Family Visa for Australia

unclehairy

Hi,

Myself, my girlfriend and our 4 year old daughter are planning to move to Australia next year for a year or two. I understand the type of Visa I should apply for is a Skilled Migration Visa.

I would like to be able to start work as soon as I get there and do not wish to rely on being sponsored by an employer.

Does anybody have any idea how much this type of Visa costs and secondly, will my girlfriend be able to work on this Visa too? Both our occupations are on the skilled migration list.

Lastly, what is the longest amount of time we could stay in Australia on a holiday visa?

Thanks for the advice

mandrake04

It's $2575 (+ approx $1500 in other costs, skills assess, medical, x-ray) for 3 of you on the skilled visa and can take between 9-36 months to process.

Everyone included on the application can work.

The longest holiday visa can be up to a year.

Zambia

I reckon it would not be worth it for two years.

mandrake04

+ probably unlikely to get a year tourist visa now if you are from Ireland.

ellaq

The skilled migration visa is for people who want to come and live in Australia and become Australian. I think if you just want to escape Ireland for a few years as a family than Oz is not the place to come. Sponsorship would be the best option for you in this case.

If you are looking for the longer term than the skilled migration visa is great for families. Unlike sponsorship you are entitled to family benefits (like children allowances), you get lump sum payments if you want to have more children. And you pay the lesser rate of tax. Plus you are not tied to the one boss for up to 4 years. So if you don't like where you live you can move.

Zambia

What are these lump sum payments you speak of? Oz moved to parental paid leave this year.

ellaq

Baby Bonus. $5000 for non-working mothers paid over 13 weeks. They have had this system for years but now you either get the paid parental now or the baby bonus.

Zambia

Damn I was hoping it was as well as as opposed to instead of.

unclehairy

Thanks mandrake04, thats very helpful. Do you know if it would be possible for my girlfriend and our daughter to get a year long tourist Visa and for me to get a year long holiday working visa (the type that most young people who head away for a year get)?

We would more thank likely want a visa so that I can work but also one where our daughter could go to school, thats why I am interested in the skilled migration visa.

We were thinking that maybe the best option would be for me to get a year long working visa and they could get a tourist visa and while out there I could try get sponsorship. Why is it unlikely we could get a year long travel visa?

ellaq, why do you reckon it is not worth it to go to Australia if we are looking to "escape Ireland for a few years"?

Thanks for the comments

Hells Belle

unclehairy wrote: »

Thanks mandrake04, thats very helpful. Do you know if it would be possible for my girlfriend and our daughter to get a year long tourist Visa and for me to get a year long holiday working visa (the type that most young people who head away for a year get)?

We would more thank likely want a visa so that I can work but also one where our daughter could go to school, thats why I am interested in the skilled migration visa.

We were thinking that maybe the best option would be for me to get a year long working visa and they could get a tourist visa and while out there I could try get sponsorship. Why is it unlikely we could get a year long travel visa?

ellaq, why do you reckon it is not worth it to go to Australia if we are looking to "escape Ireland for a few years"?

Thanks for the comments

You are not allowed to have any dependant children with you in Australia on the WHV. In all fairness you can understand why they are against people bringing a child to the other side of the planet when you are only "supposed" to stay in a job for a max of 6 mths.

For tourist visas you can stay in Australia for a maximum period of 3 months (90 days) at any one time within the 12 months your visa is valid for (got this from the interwebs). You are not under any circumstances allowed to look for work on a tourist visa.

I don't see your plan working, sorry. You could go on your own if you are under 30 and leave the girls at home and try and get sponsorship (which is pretty hard) or bite the bullet and apply for skilled visas here and wait. We waited 2 years for ours but if you have a specialist skill (like a health professional) you might get it in 6 mths.

unclehairy

My plan would be for me to get a working holiday visa and for my girlfriend and daughter to obtain a subclas 676 tourist visa which would allow them stay in the country for a year as tourists.

I am the only one who needs to work while we're there. I have made enquiries about the skilled visa and the cost is substantial and as you said it can take two years to process. Although this would be the best visa to get, I do not think it is worth it if we only plan to stay a year. And it's possible I'll get sponsorship while I am out there if I go on a working visa.

Hells Belle, can you tell me what the process is like when applying for the skilled visa, was there much involved and did you use an agency when you applied? Would you recommend applying for it?

mandrake04

The 676 visa is not just that straight forward, certain nationalities have always had issues with being issued 676 ie. China India because of the likelihood of illegal work. Ireland is a economic mess and with the like of RTE reporting that 1000 people a week are leaving then it makes sense for immigration to really scrutinise on someone looking to escape.

