What would you do? In desperate need of honest advice

[Leigh-belle]

I am a newbie to this forum and I am really in need of some honest advice.
I am currently on a Work permit and will qualify for Indefinate leave to remain in 06/2010. However I recently went on to visit Australia and was really impressed with the lifestyle that side. I think for me the most important thing was spending time with my sister and her family.
It was also a real eye opener for me as the lifestyle was so laid back and much more family oriented . I also felt brighter and more positive which I haven't felt for years and it was like a whole new world opened up .
Now my dilemma is that I have been seriously considering moving to that part of the world but am worried that the Seven years I have lived here will all be in vain. I fought really hard to get a Student visa, I waited and fought for three years for the Student visa if you can imagine!,I finished my degree and and once I started working, found out I had got myself into a pickle as there is a rampant bullying culture endorsed/ignored by management.
I have been working for 2 1/2 years now and feel that the suffering I have gone through should at least amount to a positive outcome of getting PR eventually whereby, I can work to my potential in other areas and contribute even more to this country.
At the same time, the pull to move to Australia is so strong and I am sick and tired of living in the hope of eventually getting citizenship . I have had to cope working in a job that I really dislike (mostly the politics and individuals) rather than the job itself. I am 27 and feel like I have wasted my twenties, struggling with the bureacracy of immigration services and generally finding life difficult at times. I have now decided enough is enough, I want to start living life now!
Don't get me wrong after living here for this long, I like the life and have met and made some great friends here. I will always cherish the memories I have here.
NOw my dilemma is do I go for it? (apply for permanent residence to Australia) or do I wait till eligible to get a British passport? The advantage is that if i need to come back it will be easier and hassle free and having lived here for that long, it feels like a second home. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I am worried about making a mistake.
Leigh

[sakura]

Have you researched to see if you qualify for a visa to Australia?

In the UK, you would need to wait until June 2011 (or longer http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=23718) to qualify for naturalisation. Are you willing to wait that long?

If you don't like your job, for whatever reason, then why not apply for new ones or for the HSMP? Doing this does not reset your ILR clock, so you would be free from your current employment, and you might find the answer to your question.

I know many people on this board who agree that life in Australia is very nice and more laid back, as you mentioned. Also, once you are there you might well forget about living in/returning to the UK other than to visit.

Either way, Australia isn't going to disappear, so you can always wait until after 2011.

[thirdwave]

I am a newbie to this forum and I am really in need of some honest advice.
I am currently on a Work permit and will qualify for Indefinate leave to remain in 06/2010. However I recently went on to visit Australia and was really impressed with the lifestyle that side. I think for me the most important thing was spending time with my sister and her family.
It was also a real eye opener for me as the lifestyle was so laid back and much more family oriented . I also felt brighter and more positive which I haven't felt for years and it was like a whole new world opened up .
Now my dilemma is that I have been seriously considering moving to that part of the world but am worried that the Seven years I have lived here will all be in vain. I fought really hard to get a Student visa, I waited and fought for three years for the Student visa if you can imagine!,I finished my degree and and once I started working, found out I had got myself into a pickle as there is a rampant bullying culture endorsed/ignored by management.
I have been working for 2 1/2 years now and feel that the suffering I have gone through should at least amount to a positive outcome of getting PR eventually whereby, I can work to my potential in other areas and contribute even more to this country.
At the same time, the pull to move to Australia is so strong and I am sick and tired of living in the hope of eventually getting citizenship . I have had to cope working in a job that I really dislike (mostly the politics and individuals) rather than the job itself. I am 27 and feel like I have wasted my twenties, struggling with the bureacracy of immigration services and generally finding life difficult at times. I have now decided enough is enough, I want to start living life now!
Don't get me wrong after living here for this long, I like the life and have met and made some great friends here. I will always cherish the memories I have here.
NOw my dilemma is do I go for it? (apply for permanent residence to Australia) or do I wait till eligible to get a British passport? The advantage is that if i need to come back it will be easier and hassle free and having lived here for that long, it feels like a second home. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I am worried about making a mistake.
Leigh

The way things are shaping up, you'd probably qualify for PR and Citizenship in Oz sooner than you'd in this country, provided you qualify on their points based system and move there fairly soon..I think its 3 years to PR plus one year for Citizenship in Australia..

Check their website for more details..

http://www.immi.gov.au/

Best of luck!

[Leigh-belle]

Thank you for your advice .
From my understanding I actually qualify for citizenship as my skills are on the shortage/demand list. I have also had a few job offers from that side. I just don't want to make a mistake knowing how difficult issues of immigration can be. Please keep the advice coming

[thirdwave]

Thank you for your advice .
From my understanding I actually qualify for citizenship as my skills are on the shortage/demand list. I have also had a few job offers from that side. I just don't want to make a mistake knowing how difficult issues of immigration can be. Please keep the advice coming

The Australian immigration system is fairer and more straightforward than the UK one.They also do not implement changes retrospectively, unlike the UK. Make up your own mind..

