Marisawright

First, health. I have allergy induced asthma with allergies to dust mites and pets. I migrated to Australia 30 years ago thinking I'd grown out of my asthma years ago. Lived in country Victoria for a year without a problem. Moved to Sydney and my asthma flared up dramatically. I was tested and I'm not allergic to anything else, so the problem was the higher concentration of dust mites in Sydney. The problem is that, apparently, paradise for dust mites is a humid climate with a temperature of of 20 degrees or more - which is Sydney most of the year (in fact, most of the East Coast of Australia). Every asthmatic is different, but if dust mites are his main allergen then I would be concerned. If you haven't got one already, get a peak flow meter and start recording his flow regularly so you get to know his normal stats. Then if it starts to flare up when you arrive, you'll see the trend and can take action before it gets bad. You should look for a house on the coast (because the sea breezes reduce the humidity considerably - the further inland you go, the higher the humidity). Unfortunately, houses on the coast are more expensive. Check realestate.com.au and domain.com.au (if it's available to rent in Sydney, it will be on one of those sites!). Take the photos with a pinch of salt as real estate agents here are notorious for photoshopping them. The good news is that houses here are more likely to have hard floors, and you'll be able to live with the windows and doors open because most houses have fly screens. You may find he doesn't have the same problem with tree pollens because the trees are different (and usually asthmatics aren't allergic to ALL pollens, only some). Also, because asthma is more common in Australia than in the UK, you'll find some of the best asthma specialists in the world here, so if his asthma does react, you'll have the best of treatment. The Royal Prince Alfred in Sydney has an excellent asthma clinic.

I can't emphasise strongly enough that you need to consult a good migration agent. Many good agents (including the ones who are regulars on these forums) will give you a free initial consultation and you can learn a lot, even from that. I don't know the permutations of the various visas, but we had one woman on the forums recently who did what you're proposing - arrive in Australia then apply for a partner visa (I don't know which one). Result - she is on a bridging visa, and hasn't been able to get work for many months. I can't recall whether it's because the bridging visa has no work rights, or whether it's just that employers don't like hiring staff who are on temporary visas (which they don't). Either way, it's a difficult existence for her, and she can't even leave the country without applying for special permission. Ask an agent and get the right advice. It does cost, but it could save you a very expensive mistake.

A degree might give you some extra points, but TAFE does not offer degree courses. What is your occupation and what are the requirements? If the requirements say you need a degree and x years of experience, then the years of experience usually need to be AFTER you get the degree, not before. And you won't be able to stay in Australia to work that experience, because an employer can't sponsor you on a 482 unless you meet the requirements already - it's a chicken and egg thing.

Who is the migration company? Migration agents do not do recruitment drives. There is a scam company currently offering that service, they look very legit but they are a con. We've had two people posting here recently who got caught out, handing over thousands for a service that does nothing. I can't recall their name but I do recall they tell people they need a "Certificate of Employment" or some such, which is not a requirement for any type of visa, and Australian employers don't need it either. It's their own invention to make them sound convincing.

In that case, it sounds as though you could use it as a basic account for most things. It just means you can't get a credit card, overdraft or loan.

I suggest looking into the tax implications of renting out a UK property while being legally resident in Australia. It means you have to submit two tax returns every year (one in the UK, one in Australia) every year. Once you eventually sell, you'll be taxed on the capital gains and also on Fx gains, so you need to check how much that would slash off your profit. Bottom line, it can be a good investment, but there is a lot of paperwork involved so it depends on your tolerance for that kind of hassle. If you want to release equity, then you need to remortgage while you're still resident in the UK, because it will be much more difficult to do once you're no longer resident. Some commentators think the Melbourne market is already near the bottom and is about to turn back up. There is such a huge influx of population into Melbourne now, there's a lot of demand.

It would be worth checking what the regulations are in your state regarding permanent positions. If there's no regulatory bar then I don't see a problem with applying for a permanent job, provided you're honest. You're going to be in Australia for four years so there's a good chance that if you get the job, you'll stay in the job for the full term: whereas an Australian citizen might only last a year or two before deciding to travel or go for promotion or whatever. Some employers would find that attractive!

Is there anyone you recommend for this type of case? The more I read about this and other cases i feel the chance is very very slim. She is 21 in October and hasn't been in education since June 2017. wrussell is a migration agent himself and recommended

Setting up in business in Australia is very easy. You just need to apply for an Australian Business Number. If your turnover is less than $75,000 a year then you don't need to register for GST (the equivalent of VAT). You don't even need a company name. You are then what's called a "sole trader". You just do the work as it comes in, and issue the employer with a monthly invoice for the hours worked or project stage completed. At tax time, you declare the income on your personal tax return like any other income, and you can claim legitimate business expenses. Of course you need to keep good records (I find Toggl useful to track my hours). But that's if you're working as a freelance contractor in Australia for Australian companies. When it comes to working out how to declare foreign income, which jurisdiction taxes what, etc, then my head starts to spin and that's where a chat to Alan will be invaluable.

