Just a note to say 'Hello'...

[Karen S-D]

Hello all,

I have been a member for a few years but have never posted up until now as only just getting close to everything being in place to make the move over to Adelaide. I have found all the advice and discussions on here really useful over the years and in the run up to us moving over I'm sure I will be searching the forum/asking questions on a daily basis! Visa is due to be granted imminently (100 Permanent Partner Visa) and we are hoping to make the move late 2016.

My story is that I spent a year in Australia back in 2005 on a work visa, mainly backpacking, have seen a lot of Australia, from Perth to Far North Queensland and spent the last few months of my stay working in Adelaide, where I met my darling husband who moved to England to be with me. When he landed at Manchester during a cold snap in Feb/Mar 2006 in -5 temperatures he wondered what the hell he had done but fell in love with the place and people and has been here for 9 years this year. We married in 2010, and had our little girl in 2012.

For years we have intended to move back to Adelaide, I feel that we should have done so sooner but time got away from us. We are coming over for 3 weeks in July this year which will be my first entry on the visa and an opportunity to do a good recce, we were last over on honeymoon in 2010. After I have made first entry on the visa is the time limit in which I will have to make the permanent move?

I have done lots of research on all aspects of the move over the years, I know that it is going to come with its' own challenges but I am feeling positive, a little apprehensive, and excited. I think that finding a job is my biggest worry. My husband works in the transport/warehouse/logistics area and I think he will find a job quicker than me. I work as an Intelligence Analyst within the police/government and have previously worked in all aspects of crime/serious crime. It is quite a niche role and I have not seen anything similar advertised for a while now, I did see a couple of positions advertised by SA police a couple of years ago. I am willing to do any job though, and I hope they will consider transferrable skills.

I have noticed much fewer jobs being advertised in SA in the public sector over the last couple of years, particularly since late 2014 which is a bit of a worry and I have read about the cuts and know that further cuts are to be made.

We have been looking at Northern suburbs, as that is where my husband's family are based, I like the look of Fairview Park and surrounding suburbs, would also consider living further out in the sticks as long as commute not longer than an hour. The primary schools around those areas seem good, my little girl would be due to start primary school in Jan 2018.

Any advice/tips/discussion would be welcome, thank you! x

Edited March 2, 2015 by Karen S-D

[snifter]

Hello and welcome at long last

 

Just a quick reply about the timeframe within which to move. IIRC its 5 years from grant date, providing obviously that you validate your visa within the timeframe given at grant (with the changes to the partner visa application times it may well be different to when I validated mine, but either way, make sure you know how long you have within which to validate.

 

Validating used to be a year from medical or police check whichever was done first, so if it was one of those, ensure you're going to be here within that timeframe. Usually people had about 6 months left once their visa was actually granted. Some less as they would do medicals or police checks early. Now they are told to wait till a certain time in the process.

[Karen S-D]

Thanks Snifter, the lady who is processing my visa said that she would have granted it last week but my police check was due to run out which

meant that I would have had to enter by April. I have just sent off for another ACRO police certificate and she said that when she gets that she will grant it and so I plan to validate it when we go in July. Thanks for the info about how long I have after that, I had no idea what timeframe we had which was making me anxious in case we only had a short time to get everything sorted. I will double check with the lady once she grants the visa and post update on here for info.

[Blossom]

Welcome. :-D

 

Good news, pies are very popular here. ;-)

[Karen S-D]

Welcome. :-D

 

Good news, pies are very popular here. ;-)

 

That's a relief! A good pie barm should help stave off any homesickness!

[NicF]

Welcome. My sister in law lives at Fairview Park - it's a lovely spot. As are pretty much all the suburbs around there. Access to the CBD is pretty good from there via the O-bahn.

[Blossom]

That's a relief! A good pie barm should help stave off any homesickness!

Woooohhhhh there. A pie barm is pushing it a bit far lol.