This may be of interest to some:
http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=397

Best regards.

Thanks for the information Alan. It definitely does apply to us, we are both desperate to get back to Aus but unfortunately are occupations are not on the skills list, Nick even has his old boss in Sydney willing to sponsor him, but again we have been told no.

We have looked into going via the student visa route but like you explained this is VERY expensive!

We have also both had working holiday visas and been out there on holiday visas too. However when we got our WHM visa we were only entitled to stay for 1 year and work in one job for 3 months - has this changed ?

Could we apply for another WHM visa???!!! We are just so desperate to get back to our friends over there! We keep speaking to them all who tell us to hang on and keep our fingers crossed that one day soon the Immigration will add scaffolding on to the list!!!

What makes it worse is that the family who lives across the street from us move out to Aus on a perm skilled visa and came home after 3 months!

Can I suggest that you might call my office in Southampton on UK number 023 80 488777? I would ask for John Sylvester.

Best regards.

i am myself in the same boat and unfortunatly used the working holiday visa a couple of years ago

We are now looking into doing a student visa but it is so expensive.
My sister lives on the gold coast with her family and my mum and dad were going to move out there but the retirement visa got cancelled so they are looking into other ways it is not easy or cheap.

Me and my partner are very desprate we are looking at every way possible. My partner has many qualification but we were told they were out of date and would have to re do them. He was an alarm enginer, amung other things

I wish I'd known about this a couple of years ago. I wasted my WMV and came home after the year was up. Now I'm stuck in the UK struggling to find an applicable visa.

I'll just add my 2 cents from my experience. I'm currently in Oz (Melbourne) on a 417 (Work Holiday visa). I'm 32 now so over the age limit to apply for a second one (you would have to spend 3 months in regional Oz fruit picking or something to get a second one).

It is possible to get past the 6 month limit on a WHV I've found out. It involves applying to immigration and pleading your case basically - if you are involved in a project and can prove that the company would suffer if you left and if the project is set to end in the near future you could potentially extend it longer. I found this out from 4corners emigration services and they charge $600 for their services (I'm sure there is a way to do it yourself?).

Also, as far as finding sponsorship...easier said than done! I was hoping to do just this, but cannot find any companies willing to do this...yet. I'm in IT (desktop support) and since there is no shortage of people like me, there are no (or a small number of) companies who will do it. You would have to impress the hell out of them for them to consider it since it costs them a few grand...of course, if you have a more specific skill than you would be more attractive.

My wife and I are praying that one of us gets sponsored before Jan 2009. Once that happens, the other spouse will also get a 457 visa...and once we have been working for 12 months (we started in Mar 2008) we would have enough points to apply for PR.

If sponsorship doesn't come through for us in the next few months, we will have to scramble and try to find some other way! If anyone has any ideas, let me know!

Cheers

this is very interesting, i am in aus on a 457, want to bring my daughter herem, she is 20, with 2 children..the price of studies are totally over my budget, but if i get my pr, expected jan 2009, do you know if i can get any benefits for her studies...otherwise it will be working visa for now..she will be completing her first year of studies as a hairdresser in jan 2009 in south africa

Thanks Alan,
I don't know how to thank you....
U r the BEST of the BEST....