To marry my friend?

[thegreenbackboogie]

I'm seriously considering marrying my Australian friend so that I can move over there with DD. He's willing, my ex is OK with it - so I'm just wondering how it could work.

I know I'll probably receive some harsh responses but what do people think? AIBU?

What about the financial aspects? If the worst happened your husband would inherit your estate, not your daughter.

Op I'm glad you've changed your mind. If I were you I would start a new thread about routes to immigration, or you will get responses each time about the original topic!

I think I would rather retrain for a job on the shortage list than go to prison for a year or so if caught seeing as it's very illegal!
You are a fool to even consider it quite frankly!

X-posted, I see you have already changed your mind, thankfully!
I would retrain and then you wouldn't have to rely on anyone else and can get your own visa.

Op watch the oz border control program on really. They very clued up on this illegal activity. You risk alot. Consider the working visa. As a side my uncle was a £10 pom and regrets going. some parts of sidney are no go. One of my cousins said if you not into the bbq sporting life its very lonely... Limited culture where they are. Also middle of oz is very empty and dangerous. Only repeating what my uncle and cousins have said as never been myself. Anyway i think you need to do some more research. Can you retrain. Id forget the marriage thing unless you a proper couple. Good luck x

Seen your update. Good luck with other ways x

It was hard work- not the 'get married in a registry office' thing of UK

It's exactly the same hard work in the UK. Temporary initial spousal visa, proof of shared residency, letters, attesting to a genuine relationship, AND an income requirement.

Well done OP. You must really want to live in Australia to have been considering something so crazy. I know 4 people who have moved there in the last year or so. In all cases they applied for jobs from the UK and then I think the company sorted the visa for them. It seemed a simple process, literally having an interview via Skype one month and living out there the next. Might be worth looking at doing it that way.

I do really want to live there but like most of you say, it's morally and legally wrong. Not the sort of example I want to be setting for DD when she asks how we ended up in Australia when she's older!

The career path I chose and studied at University for isn't what I want to do long term unfortunately, wish I'd realised when I was younger. So hopefully I can retrain and do something different which could also help get me to Australia. I also need something that will fit in with being a single mother as I don't want to miss out on DD growing up. I don't ask for much do I!

Provisionally I did a spousal visa to the UK and didn't find it that hard. Also, my husband is on benefits and I had no job, I wasn't allowed to work. We had no problems with the finical requirements.

We however have a genuine relationship and have been together for 13 years now, so that was easy to prove.