Marisawright

Not a good idea. There are shonks out there so a cheap agent probably isn't worth using. For most visas, I say use an agent. For a partner visa, maybe not so much. The hard part about a partner visa is not filling out the forms or meeting the requirements, it's providing all the proof of your relationship - and that's something you have to do yourself. If you're feeling fairly confident, you can prepare your application, then pay an agent to check the application, rather than actually prepare the whole thing, which will be cheaper.

Yes, some companies will honour it and some won't. It's a question of ringing around.

A 489 visa? I thought the Down Under Centre was one of the reputable agents but I'm wondering now. That visa no longer exists. There is a 491 visa which replaced the 489. It's what is called a provisional visa. It gives you four years to prove you genuinely want to live in Australia. After three years you can apply for permanent residence, if you meet all the conditions. You do have to live in a regional area (i.e. not in any of the capital cities). It's a visa that is granted by the states. so you need to check each state and see which one is accepting applications from mechanics and what their criteria are.

If there's a special condition then you must meet it.

To stand a chance of getting a visa, you need both qualifications AND experience. So you need to qualify first, then get some experience under your belt, before you can even consider applying. I wouldn't bother with a holiday. When you're on holiday, you tend to get a rosy view of the place wherever you go. So if you're both keen to go, then having a holiday won't affect your decision - just go for it. If your wife isn't keen to go, then a holiday won't be enough to help her decide. Most people just get their visa and go. You book a holiday let for four weeks when you first arrive, to give you time to look for a long-term rental, and you arrive with enough money to survive on for about six months, in case it takes a while to find a job (it's worth mentioning that Australia isn't a young country desperate for workers any more, in fact unemployment is about the same as the UK - so you do need to be realistic about finding work). But like I said, you've got another year or so before you can do much about it.

You have a right to feel frustrated because of course, you trusted the word of your agent. However, in June 2017 there were already over 38,000 applications in the queue and only 6,000 a year being granted - so the question is, why didn't your agent know that in September 2018? Like I said, I know it seems like good money after bad, but I really think your only option is to pay another agent (like Paul above) to have a consultation. If there is a way out of this mess, you need an expert like him to find it. Good luck.

It would be crucial to check that. And as you say, it may be unlikely that the OP will have her visa by the end anyway.

If you have a proper legal lease document on the official form, then I think it's unlikely they'll call her. Maybe she is not declaring the income on her tax.

No hospital is going to offer you a job before you have a visa. After all, the whole process is going to take over a year - what employer can afford to keep a job open for that length of time?

That is very true, however in @Mad4daSun's wife's case, her type of role would be in the head offices of large corporations, 99% of which are in Sydney or Melbourne. In Brisbane there's Suncorp, but not much else. If she is willing to change career direction and work as an accountant in the interests of work/life balance, then i agree there would be opportunities outside the big cities.

No, that's what we're saying. Your visa will not be through, because your agent was wrong. They allow only about 6,000 cases every year. There was a big influx of applications n 2016, so by the end of June 2017, there were over 38,500 parent visa applications in the queue. So, even just to process the cases up to June 2017 is going to take over 6 years. So you could be looking at 7 or 8 years. What do you mean by a working visa? If she chooses the right university course in Australia, then she might be able to get a Graduate visa (which is a working visa) for a year to 18 months. Then she might be able to get a skilled visa in her own right - assuming her occupation is still on the list, the rules haven't changed and she can score enough points. If she can't qualify for a skilled visa, then she can get another year or two by getting a Working Holiday Visa. With all that, she might be able to stretch things out until your visa comes through - but by that time, she's no longer dependent on you, so she loses her right to be included on your visa. If she can't get a skilled visa, she'll be flying home just as you're arriving.

