Hello. Just starting out - anyone in the same boat?

[Guest welshy 4]

Hello Guys,

 

Ive just done my very first post on 'Migration Issues' but thought it better for me to introduce myself first before i start asking all you wonderful people for help

Myself, husband and 9 month old daughter are looking into moving to SA, we havent 100% decided yet, were serisouly playing around with the idea - if u can call it that, and we need as much info as possible before we completely make our decision.

 

I have a brother over in SA who is currently on a temp visa. His wife - is an Australian citizen. Our main reason for wanting to emmigrate is because we know how much of a better life our nieces and nephews are having (not to mention mummy & daddy)...and we want so much for our daughter to have the same.

 

Im trying to read as much as i can about the visa types and processes but im finding it all a bit mind boggling so i wondered if theres anyone else out there who is just starting out on this fantastic and im sure will soon be-very stressful journey??

And to all you out there who have successfuly moved or are currently moving or are waiting to move - im sure im going to be picking your brains at some point or another, i for that...............i apologise already!

 

welshy 4 xxxx

[Guest bishvegas]

Hi. It's a huge decision to make and you will not be short of advice on here. We made our decision around March time, OH sat his Vetassess practical in August and passed, and we have recently submitted our State Sponsorship Application! So quite a busy few months for us. We have no family in Australia but have some friends in other states. As for Visa options, most companies offer a free assessment and will be able to tell you what your best options are. Good luck with your plans whatever you decide to do.

 

Steve 35, Julie 29, Lucy 9, Jessica 6 and Ben 3

[Guest welshy 4]

Hi Bishvegas,

 

Thanks for your comment. Is the state sponsorship when the employer sponsors you temporarily or have i got that very wrong ....i did say i was new to all of this!

I completed a free online assessment today and am awaiting a call from someone so fingers crossed i will learn a little more when i get to speak to them.

Have u any idea of the timescale for ur sponsorship app?

 

Welshy 4

[Willber]

Hi there, this is a great site, there is always someone willing to help and advise

We first thought about emigrating 8-9 years ago, but only really made a firm decision in January 2009. It was that horrendous summer when is rained what seemed like everyday, the bleak economy, talk of redundancies at work, living to work, forever being cooped up in-doors and having to spend money to entertain our family amongst other things that swayed us. We were drawn to Adelaide due to the climate being seasonal, the education, the cost of living and the idea of a big country town rather than the hustle and bustle of a big city, we did consider all states, but SA ticked more boxes for us. We applied for our visa around March/April time and it was granted in September. My husband is a fitter, so we managed to get skilled state sponsorship. We were going to emigrate this year, but as we had never visited Australia before, we got cold feet and decided to have a holiday instead. We had our holiday and validated our visa, but to be honest, it was just as I expected, it was like I already knew the place and I was just putting a face to a very familiar name. We decided within 1 week of returning to the UK that we were going to make the move ASAP, so now our flights are booked for May. We spent a lot of time wondering if we should or shouldn't, but I feel fantastic and so excited knowing that our 1 way ticket is booked and everything else is falling in to place

The hardest thing for us at this moment in time, is dealing with my husbands parents, they are incredibly upset and negative, we can understand how they feel, but it is really hard for us to deal with.

My family and all our friends are behind us 100% which is great, as you really need it!

It's great that your brother is in SA, that would be really reassuring for me, we don't have any family or friends in SA, but we are making contacts and building up relationships already through poms in adelaide. My dad really would like to join us in SA when he retires, so it's great to know that he could be with us in a couple of years, I'm the closest to my dad out of all my family, so I'm really pleased about that.

The most stressful thing for us was the making of the decision, I've spent many a night without sleep going over it in my mind, but that has all gone knowing that those flights are booked, it's like the decision has been made although there is nothing forcing us to get on that plane. The cost of it all! My goodness is it an expensive process especially if you are a young family without a great deal of money, what you do have can quite easily be eaten away on visas, flights, accommodation on arrival, shipping etc... it really does mount up! And the in-laws of course. But we haven't let any of that put us off!

Anyway, great to read your post, if there is anything we can help you with just PM us or whatever.

Cheers

Ali

[Guest welshy 4]

Willber

 

Thankyou for your reply. Its so nice to hear other peoples stories/battles with Uk versus Oz.

I can sympathise with leaving parents as im sure most others can too - cos its such a huge decision to make, leaving them behind....but i, like you, am really close to my parents and am hoping for them to follow when they retire....i mean surely they cant stay in the Uk when all of their grandchildren are in oz!? Can they?!

My brother is giving me the push to make a decision because he knows what kind of life is waiting for us compared to what we have here, i mean dont get me wrong - its not unbearable by any stretch of the imagination, but like u said living to work, the current economy, and the fact that we had our 1st child born the beginning of the year which has been another factor thats taken priority over everthing/everyone else now.

