armada Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone has any insight into this for me? I'm a UK midwife qualified 2018 and have 75 points for 190/189 with my data scientist husband as a skilled partner. I am the main applicant (37 yrs old). Proper regional/outback work assignments are out of the questions as we have an 18 month old daughter so need and want to be by a city/suburban infrastructure, schools etc. Perth is off our list as it only considers 190s for midwives OUTSIDE of Mandurrah and Perth. Melbourne/Victoria I have family there (great uncle/aunt, cousins) but I didn't fall in love with it when I visited and the climate is not really what we're looking for. NSW seems prohibitively expensive in the areas that we'd find work (Sydney) so that is also not a great option. We have plumped for Queensland on our EOI as it seems to have the right balance of climate/affordability and my hubby says he has seen lots of jobs there for him but then I keep reading that midwife jobs are few and far between because this state is so popular. I've recently started to wonder if SA would be a better fit? We have a migration agent who has been great but she can't really help with choosing a state, especially in times of covid....any ideas anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Have you looked into all the Regional areas? Quite a few are not remote like you would expect and perfect for raising a family. In fact some of the Regional areas for QLD when i last looked are about 40 mins (if that) from the Gold Coast beaches, others less than an hour into Brisbane city,lol, not very remote at all really. I am sure the same will apply to some regional areas in other states so check carefully before writing them off. Also bear in mind you wouldnt have to stay in a regional area forever if you didnt want to. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share Posted February 15, 2021 Thanks for that advice Cal, I'll check these out and see what the deal is. Our first hope was Western Australia but the thought of being sent to work in the Kimberley for 2 years really put a dampener on things! We're prepared to stay somewhere less than ideal initially just to get the in country but we don't want to compromise so much that we end up shooting ourselves in the foot. Thanks for getting in touch 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 6 minutes ago, armada said: Thanks for that advice Cal, I'll check these out and see what the deal is. Our first hope was Western Australia but the thought of being sent to work in the Kimberley for 2 years really put a dampener on things! We're prepared to stay somewhere less than ideal initially just to get the in country but we don't want to compromise so much that we end up shooting ourselves in the foot. Thanks for getting in touch Not sure id be up for living in Kimberleys either,lol i've heard its a ''unique'' area. It is a place i would like to visit on holiday or on a road trip at some point. It makes me think of Crocdile Dundee country,lol. Do check out the postcodes, ive just had a quick look now and my mind blows how they can say some of the places are regional. It shouldn't as were we live is classed as Regional and thats on the list . Regional certainly doesn't mean remote outback style for lots of these areas. Good luck with it all and keep us updated Cal x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 4 hours ago, armada said: Thanks for that advice Cal, I'll check these out and see what the deal is. Our first hope was Western Australia but the thought of being sent to work in the Kimberley for 2 years really put a dampener on things! We're prepared to stay somewhere less than ideal initially just to get the in country but we don't want to compromise so much that we end up shooting ourselves in the foot. Thanks for getting in touch Parts of regional WA would also be a great option, particularly the south west. There are loads of small towns such as Bussleton, Margert River and others. The area is the wine area and a very popular tourist area. Climate is slightly cooler, which I would say is a plus. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, VERYSTORMY said: Parts of regional WA would also be a great option, particularly the south west. There are loads of small towns such as Bussleton, Margert River and others. The area is the wine area and a very popular tourist area. Climate is slightly cooler, which I would say is a plus. I love it down South. Busselton and Margaret River would be a great place to settle and raise a family. Denmark, Albany, Esperance all nice. I think Busselton has a pretty big hospital and it's a rapidly growing area. I think after covid has died down the South West will be even more popular, I've seen lots of reports about people from big Eastern State cities enquiring about property in those areas. I agree with your comments about the Kimberley. You wouldn't want to move for a better lifestyle and end up somewhere like that. Avoid the mining towns too, Kalgoorlie is not my cup of tea. Edited February 15, 2021 by Paul1Perth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacGyver Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said: I love it down South. Busselton and Margaret River would be a great place to settle and raise a family. Denmark, Albany, Esperance all nice. I think Busselton has a pretty big hospital and it's a rapidly growing area. I think after covid has died down the South West will be even more popular, I've seen lots of reports about people from big Eastern State cities enquiring about property in those areas. I agree with your comments about the Kimberley. You wouldn't want to move for a better lifestyle and end up somewhere like that. Avoid the mining towns too, Kalgoorlie is not my cup of tea. I agree with this, I feel that the South West is very much the future of WA. Perth will obviously remain the primary destination and a beautiful growing city, but the South West (for better or worse) will see significant growth over the next decade as it expands its infrastructure, enhances its tourism industry (which is already really good) and as the MArgaret River Airport (in Busselton) opens up to eastern states. Direct flights from Melbourne were supposed to start last year I think, but were delayed due to Covid chaos and impact on tourism etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 4 hours ago, MacGyver said: I agree with this, I feel that the South West is very much the future of WA. Perth will obviously remain the primary destination and a beautiful growing city, but the South West (for better or worse) will see significant growth over the next decade as it expands its infrastructure, enhances its tourism industry (which is already really good) and as the MArgaret River Airport (in Busselton) opens up to eastern states. Direct flights from Melbourne were supposed to start last year I think, but were delayed due to Covid chaos and impact on tourism etc. I'd forgotten about the airport. Should make a big difference. Dunsborough, Yallingup and really that whole peninsula has some brilliant spots. