Quoll

You have citizenship or a visa? If a visa, do you have restrictions on where you must live? Best option is to go where you can get a job, everything else will fall into place as there is no magic “best place for children” there are kids and families all over the place. Obviously you will get more bang for your buck in smaller towns/cities with respect to accommodation but work might be harder to find.

Good luck, we are doing it now for my 94 year old dad. We have never applied for a carer's allowance (been here 7 years on Friday!) but my dad gets an Attendance Allowance. It isnt the easiest gig in town but I have found there is quite a deal of support out there if you ask for it. There are dementia support groups, exercise groups, complex case management supports - more than we actually choose to access I am sure. We've still got our Aussie place and basically just arrived with a backpack, not intending to stay all those years ago. It's pretty stressful basically just sitting round waiting for someone to die but that's the bottom line really. I wish you all the best with it, it wont be easy but your conscience will be clear!

Yup, you would be the same as my son who gained citizenship by descent through me. My grandkids do not get citizenship and your son will need a visa as family of a settled person. If you had lived in UK for a period before having your child then you might have been able to pass citizenship down to the next generation.

There's been nothing said about Queensland charging fees for temporary residents so I doubt they have snuck it in under the radar without someone jumping up and down about it but that's not to say they may change their minds down the track and just do it all of a sudden. Most families are actually quite keen to hold their kids back, especially boys, it depends on physical, social, emotional maturity really and the schools may make the suggestion, it's up to you if you accept it or not (if that is what they do) so bear in mind that their cohort can have kids who are up to about 15-16 months older than they will be. I guess you have the impetus for keeping them with their age cohort for when you return to UK, you dont want them to be out of step when they go back (that's always quite a good argument). OTOH, if your hope is to remain in Australia then they will be very young to go to Uni which is where the big social and emotional gulf might raise its ugly head and you might then think about holding them back a year to start school just in case you do get PR down the track.

Your eldest will be in yr 6 2019. The younger two could just squeak into Prep but they will be youngest in the class and you may be recommended to hold them back a year which is what often happens to kids born the last 3-4 months before cut off.

Yes, I’d be worried too. Can you defer your studies, go home to have the baby then resume your studies when you’re more settled? Could your partner go with you? Are you in an established relationship with a permanent resident? If I were you I would be talking to a registered agent asap but, bottom line, If you can’t do your course then you can’t be a student. If your partner is PR/citizen, then you need to be very alert to the ramifications of The Hague Convention and the implications of having a baby in a foreign country with a resident of that country when you don’t have any permanent right to be in that country. It’s often safer all round to have your baby at home, where you would probably be better supported financially and emotionally then making a decision about where to live once the dust has settled. (There’s a sticky on the subject on here, worth reading in detail.) Congratulations (I think!) on your about to be bundle of joy!

George Lombard actually. Or Peter Bollard or Richard Gregan. They’re the ones with medical specialists to give opinions.

If you’ve already applied for PR then the bridging visa kicks in when your student visa expires, no need for a tourist visa but the bridging visa (usually BV A) means you can’t leave the country unless you apply for a BV B. If you’ve already left the country then be careful about applying for tourist visas as they can cancel out a PR application. Talk to your agent.

You’ll need to get a visa “family of a settled person” even though you aren’t yet “settled” as it were. It’s quite expensive but as it then entitles him to medical care, schooling etc it’s just one of those things you have to fork out for.

Most of the Aussies I know roll their eyes at the British migrant imperative to find a bulk billing doctor. I don’t know one long term Aussie who goes to a bulk billing doctor but we do share recommendations when we get a good one. For most people, the co-pay is what they expect, it’s what the service was designed for and for that they get continuity of care, reliable service without being over serviced.

Of course you do. He isn’t suddenly going to not have it. I’d say you’re probably going to struggle to get a temporary visa for him in the first place with a requirement for 1:1 support in school.

