Clueless about visas

[Penelopelw]

Hello

we are currently in the UK but considering a move down under in the next couple of years depending on finances and life! 

My partner has dual citizenship New Zealand and Bristish so has a NZ passport. We have 3 children born in the UK who would be eligible for NZ passports too. So my partner and kids would all be allowed to live and work in Australia without visas (I believe) but we don’t know what I would qualify for? We aren’t married but we would like to get married in the future so I’m not sure if that affects anything. I would need to work to afford to live down under. 

 

If we went to Australia it would only be for 6months-1yr initially and then if we loved it we could extend our stay but again it would all depend on visas. 

 

Does anyone know what options we would have? 

 

Also we have no friends or family in Brisbane (where we are considering) but we have friends in Sydney (which we couldn’t afford) and Canberra. Has anyone else made the move down under alone and how did you find it? Have you managed to make friends? And what about childcare after school or school holidays if you are both working? 

 

 

Thanks so much

Penelope 

 

[wrussell]

we don’t know what I would qualify for

possible subclasss 461

May I suggest that you consult a registered migration agent?

[Marisawright]

Can I ask why you're heading for Australia and not New Zealand?   Quite a lot of my Kiwi friends have moved back home recently because things are looking up there, whereas employment has got a bit more difficult in Australia.  In your shoes, I'd be heading for NZ, where you'd get a visa faster, easier, and cheaper. Then you can hop over to Australia for holidays cheaply, and work out which city will suit you best (they're all very different).  

Most people migrate knowing no one in Australia.  In Australia, a long-established de facto relationship is the equivalent of marriage.

[Guest]

@wrussell is a migration agent and has suggested a possible visa type you could be looking at, so I'll leave it to him on that

Lots of people make the move on their own with no family or friends in the area or country even. They make their own way. Some struggle to settle, others don't. If you are a pretty resilient person and family and used to living away from your family and good friends, I'd hope you could settle and adapt to call Australia home. But even if you are, you may find it hard going to begin with or simply that Australia, or the part of it you've chosen to live in isn't for you. That could mean a move within the country or a move elsewhere. 

TBH its a long way to go to try for 6-12 months. Expensive also with 3 kids. I think if you gained a visa and could move you should move and not put that 6-12 month time limit on it as it can take longer than that to start to feel settled and get used to the whole living in a new country thing. Some people take longer than others. Also it can take a while to find work or a more meaningful longer term job and that might not happen in the first 6 months. If you find after however long its really not for you or your husband then you can have a rethink and plan accordingly. But honestly., 6 months isn't going to really be much of a time to get used to things, one may settle quicker than the other, you both may hate it and want to head back ASAP. I had been to Aus, well the part of Aus I now live in a few times before moving and knew what it was like to a degree but it still really took a fair while to get my bearings, settle my son in and help focus on the friendships and things for him, then time to find part time work, juggle childcare and all the while trying to find a house to buy so we could really get into living here as we wanted. I was happy from the off and not homesick either which helped massively. And still happy and not homesick 5 years or so later

Its a big move, go into it with your eyes open, plenty of savings and research everything you can about childcare, schooling, fees etc if applicable with your 3 kids. Also employment, rental market and more. 

ETA - Second Marisa about the move to NZ. I'd defo be looking at that as well as Aus and if need be giving that a go. TBH its still my preference as a place to live but it isn't going to happen till son is older. Hopefully we can make it out there for holidays though. 

 

 

[Marisawright]

I second what Snifter said about the 6 months/year idea.   Don't migrate unless you're going to do it "boots and all".   Of course there's a risk it might still go wrong - but if you're not fully committed to a permanent move, you're greatly increasing your chances of failure.

It's tempting to think, "we'll try it, what's the worst that can happen?" but the worst could be worse than you think. Unfortunately it's not uncommon to see people sell their home, spend half their equity to make the move to Australia, and the other half to move back because it didn't work out.  So they end up back where they started, but with no savings and no home.  Other people have enough money to stand the loss and bounce back.  Which boat would you be in?  The only way to know is to sit down and work out what a temporary move would cost you.

The moves themselves might sound manageable, but there are lots of additional costs.   If you think you might move back, will you sell your  house or just rent it out?  What will you do with all your belongings (furniture, clothes, toys, mementoes) - ship them over or sell?    If it's just a trial, you'd be more sensible to put it all in storage (another cost).   Rentals are not furnished in Australia, so if you don't ship, you'll have to replace everything -  furniture, white goods, pots, pans, the lot.  You'll need a car, and you'll end up buying a lot of new clothes for the warmer climate.  At the end of your year, you'll have to sell or give it all away again (or ship your own stuff back).  To add to the cost, you'll likely have a few months out of work when you arrive in Australia, and a few months out of work when you get back to the UK.

However the bigger issue is that "having a trial" prevents you feeling settled and at home.  Migrating is stressful, even if you're loving your new country.  You don't know the ropes in a new country, so you'll make mistakes, and everything will seem to take longer than it should - so you don''t want to be dealing with uncertainty on top of all that.  If you think there's even a small chance it might be temporary, you're going to make different decisions.  You'll find yourself saying, "Maybe we shouldn't do .... in case we don't stay."  You may end up buying an old bomb because you can't take a three-year car loan.  You won't go on holidays because you might need the money to fly back. You'll buy a second-hand sofa instead of that lovely one you really like, and you won't put pictures on the walls, so your home won't really feel like home.

Do you get the feeling I've done this before?

One more thing.  If the trial idea is because one of you is itching to move, and one of you is anxious about leaving family and friends in the UK - don't do it. Some people are self-sufficient and only see family occasionally, even when they're living in the UK.  They make good migrants.  But people who are used to having extended family around constantly,  probably shouldn't migrate, because they won't be able to fill the void that's left. 

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by Marisawright

[Quoll]

Yes, to all the above - then there’s the kids. What if half of you “absolutely love” it and the other half are desperate to return to what you had, assuming you’ve been able to afford not flogging it all. The Australian Family Court will not let children be removed from Australia if one parent (and they could be the biggest dropkick ever) says no and so the wannabe leaver is unable to leave.

Only move if you are both dead set certain your opportunities will be better wherever you are going than what you have now and you are both committed 110%

[Nemesis]

Do some reading around the 461 which wrussell suggested as that would probably be the visa you would end up on as dependents of a New Zealander. Also talk to a registered agent as to whether there is an alternative route which would give more security.

The issue with the 461 is that it is only ever a temporary visa, it does not give you permanent resident status, and time spent on it does not count towards citizenship. This can cause issues regarding eligibility for education, medicare and a whole host of other things, and also means you have no real security in oz. Many people do live in oz for years as 461 holders, but you do need to be aware of the drawbacks of only ever holding temporary residence rights - especially as you have children. 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Nemesis said:

Do some reading around the 461 which wrussell suggested as that would probably be the visa you would end up on as dependents of a New Zealander. Also talk to a registered agent as to whether there is an alternative route which would give more security.

The issue with the 461 is that it is only ever a temporary visa, it does not give you permanent resident status, and time spent on it does not count towards citizenship. This can cause issues regarding eligibility for education, medicare and a whole host of other things, and also means you have no real security in oz. Many people do live in oz for years as 461 holders, but you do need to be aware of the drawbacks of only ever holding temporary residence rights - especially as you have children. 

All the more reason for going to NZ first and getting PR (and preferably citizenship) there first.

[Stung]

You might also want to look into education costs of the 3 children, it varies in states in Australia and can be very expensive on temporary visas's