 

Ive actually taken a little reassurance from you saying the deciding to move was the hardest decision! Ive only just started researching emmigrating and already i feel so torn...home as we know it or away....and we are a young family on a very tight budget - me currently still on maternity leave so definately feeling the pinch now without all these new extras we will soon be paying for..but i know that its not as simple as just waving a magic wand, and to get good things youve got to be patient and go through alot of ups and downs along the way.

I bet you feel so relieved now that your flights are booked.....sounds like its all full steam ahead for you now! Im confident ur new life will be so worth the wait.

Thanks for sharing ur story

 

Welshy 4

[Willber]

Hi Bishvegas,

 

Thanks for your comment. Is the state sponsorship when the employer sponsors you temporarily or have i got that very wrong ....i did say i was new to all of this!

I completed a free online assessment today and am awaiting a call from someone so fingers crossed i will learn a little more when i get to speak to them.

Have u any idea of the timescale for ur sponsorship app?

 

Welshy 4

 

Hi again

State sponsorship is when the state sponsors you, in our case, the state sponsored us because Will (OH) was on the SA skilled list. The best thing you can do, is contact an agent and ask their opinion as to which type of visa would suit you. We used Ian Harrop, he came recommended and he was fantastic. If you apply for a visa through an agent, it will cost you more money (quite a bit more), but you don't need to worry about anything as they take care of it all for you, you just have to supply them with various bits of paperwork (certificates, payslips etc) when they request it.

Could you possibly get skilled sponsorship? Check out this site State sponsorship requirements: South Australia

If you go for state sponsorship, Ian Harrop told us that the application would go through quicker and it did only take 6 months.

 

Have you been to SA before?

 

Cheers

Ali

[Guest welshy 4]

Hi Ali

 

Thanks for clarifying that for me. No never been to SA before but are going in march next year to stay with my brother so will get to see it all then.

Im going to check out your link right now...............

 

Welshy 4

[Willber]

Hi Ali

 

Thanks for clarifying that for me. No never been to SA before but are going in march next year to stay with my brother so will get to see it all then.

Im going to check out your link right now...............

 

Welshy 4

 

Fab! should be nice and warm then too Give us a shout if you need any more help and good luck!

Cheers

Ali

[Guest bambam]

Hi Sar, great news about your flights we're soooooooooooooo excited, hows the visa/gathering of info going?

 

speak soon

matt

[Guest fluxsta]

Hi there, your post is reassuring and I wish you all the luck in the world. So far we have had good feedback from parents and in laws. early days thought, we are due for a recce in feb next year and then hope to make a decision. Like you say, with a young family it can eat up money! We are looking at PR, I am a nurse and we have 3 kids under the age of 4. As a rough estimate, shipping, visa etc what kind of figure are we looking at? just so my mind is (sort of) at rest to know of a rought figure saving wise to aim for? I hope you don't think it rude of me to ask about money, but in my mind that is the thing that makes the dream seem so far away is not knowing exactly how much it is likely to cost!

 

Glad that you are getting it all in place though, gives us hope! Hope to hear from you

[Guest fluxsta]

Hi there, this is a great site, there is always someone willing to help and advise

We first thought about emigrating 8-9 years ago, but only really made a firm decision in January 2009. It was that horrendous summer when is rained what seemed like everyday, the bleak economy, talk of redundancies at work, living to work, forever being cooped up in-doors and having to spend money to entertain our family amongst other things that swayed us. We were drawn to Adelaide due to the climate being seasonal, the education, the cost of living and the idea of a big country town rather than the hustle and bustle of a big city, we did consider all states, but SA ticked more boxes for us. We applied for our visa around March/April time and it was granted in September. My husband is a fitter, so we managed to get skilled state sponsorship. We were going to emigrate this year, but as we had never visited Australia before, we got cold feet and decided to have a holiday instead. We had our holiday and validated our visa, but to be honest, it was just as I expected, it was like I already knew the place and I was just putting a face to a very familiar name. We decided within 1 week of returning to the UK that we were going to make the move ASAP, so now our flights are booked for May. We spent a lot of time wondering if we should or shouldn't, but I feel fantastic and so excited knowing that our 1 way ticket is booked and everything else is falling in to place

The hardest thing for us at this moment in time, is dealing with my husbands parents, they are incredibly upset and negative, we can understand how they feel, but it is really hard for us to deal with.

My family and all our friends are behind us 100% which is great, as you really need it!

It's great that your brother is in SA, that would be really reassuring for me, we don't have any family or friends in SA, but we are making contacts and building up relationships already through poms in adelaide. My dad really would like to join us in SA when he retires, so it's great to know that he could be with us in a couple of years, I'm the closest to my dad out of all my family, so I'm really pleased about that.

