Hello

My husband, son & I have just returned from an amazing holiday in Oz, the purpose of which was to decide if we wanted to emigrate. We definitely do but are just unsure as to the timing of things.

I am a registered nurse, and so considered a skilled worker. I am 36yrs old & my husband (a management accountant) is 43 next mth. Whilst in Oz I had a look round a ward similar to the one I currently work on & it was explained to me that I should apply for jobs in June/July time.

My question is really regarding whether we should apply for working visas and then apply for residency once there (& so get sponsored by our employers) or whether we should just go for residency visas straight off. I understand that my husband would go on the back of my visa in view of a) his age and b)he may not be considered a "needed" occupation.

Assuming we opt for permanent residency how much would it cost (I seem to recall from previous research that it's about 3k, but can't remember if that's each or for a family), and at what point in the process would we have to pay?

We currently have a 2yr old child & would like to have our 2nd baby before we go (seeing as there is currently no maternity pay in Oz), so it's really tricky to know when we'd realistically be able to go. If we had the choice we'd go tomorrow!

I apologise if these questions have already been done to death on here!

Thanks guys,

Saff xxx

Hello Saff.

The least risk option is to lodge a visa application without the assistance of an employer - ie a subclass 175 Skilled Independent visa application.

As a nurse I anticipate that such an application would move relatively quickly - but probably not as quickly as would be the case if you find an employer who is happy to sponsor you for a permanent residency visa under the Employer Nomination Scheme (or Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme if the employer is in a "regional area" of Australia).

Maybe telephone our office in Southampton for a chat with one of our friendly consultants?! T 023 80 30 25 25

Also, have a look at the Poms in Oz forum (though it can be addictive!): http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/

Best regards.