realist7

Hello there, Nick here, I’m new to the forum. A little bit about myself first, I am a 34 year old British citizen (was born here and a native English speaker) and visited Australia in 2013 on a working holiday visa for around 10 months and liked it out there. I have missed the place since I have been back in the (overcrowded) UK. I have since gotten married and have now decided I would like to emigrate out there so I could primarily create a better life for my future family and better opportunities and also I would like to enjoy a more sunnier climate as I get older. I did look into jobs which could offer possible sponsorships while I was out there but did not get much joy as I was on a WHV which restricted the amount of time I could work for any one employer. I have looked into possible routes to emigrate out there mainly on the official immi.gov website and am a bit bemused by all the different types of visas available. It also seems that they have recently changed some of the rules and made it more difficult to emigrate. Could anyone detail how the rules have changed and how it would apply to my current situation going forward? Despite gaining a BSc (Hons) in IT back in 2005 my work experience is has been various retail and office based sales positions but I have not as yet gained a trade or any experience in any trade. I did do a level 2 plumbing course at my local college when I got back from Australia and passed it but did not manage to find a job with any local plumbers after I completed it. it seems like most all of the ones I contacted either were sole traders and did not want to take anyone else on officially as it would mean they would have obligations in regards to National Insurance contributions/Liability insurance or in other cases they preferred to hire lads straight out of school/someone they knew etc. So, basically I am in a position where I do not have any experience/skills in any of the occupations listed on the MLTSSL/STSOL (formerly SOL). I am currently out of work and want my next position to be something which could help me emigrate in the future as opposed to just another job which leads just to pay the bills. I have gone through the current MLTSSL/STSOL and there are a few occupations on it which I feel like I could do but of course it could take a varying amount of years to gain the necessary skills/on the job experience to be eligible to apply for any given skilled visa on this basis – I know I would need to be assessed on any of the given occupations on the list but I am not sure how many years of on-the-job experience I need in any of the given jobs on the list to be able to apply for a visa? and how this is determined? so I would appreciate any feedback regarding this aspect if possible. I understand there are state sponsorships that are also available which could also lead to PR. The two states which I am primarily interested in are VIC and NSW. What I would like to know here is how do these state sponsorships differ from regular skilled PR visas? And what are the application procedures involved in successfully getting one of these visas? I am even open to the idea of starting my own business (it is something I have always been interested in doing) Is there any visa that could make us eligible for a permanent business/entrepreneurship type visa of some sort which could lead to PR? If so which ones? My newlywed wife works in retail and also does not have any experience which is on the MLTSSL/STSOL. She has told me that she would like us to start a family soon and her preference is to then be a stay at home mum. We are both completely sure this is what we want. I thought about getting in touch with a UK based emigration agent but as I don’t really have any relevant skills/experience I wonder if it is worth it? I am in good health but have a small blip on my criminal record (A non-custodial sentence of Common Assault back in 2012, I got an absolute discharge with no fines to pay and no community service) so I am hoping this will not be too much of an issue? I was told that under the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 Rehabilitation period is none and the conviction is spent. I still declared this however when I entered Australia just to make sure everything was above board. They asked me a few questions at the airport when i arrived but thanked me for letting them know and I was given entry without any further hassle. Would this be a major issue further down the line after I lodge a visa application? And, If so how and are there any ways to resolve this issue for a successful visa application/PR? Also I would like to know what documents of proof of my criminal record/character would I need to provide in my visa application? My current position is that I am open to try anything to try and emigrate to Australia as soon as I possibly could. I have thought about this for a few months there is nothing i really want more in life. I wake up sometimes and wish I was still there and am racked with guilt and regret as to why I didn’t try sooner when the rules were less stringent. However I have realised that it is important to have some sort of a dream in life and I’m willing to start now and try my best to achieve it. I would really appreciate any assistance or advice in regards to all current permanent visa streams or streams which could lead to permanent residency. Also, I would appreciate any advice in regards to agents/contacts (either here or in Aus) who could possibly help. My hope is that once I do decide on the best visa stream and course of action, I will then just spend the next few years or however long it takes, without changing the plan, working as hard as possible to move toward that end goal. I know how hard this is going to be. I do understand that it is a massive undertaking which could take up to the closest part of a decade and there are so many different hurdles and layers I need to go through (and other factors besides skills/professional experience which come into play) to achieve this dream but I am willing to be as persistent and dedicated as I can and give it my best shot so there’s no regrets in the future. We have decided that this is what I want in life. I have a clear goal and this is what I’m going to devote my energy to going forward. My wife is happy to support me in this goal. So, with all due respect, in this instance, we are not really looking for any life or relationship advice in regards to :- Us changing our mind in the future Missing family and coming back Getting a profession which I enjoy and not worry about migrating for the time being The fact that Australia is not really better, just different etc, and will not really provide better opportunities Any other advice which basically encourages me to give up or delay pursuing our goal. I am looking only for constructive advice on how to actually move forward and achieve this goal in the quickest possible time. I know it’s an extremely difficult thing to accomplish and it will take years so I’m not underestimating the task but any posts reminding me of this or discouraging me from trying my best are not helpful in this situation. It’s probably one of the hardest things I could try to achieve given my current situation. I know this already. I know it is a long post but I wanted to describe my current position as accurately as possible so that I would be in a position to receive the best advice. So to make myself clear ; The main things I would like to know are :- · A complete list of ALL possible current visas (of any other type) which definitely provide a pathway to PR (excluding all student visa options). · The procedures involved and the stages I would be required to go through to gain PR with each of these visas. · Information on current business/entrepreneur visas. · Information on how Victoria/NSW state sponsorships work. · Contact Information of any ‘shit hot’ lawyers /agents/contacts/ who are able to ‘think outside the box’ and could possibly advise me on the ‘path of least resistance’ or help me to achieve my goal of PR in the shortest possible time. Thanks for reading. All constructive and practical replies on how to achieve this goal successfully would sincerely be welcomed. Once again I know how difficult this process has now become and I know there are no guarantees. Any number of things could cause complications within any future visa application and cause it to fail. I understand this clearly. If you have any further questions feel free to ask. Regards, Nick.