Are we to old ?

[steves53]

Hi i am new here, so this is my first post. We are a married couple 59 (m) & 56 (f), within the last year our son (27) has moved to Australia (Brisbane) with his partner and wants us to move to be with him. He has told us that it will happen, we are not so sure. My wife has relatives in Brisbane who have lived there for 20+ years, whether this makes any sort of difference we do not know. The jobs that we have at the moment are not on the skills required list, do they have to be or can you find a job once you get to Australia. The only income that we would have would be any proceeds for selling our house and company pensions. We do not want to get to deep into the process of moving from the UK if it is virtually impossible for us to do so. If anybody can give any advice in this matter it would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks.

[Toots]

I think your best bet would be the parents visa.  There are members on this forum who have a fair bit of knowledge about this visa including migration agents who will offer advice.  I'm sure somebody will be along soon to help you with your query.

[Tulip1]

It’s not easy and you have a long road ahead of you.  At your age the only visa I can think you could possibly look at is a 143 parent visa.  This is subject to the balance of family test so you’re ok if your son is your only child.  If not then you’ll need at least 50% of your children in Australia or more children in Australia than any other country.  It’ll also need deep pockets as for the both of you you’re looking at nearly $100,000.  Next is the waiting time that currently stands at 12 years and likely to increase.  You cannot live in Australia on a bridging visa while waiting but subject to certain criteria, you can get a five year holiday visa - no working rights are on this and I believe your sponsor has to have lived in Australia for 4 years so won’t help you for a while.   The other option once you reach your late 60’s is apply for an aged parent visa.  You can live in Australia while you’re waiting for visa grant and the wait times are the same as the parent visa I mentioned earlier.  It’s possible those aged visas/bridging visas to allow you to stay onshore could be demised in the coming years so not something you can rely on.  If your son is so sure it will happen then he needs to tell you how as unfortunately it’s not that easy.  Your wife having relatives won’t help. Best of luck.  

Edited June 14, 2023 by Tulip1

[InnerVoice]

I would say your best bet is have extended trips on a tourist visa, and stay with your son if it's convenient. Just think how many holidays you can have for $100,000.

[Marisawright]

9 hours ago, steves53 said:

Hi i am new here, so this is my first post. We are a married couple 59 (m) & 56 (f), within the last year our son (27) has moved to Australia (Brisbane) with his partner and wants us to move to be with him. He has told us that it will happen...

Has he actually researched it?   I'm afraid it is very difficult to move to Australia as a parent.  Your wife having relatives in Australia makes no difference. You are too old to get a skilled visa (cut-off is 45).

You would be applying for the 143 parent visa.  There is a long queue of parents waiting for that visa -- almost 80,000 at last count.  That means the waiting time is now about 12 years, so you'll be over 70 by the time it comes through.  However that will give you time to save up for the visa fees, which are about $100,000 currently and will doubtless have gone up by then.

The problem is that the Australian government has realised parents cost them too much.  Even if you could move now, you'd work for only a few years before you retire, and then you'll be entitled to collect the Australian pension and access full Medicare (our NHS) and aged care for 20 or 30 years.  That's why the visa fee is so high, to try to cover that burden on the taxpayer. Unfortunately, recent government research shows that the fee falls short of covering those costs.  They'd need to charge about triple the current fee. 

There are migrant groups agitating for more parent visas to be granted, but that huge cost makes the government understandably reluctant.  They know some skilled migrants may go home if their parents can't join them. However they also know that most won't follow through, and even if they do, there are thousands more skilled migrants in the queue, eager to replace them.

I've often said that I think the migrant groups would be better off agitating for a reciprocal agreement with the UK, as they have with the working holiday visas for young people.  Currently if an Australian wants to bring their parents to the UK, they can't, end of story.  There's one exception, if a parent is too frail to look after themselves, but that's it. 

[Quoll]

Your son has told you what's going to happen to your lives? Wow!!! Do you want to live in Australia? He's only 27 so he could be moving about for the next 30 years, are you going to follow him everywhere?  
 

If you have a good life where you are, like your home, have good jobs, have a robust social network then why would you uproot for a rather more financially stretched life?  You're young enough to put in an application for a parent visa now (assuming you're eligible), to have it issued in the early years of your retirement and to have saved up the eye watering fee while you wait (or is your son prepared to foot the bill for you, that'd be nice). Or you could, as has been said, use that money to come over for long trips. My parents - a long time ago now - did the 6 month thing. Came here for 6 over Christmas, played golf, travelled around then went home for summer, played golf and travelled around. They did that for 16 years, built a granny flat on our block. But they had their very old age "at home" where they belonged with all the friends they'd made over a lifetime with free medical care from the NHS. 
 

At the end of the day, your life is yours to make decisions about. He's made his decision - he doesn't get to make decisive about yours. 

[InnerVoice]

38 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

The problem is that the Australian government has realised parents cost them too much.  Even if you could move now, you'd work for only a few years before you retire, and then you'll be entitled to collect the Australian pension and access full Medicare (our NHS) and aged care for 20 or 30 years.  That's why the visa fee is so high, to try to cover that burden on the taxpayer. Unfortunately, recent government research shows that the fee falls short of covering those costs.  They'd need to charge about triple the current fee.

