Moving to Australia

[bakermum72]

Hoping someone can give me some insight to the process...

Me and hubby would like to emigrate to Australia. He is an electrician (so can get a skilled visa). We would then like to apply for citizenship after 4/5 years.

We are married and we have a 2 year old - am I right in thinking hubby can put us on his visa application so that we can all go? (I don't have a job listed on the skilled visa list)

If it does work like that, how does the process then work? I know some people get the go ahead in 6 months,whereas others have had to wait a couple of years.

Any advice, preparation advice or insight welcome!

Can I ask how often and how long you have visited Australia for and where?
It was something we considered but after spending 3 months there we changed our mind. This was in the greater Melbourne area....we traveled around and found that different areas of the country are very different and that's part of what you need to take into account.
We have extended family there so wouldn't be quite so isolated but it's a long way and Skype is only so good for so long. You do need some kind of support network to help you deal with the culture shock and just to be there when your having a rough time.
We have family that have emigrated to the West Coast of the states and to Australia and those are things that are important to them. Hope someone else can give you more insight.

@MissPinkCakeyBun We have spent months there and have traveled the whole East Coast. We love Australia and everything about it, hence we would like to live there and just wondered if anyone had done it so I could have an insight into the process. We know people out there etc. We've done all the research and thought about all of that, just wanted to potentially speak with someone who has done this or is in the process of visa applications etc.

I went out with a 457 visa and it took 4 months start to finish. My husband was also included on the Visa. If you check the Aus consul website they have processing times for various visas if that helps. They are usually longer than you think!

You need pomsinoz or the BritishExpats Aus forum for up to date visa advice. It took us two years twelve years ago to get DH's skilled migrant visa as an IT professional (and yes, family are then included). You might get a temporary visa quicker (though the 457 is no more) but the risk is always there that if you lose a job you have very little time to find a new sponsor or leave the country, we know people it happened to. The timeframe for being able to apply for citizenship from permanent residency is five years now. We used a migration agent that makes the whole process easier. Good luck.