anyone in aus temporarily? Anyone been for a year?

[mogwai]

seriously considering going for a year...anyone else been in that situation?

My husband is a doctor and is hoping to work out there for a year from next August. I'm guessing that if he had a job lined up, the visa requirements might be more simple than if we were trying to go out there permanently??

We are planning to go to Oz for 2 years but are applying for a skilled migrants visa, if we live there for 3 years (I think) we can then apply for Australian residency with the visa we will hopefully have, we thought that would give our girls a great opportunity. Lots of people have said that we need to give it at least 2 years.

Also, if it is wonderful and we are having a great time at least we can then stay quite easily.

Have you ever been to Oz before, we have been quite a few times, longest time was for 3 1/2 months, so experienced a bit of what it is like to live there.

I've been twice, Jenkel

Once for six weeks, once for three weeks.

There were things that annoyed me and things that I loved. Not sure whether I want to go forver. A year would give us a taste of it, two years would be better, but my husband's job makes that difficult - he can go for a year but not two.

Same as us then, there are things that we love, the outdoorsy lifestyle, weather (mind you cant complain in the UK at the moment). And things that I'm pretty sure that I will hate, shopping (or lack of), flys.

Dh hasnt got a job or anything lined up yet, but once we get a visa I'm pretty sure that it will be fairly easy for him to get a job, friends in similar jobs have done it easy enough.

I think its too big an opportunity to miss if you get the chance.

Dont have much advice on the visa front, guess if he gets a job he could be sponsored by his employees which would probably speed things up a bit.

Hope you didnt take offence when I asked if you had been before, a friend of a friend is also applying for visa to Oz and they have never been before, the also have a teenage daughter who really doesnt want to go (but is) and two older sons at work who they will be leaving at home in the UK. A few alarm bells are going off in my head over them going.

Hi Mogwai. I came over to Aus on a 7 month contract, sponsored by my employer.

I would say that he needs to find a job and get sponsored first. I think it is very difficult to tranfer a visitors visa to a working one once you're here - they expect you to leave the country. If you are planning on working then you can piggy-back on his visa as his de-facto, which will let you work anywhere.

Have a look at the website: \link{www.immi.gov.au\Australian Immigration}

Of course, it may be as a doctor they fawn all over him and grant a visa at the drop of a hat without having a job offer. I know they are very easy to come by if you are bringing in lots of money too.

Hi Mogwai

We're coming to the end of year having done just what you are contemplating - dh is a doctor and needed to do his year of general medicine in a DGH as a part of his SpR CCST. We have been in Townsville, North Queensland and it has been a fantastic experience. Visas are very straightforward (once you've persuaded the Medical Board of Queensland that as a native British person you can actually speak English! But that's another story...) and you will be permitted to work on the basis of dh's visa. We have 2 boys (5 and 3) and they have had a ball - it's really set up for families (inc the tax breaks - salary sacrifice is great) and a year has been good. In hindsight, 2 would have been better - feels like I've just recovered from packing up to get here and now we're packing up to go - but like you it was one year or nothing. Feel free to CAT me - the hospital here would have your dh if he needs somewhere to contact.

Thanks for all your replies

Jenkel, no I wasn't at all offended. I'm not sure that Australia is everything that people expect it to be (it was different to what I'd expected), so going out there with no prior knowledge seems a bit mad!

Hannahsaunt - how exciting to have found you! My husband is also an SpR and we are considering Brisbane or Sydney. I am an SLT and I would like to work part time in Australia, but when I made my initial enquiries, the medical board of Queensland seemed to have different rules to everyone else, which did put me off a bit.

Anyway, I have signed up for CAT and I've sent you my email address....loads of things to ask you and would love to know how the year has been for you.