Australian Visas question

[libertychick]

DH and I have decided after several years of faffing around that we will emigrate to Oz before end of this year if at all possible.

I am debating visa options - He is a NZ citizen so I could go on a NZ family member visa subclass 461 but from what I have read, it seems I would never be able to become a permanent resident. We have one DD who holds UK and NZ passports.

Alternately, I could apply for an independent skilled visa - I am fairly sure I would qualify for this and then I would be permanent resident from day one but I'm not 100% sure I would get it, it's a lot more hassle, much more expensive and will take longer to organise.

My main concern about the 461 visa is that it's reassessed every 5 years and you have to pass health assessment etc to get it. I'm fit and healthy now but we want to move with the intention of Oz being a permanent home and I think having the worry every 5 years about my status could get very stressful. Would really appreciate advise/perspectives from people who know anything about this.

Thanks!

Update - just had an email from the assessing agency unfortunately saying that I don't meet the requirements for the profession I thought I could get a independent skilled visa for.

So that leaves me on a 461 visa - anyone out there living in Australia on this visa - does it cause any problems or is it ok?

Thanks

Hi, I'm living in Oz on a 461 visa. I'd say it's a good visa to start off with, can be granted very quickly (mine took a couple of days) and is very easy to renew - you don't need medical/health checks for it by the way.
I would say though if you are planning to live in Oz permanently then you should eventually go down the permanent visa route but you can do the application once you're here and whilst on the 461.

Note that as a temporary resident you won't get all the benefits of permanent residency BUT your husband, as a kiwi, will so you just need to put everything in his name (eg child care benefit) in order to be entitled.
I haven't encountered any problems on this visa, no problems getting a permanent job, just had a baby in a fantastic public hospital here etc etc
Let me know if you have any more questions. HTH

Ps meant to say that the 5 year renewal shouldnt be stressful, just fill out the form & resubmit, very few hoops to jump through. Incidentally, you can renew it even if you have broken up with your partner in the interim!

Thanks very much for the response. As you say it sounds like a good option for getting started anyway. It's also a lot cheaper than some of the other options.

Can't your husband (as a Kiwi) sponsor you on a partner visa? I think we have friends who have just done this but couldn't swear to it...

Hello roary Thanks for replying
DH isn't resident in Oz so I would be traveling in with him and the visa option is a 5 year temporary one which you then renew. Kiwis can only sponser a partner if they are 'eligible' which means they were in Oz on some date in 2001 or for a couple of years before that. I have spoken to the immigration dept of the Australian high commission here and they have assured me that while the visa type i can get as the partner of a non eligible kiwi is not one that leads to permanent residency, it is a very solid visa and I unlikely to have problems. Also once we are there, I can look into options such s getting an employer to sponser me so I'm feeling more relaxed about it now.