Partner Visa anyone applied in their mid fifties?

[Kanga73]

Hello,

I’m new to this forum and I’m looking for advice of anyone who has the experience of applying for the partner visa (offshore) if they are/were in mid to late fifties when they applied and if they managed to get employment when they arrived in Australia. I’m an Australian citizen and visa would be for my husband who is currently 55 but with the added timescale to get the visa if your lucky would take quite a while. Not sure if it’s worth doing especially due to the cost. Any advice would be appreciated 
 

many thanks 

[paulhand]

1 minute ago, Kanga73 said:

Hello,

I’m new to this forum and I’m looking for advice of anyone who has the experience of applying for the partner visa (offshore) if they are/were in mid to late fifties when they applied and if they managed to get employment when they arrived in Australia. I’m an Australian citizen and visa would be for my husband who is currently 55 but with the added timescale to get the visa if your lucky would take quite a while. Not sure if it’s worth doing especially due to the cost. Any advice would be appreciated 
 

many thanks 

Many of my clients are this age and, indeed, some are quite a bit older. Impossible to say whether work would be available based on what you have written. 

[Kanga73]

Thanks for reply. He is an Instrument Engineer with an oil company in Scotland at the moment and I am a Teaching Assistant. There is a lot to think about we have two adult children as well who are hopefully applying for citizenship by descent so they can perhaps go in the future. They are both at uni in Uk just now. 
 

thanks again 

[Tulip1]

7 minutes ago, Kanga73 said:

Hello,

I’m new to this forum and I’m looking for advice of anyone who has the experience of applying for the partner visa (offshore) if they are/were in mid to late fifties when they applied and if they managed to get employment when they arrived in Australia. I’m an Australian citizen and visa would be for my husband who is currently 55 but with the added timescale to get the visa if your lucky would take quite a while. Not sure if it’s worth doing especially due to the cost. Any advice would be appreciated 
 

many thanks 

I’m sure many people manage to secure employment in their late 50’s but I’d say it’s reasonable to assume it will be harder.  I have no idea if this is true but I have seen it said on this forum several times that Australia can be ageist in terms of employing older people.  As Paul has said, it’s very difficult to give an opinion on limited information. My guess would be, and it’s only a guess,  is that if you’re semi retired and want a part time job in a shop or library for example it‘a probably much easier than if you want a full time job in a fast paced corporate environment. If you’ve got a skill high in demand then it will be easier than if your skills are ten a penny. 

[Quoll]

What the others have said - depends on your location (probably not much work for instrument engineers in country towns for example but check Seek to see if there are any special enclaves that may need them) and your skill set and whether you have any local contacts. I know others disagree with me but where we are is definitely harder to find career based work when you're older (over 50) but if you're prepared to do anything to get a wage then you can probably pick up something. Neither my DH nor I were unemployed when we didn't need to be and my profession, back in the day, could have gone private practice if  needed.   Teaching assistant jobs are hard fought too - lots of mums wanting low stress school hours jobs, many of them qualified teachers and the pay is pitiful, you'd probably get more being a check out chick. 

[Marisawright]

I’m in my sixties now and definitely experienced age discrimination in Australia, to the point  where I basically gave up. My last proper job was when I was 55.

[Kanga73]

Thanks for reply Marisa, looks like we will be staying in the UK unless we win the lottery, been trying to mull it over every night. If the visa cost was much lower we would probably give it a go, it’s also too risky to give up a well paid job to find you are too old to get a similar position if you did get the visa, wouldn’t want to go out there with the added stress. My two adult kids are in the process of applying for a citizenship by descent so will see if they get that. We will have to go on holiday once the country is open again to international travellers. Thanks again 

[Kanga73]

Thanks Quoll for your advice too, I have a brother in Brisbane and his wife works in the oil and gas sector and also friends in Perth that do to. There are more graduate engineer jobs that come up than anything really. That’s interesting to hear that Teaching Assistants aren’t well paid out there either, wage is low here too. My daughter was almost making as much working in a supermarket like you say. Anyway, thanks again 

[Marisawright]

13 hours ago, Kanga73 said:

Thanks for reply Marisa, looks like we will be staying in the UK unless we win the lottery, been trying to mull it over every night. If the visa cost was much lower we would probably give it a go, it’s also too risky to give up a well paid job to find you are too old to get a similar position if you did get the visa, wouldn’t want to go out there with the added stress. My two adult kids are in the process of applying for a citizenship by descent so will see if they get that. We will have to go on holiday once the country is open again to international travellers. Thanks again 

It is a tough one.  It may be you have to wait until you're retired before you revisit it.