Not much point in asking for someone else’s cv in order to get registration. That’s a very personal thing and should be very straightforward as you, and only you, know what training you’ve had, what experience you’ve had in what areas, what ongoing PD you’ve had, etc etc. Also, a tip, write in legible English, especially when communicating with professional bodies.

You could take a “gap year” and go and check out the U.K. and then decide whether you want to go to Uni there or in Aus. If you do decide that the U.K. offers more by way of Uni then you might think about topping up your WA yr 12 results with an A level or two while you get your residence up. Alternatively, do a gap year and see how you feel then do your first degree in Aus and aim for a postgrad degree (and scholarship?) at a U.K. Uni. However, if you train in Aus in something like social work, you should be able to walk into a job in UK once trained. I would imagine the social life thing very much depends on the individual. I guess with so many kids living at home while going to Uni there’s less impetus to get out there and be part of the gang in the down time. You could opt for Uni over East, you wouldn’t be trapped in Perth then!

Your first problem is probably going to be that your wife won’t leave her mum so you’re stymied for a return to U.K. before you start. Even if she does say yes, does she have citizenship or could she get a visa? That’s often another stumbling block. I would probably be one of the most pro-Canberra folk on here but, quite honestly, it’s probably not the place to go to “belong” if you’re a Pom although there are several features which make it more like - having the definite seasons is a plus. Canberra is quite an insular place, most families are dual income because of necessity and though you might get more bang for your buck accommodation wise, you might find yourself living out in one of the more soulless suburbs as that is where best house value for money now resides. Canberra also has a bit of a class culture - being a Shiny Bum town there is quite a bit of social chat about “what level are you?” And the associated material one upmanship that goes with it. If you’re not a public servant it might be different I suppose. That aside, it’s a nice enough place to live and work and bring up kids. At least you have the scenery. I’m not sure that there is anywhere in Australia which will help you “belong” because it’s not “home” - I used to think some of the smaller towns would be better but, really, I’m not sure they are. You may be a nomad by inclination in which case just the move will be enough, for the short term - the adventure and thrill of the new. Whilst I far and away prefer U.K. for a whole raft of reasons I don’t cope well with being stuck in one place for any length of time. (I’m in U.K. now, coming up for 7 years quite unexpectedly and I love every minute of being here but I am ready to move on now as I’m not enjoying being trapped caring for a 94 year old parent! Before that, I had 32 years in Canberra with very few solid friendships there, lots of acquaintances but few who I could call at 3am!) There are plenty of us on here who know the feeling of being an alien and most just get on with it because moving on to U.K. is often just too difficult with partners, visas, jobs etc. But left long enough it can deteriorate into exogenous depression which will affect your mental well being and if you sense that being displaced is overwhelming you then get support sooner rather than later (a mental health plan with a CBT or ACT therapist is a good starting point for survival strategies).

Prospective marriage visa is an offshore visa so you’d need to leave to apply for it. It certainly sounds like you’re putting all your eggs in one basket after, what is it, 4 months of long distance contact? Don’t get me wrong, I did much the same 45 years ago but it’s a path fraught with pitfalls. Why not rent out your home, do a WHV for a year - two if you bestir yourself to get your regional work in - then see how the land lies. Having a long distance relationship is quite different from living together and a year should be enough for you to decide whether you want to take on someone you barely know along with her 3 kids. Good luck but belt and braces!!! edited to say, you don’t need an Immigration lawyer, you just need a MARA accredited agent, of which there are several good guys on here.

What LKC said - NSW is huge and there are families living all over, nowhere has the “family friendly” seal of approval ahead of anywhere else. Go where you can get a job but you’d probably not want Strathfield even with quite a long barge pole. Every man and his pup wants to live near the coast so things will be expensive and competition for jobs in those locations will be comparatively harder. If they offer you Inner Sydney it’s because people don’t want to work in that area and it’s expensive anyway. See where else they may offer you then get back to us with is XYZ an ok area to live in?

