Marisawright

I have been on these forums for some years. There are several agents here, and two or three of them are very generous with their advice, including Paul. If a situation is simple and straightforward, they'll give you a simple answer. I've seen it time and again. Naturally, they have to be cautious because as professionals, they can be sued if someone considers their advice is wrong. So if they can see some potential snags, they'll give a more cautious answer and recommend you see an agent. I can assure you, that's what's happened here. And I'm basing that judgment on several years observing these forums, whereas you're basing your opinion on a bad experience with a dodgy migration agent, and one post on the forums. So pull your head in.

So he did not include you in his application? You can now apply for a partner visa, but it will go against you if he did not record your relationship in his application.

If she was transferred with a 457 visa, then that is irrelevant to you. The 457 no longer exists. Of course it is useful for you, if you want to go to Australia. But the government has designed the 482 visa for short-term labour shortages, they do not want you to stay. So if you are hoping to transfer to a permanent visa later, be prepared for a hard road. If your employer does not hire a migration agent to manage the application, then it is probably a lost cause. They need to hire an agent, then the agent will be able to tell you if you meet the criteria.

That’s a foolish attitude. If you are included in his application as a partner, you still get your own separate visa which then remains valid even if you split up. So you get no advantage at all from applying in your own right

I think it’s just that Melbourne people are different. I’ve found them less materialistic and less judgmental than Sydneysiders

I do hope it's not Australia. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but let's face it - if you've ping-ponged twice and it didn't work, the third time isn't going to be any different. Do you think it's because you and your husband are looking for different things? Maybe one of you prefers Oz and the other is happier in the UK, so whichever one you choose, somebody can't settle?

You can do an international transfer with your own bank, but do check what the fee is - they can be extortionate. If you use a company like Moneycorp, you can save a lot on fees. You need to open an account with them (and you'll get a better deal if you join by clicking on their ad in these forums). Then you transfer the amount into your Moneycorp account (and it can sit there as long as you like), and then you give them her bank account details and they'll send it to her.

Why do you think it works so well for you, yet so many people struggle? I know four people who've moved there. One is a single mum who moved back to be with family, two moved to Darwin because of their husband's work. All three of those women found it very, very hard and were frequently in tears of despair. The other was a single man in his thirties who also hated it. Does it depend on how well-off you are, which suburbs you live in, age - any ideas?

The visa system has changed since 5 years ago. You don't say what kind of visa your colleague had. If it was a permanent one, that is not practical for you because the waiting time is too long nowadays. If it was a temporary one, that visa (the 457) no longer exists. There is a new visa, a 482, which allows you to move to Australia for 2 or 4 years to work for your employer. After that, you may be able to move on to a permanent visa (or renew the temp one). The employer will need to hire a MARA registered migration agent to assist them in preparing all the paperwork, as it is complex. That agent should be able to tell them whether they are able to sponsor you, given your qualifications and experience. For this visa, it is the employer who should be driving the process and providing you assistance and information on what you need to do - not the other way around! The 482 visa is for the employer's benefit (to fill a role) not for your benefit.

To get a partner visa, you must prove you have been together in the equivalent of marriage for at least 12 months. It doesn't matter whether you're married or de facto, it's the twelve months' evidence of your relationship that matters. Note that you cannot count the period while you were dating or engaged, no matter how committed you were. "The equivalent of marriage" means that you're living together, that your finances are shared, that you have joint names on things like a lease or a mortgage, you're named each other as principal beneficiary for your super fund, your will etc. If you can't provide strong evidence of the full 12 months, then getting married won't make any difference.

It depends how long you lived in the UK before you left. If you paid NI contributions in the UK then you may well be eligible for a part pension from the UK govt. When you retire, Centrelink will insist you claim any British pension first, before they calculate what you get from the Australian pension. http://www.britishpensions.org.au/pension-guidelines.htm

You should give the RRV a try first. You need to demonstrate "strong ties of benefit to Australia" and it may be that a job offer could be seen as benefiting Australia. Maybe see a migration agent and see what you could do, if anything, to strengthen your case. Worth the money if you really want to go back. Word of caution, though - I hope you have "convinced" your husband, and that's it's not a euphemism for "I've nagged him into surrendering". There's nothing more likely to break up a marriage than forcing your other half to move countries. Was he unhappy/homesick the last time you lived in WA? Some people are just not made to be migrants.

I'm not sure why that's crossed out - but if you really meant it, then that kind of statement is EXACTLY why I tell people the facts. If you can read advice about the downsides of migration and you still want to come to Australia, then you're likely to be a successful migrant. If you dismiss such advice as mere "negativity", then you're probably chasing an unrealistic dream and are heading for a massive disappointment and an expensive mistake. By all means, make plans to come to Australia, but make sure your expectations are realistic, especially if they are based on rose-tinted memories of working holidays, or worse, TV programs. I like living in Australia - it happens to suit my personality and my lifestyle. It doesn't suit everyone. Australia is a first world country like any other. It has good points and bad points. It is neither better nor worse than the UK. Just take a browse round these forums and you'll find large numbers of people who moved here and loved it - but also, equally large numbers of people who moved here and hated it!

I don’t believe in telling people what they want to hear, especially if they’re likely to bet their future on it.

Upcoming mining boom? The current government is strongly anti immigration so I wouldn’t get your hopes up

I'm not sure why it would be GOOD to know, since I've just told you there's a fairly high risk you wouldn't be able to get PR after the three years? Basically, if you want PR and you are eligible to apply for a 189 or 190 now, you'd be much much better to apply for one of those visas. Yes, you'll have a waiting period, but at the end of it, you'll have a long-term visa. Go for the TSS and in three years' time you'll be facing another period of "moving goalposts", stuck on a bridging visa for months or even years, uncertain where your future lies. Also bear in mind that on a TSS you're at the mercy of the employer (if you leave the job, you lose the visa), so be sure you check them out thoroughly. Sadly, some employers take advantage of temporary visa holders because they know you don't want to go home. Also, of course, if the employer goes bust, then you'll be on the plane home, too.

To say PR is "avaliable" is a bit misleading. After 3 years, you can APPLY for PR. However, that assumes your occupation is still on the list in 3 years time, and that they haven't changed the age limits or the qualifications required or any other parameters. To be clear, you have to qualify for PR under the rules as they are at the time you apply for PR, NOT what they were when you got your TSS visa. Many, many people have been caught out by that and have ended up having to go home - because the rules are tightening all the time, and without warning. If you're single, then you've got nothing much to lose by going the TSS/PR route, but if you have a family, I wouldn't risk it.

This should be a sticky somewhere, sums it up perfectly!

No

Irrelevant, you still chose it if your own free will

Never been homesick in over 30 years. I think anyone who has bouts of homesickness is probably in the wrong place and needs to go home, but I appreciate that’s difficult for those in mixed marriages

What Cal said. Most reputable agents will give you a free initial consultation (avoid the ones that don’t)

You can’t renew it because it never expires

The courts do not care whether it is fair or not, all they can consider is whether it breaks the law. If you are rich enough to throw your money away on a case so you can make a point, feel free to do so.

What does bravery have to do with it? If the Department did not breach any laws, then you have no case. Being brave will make no difference.