I'm not sure if the rules are different for retirees but it's my understanding that you need to be resident in Australia for 10 years to be eligible for the Age (Australian state) pension, with one uninterrupted period of residence of at least 5 years.

[Tulip1]

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

I would say your best bet is have extended trips on a tourist visa, and stay with your son if it's convenient. Just think how many holidays you can have for $100,000.

Perhaps not as many as you’d think.  I have recently been granted a 143 parent visa and the cost in pounds was around £23k.  I worked out that if I took a holiday out to Oz once a year to visit family I’d have spent that £23k in about 10/11 years (would be less as flight costs will continue to increase)

[ramot]

27 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

I'm not sure if the rules are different for retirees but it's my understanding that you need to be resident in Australia for 10 years to be eligible for the Age (Australian state) pension, with one uninterrupted period of residence of at least 5 years.

Also in our case our retirement income is not set up the same way as Australian retirees, we don’t have Superannuation, so not much chance of being eligible for an Australian Pension, or anything else income related, so best not to bank on getting government help, a bonus if you are eligible. 

[Tulip1]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

fees, which are about $100,000 currently and will doubtless have gone up by then 

You pay the fee it was when you lodged the application.  It was $43k when I lodged and that’s what I paid so whilst the fee will continue to rise, it’s irrelevant once you’ve lodged an application. 

[InnerVoice]

15 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

Perhaps not as many as you’d think.  I have recently been granted a 143 parent visa and the cost in pounds was around £23k.  I worked out that if I took a holiday out to Oz once a year to visit family I’d have spent that £23k in about 10/11 years (would be less as flight costs will continue to increase)

Fair point, although 10/11 years into retirement would put most people well into their 70s, at an age when they'd be less inclined to travel to the other side of the world on an annual basis. And that is assuming that they visited every year. Might their family also come to visit them in the UK some years too?

Then there's the point that Marisa made about leaving their established life in the UK behind; extended family, friends, social activities, and favourite haunts - all those things that give people a sense of belonging. I'm the same age as the OP and personally I wouldn't even consider it knowing what I do about the process, but then everyone is different.

[Tulip1]

32 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

Fair point, although 10/11 years into retirement would put most people well into their 70s, at an age when they'd be less inclined to travel to the other side of the world on an annual basis. And that is assuming that they visited every year. Might their family also come to visit them in the UK some years too?

Then there's the point that Marisa made about leaving their established life in the UK behind; extended family, friends, social activities, and favourite haunts - all those things that give people a sense of belonging. I'm the same age as the OP and personally I wouldn't even consider it knowing what I do about the process, but then everyone is different.

I agree with all that.  However, a parent in their 50’s like these people (and me) will probably spend more on holidays (even my car parking at Heathrow is expensive) than the visa, subject to how often they visit of course.  Yes the kids should also visit them and that certainly happens in my family.  We even have ‘disputes’ over my airfares as they insist on paying/sharing the costs.  The biggest thing though is does this couple want to move.  I do get worried when. someone says my kids have moved and want me to follow them.  That’s not right.  

[Toots]

13 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

I agree with all that.  However, a parent in their 50’s like these people (and me) will probably spend more on holidays (even my car parking at Heathrow is expensive) than the visa, subject to how often they visit of course.  Yes the kids should also visit them and that certainly happens in my family.  We even have ‘disputes’ over my airfares as they insist on paying/sharing the costs.  The biggest thing though is does this couple want to move.  I do get worried when. someone says my kids have moved and want me to follow them.  That’s not right.  

That's right.  Does the couple want to move to Australia?  They may have other children still in the UK.  My Mum came to stay every 2nd year for 4 or5 months of the summer.  She did not want to move permanently to Australia.  She had a happy life in Scotland with all her friends and her sister nearby.  At the time my brother and sister were both working overseas for a number of years so she spent many a lovely time also visiting them.

It's a big decision and I wish the OP all the best.

 

[ramot]

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Fair point, although 10/11 years into retirement would put most people well into their 70s, at an age when they'd be less inclined to travel to the other side of the world on an annual basis. And that is assuming that they visited every year. Might their family also come to visit them in the UK some years too?

 

I realise we did the reverse, but for nearly the last 20 years, after we retired to live in Australia, we have flown back to UK, for on average for 3 months most years, and have always rented somewhere.when there. It’s not a cheap exercise!! Fares, car hire, possibly renting somewhere. All our 3 children were in UK when we came here, 2 followed us to live here, but our oldest stayed in Bristol and our only grandchildren are there, hence the regular visits.

Quite frankly we are over flying long haul, even though over the years we have broken the journey by staying with friends enroute, or stayed overnight in airport hotels, but the journey doesn’t get any easier.

