Marisawright

You could not apply for the partner visa because you are not married yet, nor are you de facto. As I understand it, you are currently dating, in a committed relationship and planning to marry? In that case I suggest you look into the Prospective Marriage Visa. There's no need to provide evidence of joint finances for a Prospective Marriage Visa, since many people planning to marry have a religious objection to cohabitation before marriage. However I would strongly suggest you use a MARA registered agent to prepare the application. It's true an agent can't change the facts, BUT they know what Immigration expects and can advise you exactly what evidence will be most effective, and present the strongest case possible. I think that's particularly important in your case, because (as I'm sure you know) there is a lot of fraud involving "mail order brides" from Eastern Europe and Asia, so Immigration is likely to be more cautious about a long-distance relationship involving women from those regions. So you need to be sure your case is watertight.

No, there's no leniency in the process. They are looking for reasons to refuse you, so you need to have as much evidence as possible. However, those online lists are only examples of the kind of proof they want, they're not compulsory. You just have to find other ways to prove your relationship, if you don't have the usual things (like leases and bills). For instance, even if you don't have a lease or own your home, you both live at the same address and can show the electoral roll, bills etc in your individual names with the same address on them. What do you mean by "we do not have any mutual friends"? They don't have to be close friends with both of you, they just have to know both of you and know that you're a couple. So for instance, if your best friend has met your boyfriend from time to time and knows you live together, that would qualify as a "mutual friend"- even if she doesn't like him much! Finally, if you have a relationship that's out of the ordinary, you would be very wise to hire a MARA registered migration agent to put your case together for you. It will cost money, but if you don't and you're refused, you'll have spent the application fee for nothing.

I agree with Raul. In fact I suggest you consult him for professional advice. Usually if you get a new visa, the old visa is cancelled and you don't have it any more. I have no idea if that applies to you.

I thought you were looking at the 489 visa? That is a state sponsored visa and I don't think Queensland requires you to have a job lined up? If you are looking for a work sponsor, then that's a different visa and it's only a temporary one for two to four years, then you go home. Then there's a possibility that you may be able to apply for a permanent visa but it's far from guaranteed and it's a very stressful process. It used to be a common way of getting PR but the government is making it harder and harder to do so every year. If you're thinking that you'll find an employer who's willing to pay for your relocation, then apply for the 489, I wouldn't get your hopes up. It can be a long processing time to get the 489. How many employers will be willing to offer you a job then keep that job open for months and months with no idea when you're likely to turn up?

I know what I meant, I can’t help it if you didn’t get my meaning. Looks like Toots has no problem understanding my intent. it is unfortunate because it means you’ve never addressed the issue that I did mean to raise

It wasn’t intended as the answer to your first point, it was intended as a response to the whole statement, taken in the context of the entire discussion. My apologies for expressing myself in a manner that you didn’t find clear

I didn’t say they didn’t sell up. I said they didn’t come to Australia to TRY IT OUT. They came determined to make it work

Oh rubbish. What if we go and live on the Riviera? What if I go and join the circus? We all have daydreams pf places we’d like to go or things we’d like to do but we know they’re not sensible so we get over it.

No, they didn't. They arrived with a determination to make a go of it, come what may. And they stuck it out even though it wasn't always easy. That's totally different from attitudes like, "Let's give it a go, we can always come home if we don't like it", or "Nothing's forever, we'll never know if we don't try". The times are different too. They came to an Australia with abundant opportunity, cheap housing, plenty of jobs. Nowadays Australia has some of the most expensive housing in the world and unemployment problems like any other developed country. I love living in Australia but I count myself lucky that I arrived when it was an easy place to settle.

If you do not find a new employer, your 457 will be cancelled and you will have to leave the country.

I would say yes. We talk about a "queue" for the visa, but it's not really a queue, it's a competition. The people with the most points get priority. So, say you've only got 70 points and people are applying every day with 75 points, you're never going to get picked because they'll leapfrog you. Therefore more points is always better.

I think that's a good attitude if you're single or a couple with no kids. Trouble is, a lot of migrants are couples with two or three children. They've already got a fully-furnished home in the UK, which they have to sell with all the associated costs, and they either have to ship all the furniture, or sell it at a fraction of the value and buy every stick again when they arrive in Australia. Unlike people without kids, they can't camp with minimal furniture or make-do in a one-bedder until they decide whether they like it, or hop around the country looking for work. And then if they don't like it, the same again in the other direction. All up, "trying it" would cost the average family at least $60,000, and very likely a lot more. We had someone post recently who says it's cost them $90 000 so far. For most people, that is a lot of money to throw away on a "I might as well give it a go" attitude.

WRussell is a reputable agent and I recommend you contact him as suggested. Since time is of the essence and this is important to you, it's really not worth wasting time trying to find answers on forums.