Also 676 comes with an automatic 8503 which means if you got sponsored, they can't added to your application until they leave Australia.

ellaq

If you are only coming here for a few years and then heading home, are you sure it is worth it financially?

The set-up costs here are expensive, even more so with a family because you have to maintain a higher standard than a young backpacker. Most rentals are unfurnished, an extra cost. What about health costs? Are you entitled to a medicare card on a tourist visa? And it is expensive if you don't have one. I don't think your daughter would be able to attend school on a tourist visa. But school is not compulsory until Year 1. In WA that is children 5 turning 6. Plus wages are not that high when you factor in the cost of living, it can be hard to save money.

But I think that Australia is an amazing place to bring up children and once here you might not want to return.

hussey

unclehairy wrote: »

My plan would be for me to get a working holiday visa and for my girlfriend and daughter to obtain a subclas 676 tourist visa which would allow them stay in the country for a year as tourists.

You can't do that on a WHV, either work and they stay in Ireland
or you get a tourist visa - you can't do both, sorry.
from http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/417/eligibility-first.htm

* not be accompanied by dependent children at any time during your stay in Australia
Note: A dependent child is the child, or step-child, of you or your partner who:
o is not married, engaged to be married, or in a de facto relationship
o has not turned 18.

If you would like a dependent child to join you in Australia you must apply for a different visa such as a Tourist visa. If you have dependent children who will not accompany you at any time you must apply for a Working Holiday visa using the paper application. You are not able to apply online.

Hells Belle

unclehairy wrote: »

Hells Belle, can you tell me what the process is like when applying for the skilled visa, was there much involved and did you use an agency when you applied? Would you recommend applying for it?

Sorry this is a bit longwinded!

I can only tell you from a 175 PR application point of view. We did use an agency (the one in Clane) which I found invaluable for getting the TRA application together(hubby is a carpenter with all his papers & work experience). You need to get skill assessed before applying, cost about €300 in 2008 but that may have changed. The whole thing including visa, 2 sets of medicals, courier costs came in at about €4,000. Thats before you even set foot there.

Getting the application in turned out to be the easy bit, the fun started not long after that. We got caught in several changes in DIAC rules, the visa that should have taken 6 -9 mths ended up taking 25 mths. We got sponsorship from Queensland in the middle of all this to change to a 176 visa, when we got the actual visa it was a 175 - not that I'm complaining. I'd do it again in a heartbeat but as I've said on this forum before it nearly broke me financially and emotionally.

I would never have dreamt of taking my boys to the other side of the world without PR, you get benefits like Medicare, school, support with childcare costs etc which you don't get on temp visas and which can cost an awful lot of money.

Sorry to be brutal here but what you were first proposing to do (WHV and tourist visas) is frankly irresponsible for someone with a young child. You are trying to leapfrog over all the people who have been waiting sometimes years, and who applied in the correct manner, to try and get in the back door. Go over to www.pomsinoz.com and have a look at what some people are going through, its an eye opener.

You need to start doing your research properly - contact an agent and get a free appraisal of your skills/points and work from there. Also go to the DIAC (Aussie Immigration) website and read, research and then research a bit more.

HB

mandrake04

have to a agree would be a bit irresponsible, although I understand that some people who are struggling in Ireland are only trying to do the right thing for their families.

Hells Belle

mandrake04 wrote: »

have to a agree would be a bit irresponsible, although I understand that some people who are struggling in Ireland are only trying to do the right thing for their families.

I completely understand that Mandrake being a member of one of those struggling young families. My partner losing his job in 2008 was the reason for us making the move.

I hope the OP doesn't think I'm trying to put him off but he needs to see the reality of what he's proposing. I'm just one of those people who likes security, I'd have a nervous breakdown going out there (possibly illegally) on a WHV with a child and partner who couldn't work in tow.

OP you don't say what your occupation is, maybe a European country might be a better option for now, the UK or Germany maybe? No visa needed for those, you could go tomorrow.

mandrake04

Hells Belle wrote: »

I completely understand that Mandrake being a member of one of those struggling young families. My partner losing his job in 2008 was the reason for us making the move.

I hope the OP doesn't think I'm trying to put him off but he needs to see the reality of what he's proposing. I'm just one of those people who likes security, I'd have a nervous breakdown going out there (possibly illegally) on a WHV with a child and partner who couldn't work in tow.