We last went back in October, but honestly I really have had enough of the travelling, even though our only grandchildren are in Bristol. really don’t want to commit to going again. I realise we are retired and have the freedom to travel, but a part of us feels, if apart from their siblings weddings, they show no interest in coming here, why should it always be us going there. Of course cost for a family of 4 comes into it, except we have always paid for most of it for the 2 wedding trips.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by ramot

[Parley]

14 hours ago, Quoll said:

Your son has told you what's going to happen to your lives? Wow!!! Do you want to live in Australia? He's only 27 so he could be moving about for the next 30 years, are you going to follow him everywhere?  
 

If you have a good life where you are, like your home, have good jobs, have a robust social network then why would you uproot for a rather more financially stretched life?  You're young enough to put in an application for a parent visa now (assuming you're eligible), to have it issued in the early years of your retirement and to have saved up the eye watering fee while you wait (or is your son prepared to foot the bill for you, that'd be nice). Or you could, as has been said, use that money to come over for long trips. My parents - a long time ago now - did the 6 month thing. Came here for 6 over Christmas, played golf, travelled around then went home for summer, played golf and travelled around. They did that for 16 years, built a granny flat on our block. But they had their very old age "at home" where they belonged with all the friends they'd made over a lifetime with free medical care from the NHS. 
 

At the end of the day, your life is yours to make decisions about. He's made his decision - he doesn't get to make decisive about yours. 

That came across as incredibly patronising.

[InnerVoice]

14 hours ago, Parley said:

That came across as incredibly patronising.

I'm sure that wasn't intended. The OP stated that "(their son) has told us that it will happen, we are not so sure". It rather implies that they are being pressured into the decision, although it may not be the case. The OP could just be implying that their son was very enthusiastic about the idea, but they are not so. Context is so easily misinterpreted.

[LindaH27]

On 15/06/2023 at 00:30, InnerVoice said:

I'm not sure if the rules are different for retirees but it's my understanding that you need to be resident in Australia for 10 years to be eligible for the Age (Australian state) pension, with one uninterrupted period of residence of at least 5 years.

Australian state pension is all means tested so it’s not a given ! 

[steves53]

Thank you to everyone who has replied to my post. I have to say WOW,  it seems that there is so much more involved in moving to Australia than our son thinks there is and even ourselves. 

It is something that is going to need so much more research and thinking about before even making some sort of decsion about what myself and wife should do. The financial side of things for visa's is huge, also the long waiting lists and this would hit our finances very hard and that is not something that you want at the moment with everyday living costs going through the roof.

Losing all that we have here in the UK, other family members, friends a nice home, our jobs, would be hard to give up. Then there is the chance that just because our son and partner have settled in Australia, we may not find it so easy, despite them being there, the tug of the UK maybe to much to give up.  As has been suggested in the comments it maybe better for us to just visit for holidays.

[Marisawright]

12 hours ago, steves53 said:

Losing all that we have here in the UK, other family members, friends a nice home, our jobs, would be hard to give up. Then there is the chance that just because our son and partner have settled in Australia, we may not find it so easy, despite them being there, the tug of the UK maybe to much to give up. 

I don't envy you the decision.  Just last week, I met a lady at my U3A (university of 3rd age) walking group.  She moved out here at the beginning of the year.  Her only daughter lives in Melbourne and she has no other family in the UK, so it seemed like the sensible thing to do. 

She is finding it very difficult.  At her home in England, she knew every neighbour in the street and had a good social life with a network of friends.   She misses them all terribly. She was putting a brave face on it when we talked, and said that finding the U3A had been great and was helping her find new friends --- but there were tears in her eyes when she spoke about her old life. 

She has her daughter here, of course, but the daughter has her own life with her partner, they're out at work all day and have their own social life, so the reality is that she sees them for only a few hours a week.  

[Quoll]

10 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I don't envy you the decision.  Just last week, I met a lady at my U3A (university of 3rd age) walking group.  She moved out here at the beginning of the year.  Her only daughter lives in Melbourne and she has no other family in the UK, so it seemed like the sensible thing to do. 

She is finding it very difficult.  At her home in England, she knew every neighbour in the street and had a good social life with a network of friends.   She misses them all terribly. She was putting a brave face on it when we talked, and said that finding the U3A had been great and was helping her find new friends --- but there were tears in her eyes when she spoke about her old life. 

She has her daughter here, of course, but the daughter has her own life with her partner, they're out at work all day and have their own social life, so the reality is that she sees them for only a few hours a week.  

That was the reason my parents - who loved Australia, dont get me wrong - decided that the UK was "their life" despite their only daughter and only grandkids being here.  They made the decision to stay even though we had discussed the option of them moving several times and they had talked about it even more between themselves - we put no pressure but they would have been sorted here, a granny flat they built, a car they owned and membership of the local golf club.  They had a fabulous social network at home - I really envied them because they had a much better network than me, partly because they were inherently outgoing people.  They didnt regret their decision in the end one bit other than that they outlived most of their social network which increasingly saddened them.  One of their grandsons emigrated back so they had a great grandchild for regular visits. My son was able to bury his granddad when I was stuck here in Aus over the Covid debacle.  It is a very vexed question and not a decision I would make lightly and certainly not to appease one of my kids.