Marisawright

The correct wording is that you MIGHT get on to the 186 potentially, IF your partner's employment lasts the distance and IF the employer is still willing to sponsor him (there's no legal obligation, no matter what they promise), and IF the occupation is still on the lists and IF they haven't changed the criteria. That's a lot of "if's". Every year we see more and more occupations removed from the list and you can't predict which ones (who'd have thought they'd remove Automotive Electricians this year, for instance?). So in three years' time you could well find you're not eligible. So the 482 is a gamble - one worth taking if you've got no ties and can afford a short-term adventure, but you'd be wise to assume that's all it is, and plan accordingly. Then if you do manage to get PR at the end, it's a bonus - but if you end up going home, you haven't burned your bridges.

Since having your child in Australia with you is such a vitally important thing, I suggest you engage a migration agent to give you their professional advice. You don't want to make decisions like this on the basis of forum posts. My own concern would be that the onus is on you to prove your child is truly dependent. If he's 19, not in education and has no illnesses or disabilities that would prevent him working, then the question would be, why is he not working? I know it's because he's with you in Australia with no work rights, but the point is, he could easily be back in the UK supporting himself with a job and/or benefits, so there's no real need for him to be dependent on you. Therefore to be on the safe side, I'd get him into some kind of training or further education asap.

482 is a temporary visa for 2 to 4 years and only a slim chance you might get PR after that.

If she's aiming for a big corporate job, then you're right Sydney is the only place in NSW because that's where all the big head offices are. However to offset that, houses in Sydney are at least double the price of houses everywhere else in NSW. Plus the fact that Sydney is awash with accountants - if your wife is at the top end of her profession she'll be fine, but there's huge competition in the low to middle ranks. There is a demand for accountants in the regional cities because so many are drawn to Sydney. Newcastle is the next biggest city, with an enviable lifestyle for young families. There are some prestigious private schools in other regional cities who need accountants. Worth keeping an eye out.

With only 75 points, not a chance, I'm afraid.

I think this is true. It's partly due to pets being left on the tarmac and partly because most pet owners wouldn't realise the risks on a domestic flight and probably wouldn't seek their vet's advice or engage a pet moving agency - they'd just put their dog on the plane with no special preparations.

thanks for that, I hadn't heard of it before. This review seems quite positive, though the complaints about customer service in the comments are a worry: https://moneycheck.com/revolut-review/ Not available to Australians though.

The laws change all the time, but they change to make it more difficult, not to make it easier, I'm afraid. Anyway, as I replied on the other thread, all you wasted was your chance to have a nice working holiday in Australia. You didn't waste your chance to migrate, because you don't have the skills and therefore no employer could have offered you permanent work.

@Dorsetbrit, what business are you in? The North Coast of NSW is a lovely area with some gorgeous beaches and several nice smaller cities, and you can be within a few hours' easy drive of Brisbane. People often make the mistake of thinking that if they're coming to NSW they must come to Sydney, but it's not the case.

Sadly, if you've used even part of your WHV, you can't get another one. You say you took the WHV to look for work. I'm guessing you'd heard the stories about going to Australia on a WHV, finding a job, and then the employer is so pleased with you that he sponsors you for a permanent visa. It may be a comfort to know that it doesn't work like that. It's one of those myths that goes around. It does happen occasionally, but it's very rare. That's because employer-sponsored visas have the same rules as the other visas you mention. Employers can't sponsor just anybody for any job. The work must be on the government's list of skilled work, and the employee must have the exact qualifications and experience specified by that list. Young people on a WHV don't usually have enough experience to qualify, so it's very rare for a WHV-er to manage it (those that do have usually waited till their late twenties to do the WHV). In your case it would've been impossible. Besides, employer-sponsored visas nowadays are just temporary, so you only get another 2 to 4 years in Australia, then you might be able to apply for a permanent visa but it's not guaranteed.

What a pickle. I'd say your first step should be to consult a migration agent like @Raul Senise or @paulhand. A good agent will know whether there are any special measures you can take, much better than wasting time asking around on forums and perhaps missing a better option. Best of luck

What about if you're using an overseas card? We used our cards at checkouts but we never tried to see if the cashback worked, or if there was a charge associated

However the ATM's are not free if you have an overseas card. If you have an account with ING, ING refunds you the fee within a few hours of the transaction. I'm not aware of any other bank that refunds the fee.

