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Which Visa is for me?


Brit27

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Hello.

Found this site through Facebook. I’m just hoping for direction on what visa is best for me in my circumstances.

Im single, 27, reside in the UK. At home I’m in the Public Sector working for an Emergency Service with a degree in policing. I’m fully aware this isn’t a skill or a career that could be brought across to Australia. 

Ive visited Perth, WA lots. I’m actually here at the moment. Half of my family live here, my Dad is a Australian Citizen but wasn’t when I was born (his dad was). He left when I was four, re married an Aussie and attained his citizenship via that method. He still lives in WA as do my half siblings, grandparents, aunties, uncles etc. I really want to move to Australia permanently. 

As for many it’ll be a massive move for me, selling my house, car, leaving work. I’d like to get into something with reasonable pay but from the research I’ve done in my circumstances I think the only present way I can get into Australia is on a restricted 12 month working visa? 

Obviously it’s a lot to give up purely for that 12 month working visa with no guarantee of being able to stay, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me or possible routes I could look down? 

Thanks for the help.

Edited by Brit27
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I assume you mean a Working Holiday Visa, which will allow you to stay for a year (but you can't work for the same employer the whole time). 

You say, "there's no guarantee of being able to stay after the 12 months".  That suggests there might be a possibility of staying after the twelve months. There isn't.  You can stay another 12 months if you go and do some fruit picking or farm labouring during your first year - but that's all. In fact there'd be a guarantee that you'd have to go home!

When I worked in Sydney, we had a constant stream of young Brits working for us on a WHV, all dreaming of the chance that an employer would sponsor them to stay permanently.  Rumours were constantly circulating round the backpacker hostels of people who'd managed it, though funnily enough, no one had ever actually met anyone who'd done it. 

You might be lucky and get a 457 visa (which again, is a temporary visa for a few years only), but to get sponsored for PR in Australia, you still have to meet the same criteria as you'd have to meet in the UK.  

Edited by Marisawright
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Hi Brit27,

I'm no expert, but you're young and you've got experience working in the emergency services. Perhaps retraining to be a paramedic/nurse might be an option. It'll cost money, but you've got family support in WA. And there seems to be a shortage in those 2 professions (again, I'm no expert) and if you are able to get a job after your course, that might be a route to you reuniting with your family. 

Just something for you to think about...

Good luck!

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7 hours ago, JustUs said:

Hi Brit27,

I'm no expert, but you're young and you've got experience working in the emergency services. Perhaps retraining to be a paramedic/nurse might be an option. It'll cost money, but you've got family support in WA. And there seems to be a shortage in those 2 professions (again, I'm no expert) and if you are able to get a job after your course, that might be a route to you reuniting with your family. 

Just something for you to think about...

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice and comments, much appreciated. I’ve learnt something new particularly surrounding the years working visa too so thanks for that. 

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I have this fear that there's a process going on in your mind, something like, "I'll get my WHV and hope I can get a 457.   Put those together and I could potentially spend 7 or 8 years in Australia.  Surely in all that time, I'll find someone who'll sponsor me for PR."  

The problem is, if you run out of temp visas, you'll find you're back where you started, a few years older.  There's only one permanent solution and that's to retrain in an occupation which is eligible for migration.  Even that's risky because by the time you've done the training and got the experience, the occupation might get taken off the list - but it is the only way.  And the older you get, the harder it will be to do it.  

Please don't fool yourself.  If you're not in an occupation that's eligible for PR, you can't get sponsored.  And just because you've managed to live in Australia for several years, that doens't mean you'll be allowed to stay.  If you have a temp visa and it expires, you have to go home.  

Edited by Marisawright
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If your dads lived there as a citizen for all these years it's a shame he didn't try and get you a dependant visa when you were a bit younger.   Too late now though, as others have said you do not meet the criteria for permanent residence.  It's a shame, sounds like you've been left behind, I wish you well. 

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I would say go for a working holiday visa. Have fun, do lots of different jobs (you'll have to on that visa anyway) and see how you go. Treat it as a 'this is now' sort of situation where, as someone mentioned above, you (most likely) will have to move back/onwards. You're young - explore, travel, enjoy the sun and spend time with your dad and step family. You're in a great position to visit on a WHV as you have family here. I take it you would be able to stay with and rely upon them in certain circumstances? A big benefit most WHV's don't have.

As you're single, you never know, you might meet someone here or maybe not.

 

27 is young enough to do this. I changed careers between your age and 35.

One thing I would do if I was in your shoes, is NOT sell your house. Get it ready for rental and trust the admin of renting to a good agent. Could you take a sabbatical or similar from your work? If you did resign, how easy would it be to get a job back in the UK as and when you returned?

Edited by Guest
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13 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I have this fear that there's a process going on in your mind, something like, "I'll get my WHV and hope I can get a 457.   Put those together and I could potentially spend 7 or 8 years in Australia.  Surely in all that time, I'll find someone who'll sponsor me for PR."  

The problem is, if you run out of temp visas, you'll find you're back where you started, a few years older.  There's only one permanent solution and that's to retrain in an occupation which is eligible for migration.  Even that's risky because by the time you've done the training and got the experience, the occupation might get taken off the list - but it is the only way.  And the older you get, the harder it will be to do it.  

Please don't fool yourself.  If you're not in an occupation that's eligible for PR, you can't get sponsored.  And just because you've managed to live in Australia for several years, that doens't mean you'll be allowed to stay.  If you have a temp visa and it expires, you have to go home.  

Fortunately you are incorrect and that’s not what was going through my mind however it seems you want to be quite firm that I am not able to get into Australia on any visa. 

To others who have offered advice thank you. I am going to look into the skilled occupation list and will look to train back home aside to my current occupation

thanks!

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12 minutes ago, Brit27 said:

Fortunately you are incorrect and that’s not what was going through my mind however it seems you want to be quite firm that I am not able to get into Australia on any visa. 

To others who have offered advice thank you. I am going to look into the skilled occupation list and will look to train back home aside to my current occupation

thanks!

If you are going to retrain, just make sure you do it in something you enjoy regardless of if it later may give rise to a visa. The occupation lists are changed regularly with the next change due next week. Last year there were over 200 occupations removed, so, there is no gauruntee the occupation you retrain in will, in a fair few years time still be on the list. Far from it and these days there is no occupation that is totally safe in the long term. For example, I would have betted good money that medical doctors would never drop off, then the government announced it wants to remove them! 

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