Marisawright

No, she can't travel back - she'll be stuck in Australia until the visa is granted. She can apply for a visa to be allowed to leave Australia briefly, but I believe she has to provide a specific pressing reason (not just wanting to go back to visit friends), and there's no guarantee she'd get it.

Only the main applicant needs to be under 45. However are you both in eligible occupations with the required qualifications and experience?

Did

It’s entirely up to you. I have mine paid three monthly because it’s only a small part pension. Some people prefer to have it paid into their British bank account, and then they transfer using Moneycorp when they need it. That allows them to get the best exchange rate

I do understand it, experienced it in reverse

Personally I would not wish to live in Darwin as a single woman

It's nothing to worry about, it is just part of their procedure. They have to send you that form because you lived in those countries. Just fill out the form with your information and send it back. It used to take only a week or two, but I don't know if that has changed.

If your decision to move to Australia relies on your parents being able to join you, I'd be very cautious. At best, you are looking at an 8 year wait before they can move to Australia with you. There are some ways to get around that - temporary and bridging visas - but they all major limitations and inconvenience for your parents, and if you want to go down that road, you need to research it very thoroughly indeed. At worst, by the time you're eligible to apply, Australia may not offer parent visas any more. The Australian government is currently looking at cutting the number of visa categories. We don't know what the outcome will be, but parent visas do look vulnerable when you look at what other countries offer. New Zealand closed its parent visa in 2016 and may or may not reopen it. The UK doesn't offer them, except to parents who are so frail they can no longer look after themselves).

Ah,but you're talking about now. I'm talking about how it got started many years ago. These days, younger people all over the country are more likely to have dinner in the evening. Australians have breakfast lunch and dinner.

It seems to be debated, but I'm pretty sure the midday dinner was common in places like the West Country and Wales too, so not just north/south.

If you both feel that way, then I think it's a no-brainer. It's true that it takes longer to feel really settled, but 7 months is long enough to get a feel for the place. You might feel differently in Sydney, IF you are both on very good salaries so you could afford to live within striking distance of a beach. It's more like the stereotypical "Aussie lifestyle". But it's very expensive - housing (both rental and buy) are about 30% more expensive than Melbourne, so most people live in hot, sticky suburbs a long way from sea breezes. Going back now doesn't mean the door is closed. If you change your mind in the future, you can always apply for a partner visa then. Processing time is actually quicker if you apply from London.

Ah, but if you grew up eating dinner in the middle of the day, you called it dinnertime. "Lunchtime" was a word we'd never heard of! "Dinner" is always the main meal of the day, no matter when it's eaten. Traditionally, the majority of the population in the UK always ate their main meal in the middle of the day, so it was called "dinner". Then at night, we'd have "high tea", which was a lighter meal. The upper classes, on the other hand, were more likely to follow the European habit of having their dinner in the evening and eating "luncheon" in the middle of the day. I think one of the reasons it changed was the fact that people often can't get home in the middle of the day to eat dinner now, like they used to.

She can only get temporary work. That's an important distinction. Most people on a WHV do casual work, but that's because their main objective is to travel around Australia, so they only want the odd job here and there. However, the WHV allows you to work up to six months in the same job, and many do. Both my nieces had no trouble getting steady office work through a temp agency. If you are interested in PR eventually, then do make sure you understand your chances. In the old days, it was common to come to Australia on the old 457 visa and then "move on" to PR. It's much harder with the new 482 visa - and getting harder all the time as they reduce the number of visas available. By the time two years have passed and you're ready to apply for PR, the door may well have closed. So plan your move on the assumption you're going home at the end - rent out your house instead of selling, for instance. Don't believe employers if they tell you otherwise - obviously, they want you to take the job, so it's in their interests to exaggerate. As for the skilled visa for your daughter - do you understand what I mean by a skilled visa? I mean either the 482 (which would require a sponsor) or a Permanent Resident visa. For either of those visas,, she will need to be in an occupation that is on the skilled list. Not only that, she will need both the qualifications AND the experience after qualification specified. If she can't meet those requirements, she can't get a skilled visa.

Your kids will adapt. Education and career opportunities are just as good in the UK and Europe so their future will be fine. It sounds like you need to move or be miserable for the rest of your life

So is she working? If so, then she is not dependent. Even if her wage is too low to afford to rent a flat of her own, she could still live in a share house with other young people. That's the attitude Immigration will take. Because she's not a dependent, there is no way to include her on your visa. She has two options to come and live in Australia short-term: 1. She gets a Working Holiday Visa (which will let her stay for one year, or two years if she's willing to do some farm work, then she'll have to go home). 2. She enrols as a student in an Australian university or college. However, she would have to pay full international fees which would not be cheap - and she's only allowed to work 20 hours a week. She'll have to go home when her course finishes, unless she chooses a course which is eligible to get her a Graduate Visa, which would let her stay a further two years. After that, the only way for her to migrate would be if she can qualify for a skilled visa in her own right.

Reading between the lines, I wonder if you really were de facto, even though you were living together? It's understandable - you're on a WHV, you don't have a place to stay, so when you start a relationship it's only natural that you'll move in together. It doesn't mean you think it's forever (which is what de facto means - "the equivalent of marriage"). Your actions suggest you weren't sure it was permanent until late last year, because you didn't redirect your mail, or get yourself added to the lease, or make any formal arrangements to share the costs of the household. I'd say you need to hire a good agent.