What Vic said. You really need to have some experience under your belt before you stand a chance of success

That's completely unreasonable. It's very unlikely the valuer has such a full schedule that he can't arrange another time. I suggest ringing up Fair Trading and asking them what the rules are in each state.

Do you have any preferences about where to live? What's attracting you to living and working in the UK (that might give us some clues which areas would satisfy your goals)

Zoopla

You can't open a British bank account until you have a legal address in the UK. There are banks and agencies that say they'll open an account for you but it's just a con - all they do is allocate an account number. You still have to go through exactly the same rigmarole when you arrive in the UK, so there's no benefit. You might as well wait and choose a bank that's handy for you. You will need to show them an official document (like a lease agreement, a bank statement, an electricity bill or a rental invoice) that's been posted to your UK address, before they will activate your bank account. As it can take some time to get that organised, you will need to use your Australian bank account for some time after you arrive. If you already bank with ING, that's easy because there's no charge for using your cards in British ATM's and shops. If you don't bank with ING, then I suggest you change banks before you go.

Are you going to move there for good, or is this just a working holiday?

I think when people say you don't have residency, they don't mean legal residency. They mean that you're not settled in the UK yet. Employers aren't likely to offer you a job while you're in Australia, because they don't know how long you'll take to arrive and find a place to live You might accept the job, then arrive and find you can't find an affordable flat, or you find you don't like that city after all and don't want to stay - and then the employer has wasted time holding the job for you. You'll stand a much better chance once you're actually in the UK and able to say "I'll start work straight away". By the way I assume you have Australian citizenship too?

This is the only website I know that has reviews of Australian suburbs: https://www.homely.com.au/find-places Homely also has listings for sale or rent but I find realestate.com.au is better for that. Your best bet is to book a holiday let or AirBnB in a central area when you first arrive, and look around. It's very hard to judge what areas are like before you arrive. Even if you get recommendations, another person's choice might not suit you. Nothing beats getting in the car and driving around.

Indeed. That has been the case for a long time, actually. I think there's a lingering perception, especially in the UK, that Australia is crying out for new migrants. It's part of British folklore - so many British families have aunts or great-uncles or cousins who went out to Australia and made good. The reality is that Australia is now a developed country like any other, able to supply its own workforce, and just needing to cherry-pick professionals from other countries when it has a shortage. So it should be no surprise that its immigration policies are falling into line with other developed countries like the UK or the US.

I suggest you take Paul's advice and consult an agent. Paul offers a free initial consultation and most reputable agents do too. That will give you a solid base to start from. You may have to accept that the best you can do is live in another state for several years, with a view to ultimately relocating to WA. I'm wondering how it came about that your parents live in Australia but you don't have a visa already?

I think you need to keep this in proportion. This is one case. It's very sad but it is only one case. You say you recall another case "ages ago", but have you considered how many thousands of dogs Qantas has flown safely since then? There may have been a lack of commonsense and care by those particular Qantas staff on that particular day, but clearly it's not the norm or we would have hundreds of such cases being reported. The statistics show that less than 1% of all animals die in transit and Qantas is no worse than any other airline. The journalist tried to dig up another example, but all they could find was a bulldog which died in transit, with no suggestion the airline mistreated that dog. Bulldogs are high risk. The owner admits he had no idea of the risks of flying a bulldog (even though he must have signed the waiver Qantas gave him!), so it's likely he didn't get his vet's help to prepare the dog for the flight. The reality is that flying is a highly stressful experience for any dog. Most dogs survive it, get over the ordeal and live happily ever after. Some dogs are left with PTSD, just like a human who's gone through a trauma. And some die.

To clarify what Raul said: If you can find an employer to sponsor you, you could get a TSS 482 visa, which will let you work in Australia for 2 to 4 years. After three years, and assuming the rules haven't changed again by then, you may be able to apply for a permanent visa (no guarantee you'll get one). If you're single, it's worth the gamble. If it doesn't work out, you'll be out of pocket but you'll have had an adventure. If you're married with kids, then I wouldn't risk it, frankly. If something goes wrong with the TSS visa (say, the business goes bust or you get retrenched), you'll be thrown out of the country in 90 days and the government won't care that it disrupts the kids' education or that you don't have a home to go back to.