Yes you can put your car in the container, but it's not worth it for most cars. It's not just the paperwork, it's the fact that the car may need modifications to satisfy Australian laws. So unless it's a very special car, it won't be worthwhile. If you don't need a full container, look into Movecube (by Seven Seas). They come in three different sizes. If you're trying to decide what's worth shipping, a good tip is to do a "pretend" shop and see what it would cost to buy new furniture etc. when you arrive. Just go through the store and "Add to Cart" everything you'll need, then go and look at the checkout amount. We found it's well worth taking all the small stuff - pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, bedlinen, towels, kitchen equipment etc. It's amazing how quickly the cost mounts up when you have to replace it. Check out target.com.au and petersofkensington.com.au For furniture and whitegoods, check harveynorman.com.au, appliancesonline.com.au, ikea.com.au

Indeed. And since her university course would only be three years, there's a good chance she'll graduate before you get your visa, and then what will she do? Is your daughter really keen to move to Australia, or do you think she doesn't really want to move anyway? It would be worth looking through some of the threads here about parents' visas so you can get an idea of how things are moving: https://www.pomsinoz.com/topic/50481-the-brand-new-pio-parents-visa-thread/?page=872 https://www.pomsinoz.com/topic/207694-parent-visa-application-timelines-143-173/?page=22

Well it certainly won’t be 2022. Your daughter could potentially get a student visa to do her uni in Australia, if she could live with your other child. But that leaves you stuck in the UK on your own. No easy answer I’m afraid.

It's a brand new visa, so very few people have been through the process yet.

I’m questioning the credentials of your agent if they told you that you’d get your visa in 2 years. People who applied in 2015 are just getting their visas now, and the queue has slowed down even more since then. You likely have at least another 4 years wait. Unfortunstely, you can’t just decide that you’d rather wait onshore than offshore. You may need to withdraw your application, go to Australia on a tourist visa and submit a new application. The snag to that is how to keep your daughter in education for another 6 years or so. Even now, that could be a problem. I think having a consultation with Pail would be a wise move

If you don’t need a full container, Movecube (by Seven Seas) is your best bet

Yes it is 12 months of inactivity but I’m not sure what constitutes activity

I know a lot of people who revel in the Queensland weather (winters are gorgeous), but I'm like your wife - I simply can't cope with humidity and if I'm in Queensland in the summer, I have to become a hermit in the air-conditioning for most of January and February (and before all the Queenslanders pile in to tell me it's not that bad - you don't think it's that bad because you don't have my intolerance to humidity). Having said that, I did work in Brisbane for most of one summer. Offices and public spaces are well-supplied with air conditioning and if your house has air-con, shady verandas and a pool, you can survive. In that sense, it's probably not that different from surviving the depths of the Canadian winter. Sydney is astronomical for housing. Melbourne prices are about two-thirds of Sydney prices, and everywhere else is much cheaper. Unfortunately your wife will struggle to find work in her field anywhere outside those cities, I think.

I think Paul is talking about a 491 visa. It's designed to encourage migrants to live and work in regional areas where workers are really needed (most migrants flock to the capital cities). It's a provisional visa for four years (i.e. you don't have permanent residence). After three years, you can convert to a permanent visa (and it can take another year for that to be processed). By that time, the government is hoping you feel so settled that you won't want to move. Each state has its own rules and requirements, so it will depend which state is looking for your skills. There are several agents who are generous with their advice on these forums which to me, is always a good sign. Paul (who replied to your post) is one of them. Whatever you decide, don't delay, as 45 is the cutoff age for migration.

If both your names are on the lease, that is just as strong evidence as owning a house.

I think that's a fine attitude if you've got some money behind you, so you can afford to take the financial hit if it doesn't work out.

I suggest getting on LinkedIn to see if you can make some contacts. Also check Seek.com.au for suitable roles, then note the names of the agencies or companies which are advertising those roles.

At least they're honest! On these forums we've seen some people who'got really bad advice from their accountants. The problem is that it doesn't really work to have one person do the British tax and another person do the UK tax - you need someone who's experienced with both. If you're renting out your UK home then it all gets very complicated so I'd recommend speaking to someone like @Alan Collett. I know @Ken is a British accountant who moved to Melbourne, not sure if he's practising or not.

Your question is contradictory. First you say it's not a requirement to have a job offer, then you say it is. Which is it?