Can you really not move to Australia with Autism?

[sandygrapes]

Just that really.

I follow a midwife on there from the UK. She is open and honest, and is paid so much better with amazing working conditions. That's just one example of a profession

Is it really true families who have someone who's autistic cannot move out there or is it far more complex than that?

This is just out of interest.

I have family in NZ and know they're quite strict there

Do you? To be fair you did say many countries. Which?

“You also have to have a medical evaluation, heart and chest X ray. blood tests etc, to be able to move to many countries to live and work, even if it's a temporary work visa.

HIV, Hepatitis, TB, Cancer, serious obesity or a history of mental health problems, forget it. You aren't getting in.”

@HeadDeskHeadDesk I know for sure that mental health history is considered for American visas. I’m not sure of the exact criteria.

Just reiterating

*AN AUTISM DIAGNOSIS (or ADHD, MH ILLNESS OR ENDOMETRIOSIS) DOES NOT EXCLUDE YOU FROM GETTING A VISA IN AUSTRALIA.

The needs and (potential) risks of the individual are the deciding factors. Applicants with low-needs medical conditions/diagnoses are accepted all the time.

Even Australia lets you work with previous mental health issues

1. Mental Health: If you have a history of mental illness or substance abuse, you may be required to provide additional information and documentation to support your application for an Australian visa.

And Canada definitely does because my son is there with a working visa!

It's not me you need to convince. As someone else pointed out, when considering applications for residency and work permits, the Australian immigration department doesn't have time to personally vet every single person on the Autism Spectrum who might apply. They've clearly taken the view that they'd rather let a few good candidates people slip through the net than end up with a whole bunch of people that are potentially problematic for them. Harsh, I know.

They don't care whereabouts you or your child are on the spectrum, it's too expensive and time consuming for them to find out.

Isn’t all immigration by its very nature discriminatory? Countries really don't want immigrants who will not bring anything to the economic growth of the country and will be particularly disinclined to accept anyone who will definitely cost the country money.

@Soontobe60 some autistic people are the most meticulous, disciplined people you'll ever meet though

There are people who have autism, that are a huge economical benefit to a country and its growth due to their impressive work ethic and love of routine

Not everyone or even nearly everyone is like my DC, costing the country millions. And with the rate that autism is being diagnosed when the person would've previously fell under the radar says a lot

@HeadDeskHeadDesk You’re right that Australia doesn’t care about that person’s family’s Autism because they haven’t applied for a visa.
You are incorrect to state that Australia rejects everyone with an Autism diagnosis. This is simply not the case.

I think you’re right . There seems to be a threshold of cost too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/world/asia/migrant-disability-australia-new-zealand.html

That doesn’t appear to be the case either.

well there has already been an example upthread of a woman who stopped taking her meds to pass the requirements to get into NZ, with tragic consequences.

I am not saying every single MH diagnosis would preclude you, but certainly in places like the gulf countries of the ME there are exclusions like the list I gave, TB, hepatitis, etc. If it came to light that you'd ever been sectioned for example, or been treated for drug or alcohol addiction you'd be unlikely to get in.

That's not for actual emigration though, no-one really gets to emigrate there permanently. It's the requirement to have to bloods taken, chest X ray, finger prints taken and a thorough medical to get a one year residents visa though, even when you have a well paid professional job offer already on the table.

so you're ok with people moving to the UK and living off the welfare state?

The person who commented to say an Aussie or Kiwi could immigrate here and become a citizen if disabled isn’t quite true.. it’s definitely not that simple. The U.K. also has rules around immigration that can be really challenging.

I know this because im a Kiwi working towards citizenship. I am married to an Englishmen and I’ve been living here and contributing to the economy since 2018. I or my children aren’t eligible to any public funds (not that we are in a situation that we need any) I am not able to claim any sort of tax credit or anything else and I have to prove that any dependents we have I can support with a minimum income + a certain % per child.

Im not disabled but my point being it’s actually not about whether your disabled or not it’s about financial independence and being able to support yourself so that you don’t become a drain on an already stretched economy.

85% of autistic people in Ireland are unemployed or underemployed (I don’t know that stat for other countries). Now, I’m sure some of the 15% employed are incredible, incredible workers and some of the unemployed would be fantastic too if they had a workplace that cared. But if the Aus stat is anything like Ireland, I can see why they’re ok with taking the gamble of missing out on some good people, so they don’t wind up with masses of non-natives needing government supports.

I’m not disagreeing with you @NewtonGig , I just said that they’re considered as part of someone’s application, it doesn’t result in an automatic visa denial. A quick Google suggests that serious disorders such as schizophrenia or major depression might be considered “grounds of inadmissibility” but it looks as if it’s on a case-by-case basis.

What does autism have to do with being on the welfare state? I have a degree, have worked all my life and never claimed benefits.

@TGMT Do your children have dual citizenship through your DH?
Assuming that they have, they’re still not entitled to anything? That’s shocking, I hadn’t realized that.

Erm thanks, but this is my original post

So if you are autistic but capable of living independently, not needing extra support, disability benefits etc would you still be barred? My DD is on the waiting list for adult assessment but I have no reason to think she won’t be able to live independently, its just that she finds life hard at times and would like answers to why that is (ADHD as well). I had never thought of this, not that she’s ever expressed an interest in moving abroad.

I didn’t say anything about discrimination and I have not in any way refused to see the bigger picture. I know plenty about ADHD and autism thank you as I have another DC more severely affected and have a large community of friends with neurodivergent conditions in their families.

We're a;; different. I'd choose UK over Australia for many reasons, one of them being the weather.

They're allowed in.

I worked in a school where the kids specifically told us that they'd come here to access healthcare for siblings. (The eldest was often called upon to phone the parents if they needed to be contacted about the children with health concerns.)

They'd all been born in an EU country but the family originally came from a country that was non-EU at the time of their birth. I have no idea as to what regulations applied at the time, but the disabilities were not a barrier to moving here.

the conversation is about countries (in particular Australia) that put in place restrictions on immigration due to certain factors. Disability being one, if it means they will be a net cost.

And so again: are all the little englanders here happy to accept people into the uk who will be a net cost?

This is horrible. Disabled people, autistic people can be productive individuals. All of them are being tarred with the same "health tourism" brush.

And I say that as a parent of an autistic child who's needs are complex and will probably need a lot of educational and health support throughout life.

Australia have very strict rules in relation to immigration, a health assessment is required for most (but not all visas). I'm British, but live in Australia, so had the medical assessment.

A person with an autism diagnosis has less chance of having a visa approved. As someone up thread mentioned, the government will reject visa applications where the individual will cost the government more than a certain amount per year, I don't know the exact figures for this.

You are also likely to get your vise rejected if you have cancer, diabetes, kidney issues, TB. I have heard of people having a visa rejected for conditions such as chron's and colitis.

If you move to Australia as a family, pass the health assessments and are granted permanent residency, but a child goes on to be diagnosed with autism in the future, this would be fine. The Australian government wouldn't revoke your permanent residency, unless of course you have deliberately given false information in the first place.

Also, if you are overweight.

This is an ignorant post! Half the population will have been treated for depression or the like at some point in their lives.

What do you mean by emergency services? Are you saying that someone wouldn’t get in to the police for example if they’ve ever had an episode of depression? I don’t believe that for a second.

Its bollocks spouted like this that make some people worried about getting help as they’ll feel judged and this post demonstrates this well.