Emigration to Australia

by Gemma
(UK)

I am wanting to emigrate to Australia, Sydney, this year. I haven't found much useful information on the web about the requirements. I hope you can give me any advice.

My reason for wanting to emigrate to Australia is because my English partner is currently living there and has been for the past 18 month. This was a permanent move for him and I hope to join him with my son.

I think one of my down falls in applying for a visa is the fact I do not have a profession. I am 23, and have been in further education for the past 5 years. Currently I am at university just about to complete my first year of a law degree.

I would like to know what my chances of acceptance would be and if it would be possible to continue the remaining years of my course over there.

I hope you can help!!!

Response to: Emigration to Australia

Hi Gemma,

You don't need a profession to emigrate to Australia. There are many different migrant visas available.

What you should look into first are the different options for partners/spouses.

Since it was a permanent move for your partner he should soon be eligible for permanent residency in Australia. Once he is a permanent resident you can follow him on a spouse visa.

To find out how to do this yourself go to the Australian Immigration Department's website. Click on "Visa Options" on the family migration overview page. Select to apply as a partner.

Read through all the information, print out the fact sheets, the application forms and supporting information, and go through it with a highlighter.

If you can prove that you are in a long term, stable relationship—and there are several ways to do so—then you can get a visa without problems. It will, however, take time. The sooner you start looking into it, the better.

All too overwhelming? Need a Partner visa? Click here for advice.

Your son will need his own visa. Just click on child on the initial selection screen to see the options. They are similar to yours and there should be no problem.

Or you can again check out the free assessment service:
Need a Parent visa? Click here for advice.

Another option may be to apply for an Australia Working Holiday Visa first, though I'm not sure how that works with children.

A WHV gives you a whole year to live in Australia and work, during which you can get together the information and proof you need to apply for a spouse visa.

Any Australian migration visa application involves a lot of reading and paperwork. If you study law you may be comfortable with that kind of bureaucracy. Everything you need can be found on the website of the Australian Immigration Department. I did my own two applications (first temporary, then permanent) myself and all went fine. But it did give me headaches and the first few grey hairs...

I can't advise you on your university course. Law is country specific and not universal. I would suggest you contact individual universities in Australia to find out if they are able to credit you for some of the studies you have already done.

If you can get into one of the Australian universities you can get a student visa, and if you graduate from an Australian university you may be eligible for permanent residency in Australia.

Here is the government info for student visas for Australia.
Go here if you need help:
Need a Student visa? Click here for advice.

Hope that gives you something to start with.
Emigration to Australia is a complex process and I can't offer individual assistance beyond pointing people in the right direction. There is a reason why migration agents charge a fortune to assist with applications to emigrate to Australia.

That assistance service that I linked to above is the most affordable option, and the assessments for eligibility are free. For anybody who is not comfortable with dealing with mountains of paperwork themselves it's probably the best option, and also gives the best chances for approval.

If you want to connect with others who are going through the same process or have been through it check out this British Expats Forum.

All the best,
B.

PS.: Thanks again to Chris and Mark who provided these helpful links in the comments!