You just drive your car to Sydney on the existing plates and sort it out once you’re settled. You can’t transfer the regó until you have a permanent address in Sydney For a removalist, we used the Blue Mexican and they were excellent

I think the question you need to an yourself is, why do you want to emigrate? Years ago, Australia had cheap housing, good salaries and plenty of work. Now housing is very expensive, wages have been stagnant for years and unemployment is about the same as the UK. Home and Away is filmed in an area where the houses cost several million dollars each, so most of the characters couldn’t afford to live there in real life. I like living in Australia but there are pluses and minuses in both countries, I wouldn’t say Australia is “better”. So, considering it will cost you a big chunk of your savings, you need to be sure your reasons are good and your expectations are realistic How old are you? Could you get a working holiday visa to try it out?

If the occupation is not on any of the lists, then it is impossible.

I agree, very few people would have the money to do several visits before making the decision to move. Besides, coming for a week or two is never enough time to really get the feel for the place - and employers are only able to say, "yes, you've got the skills and IF we have a vacancy when you arrive, we'd certainly consider you".

It is high but just try adding up the other costs: air fares, temp accommodation, shipping costs (or totally refitting your whole house when you arrive), holiday flat for 4 weeks, rental bond, buying a car (more expensive in Oz) plus registration and insurance, school stuff for kids, surviving while you look for a job. VeryStormy was referring to the comparison.

Yes, but the majority of permanent migrants don't have a job to go to, and hence they have to pay all those costs themselves, plus support themselves until they find work. Most people who get employer sponsorships are arriving on temp visas like teh 482, and the pathway to PR from there is becoming more and more precarious. Anyway, I think the OP was talking about state-sponsored visas, where some states insist on you having "sufficient funds" and some don't.

Just to note, if you don't have a job to go to, the current advice is to assume it will take six months to find work and to have enough savings to keep you going for that length of time. Finding a job in Australia is, if anything, slightly more difficult than finding work in the UK these days as unemployment rates are much the same and you will be an "incomer" with no "Aussie experience".

It's not a right. You were never promised that you would definitely get a permanent visa. The promise was that if you fulfilled the requirements, you could apply for a permanent visa - not that you were guaranteed to get one. Unfortunately, many people convince themselves otherwise and make decisions as if it was a permanent move. It is unacceptable that the waiting times for all visas are so ridiculously long, but petitions are not likely to have any effect. The current government is anti-immigration, so it has no motivation to give the Immigration department funding for extra staffing, which they need because of the number of applications and all the extra work involved in more rigorous security checks.

I can understand your concerns about living in or near London. My sister and my niece both live in the commuter belt (my sister in Binfield and my niece in Weybridge). They are nice areas but their lifestyles are hectic due to the commuting and the traffic. If you'll be an hour away from your family anyway, what about Amsterdam? I've always found travelling through Schiphol far more pleasurable than any of the London airports, to the point where I always fly to Aberdeen or Edinburgh via Amsterdam instead of London when I go back to visit my folks in Scotland. Amsterdam is a more compact, more laid-back city and practically everyone speaks excellent English. Being in early primary, your children would pick up the language without stress and learning a second language at that age has been shown to be beneficial, so it would be a good move for them (two of my nieces moved to Germany at that age and they thrived). I don't know what your own chances of employment would be, though. I don't think you can use logic to decide whether to move back or not. The question to ask yourself is, "If someone told me I had to stay in Australia till I die, how would I feel?" If your heart sinks at the thought, there's your answer. Because you have children, delaying your return by more than a few years could well mean getting stuck in Australia. Move your children now and though there's bound to be an initial upset over losing friends, they will adapt quickly, and will grow up thinking of the UK as home, just like you do. Wait until your children are tweens or teens and have become ingrained in the Aussie way of life, with an established circle of friends, and you're setting yourself up for a future where your kids are more likely to leave you and return to Australia when they're adults. It's true that whatever you do, your adult children may move away anyway - but by giving them an Aussie childhood which will grow ever more rose-coloured in their memories as they grow older, you're stacking the dice against them staying with you!

Well, it's not really that tough when you consider what you get. Your partner gets the right to stay in Australia, with full working rights, without having to go through any checking processes. For all Immigration knows, he could be faking the relationship so he can extend his stay. You're both pretty lucky they allow that. Some other countries would make him go home, apply offshore and wait to be approved.

I would take Raul's advice and engage an agent (maybe Raul himself?) because it sounds like you'd be sailing very close to the wind of you try to go this route. Even if you can manage to meet the criteria as they are now, there is absolutely NO guarantee the rules will still be the same in three years' time. In the time I've been on these forums, I've seen many members move to Australia on a temp contract (either 482 or the old 457), planning to apply for PR. Then a few months before they're eligible to apply, the government changes the rules and suddenly they're no longer eligible. They have no choice but to go back to the UK - and they find themselves back where they started, but financially worse off. The government has proved, over and over again, that it gives NO consideration to how their frequent changes affect existing visa holders or those waiting in queues, and I don't expect that will change. If you don't want to risk disrupting your family, I wouldn't even consider a 482. If you can qualify for a permanent visa now, get it now before they change the rules again. Though it's frightening to move to the other side of the world with no job, it's less risky and less disruptive than going on a temp visa and then finding you can't stay.

This is soo shocking that after nomination cleared and visa is is rejected. This happen very seldom. Why do you think it happens seldom?