UK>Australia migration. Would anyone care to give me some advice?

Question

My family are looking into migrating to Australia. It seems like a lengthy and difficult process including a large sum of money. However, I'm seeking a bit of advice.
I'd like to know a bit about the job prospects out there and if it actually is an improvement in lifestyle compared to the UK. (Stupid question I know)

Secondly, my father who will be the leading name on the visa application form is a Refrigeration/Aircon engineer with 23 years experience in the industry. Also, I'm going to be put down on the visa, I'm studying for a degree in Computer Science and hopefully with prospects of achieving a Masters degree to boost my chances of a better job. My Sister is qualified in Child care who will be coming with us and my mother is a qualified Nail Technician and Beauty Therapist. Would we be looking at a wide range of options when it comes to looking for work?
Furthermore, my father is currently on an annual wage of £35,000, would he likely see an improvement on this if we successfully migrated?

We unfortunately feel into the hands of scam artists last year and lost around £2,500 to them after they failed to actually do anything when it came to obtaining us a visa.

What advice can you guys give me on this?
Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

The Visa Application Charge for 3 adults (father, mother and you) is now more than twice what it was last year with the current cost being £5020 plus the cost of skills assessment (around £1200) and medicals and PCCs for all applicants.



Your sister is not eligible to be included in the visa application if she is an adult. Only dependent full time students can be included if they're aged 18 or over.



Visas now usually only take a few months to be granted but unless the primary applicant has formal employer sponsorship, they can only be applied for after an Expression of Interest (EOI) in applying for a visa has been processed and an invitation has been issued to make a visa application. There is no charge for submitting an EOI.



If your father has 23 years of experience, he is presumably at least 40 and at that age will find it difficult (but not impossible) to pass the points test. If he is 45 or over, passing the points test will be impossible. If he can't pass the points test, an employer sponsored visa is his only option and he must have the sponsorship before he can apply for a visa..

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/189.aspx#sub-heading-10 Select Points test then Expand all for full details



Most UK immigrants find that a multiplier of 2.5 times their UK wage is required to enjoy a similar standard of living in Australia with a higher multiplier needed in our large cities where accommodation costs are high. $87500 is on the high side for a Refrigeration and Air-conditioning mechanic.



I suggest you join the Pomsinoz immigration forum. As the name suggests, most members are poms who are in the process of emigrating to Australia or who have already migrated here.

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration/ PIO

Answer 2

If your sister is already qualified so is no longer eligible to come on your fathers visa.....dependants have to be FT high school or university students for the entire process period (so for the 1-2 years the application process takes) with no long term relationships during that time or before. As she is a "qualified nail technician" she no longer qualifies to go with you. Provided you are still studying when the visa comes through and are not in an adult relationship you could be ok to be included but your family needs to decide whether they are willing to move without your sister....as this is a permanent situation....she will never be able to come with you and live here unless she marries an Australian.

Answer 3

Jorboi, to immigrate anywhere is a lengthy process and costly. If computers is your interests go for it, but have you any idea how many techs there are compared to Jobs?



As your father will be the main person on the application, his skills and age will be taken into account.



You can't look at your fathers earnings in England as comparable more to Australia it doesn't work the same, when you factor in the cost of living and general costs in Australia, which in a lot of areas will be higher, then you could say it would be comparable.



Personally speaking, from what I saw in Australia, the lifestyle is very good, but you have to be prepared to roll up the sleeves, and make an effort..

Answer 4

The simple answer for you is to follow this link to the very informative government site which will contain all of the answers to all of your questions regarding immigration, visas, acceptable skills and qualifications and, importantly, age cut-offs. I think that your father may be too old to immigrate into Australia judging by your comments regarding yourself and your sister. Also, you would have to scrutinise the skills list very carefully to see if "Refrigeration/Aircon engineer" is on there and then what the required technical qualifications are.

http://www.immi.gov.au

Answer 5

I know a couple of people that moved over 10 years ago and they took nearly 2 years to get all the paperwork sorted, they were both highly qualified but they had to take lower paid jobs in Australia , I think you have to prove your worth over there, you have to take a few steps back before you can move up the job ladder.

Answer 6

Are you only interested in moving for the money, because that's what it sounds like? That's not really the best reason to up and move an entire family to the other side of the planet, especially based on the skill sets you've described. It would be more understandable if you were coming from a developing country but not the UK .

Answer 7

Using a website like Payscale or Seek will give you a rough estimate on your families potential earnings in Australia and help you make your decision.



http://www.seek.com.au/jobs-resources/

http://www.payscale.com/research/AU/Country=Australia/Salary



Try www.expatsdonunder.com.au they have lots of information about migrating to Australia and a forum for networking - it might help you out.



Goodluck.