I feel I need to mention another aspect of this. You're worried about how your parents and sister are reacting. What about you? You didn't miss family when you were on holiday in Perth, because it was a short time and you were too busy having fun. But your life in Perth will be much the same as you have now - wake up, go to work, get home, cook dinner - it's only on the weekends you'll be able to fully enjoy the outdoors. So for the next few weeks, imagine you're in Perth and think how YOU will feel, not having any of the interactions you have with them now. Even phone calls will take planning because of the time difference. Your parents and sister are imagining that and they are devastated by it. I think you need to take some time to imagine it from your side, too. Remember, you'll have no friends either at first (probably for several months), and you'll be more restricted in your social life because you'll be on one salary and have no babysitters. Most successful migrants are those who already live some distance from famliy and don't see them all that often. They adapt well, because it's not that much of a change. However, people who interact closely with family in the UK, suddenly find a huge hole in their lives when they get to Australia. A browse around these forums will uncover many such people, often feeling "stuck" in Australia because of financial considerations, or because their husband loves it and won't move back. If you doubt that, consider the fact that , in spite of the huge amount of effort and money it takes to migrate, about half of all migrants end up coming home (and the most often-cited reason is "missing family"). So please, take some time to focus on yourself and make sure you've given your own feelings due consideration.

I assume you've looked into the cost of the course in Australia and it's manageable for you? You will only be allowed to work 20 hours a week and full-time in the holidays. It's unlikely you'll be able to get a skilled visa at the end of your course. Most skilled visas require you to have qualifications in your field AND relevant experience post-qualification. That's why the "Graduate Visa" exists, so that someone can come to Australia, qualify in a profession, then stay for 2 years and gain the necessary experience to apply for permanency. Although the Masters is full-time, I suspect it wouldn't be long enough to get you a Graduate Visa. I suggest you check the lists to see whether your occupation is on the lists, what the requirements are, and whether you could satisfy them. If not, then by all means, come an ddo your Masters - but plan to go home afterwards. Unfortunately, even if an employer wanted to sponsor you for a short-term visa, you would need to satisfy the requirements - they can't sponsor just anyone.

I do think the suggestion of Geelong is a good one. Unlike some office workers, your oh has a good chance of finding work in Geelong itself, and in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, because of the amount of construction work going on, so he won't be facing a horrible commute. If you're thinking of a beach lifestyle then that's another vote for Geelong, because Melbourne doesn't do beaches like the rest of Australia does! I like the cooler weather in Melbourne but people who visit are often disappointed - it's not beach weather a lot of the time. If you're not committed to Melbourne, you could look at Newcastle, which has a more typical Australian vibe but isn't as hot and sticky as Brisbane. The key to living on the East Coast is to make sure you can afford to live near the coast, to get the sea breezes. As soon as you go inland it's suffocating, unless you can find some mountains!

I know you're not an accountant, I just happen to know the points needed for accountants. I don't know what the current numbers are for other professions, but of course it varies from year to year, because it all depends on how many high-points people are applying. Remember job transfer with sponsorship is only temporary. It used to be easy to transfer to a permanent visa once your contract expired, but the new version of the temp visa makes it much harder. If you take a sponsorship with a 2 year contract, there's always that risk that the rules tighten even more during those 2 years - so basically, I wouldn't even contemplate going the sponsorship route. As soon as you have a permanent route available, grab it as soon as you can before it disappears. And VeryStormy is right about your experience. You can only count experience gained after you're qualified.

I'm so sorry you find yourself in this situation. I firmly believe there are two kinds of people. One kind, the nomads, are able to move around the world and choose where they want to call home. The other kind, the homelovers, don't get a choice. They have a deep and abiding connection to their homeland and it will never change, no matter what they do. The trouble is that the homelovers often have no idea how they feel, until they try to live somewhere else. Then it comes as a shock, because there's no logic to it. They may have a great life in their new country, much better than "at home", but it makes no difference. As that other poster says, it's "a feeling deep in the core of my being that I need to return to my homeland. An ache that never goes away." That's the problem. It will never go away. In fact it will likely get worse as time goes on. It's an awful situation to be in and it may indeed come down to choosing between your marriage and your sanity. One thing to consider: if you leave Australia before you reach retirement age, you won't be able to claim the Australian state pension (though your superannuation will be fine). Therefore it's a good idea to see if you can top up your British pension so that if you do move back, you can claim the UK pension.

That's been the case for at least three years, it's annoying.

It sounds like you're not aware of another hurdle in the process. 65 points is the minimum you must score to be allowed to apply - it doesn't mean you'll get invited. When you apply for a visa, it's not a "first come first served" queue - it's a competition. The people with the most points win. So, for instance, right now there are plenty of accountants applying with 80 points or more. They're getting picked first, and anyone with fewer points is being ignored. If the supply of 80-point applicants dries up, then they start looking at people with lower points - but new applications are received every single day. Every occupation is different, obviously it depends how many people with high points are applying.

I have heard of people sending a sample offshore to get tested for diseases in the US because they have some different tests which are perceived to be more accurate. However I am pretty sure the sample would have to be sent under special conditions, so I think it would have to be organised by a doctor here.

I don't think she sounds like you at all! Ballaratburd has been tempted by a move home - but when she discovered it was impossible, she didn't feel grief, she felt relief. So that tells me she is more settled in Australia than she thought. And she does mention she has made some good friends. Given how you feel about Australia, I suggest you look into paying extra National Insurance contributions to bump up your British pension, in case you decide to retire back to Blighty later on. It's a win-win situation, because you'll get the benefit of a higher British pension even if you stay in Australia. It's important because there are difficulties with getting your Australian govt pension in the UK, so unless you have substantial superannuation, retiring back to to the UK could become unaffordable - unless you have a British pension you can claim instead.