Marisawright

@Yvonne04, I'm afraid it's not as simple as filling in an application form. It's a highly competitive process and while thousands apply, only a small proportion succeed (and you don't get your money back if you fail). Your best approach is to book a consultation with a migration agent (it can be on the phone). All the good agents offer free initial consultation. They will give you an honest opinion of what your chances are. Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matilda.

To get a skilled visa, you need qualifications AND experience. So you have two choices - stay in the UK until you've gained enough experience, or grab the WHV while you have the chance (though that will depend when the borders open - will late next year be too late for you?). If you can get the necessary registrations before you go, having a year's Australian experience could be very useful when you get to the point of applying for permanent jobs in Australia in the future. I suggest booking a consultation with a migration agent to discover what qualifications and experience you'll need for the permanent visa, then you'll know where you stand.

I am only guessing, but I think they would revisit those applications because of the new circumstances. Lots of unemployed cooks here now

If you weren't supposed to be working, then you can't include that job in your employment history. If you were illegal, you were probably being paid under the counter anyway so there will be no record.

It could well be. I'm in my sixties now and have never got tired of Australia, but I didn't move here for adventure in the first place - I'd already had a few. The questions to ask yourself are (and sorry, yes, it is a bit morbid): Am I looking forward to growing old in Australia? Am I happy at the thought of being buried in Australian soil? If your reaction to those questions is strongly negative, then for goodness sake, find a way to go home. The more you let the years go by, the harder and harder it will get. In your early fifties, you'll get to the point where it's too late to establish yourself back in the UK, because you'll lose too much financially (pensions etc). The sooner you go back, the longer you'll have to create a new life in the UK - and remember, you don't have to go back to where you came from. Different parts of the UK offer very different experiences.

No, it's not high demand. I've known Working Holiday Visa holders in Melbourne who have managed to do supply teaching, but it wasn't reliable. Out in the regional areas, it's hard to get supply teachers due to the distances involved, so they've got used to managing without. Instead, the existing teachers are expected to teach - not just cover - classes in the most unlikely subjects. That was the thing my (now ex-)husband hated about working in country Victoria. He's a science teacher but ended up having to teach things like history and life skills.

Well, that's the approach New Zealand is taking and at the moment, it looks like Australia is likely to follow that route. There's talk of a "bubble" with the borders opening between New Zelaand and other covid-free countries, possibly in September - which at one time would've included Australia, though that's not looking good right now. IThe UK has 400-700 cases a day spread over the whole country. We've got over 200 cases a day in one city, and virtually none anywhere else. The rest of the country is quarantining that city (which is where I live) and that makes sense IMO.

...in theory yes, but remember that NSW tried that and found there was widespread cheating - and that's why we've ended up with the system we have now. Another case of idiots spoiling it for the rest of us.

I'm sure it wasn't Dan's job to go and visit every hotel to check what the security company was up to. Have you ever worked in a large company? The CEO takes the fall, sure, but he's already got a full-time job - he has to rely on his departments to award the contracts and put systems in place. They are supposed to be the experts.

I think that's very likely. Many restaurants and cafés are suffering from the closures and may not open again, so there will be less need for migrants with hospitality skills. There is currently high unemployment in hospitality and it's likely to continue after the pandemic, so there will be plenty of Australians looking for those hospitality work. I don't know what the government will do, but they may require employers to try again to find an Australian to do the job.

I don’t think that’s fair. Victoria has everything just as much under control as NSW until this current spike. And let’s remember, the security guard infection wouldn’t have been much of a problem if stupid people hadn’t been having parties

You need a MARA registered migration agent. Paul Hand, who replied to your post, has a good reputation. The 482 visa is a relatively recent visa, which replaced the old 457. The 457 had a self-sponsorship option. Being so new, there's not much track record for 482 applications, but I believe the requirements for self-sponsorship set the bar so high it's almost unachievable.

Any of the agents who post regularly on these forums is a good bet. The fact that they're willing to offer free advice here is a good sign, IMO. Try Go Matilda or Suncoast Migration.