I was thinking, does it have a card so you can use ATM's etc, or how do you withdraw cash for your own use?

Best bet is to have a chat with @BobPetairUK. They are a pet shipper run by vets. Snub-nosed breeds are slightly more at risk of problems when they fly, and of course it's a very long flight so that's bound to be a worry. I think you also have to consider when you're going to fly as you want to avoid her being stuck in transit in hot weather somewhere. However she's young so that's in her favour.

I wonder if you're misinterpreting his post, as I can't see anything wrong with him saying that. He is simply warning prospective migrants that they shouldn't assume migration rules are fair. That's the gospel truth. As a migration agent, it's his job to make sure applicants know what they're up against, so why wouldn't he point out that fact? It's not his job to say nice things about the Australian government, it's his job to be honest.

It's true though.

Exactly. I've had two female friends move up to Darwin from Sydney over the last few years - one to return to live with her parents because her marriage broke up, the other because she got married to a soldier who got posted there. Both found it very tough (the newly-married one seemed to spend the whole first year in tears, judging by her Facebook feed). Both have adjusted now but it's worth noting, both of them had either family or a partner for support

The WHV is a good idea and worth doing, because it will let you experience life in Australia and make potentially useful contacts. However, an employer-sponsored visa is only a temporary visa, so that will only get you an extension of your stay. Also, an employer can't sponsor you for just any job - your occupation must be on one of the skilled lists. So that's the first thing to check.

The maximum time on a BVB is 3 months. I don't know whether there's any scope to apply for a variation.

It's not a matter of filling in forms, which I'm sure you could do competently yourself. You will be asked to explain your ties to Australia and why your return will be of benefit to the country. It's important to present the case in a way that will hit the right buttons for the immigration official who reads it. Agents do this all the time and they get an idea of what wording works and what doesn't - it's not something anyone else can help you with, as the rest of us have either never done it, or done it once (and their circumstances won't have been the same as yours). Paul is an experienced agent and he's flagging that your case is not straightforward, so trying to write that explanation yourself would be risky IMO.

Looks like Rammygirl found the answer.

I’d say you’ve got a good chance IF you hire a good agent who knows how to present your case in the best possible light. Paul wouldn’t be a bad choice

How strange. How do businesses manage I wonder? How can they pay salaries?

What number visa is that? What is the advantage of applying in Australia rather than simply applying from the UK in the normal way? I thought you said you wanted to emigrate, not just come for a short stay?

It’s not actually a UK bank account though. It’s an account that is held in pounds sterling but it’s not in the UK

I’m that case he definitely needs to take the English test before you go any further with your application. You need at least 70 points and probably 75 to stand a chance of a 189.

Well yes, I did make that assumption from your post. You said that Australia had been your dream from the age of 18, yet you're 28 and still in education. While a Ph.D might get you some extra points, you could have used those ten years FAR more effectively by simply getting a bachelor's degree, going out into the workforce to get the necessary experience, and you could have achieved your dream by now. That suggested to me that you had been badly advised or were unaware of how the system worked. If that's not the case, fine. But the fact remains that you are not going to get a permanent visa - or even an employer-sponsored one - without the required years of experience in your occupation, and a short internship or training is not going to get you that.

As JetBlast says, the official reason for doing the test is to prove your competent, which you don't need to do if you hold a British passport. HOWEVER, if you can pass the English test, you earn extra points. So even though it's not compulsory, many people do it, just to get the extra points. If your agent said your oh needed to do it, it's because you're short of points, and you don't stand a chance of migrating unless he can earn some extra points from the English test. To be eligible to migrate, you need at least 65 points - but for most occupations, that's not enough. We talk about a migration "queue" but actually it's not a queue, it's a competition. The people with the most points get cherry-picked out of the queue first. There are hundreds of new applications coming in every month. If they have higher points, they will just keep leap-frogging over you and you'll be left languishing in the queue until your applcation expires. For instance, in the Accountants queue, there are so many applicants with 80 points, no one with less than 80 points is even being looked at. So you need the maximum points you can get, and you'd be wise to find out how many points are needed in your husband's occupation before you apply - if your points are too low to stand a chance, then there's no point in applying, you'll just be wasting your money.