The most stressful thing for us was the making of the decision, I've spent many a night without sleep going over it in my mind, but that has all gone knowing that those flights are booked, it's like the decision has been made although there is nothing forcing us to get on that plane. The cost of it all! My goodness is it an expensive process especially if you are a young family without a great deal of money, what you do have can quite easily be eaten away on visas, flights, accommodation on arrival, shipping etc... it really does mount up! And the in-laws of course. But we haven't let any of that put us off!

Anyway, great to read your post, if there is anything we can help you with just PM us or whatever.

Cheers

Ali

Sorry, reposted as wasn't sure....but this is directed at Willber!! ;-)

 

Hi there, your post is reassuring and I wish you all the luck in the world. So far we have had good feedback from parents and in laws. early days thought, we are due for a recce in feb next year and then hope to make a decision. Like you say, with a young family it can eat up money! We are looking at PR, I am a nurse and we have 3 kids under the age of 4. As a rough estimate, shipping, visa etc what kind of figure are we looking at? just so my mind is (sort of) at rest to know of a rought figure saving wise to aim for? I hope you don't think it rude of me to ask about money, but in my mind that is the thing that makes the dream seem so far away is not knowing exactly how much it is likely to cost!

 

Glad that you are getting it all in place though, gives us hope! Hope to hear from you

[Guest welshy 4]

Hi Sar, great news about your flights we're soooooooooooooo excited, hows the visa/gathering of info going?

 

speak soon

matt

 

Hi guys,

 

So chuffed flights are now booked....even know we knew we were coming - makes it all more real now. All hols are booked so its full steam ahead now.

No news on visa.....its all on hold now till after hols.

xx

[Guest karyn]

Hi Welshy!

I've just moved over here with my husband, and I have to say that although leaving family behind is really hard, with Skype and other internet chat facilities, people don't really seem that far away! And also when you're here, everything is similar, not like in Europe when the language is different and all the food is too!! It doesn't feel like you're that far from home at all really.....until you get on the plane to go back

The worst part for me was the build up to the move and saying goodbye to everyone, but once you're here and the sun is shining, you definitely feel a bit better about it all!!

Have you thought about using a migration agent? Not sure what your budget is, but that would take some of the leg work and confusion out of the equation for you?! Just an idea!

Good luck with it all, and let us know how you get on!!

Karyn x

[Guest nicandchris]

Willber

 

Thankyou for your reply. Its so nice to hear other peoples stories/battles with Uk versus Oz.

I can sympathise with leaving parents as im sure most others can too - cos its such a huge decision to make, leaving them behind....but i, like you, am really close to my parents and am hoping for them to follow when they retire....i mean surely they cant stay in the Uk when all of their grandchildren are in oz!? Can they?!

My brother is giving me the push to make a decision because he knows what kind of life is waiting for us compared to what we have here, i mean dont get me wrong - its not unbearable by any stretch of the imagination, but like u said living to work, the current economy, and the fact that we had our 1st child born the beginning of the year which has been another factor thats taken priority over everthing/everyone else now.

 

Ive actually taken a little reassurance from you saying the deciding to move was the hardest decision! Ive only just started researching emmigrating and already i feel so torn...home as we know it or away....and we are a young family on a very tight budget - me currently still on maternity leave so definately feeling the pinch now without all these new extras we will soon be paying for..but i know that its not as simple as just waving a magic wand, and to get good things youve got to be patient and go through alot of ups and downs along the way.

I bet you feel so relieved now that your flights are booked.....sounds like its all full steam ahead for you now! Im confident ur new life will be so worth the wait.

Thanks for sharing ur story

 

Welshy 4

 

I can really relate to your circumstances, we were wondering earlier this year to try to go to Australia due to the circumstances youve outlined and this was helped by Adelaide advertsing for nurses in Adelaide so having secured a nursing position we hope to head over late next year. Like yourself im on maternity leave with an 8 and half month old who would be around 18 months by the time we hope to go next year. Money is extremely tight so with an english exam to pass (only nurses to this), documents certified, money for nursing registration and visa, medicals it all adds up. Were hoping to bring 3 dogs (onother one later fingers crossed) which totals around £10,000 and then theres the container (wish we could fit in there!).

 

However, we are hoping that it will be all worth it and especially for our baby, this country as much as we love it concerns us ie cost of living, weather, lack of job security (yes i know some of these will also be in Adelaide) etc and we ultimately want to enjoy life without feeling like were part of the rat race.

 

We cant go on a reccie and my oh has never been to Aussie but we are taking the big leap of faith, live on the edge for abit and hope to God then we dont fall off.

[Guest welshy 4]

Kayrn , great to hear you made the move and your now starting your life down under, gives us Brits some hope lol.

 

Nic and chris,

Sounds like ur just starting out on this journey too. Its good that youve secured a job out there already...that must be some consolation - knowing ul have some money coming in straight away. The whole process is just soooo expensive, but like u said - sometimes uve just got to take that leap of faith. Really hope things work out for you. Keep me posted on ur progress, who knows we may not be too far behind you.