Passing the medical is a condition of the visa. If they fail the medical, the visa will be refused and they will have to leave the country. There is a special medical visa that they might be able to apply for then, if they are too frail to return to their home country

I know, but it's not fair to blame Australia for your situation. All countries have a right to restrict entry and many are much stricter than Australia. It's always tough when a family gets split but the fact is that somewhere along the way, one member of that famliy made the decision to create that split. Even when I migrated 35 years ago, I knew there was little chance that any members of my family would be able to join me, so no one can claim ignorance.

That makes sense. The media kept quoting daily figures (e.g. "50 a day") and I thought that was stupid - no airline is going to fly a 300-seat aeroplane to Australia with only 50 passengers on board, so clearly it's going to be two or three flights per week.

Well, ScoMo obviously does. When he made the announcement, he said that citizens had been given plenty of time to come home already. I guess I might've made the same comment if I wasn't a member of these forums and seen how complicated it can get.

Why does it need bravery? Maybe answering that question will help you decide. This may not be relevant to you, but sometimes the obstacles are more psychological than real. For instance, deep down, you may feel that you put everyone through so much angst because moving to Australia was SO important to you, and now you're coming home after all - how embarrassing! And you know there will be British friends who'll say, "but how could you leave that life? What a dream! You must be crazy!" - because to Brits, Australia is a land of golden sand and endless sun and they have no idea. Don't let either of those things put you off.

The reason I ask is because you say things like "in a suburb in Vic" when Victoria is a whole state, not a city. That, to me, suggests you have little concept of the size of the area or what it's like. Maybe it was just careless wording, but that's the impression it gave me. Sydney/Brisbane/Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast are very, very different from Victoria - as you'd expect, when you consider that the distance from Sydney to Melbourne is about the same as the distance from London to Inverness. And therefore the climate is just as different. And because Victoria is bigger than the whole of the United Kingdom, it's almost impossible to give meaningful answers. I'd suggest you look at Geelong.

I have to say, I find myself wondering why you're so keen to move to Australia, because you seem to have little or no idea what the country is like?

When you say "in a suburb in Vic", that's like saying "in a suburb in the United Kingdom", because that's how big Victoria is! It has a fraction of the population, but in square miles, it's larger - and the climate and culture vary just as much as the UK within those borders. Victoria is the furthest south of the Australian mainland states, so the weather isn't what you see on Home & Away. There are some great beaches along the Great Ocean Road, but they're wild surf beaches rather than safe places for kids to play. Here are some ideas: https://www.visitmelbourne.com/things-to-do/nature-and-wildlife/beaches-and-coastlines/family-friendly-beaches Because you work in health, you're lucky that you could work in some of the smaller cities and towns, rather than having to live in Melbourne (which is the second most expensive city in Australia).

Again, that may be true in your particular industry, but in other industries, there's likely to be a drop in demand. So another reason why they need some time to do a review.

I'm not sure I agree. It's advice that works well for a retired couple with enough money to finance a costly relocation twice within the space of a few years. It's not so simple for a working couple. I'm not sure it would be wise for a surgeon to chop and change jobs like that - it would make him look uncommitted to Australia and would influence his chances of getting a good position if they decided to move back. My own view is that people who are very close to family shouldn't migrate, because it will never feel right - you can replace a lot of things in life, but not family time. Most successful migrants are people like me, who were fairly independent of their families before they ever left the UK. @Lynne shenfine, it sounds as though you don't think of Australia as your forever home, so it's not a question of "should we stay or go?", it's a case of "We're going to go home, so when is the best time?" I would say now is the best time, because your children are still young enough that it won't disrupt their education. You could delay a bit longer, but I'd certainly be moving before your oldest child goes to secondary school. But it may be better to do it earlier, before they've all had time to become little Aussies. The more accustomed they get to Australia, the more likely they are to want to return as adults. You don't want to find yourself in the position your parents are in now...

Yes, there are several occupations like that, where the need won't change. But they don't know that till they do the review, I guess

I don't think that's what he's saying. Let's take the hospitality industry as an example. While we had a shortage of chefs before the pandemic, we're likely to have a glut of them after, because it's believed many restaurants won't survive. Hairdressers were on the list, ditto. Lots of other examples. That's why a review is necesssary.