I’d agree with Marisa, spend the year in Aus then move on. Moving off to Asia then back again seems like going backwards, make it a smooth forward movement. Which direction to move in depends on when you start and whether you go clockwise or anti-clockwise. The Wet in the Far North is probably better avoided but you might not appreciate the cold winters in the south unless you’re into skiing. Don’t forget to put the National Capital on your route though, it’s interesting and often missed by backpackers. Accommodation - take what you can get when and where you want it. Gumtree is a good source for backpackers in Australia. You might even decide to get a camper van, lots of backpackers do. Making the assumption you are a bloke then 70-80 litres Osprey sounds fine. You don’t need to fill it to the brim and it probably won’t be much above the 20kg. I’m still a female backpacker at nearly 70 and my 65 does me just fine. Put everything you plan to take out on the bed then get rid of half of it before you pack. You won’t need nearly as much clothing as you expect and if you do need something you haven’t brought then there’s nothing a credit card won’t fix. If you find yourself accumulating over the year then post yourself parcels home with the spare stuff if you want to keep it. Couple of things with a backpack - get one that has a harness cover so that you don’t have straps dangling everywhere when you get on flights. Also invest in some good packing cubes, I’ve only recently discovered them at my son’s suggestion and I use them all the time now. Have fun.

It’s not Medicare that’s going to be your issue but whether or not you can get a visa. If you get a permanent visa then you’re entitled to Medicare. If you’re unfortunate enough to only get a temporary visa, there is no guarantee that you would get PR and if you are relying on the reciprocal agreement that doesn’t cover everything, only medically necessary interventions and what you may consider necessary might not be what the Medicare schedule thinks necessary. The above two agents are usually recommended and I believe Richard Gregan also has medical specialists working with him too.

Girlfriend or partner? If you can evidence the living together requirement now, put it in now. They’re taking longer than the 2 months they were taking in London earlier this year but a year should be ample.

Anyone know what a Lake George is like at the moment?

No, anywhere in Australia that people actually want to live is going to be tough. The main Eastern states have a sort of points system whereby you may get contracts in really really out of the way places for a few years (Not the migrant image of Australia!) and then you might get some credit for a more desirable area. But you’ve got to get your foot in the door and spend years in Woop Woop before you get to that point and you’re competing with home grown grads with their 4 years and Aussie perspective. No, you won’t get away with just the 3 years although some states may (apparently) give you provisional registration for CRT with a time frame requiring you to do an acceptable 4th year. A lot of people go for a Masters in Special Ed as their 4th year but be aware that it will have to comply with the requirements for supervised practice as a component. I’m afraid your full QTS and 1 year experience will essentially be irrelevant without your 4th year.

You are aware that getting work as a primary teacher in Victoria - even if you were able to complete a 4th year is not easy? Especially not in places where people actually want to live. Many young new Aussie graduate teachers don’t get jobs and seek other careers. Which second language are you qualified in?

Um, NSW isnt an area as such, it's a bloody great state - whereabouts in NSW are you likely to be moving to? You can apply for any job you think you can do but be prepared for a longish wait before you get one, I wouldn't be pinning my hopes on getting something that was like what you have already, just look at your skill set and see if there is anyone out there who is looking for what skills you have to offer. Once you have your visa based on your skills, you are not then obliged to work in the same field.

Probably not going to get much support post school. It rather depends on whether he might be eligible for some support under the rather (currently) dysfunctional NDIS - just having a diagnosis isn’t enough. All colleges have disability support officers but colleges aren’t free for anyone so you will have to pay regular tuition fees. There’s a fair bit out there on possible options but eligibility for programs is quite different in UK and NSW is quite draconian https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/9080/how-to-transition-to-tertiary-education-helpful-hints-for-people-with-autism-spectrum-disorder/ is a good place to start.

Nope. Not just because your daughter was born there. If you want PR you’ll have to look for something else. Did YOU. Have PR when she was born there? If you did you might apply for a RRV. Otherwise, brush up your skills and see if your occupation is on the list.