[Jeff Albright]

I echo everyone's thoughts here and myself moved to Australia 6 months ago from the UK, where I wasted over 9 years fighting the beauracratic and arrogant British system.
British citizenship does not have a lot of advantages as compared to Australian one. With both passports you can enter any European country without a visa. British passport will allow you to work with some European countries, Australian won't. But it only makes sense if you speak European languages fluently or have a job on demand there (which is difficult). If your job is on demand in Europe, you can easily get a Work Permit with an Australian passport.
You are absolutely correct about your observations about Australian and how you perceive it as compared to the UK.
However, you should bear in mind that it is much much more difficult to find a job in Australia than in the UK. Some migrants look for jobs in their occupation for years and some get disappointed and leave.
Australian system is a lot more relaxed but at the same time, is a bit backward. I would say that Australia is a very expensive country nowadays with the cost of living approaching the UK but the salaries are generally higher here than in the UK. Taxes are just as high as in the UK plus you pay for everything literally here while in the UK you can sometimes get away. British government is generally more generous by giving you money back, Australian is greedier.
Grocery shopping is more expensive in Australia than in the UK but eating out is cheaper.
There are prons and cons, you should look into all of them and analyse before making your decision to move.
One thing that is good here, if you qualify for points based migration system in Australia, you get your PR straight away (you will have the stability of your situation) but in the UK you will be kept hanging for 5 years not knowing what would happen afterwards, when the Home Secretary all of the sudden changes her mind and extend your qualifying period to 10 years once you have already been there for 4, as an example. Or they may lose your passport or papers and then accuse you of being illegal, which happened to me, and which took almost 8 years to sort out.
The Australian system is a lot fairer and much more organised than their counterparts in the UK.

[JAJ]

Thank you for your advice .
From my understanding I actually qualify for citizenship as my skills are on the shortage/demand list. I have also had a few job offers from that side.

You need to do a lot more research, sorry. Your statement about "qualifying for citizenship" is wrong - you don't qualify for Australian citizenship based on skills. You first need to get permanent residence and then after a few years in Australia you can apply for citizenship.

Start your research at http://www.immi.gov.au

Are you eligible for a permanent migration visa to Australia? If so, it might well be the way to go. If the best you can hope for is a work permit, you may be better off to stick with the United Kingdom.

One further word of warning. There is no guarantee that in 2011 Australia will be as open to migration as it is today. Consider that carefully if you can get a permanent migration visa right now.

What's your existing nationality, out of interest?

[Jeff Albright]

One further word of warning. There is no guarantee that in 2011 Australia will be as open to migration as it is today. Consider that carefully if you can get a permanent migration visa right now.

Wondered where did you fish this out JAJ?
Furthermore, once he qualifies for a permanent visa, his situation will be secured and any future changes in Immigration policy in Australia will not affect him.

[JAJ]

Wondered where did you fish this out JAJ?
Furthermore, once he qualifies for a permanent visa, his situation will be secured and any future changes in Immigration policy in Australia will not affect him.

Fish what out? The fact that immigration rules change all the time?

Of course if original poster does get a permanent visa it will be valid for a period of time, but new applicants are regularly caught out by rule changes.

[Jeff Albright]

Fish what out? The fact that immigration rules change all the time?

You understood what I asked.
Rules change all the time but that does not mean that in 2010 the permanent skilled migration programme that has been there for decades will cease. In fact the Government has been increasing the number of permanent visas and add more categories into the MODL list. Skilled Migration is crucial for the sustainable growth of the Australian economy.

[JAJ]

You understood what I asked.
Rules change all the time but that does not mean that in 2010 the permanent skilled migration programme that has been there for decades will cease. In fact the Government has been increasing the number of permanent visas and add more categories into the MODL list. Skilled Migration is crucial for the sustainable growth of the Australian economy.

Highly unlikely that the program will cease but quite likely that rules will change in some way.

[Liberal Immigrant]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

[thirdwave]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

In the OP's case, its not..From what I`ve heard from friends who have moved to Oz recently, your work is more valued, there is less riff raff on the streets and consequently less crime, better weather, the work life balance is much better and the pay way more attractive (in terms of cost of living/take home pay) atleast in my profession. Plus Australia has a real economy which is on the UP and actually produces stuff (ok, its mostly Iron ore, Uranium, gold and other commodities..so what?). Compare that to the UK, with its economy based on binge lending, inflated houseprices and half the population on the dole.

I would have jumped on that flight to Oz ages ago had it not been for family commitments and my wife's career considerations

[vinay shanthi]

The Australian immigration system is fairer and more straightforward than the UK one.They also do not implement changes retrospectively, unlike the UK. Make up your own mind..

what makes u think that australia does not implement retrospective rules

see link for details and see the 2nd post by me on that link and in that see point number 2
http://www.vbsi.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=127

[JAJ]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

All the original poster has is a work permit in the U.K. with the chance of ILR in 2010 providing nothing goes wrong with job or immigration rules in the meantime.

There is absolutely no evidence that he or she qualifies to immigrate to Australia, but if a permanent migration visa is an option it is something deserving of serious consideration.

Australia has its share of problems, but the economic and social challenges it faces are not on the same scale as those facing the United Kingdom.

One has to bear in mind that abandoning the U.K. at this stage does mean that previous residence will count for nothing should there ever be a plan to return. For that reason, it would be necessary to exercise extreme caution before accepting a temporary visa rather than a permanent one.

[Leigh-belle]

Thanks for your advice, all those who have taken their time to reply. I really appreciate this.
I am actually a UK trained nurse and there seems to be a few routes towards qualifying for residence. If i move, I am hoping to move with permanent residence rather than on a work permit.