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Plains Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 7 hours ago, Paul1Perth said: I love it down South. Busselton and Margaret River would be a great place to settle and raise a family. Denmark, Albany, Esperance all nice. I think Busselton has a pretty big hospital and it's a rapidly growing area. I think after covid has died down the South West will be even more popular, I've seen lots of reports about people from big Eastern State cities enquiring about property in those areas. I agree with your comments about the Kimberley. You wouldn't want to move for a better lifestyle and end up somewhere like that. Avoid the mining towns too, Kalgoorlie is not my cup of tea. Agreed. The "new" Busselton Hospital is excellent. SIL Doctor works there and he has nothing but praise for the institution. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 Wow, so much helpful advice Thanks for all your responses. I think we're slowly swinging back round to the idea that we could make it work in WA if we got the right area. My hubby already has a work contact in Perth so he's going to explore options for remote working or flexible hours. Since Covid there has been a huge shift to remote working in the UK that looks to be permanent. His current job is now 95% remote so if a company in WA would allow him to do that then we could easily live by a regional hospital in the South West. After a year of making no material progress on our visa application and getting very despondent, we're actually feeling some glimmers of hope, so thanks everyone!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Dusty Plains said: Agreed. The "new" Busselton Hospital is excellent. SIL Doctor works there and he has nothing but praise for the institution. Do you think your SIL might have any contacts at the hospital who I could speak to about work opportunities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 44 minutes ago, armada said: Do you think your SIL might have any contacts at the hospital who I could speak to about work opportunities? I've posted a link to the WA Country Health Service careers site http://www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/index.php?id=nursing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 hour ago, armada said: ... My hubby already has a work contact in Perth so he's going to explore options for remote working or flexible hours... Be very careful here... A job offer from a Perth company that **allows** you to work from home (and home is a regional area) does not qualify as regional working - the job is still based in the city you have chosen to do it at home However working for a company based in Perth from home in a role that **requires** you to be based in a regional area would qualify. However I don't know many companies that would tie themselves up in this sort of contractual construct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 Just now, Drumbeat said: I've posted a link to the WA Country Health Service careers site http://www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/index.php?id=nursing Thanks Drumbeat I sent my CV and an expression of interest to them yesterday as they are actively recruiting midwives for regional WA. However, I'm not sure how desperate they are to consider recruiting from offshore. I thought someone on the inside might be able to give a little more insight into this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said: Be very careful here... A job offer from a Perth company that **allows** you to work from home (and home is a regional area) does not qualify as regional working - the job is still based in the city you have chosen to do it at home However working for a company based in Perth from home in a role that **requires** you to be based in a regional area would qualify. However I don't know many companies that would tie themselves up in this sort of contractual construct Even in the UK during COVID a worker in Milton Keynes that used to commute to London to do the job and is now doing it from home is still employed in the city. It would require a massive rewrite of contracts to make them "regional" employees. Remember that as soon as they say you have to work from home contractually they become liable to paying expenses when you need to go to the office and providing "office level" kit for your home and "office-level" Comms. Whilst it remains an allowance and not a requirement the above expenses aren't required. Edited February 16, 2021 by Ausvisitor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Ausvisitor said: Be very careful here... A job offer from a Perth company that **allows** you to work from home (and home is a regional area) does not qualify as regional working - the job is still based in the city you have chosen to do it at home However working for a company based in Perth from home in a role that **requires** you to be based in a regional area would qualify. However I don't know many companies that would tie themselves up in this sort of contractual construct Ah ok, thanks. As a midwife I am the main visa applicant so the plan would be for us to live and work near a regional maternity hospital so that I am living and working regionally. Would my spouse on my regional 491 visa be held to the same restrictions as me? We have a migration agent but not due to talk to her until next week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 minute ago, armada said: Ah ok, thanks. As a midwife I am the main visa applicant so the plan would be for us to live and work near a regional maternity hospital so that I am living and working regionally. Would