Experience of a family visa when moving to Oz? Could do with advice

[brittanyfairies]

I wonder if anyone has any experience of moving to Australia when a close family member is already there.

My background is basically, my brother and his family are in Australia, residents now and doing very well. He is the only member of my family I have contact with and we are very close.

I live in France, this was not my dream this was XH dream, he then had an affair and we got divorced. I'm stuck in France with the DCs and nobody around me, even if I moved back to the UK I'd have nobody around me.

My brother wants me to go to Australia to be with him and his family. He has said he will support me in my move. He just paid for us to have three weeks there at Christmas and the DCs adored it. But more importantly for me they adored having family around them, we are very isolated where we are.

I'm 43, a secretary, and work part time as a language assistant teaching in a school and I have my own transcription business which I do part-time as well. I would take this business with me to Australia if I were to move, it would give me some kind of income but I'd be looking to work in an office environment. I have about 100K equity in my house but that's about it.

I've tried looking on the immi website but find it confusing. Has anyone experience or advice on this kind of visa? Do I even stand a chance of getting a visa before I fork out money? I really want to be with my family and I do feel Australia has more opportunities for me and my DC. However, the cost of the visa is quite expensive and I don't want to throw money away if it's just not a possibility.

To get sponsorship by family in Aus you need to prove you have no other significant family in the uk.
Not sure what qualifications you have to be assessed for skilled migration.
Best option is to get a job offer in Aus and then move across, even on 457. Then work out the next plan!
Unless you have enough points for skilled stream.

First I'd check that you can take the children, would France be their place of habitual residence so you'd have to have EXH's agreement to leave even on a return to the UK. Sorry not to be more helpful but I've seen a lot of people trapped in a country they can't stand anymore

France is the children's place of habitual residence, but XH is in the UK. I barely bothers with them, I think even if they lived next door to him, he'd come up with a million excuses why he couldn't see them. Us moving to Oz would give him the perfect excuse not to see them and be able to cry his crocodile tears about them being so far away to anyone who listens. It would be win:win as far as he's concerned.

I'm sorry to hear that, I know how hard it is to be away from the people you care about.

From the immi website it looks more like you'lll need to get a job and then get sponsored.

Have a look at the poms in oz site and
British expats

Best of luck with it all.