b10122 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Hi everyone! im hoping I can get some advice and guidance! Sorry for all the questions!! We are a family of 5! I am 28 (In a June!) and my partner of 7 years is 29. I have 2 sons from a previous relationship and we have one daughter together. We are very seriously looking to emigrate to Aus as it's something we have always wanted to do, it ticks every box as far as our lifestyle is concerned. I currently work as a Health Care Assistant in a local hospital. My partner has his own motor mechanic business. He is currently the only employee (was looking to employ someone but now we want to move he has held off) it's not a huge business but he's always busy and it pays the bills. What are the chances of us being accepted? My job is not on the skills list. How does this affect us? We currently have very little savings due to an emergency where we pretty much used up all of our savings. We are currently in the process of saving back up - how much roughly should we save to fund such a move? I won't have any problems as far as my sons are concerned, father is not on birth certificate and when told of our plans, was not bothered in the slightest! Another thing to throw in (sorry!) my mother wants to come. She is 54 in a July though, she currently has a very professional job as a teacher in a college. However due to age, we are thinking that would be a problem. What visas are available for our situation? I am planning on securing a job pretty much as soon as I get out there. Same as partner. We would prefer Aus, but we are not limited to there, we have also been looking into NZ as my mother has an Uncle there and she seems to think it will be easier for her (and us) to get in. any advice is greatly appreciated! thankyou in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 To be honest, if your jobs aren't on any of the skills list it is likely to be a non-starter. Do either of you have any qualifications at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 If neither of your professions/trades are on the skills list then I doubt you’ll be able to migrate. I’d not be hopeful your mother would be eligible for a visa either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b10122 Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Just now, LKC said: To be honest, if your jobs aren't on any of the skills list it is likely to be a non-starter. Do either of you have any qualifications at all? My partners job is on the Trade Skills part of the skills list, does this help? I have basic English and Maths, College level 2, and I have an NVQ in Health and Social Care. I love my job currently and didn't feel the need to do further training is nursing, as I love what I do atm. My partner has all relevant quals for what he currently does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 If your partner is a fully qualified motor mechanic, that may open up an option. What qualifications does he have and how much post qualification experience? Be aware, this is a very expensive process. You are not going to see a lot of change overall from 30k and that may be tight. You have visa costs, along with medicals and police checks. Then, flights, shipping, temp accommodation, bond and initial rent on finding a long term rental, then buying things needed (shipping may take a few months, so basics are needed) plus things such as buying a car and other bits - you leach money on arrival. Then you need enough cash to pay rent, bills, food and daily living costs until you have jobs. You need to allow at least three months for this and ideally six months. With regard to your mother, she would not qualify for a skilled visa due to age. The cut off is 45. The only option would be later once you have lived in Oz for some time (a minimum of two years) would be a parent visa. But note this is a very expensive visa. Current cost just for the visa are about $64,000. This will of course rise by then and that is if it is still available as the government are making noises about stopping it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeltInCaulfield Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Our move all in came to around a bit over $50k, and that was just me and the wife (neither of us have cars). Depends on how you cut your cloth, of course. Helped that I had a job waiting on arrival. I know people who have come over with kids and managed on around $30k, as VeryStormy has suggested - but they found it a bit tight for the first couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b10122 Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Thankyou all for your input. Feeling a little deflated now as we were so excited at the prospect and now it seems we have little to no chance. We have the means to save - but would take anything from 18-24 months to get a decent amount. Is it worth consulting a migration agent and getting their advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeltInCaulfield Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Can't do you any harm to put your mind at rest on whether an avenue is open. All of the agents who post on the forum regularly are reputable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) As others have said, the first thing to do is find out whether you're eligible. Recently, an agent posted on here to say that most of the people who consult him, aren't eligible. It's just a fact of life that if your occupation isn't on the list, or you don't have the qualifications and experience they specify, there is no way around it - you can't migrate. If you are eligible, you have a lot of saving to do. The visa fees and air fares are an obvious cost, but they are actually the least of it. You'll want to ship some of your belongings (you can be ruthless with your own stuff, but your children will need toys etc to help them settle in, and you won't fit it all in your luggage!). You can either ship your furniture or sell/give it away and replace it when you get to Australia - whichever you do, it will cost you a few thousand. You'll likely sell your car for less than it's worth (you'll probably need it till the last minute), and then you've got to buy one in Australia of course. You will need to book a holiday flat for about 4 weeks when you arrive, which for 5 of you could be expensive (check out AirBnb). Then you'll probably take a six-month lease on a home, even if you're planning to buy, and you'll need money for a bond. Check out rental and purchase costs of housing on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au. The cost of housing in Australia is a huge issue at the moment. Then you've got to find jobs. I don't know whether there are any licensing requirements for motor mechanics so you'd need to check that. There are two different sets of requirements for tradespeople - he might have the skills and experience to get approved for migration, but that doesn't mean he's got the skills to get a licence to work in a garage. He may have to serve an apprenticeship in Australia first, and that means a lower wage for the first year. As for your mother, it would be safest to assume she won't be able to come with you. Even today, her visa would cost over $60,000 (that's JUST the visa, not the cost of moving), and it keeps going up and up. Australia wants productive migrants, not people who are about to retire, and they are likely to go on making it more difficult for parents to migrate. If it's important that she comes with you, then I'd say New Zealand would be a better bet as I believe their parent visas are easier - but I have no idea whether you'd be eligible. Edited April 20, 2018 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 7 minutes ago, b10122 said: Thankyou all for your input. Feeling a little deflated now as we were so excited at the prospect and now it seems we have little to no chance. We have the means to save - but would take anything from 18-24 months to get a decent amount. Is it worth consulting a migration agent and getting their advice? I think you got a bit ahead of yourselves and perhaps thought it would be much easier than it actually is. It happens. As has been said, if you profession is not on the skills list, then you don't really have any chance of a skilled visa. Is your partner fully qualified with evidence post qualification to support this? If so then perhaps it is possible but don't get ahead of yourselves. If he is qualified then it could be worth checking to see if he could qualify for a visa and if so, contacting an agent but if not, then not really much point I don't think. Re your mother, again, if you get the chance of a visa, don't expect it to be an easy path for your mother to be able to follow you. Just because you migrate doesn't mean she gets an in easily. TBH if you are looking to migrate, you should be prepared to do so without your mother and if she can follow you out in the future its a bonus. But don't bank on it being a certainty. As has been said, its not easy or cheap and honestly, you need to be prepared to migrate and leave her behind, so if you really want to migrate and can, you need to be aware and realistic about it and be prepared. Re New Zealand, I think you'll find their visa process and skills list similar. I'd not expect your profession to be on a list, at least not a carer level, perhaps higher up in management or some such but not at care assistant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-J Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Back in 2014 when In was backpacking my friend who I was traveling with was looking for a job as a motor mechanic, he walked into all the major car dealerships in Melbourne handed out his CV and got 2 job offers that same day (eventually got work with Mazda). I don't know if things have changed since then but he does keep in touch with the manger there and he always says if he ever wanted to go back the option is there (granted he doesn't have 3 children). I don't believe he had anything more than a BTEC in motor mechanics and was a qualified MOT tester but they really liked English mechanics (I don't fully know the reason why). Your situation is totally different of course and a lot more costly with visas, I think my friend was bringing home about $1800 per fortnight he did do overtime though on Saturdays. Hope this information is helpful in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 2 hours ago, b10122 said: Thankyou all for your input. Feeling a little deflated now as we were so excited at the prospect and now it seems we have little to no chance. We have the means to save - but would take anything from 18-24 months to get a decent amount. Is it worth consulting a migration agent and getting their advice? IF your partner could qualify as a motor mechanic with a skilled visa, they do take a while to process, the visa wont be granted in a week. You also have a few years grace to actually make the move once it is granted, so you would have some time to save up a little. With a NVQ you to should find work relatively easy compared to some 'trades' once your on Aussie soil but like the others say its not enough to get you the visa to get to the aussie soil. Lots of the main dealers here do sponsor UK mechanics, a sponsered visa isnt the most secure visa and is harder on the pocket once your here (especially with kids) but worth looking into if you hit a brick wall with the skilled visa and this was your only available route in. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheese n pickle Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 The other thing to consider is salary, mechanics are pretty low paid compared to the rest of the trades. My OH is a mechanic and was on about $26 an hour when we first arrived, which isn't brilliant. This has slowly increased but has taken a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Same as has been said, prepare to go without your mum as even if she could eventually koi. You it would be years before that could happen. You'd need to be settled there and the current parent visa wait time is over three years. Re the children's father, he would have to give written consent for you to remove the children Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.