OP you don't say what your occupation is, maybe a European country might be a better option for now, the UK or Germany maybe? No visa needed for those, you could go tomorrow.

I agree with what you are saying, its madness.

unclehairy

Damm, I’m after writing a long reply but it didn’t post!! Oh well here goes again..

We are not necessarily looking to migrate for longer than a year, just that if it was possible we would like the option. From our point of view there is a substantial cost and wait time in getting the Skilled Migration Independent visa and it may not be worth the hassle or money if we don't mind going for just a year. I have contacted an agency and I do qualify for the skilled migration independent visa so at the moment I am investigating whether its worth applying or not. As I said though, we would be happy to go just for a year if we could find a way to do this without this Visa.

Our daughter is not old enough for school yet. We both have family out there and so if we could go for a year we would plan on travelling and spending time with family. As I said it is only me who would need to work and if only going for a year I would just need temporary work. We would have insurance and sufficient funds to come home early if necessary. Entering the country and staying illegally is something we would never even consider. What we want to do is what most young people are doing, go to Australia, travel and work temporarily, only our circumstances mean we cannot both get WHV's. We are not trying to skip any ques, and I don't see what why we are being irresponsible if my girlfriend and daughter went on the tourist visa and I on the working holiday visa.

I just thought that while out there I might get sponsorship while I was working as this has been the case with a lot of my friends who have went on WHV's.

HB, thanks for your thoughts and experience on the application process, I was sceptical about the agencies and whether or not they are necessary but sounds like they are. I am a chartered accountant, we wouldn’t be interested in Europe for a number of reasons.

Hells Belle

Hi again Unclehairy, look the best advice I can give you is to contact Australia House in London and ask them or ask another agent. There's one called George Lombard that posts on Pomsinoz.com and Britishexpats.com who might be able to point you in the right direction, even try ask on those sites.

Honestly though even if people did manage to get around the No Dependant Children rule they probably aren't going to be shouting about it on the internet.

Actually Britishexpats (though I loathe to promote this site - its very cliquey) have seperate sections on emigrating to a host of different countries - have a look, Chartered Accountant is a good qualification, it should be in demand somewhere.

I wish you the best with all of this and I hope you get what you are looking for

Ozeire

unclehairy wrote: »

We are not trying to skip any ques, and I don't see what why we are being irresponsible if my girlfriend and daughter went on the tourist visa and I on the working holiday visa.

Only problem with trying to come on a WHV and your girlfriend and daughter on the tourist visa is that on the

First Working Holiday Visa Eligibility

One of the points is

not be accompanied by dependent children at any time during your stay in Australia

That would unfortunately rule out your girlfriend and daughter joining you even if they were on a tourist visa plus even if it didn’t the max stay on a tourist visa is 3 months in any 12 month period.

I know it’s hard when you have a family and trying to do the best for all. I should know I’m going through a partner visa at the moment and taking months even thought I’ve been married to an Aussie for 5 years now and we have a 3 year old daughter.

You need to sit down and weigh up all the pros and cons. Can you and your family put up with being apart for months? If you can is it worth it in the end. If migrating for good yeah I really think it is but if only for such a short time wouldn’t be so sure.

Only1Keano

I am considering emigrating to Australia with my family (wife & son 10months old).

I have been told I am being made redundant in June and with not many prospects out there I need to look at the best options for my young family and I am of the opinion that my son will be paying for this countries mistakes until he is well into his twenties so the best option is give him and us a new & better lifestyle elsewhere.

MY issue is I am a Sales Rep and my wife is a Dental Nurse (unqualified no papers) and from researching we do not qualify for a Skilled Visa but I would like to get PR.

Is sponsorship my only option?

How hard is it to get sponsorship and what way does this work if I was lucky enough to achieve it?

hussey

Only1Keano wrote: »

MY issue is I am a Sales Rep and my wife is a Dental Nurse (unqualified no papers) and from researching we do not qualify for a Skilled Visa but I would like to get PR.

Is sponsorship my only option?

How hard is it to get sponsorship and what way does this work if I was lucky enough to achieve it?

if your job isn't on the skills list then yes that is your only option, how hard?
You'll need to find a job in australia willing to sponsor you, which can be quite difficult but not impossible

the way it works is they sponsor you with a 457 visa - have a look under www.immi.gov.au for how that works