my spouse on my regional 491 visa be held to the same restrictions as me? We have a migration agent but not due to talk to her until next week... Yes - whilst you are the main applicant, you will end up with two visas (and any kid visas) that are essentially the same as if you had applied separately. You will both be bound to the same regional restrictions Otherwise every IT consultant on the planet would be getting together with a nurse/doctor/midwife etc to get a visa for (e.g.) the Kimberley's on the healthcare workers application and then just go work in Sydney or Perth anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 I just checked the immi website and it seems they are restricted to the same regional conditions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 23 hours ago, armada said: Thanks for that advice Cal, I'll check these out and see what the deal is. Our first hope was Western Australia but the thought of being sent to work in the Kimberley for 2 years really put a dampener on things! We're prepared to stay somewhere less than ideal initially just to get the in country but we don't want to compromise so much that we end up shooting ourselves in the foot. Thanks for getting in touch Byford was classed as regional and is close to amenities - certainly not the outback - do check the suburbs that you're allowed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armada Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Ausvisitor said: Yes - whilst you are the main applicant, you will end up with two visas (and any kid visas) that are essentially the same as if you had applied separately. You will both be bound to the same regional restrictions Otherwise every IT consultant on the planet would be getting together with a nurse/doctor/midwife etc to get a visa for (e.g.) the Kimberley's on the healthcare workers application and then just go work in Sydney or Perth anyway So I'm guessing a 190 is our only way to go really. 189 seems impossible... Thanks for pointing this out to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Just now, armada said: I just checked the immi website and it seems they are restricted to the same regional conditions Yes they are. Reading your description of the visa as you wrote it, you misunderstood the process a little Your husband is on your application, his ability to get a visa is tied to your ability to get one. Once granted the link is removed, you both have a visa and they (almost always) will have the same restrictions applied to them. But he is not "on your visa" he has his own that is no longer tied to yours after the grant is given 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Don't discount Sydney. Whilst it is more expensive than the rest of the continent, it is doable. Two salaries at around the 70k dollars each mark would give you a decent life, certainly not a huge house with a pool, but a decent life all the same (unless you commute hours). Remember if you are buying a property, Sydney property is basically a cash asset like London property (by that I mean it will sell in days so it's really just a savings account, where as a house is a regional area may take a long time to sell) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Ausvisitor said: Don't discount Sydney. Whilst it is more expensive than the rest of the continent, it is doable. Two salaries at around the 70k dollars each mark would give you a decent life, certainly not a huge house with a pool, but a decent life all the same (unless you commute hours). Remember if you are buying a property, Sydney property is basically a cash asset like London property (by that I mean it will sell in days so it's really just a savings account, where as a house is a regional area may take a long time to sell) I doubt Sydney counts as regional. Sunshine Coast is a regional area and houses are selling almost as soon as they come on the market, often to Sydney and Melbourne buyers who are buying either by virtual tour or even sight unseen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 7 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said: Don't discount Sydney. Whilst it is more expensive than the rest of the continent, it is doable. Sydney isn't regional. It's true that it's doable, but it's doable in the same way that London is doable. Sydney housng is double the price of everywhere else in Australia except Melbourne. If I understand correctly, the problem isn't the OP's job - a midwife could find work in many regional areas. The problem is the OP's husband who is a data scientist, which I suspect means his work opportunities are all in the capital cities? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 (edited) On 15/02/2021 at 19:05, armada said: Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone has any insight into this for me? I'm a UK midwife qualified 2018 and have 75 points for 190/189 with my data scientist husband as a skilled partner. I am the main applicant (37 yrs old). Proper regional/outback work assignments are out of the questions as we have an 18 month old daughter so need and want to be by a city/suburban infrastructure, schools etc. Perth is off our list as it only considers 190s for midwives OUTSIDE of Mandurrah and Perth. Melbourne/Victoria I have family there (great uncle/aunt, cousins) but I didn't fall in love with it when I visited and the climate is not really what we're looking for. NSW seems prohibitively expensive in the areas that we'd find work (Sydney) so that is also not a great option. We have plumped for Queensland on our EOI as it seems to have the right balance of climate/affordability and my hubby says he has seen lots of jobs there for him but then I keep reading that midwife jobs are few and far between because this state is so popular. I've recently started to wonder if SA would be a better fit? We have a migration agent who has been great but she can't really help with choosing a state, especially in times of covid....any ideas anyone? The Sunshine Coast is a regional area, but sadly as far as I know according to a midwife friend of mine many positions are casual with not that many permanent positions. It’s a lovely place to live, so might be worth a try looking for a position. Good luck Edited February 16, 2021 by ramot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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