Business Visa

[Guest LOOBYLOO]

Hi.... I am new to the site but have been checking it out for some time. We are applying for a Business Visa. We have applied for State Sponsorship in SA and are just waiting for a reply. Has anyone else gone down this route and offer any advice. We are hoping to move to Victor Harbor.

Thanks

Linda

[foxychick]

HI there, we are on a business visa, any info I might be able to help with - let me know.

 

Do you have a business in mind?

 

Have to be honest - wouldn't be my first choice of visa option, but it was our only choice

 

Rachel

[Guest LOOBYLOO]

Thanks for your response Rachel. Like you, this is the only route we can go. We have agents in Adelaide who submitted Form 949 State Sponsorship at the end of Jan so we should hear soon.

 

We have a retail shop in Edinburgh. We're not sure what business we will do in SA but Andy is always online looking for existing businesses.

 

Did you get State Sponsorship and what business are you running now?

 

Cheers

Linda

[foxychick]

We got state sponsorship and did it alone, we are from Yorkshire, so were too tight to pay an agent all that money! Found the process fairly easy, just time consuming with the form filling etc, we had to have a phone interview, but it was pretty plain sailing and fast - but we applied not long after the visa was introduced, so I don't think the wait times we long (17 weeks, with some delays from us)

 

We had a retail shop in the UK and this is what we do here, same thing, and yet totally different - be prepared for quite a change in the way you will run your business here, you get used to it quickley, but it can be frustrating at the start. If you are to rent a premises, rent here is generally high, we have found. We started the business from scratch, and are getting used to different ways of doing things, different shopping habits etc, but we are getting there, hoping to bypass the sponsorship bit for PR. But we have only been here 6 months.

 

We have a friend who is selling a croissant making business - don't know many details, but do know there is a genuine, legitimate reason for selling - let me know if you want any more info on it.

 

If you go on British Expats, there is a thread on there, started by some of the original 163'ers, it is a VERY VERY long thread, easiset way is to just ask your question as there seems to be a new crop of applicants on there now, along with some of the originals, who are getting ready for PR application.

 

Are you selling your UK business? I would recommend having it for sale ASAP, ours took a while to sell- being retail, lots of people can't come up with the money we found!

 

Good luck

Rachel

[Guest LOOBYLOO]

Hi Rachel

Have spoken to Andy - we don't want any food related business...but thanks. I have been on the Ex Pat site and will register to try and find out as much info as possible.

Thanks

Linda

[foxychick]

No worries, last night realised I forgot to mention it is a wholesale business - not that that will make a difference to you. To be honest it is unsociable hours, something like 4am till 11am.

[Guest LOOBYLOO]

We got word today that we have our State Sponsorship....feeling very happy.

They sent the forms for the visa and not sure where to start!!

Will let you know how we get on.

Cheers

Linda