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Skilled visa, family changes

2K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  Wanderer 
#1 ·
Hi,
I was hoping someone could give some tips about our application. We are applying on our own, without an agent.

We are a family of three, me, my de facto and our 9 month old son. I´m hoping to lodge the application sometime during the first half of 2011. However, we are both in our 30s and are planning to have one or maybe two more children.
How long does it usually take for an application to go through the system and, if accepted, how long until you can move?
What happens if we have another child before our application is done? Will we have to start over, or can I put it in our application that we are planning to have more children? And will that be considered positive or negative in the process?

When writing how much money we are planning to bring with us to Australia, should it be enough to support us for a few months? A year? What? Cause I know we are not applicable for support from the australian government until 2 years has passed. However, I know that my own country will cover us for a while, and also will it be helpful if we have some kind of health insurance?

Lots of questions, if you can answer any, please do!! :)
Thank you!!
 
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#2 ·
From the sticky timelines you will see that processing times can vary enormously and that will be dependent on many factors but if you are an Aussie citizen yourself and the application is offshore for someone from a low risk country, you need to allow six months or so for visa processing.
Some countries such as the US are seeing police checks taking as long as 10 weeks that you may want to allow as extra time or get that started at the same time as preparing the visa application.
It is normal that when a visa is granted, an enter by date will based on the 12 months anniversary of when a medical examination was done and so it is not such a good idea to do a medical up front as some may do if you want more time in which to do an entry.
The option always exists of visa holders doing a validation trip and then returning to their homeland and they will then have up to five years from grant of the visa in which to enter again.
As for money, moving to another country is a significant event for anyone and I'd suggest that people plan it a bit as far as where they will live, what they can expect as far as employment goes and have Plan B and Cs for the event that things do not work out as planned.
It is a personal thing how long you want to have yourself covered for financially but if I was doing it with a family, I would probably allow in order of $1000/w and have sufficient for at least six months and return airtickets.
 
#3 ·
Thank you so much for the informative answer :).
Neither of us are Australian citizens. We have stayed in Australia as students for 2,5 years, we left in 2005. We really want to go back, and not for a holiday, but to stay for a few years and work. However, as I´m a teacher I will not be able to work as a teacher in Australia unless I´m a Permanent resident.

Any tips on moving to Australia and getting a teaching position?? Is it difficult to get a job? We are planning to settle in the Brisbane area, as that is were we used to live and we still have some friends there. Are there any chance for a foreign teacher to get a job there?

We are from a low risk country (scandinavian), so I guess the application process shouldn´t take too long.
 
#4 ·
OK, for some reason I assumed you may have been looking at a spouse visa, maybe just so many of them lately.
The processing time-frames for skilled visas are somewhat even less able to be defined for there had been something of a huge backlog of skilled visas build up in the last few years and then there had been a bit of a hold on accepting new applications and processing probably slowed a bit while changes in regulations were developed over the past year.
Those changes are more or less in place and mainly are about the priority system for processing.
Have a look at the What's New Link on Professionals and other Skilled Migrants - Workers - Visas & Immigration and up near top you will see some further links re processing priority and very latest one of 03November is about states getting their State Migration Plans ready.
The above page also has a link to the SOL which is in four parts but if you are a secondary teacher, that's good because secondary teacher is on the SOL#3 and could possibly be on the Queensland SMP when it is finalised and if it is a Yes to both, you may want to consider applying for state sponsorship as that will have a higher priority for processing.
If you are a primary teacher, that's not so good for it is not on SOL#3 and you would be reliant on finding it on a SMP to be eligible to apply for a visa.
Follow the links on the above page to Visa Options, Outside Australia and then you have the 175 or 176.
First thing with any skilled visa is to initially look at your eligibility in terms of occupation and points score you can assess via the eligibility points table you will find under the 175 or 176 eligibility heading.
You may find it difficult to get 120 points for a 175 and so another reason to consider a 176 which only requires 100 points and you also get 10 points for sponsorship.
If you have the right occupation and points look good, first thing to do is get your occupation qualifications assessed and do an IELTS for english language points.
You probably need to allow about three months for that and then another three months for a state sponsorship if that is the way you go.
You could be looking at about 12 months for the actual visa processing, maybe less, maybe more and it will really just depend on how many applications are in the system and of what priority they are.
Another option to get higher priority could be to seek an employer sponsor and if you have a particular subject stream you teach in, one in higher demand, perhaps Mathematics or Sciences, you may stand a chance of getting sponsorship and that could be initially for temporary residency that could lead to permanent residency.
Have a look @ Visa Options - Employer Sponsored Workers - Workers - Visas & Immigration
You would still need to get qualifications assessed, police checks [ including an Australian seeing you had been here for over 12 months and that would be both of you ] and health examinations for all three.
So even with all that going on simultaneously, it is still a good three months you need to allow.
As for finding a sponsor, it will depend on your teaching area and just what the situation is re supply/demand and best to check with the Queensland Education Department and perhaps your friends there could provide you with a list of private schools to enquire with.
With the Education Department, the further away from Brisbane you are initially prepared to teach at the better chance you may have of finding a position.
It could even be that you may initially want to consider other states if the opportunities are there more so than Queensland, WA or the NT for instance.
 
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