"as I do.They still have to fit in shopping,housework,lawn mowing and so forth.I love both countries but for me,one is not better than the other,just different.Its not the country that's so important.Its your own happiness inside your head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Erm yep thanks for that Starlight and our visa is regional state sponsored therefore we have linked it to Melbourne and are searching for our needs in terms of school work proximity to family there . Thanks for pointing that out though in case I wasn't aware ...fair point though for us area we are going to is very specific ....whilst also admittedly quite a large geographical spread best wishes Do you mean it is state sponsored? Or regional state sponsored? Different things and I don't think you would be able to live in Melbourne if it is a regional visa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helenodd Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Skilled regional state sponsored 457 Australia house have assured we can live in Melbourne ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Skilled regional state sponsored 457 Australia house have assured we can live in Melbourne ! You are really mixing up your visas here, it would be worth checking what you have. A 457 visa is an employer sponsored visa and it is neither regional nor state sponsored. If you mean it is a 475 visa, then it is regional, but this is not a visa you can sit on for four years and not use. Yes it has an expiry date, but then what? You can only get a one year extension and if after that time you do not qualify for the permanent visa well the holder is stuffed quite frankly. To qualify for the permanent visa you would need two years in regional Australia, would you have that? I also have double checked and no Melbourne is not considered a regional area and so if you have the regional state sponsored visa, you cannot live or work in Melbourne. If you were sponsored by a relative you can however. Edited August 10, 2015 by Bungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helenodd Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Thanks Bungo you are quite the expert! On the contrary I have been informed that we have indefinite leave to stay on the 475 visa as long as we activate within the set duration ...I too queried it and was assured as long as we are there and are working away we have leave to stay ....I have double and triple checked as obviously no pint displacing us if the evicted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helenodd Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Point displacing if then evicted . , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miw54 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi Would they settle for a 12 month trial ? Sometimes it is the thought of leaving forever that puts people off. However, if you treat it as an 'adventure' it can be less daunting and, once there they might embrace the lifestyle and end up loving it. If not, you will be able to return to the UK but preserve your residency visa for a retry later on. The only thing would be not to burn your boats and perhaps rent out your UK home whilst over in Oz so that you have something to return to if it doesn't work out. Its such a shame that you have got the visas that many would give their eye teeth to have but not to use them. Alternatively - leave them all behind and go yourself !!:wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Thanks Bungo you are quite the expert! On the contrary I have been informed that we have indefinite leave to stay on the 475 visa as long as we activate within the set duration ...I too queried it and was assured as long as we are there and are working away we have leave to stay ....I have double and triple checked as obviously no pint displacing us if the evicted . Well I am afraid you are wrong and whomever told you this was wrong. The 475 is not even deemed a permanent visa, it is a provisional visa. By the time your 475 expires, you have two options. First option is to apply for the permanent stage visa, for this you will need to have lived in a regional area of Australia for two years. Second option, if you have not lived in Australia for two years by then, is to apply for a one year extension, that would be a 489 visa as the 475 is discontinued now. But you can only do this once, then you need to apply for the permanent stage visa so you would need to have been in Australia for two years by then. Now by my reckoning, if you do not move over until your 475 is almost expired, you would need to apply for a new visa almost immediately and therefore no way you can accumulate the two years required before you can become permanent. I fear all of this is a moot conversation and you have left this too long due to a misunderstanding about your visa. But please do not take my word for it, consult a professional migration agent and get them to explain it to you. Point displacing if then evicted . , What?? Edited August 10, 2015 by Bungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Moreover, it's a Regional visa - Melbourne is not regional and never will be. I think Bungo is perfectly correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainC Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Well I am afraid you are wrong and whomever told you this was wrong. The 475 is not even deemed a permanent visa, it is a provisional visa. By the time your 475 expires, you have two options. First option is to apply for the permanent stage visa, for this you will need to have lived in a regional area of Australia for two years. Second option, if you have not lived in Australia for two years by then, is to apply for a one year extension, that would be a 489 visa as the 475 is discontinued now. But you can only do this once, then you need to apply for the permanent stage visa so you would need to have been in Australia for two years by then. Now by my reckoning, if you do not move over until your 475 is almost expired, you would need to apply for a new visa almost immediately and therefore no way you can accumulate the two years required before you can become permanent. I fear all of this is a moot conversation and you have left this too long due to a misunderstanding about your visa. But please do not take my word for it, consult a professional migration agent and get them to explain it to you. @Helenodd I have to agree completely with @Bungo here, I think you have either got confused with which visa you hold, or have misunderstood (or been given duff information) about your visa restrictions and/or type of visa. Again I'll echo the above post.....seek advice from a registered migration agent to get a definitive answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 The information on the immigration website is quite clear https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/475- The visa is a provisional visa valid for 3 years from when you first enter Australia and you must live in a regional area. You can apply for a PR visa after two years of living and 12 months working in the regional area. As Quoll says Melbourne is not a regional area http://www.visabureau.com/australia/regional-australia.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helenodd Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Oops sorry in fact we started out applying for 475 but ended up with a subclass 190 visa .....who knew! Hopefully that gives more positive picture. Embassy has advised all fine to proceed en famille . many Thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 You must have convinced your family to come then helenodd? Good luck with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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