Welcome to Australia Blog

Employer Nomination Scheme

If you have found a job here and an employer to sponsore you,

Fancy Marrying An Australian?

Well, if you plan to marry (fiance), are married to/or living with someone (for 12 months), or are in a committed relationship with an Australian citizen or permanent resident, (this includes same sex couples) there is the partner-based visa for immigration to Australia.

• The Australian citizen/permanent resident will act as a sponsor for your visa.

This means that your sponsor will provide a written statement pledging to support you for your first two years in Australia, including accommodation and financial assistance to meet reasonable living needs.

Largest Immigration Drive in 40 Years

The UK & mainland Europe are still the main targets for finding new immigrants to move to Australia.

Overseas Doctors – Visa Brief

eVisitor Visas, Easing the Way for the EU

Tourists and business people from all European Union member states now have access to a simple online visitor visa service to travel to Australia.

Fancy a Working Holiday in Australia?

Seeking an adventure….a wish to experience a different county…

This is often the first step to a new place to call home!

It is roughly ten years since I first ventured to Australia on a working holiday visa and like many, caught the migrate to Australia bug.

Working Holiday Visas which are the simplest of the simplest DIY online visas to apply for. A WHV is a first step, for sure, but you have to be under 30 to do it. General Skilled Migration visas (most of them) have an upper age limit for application of 45.

Australia is a Major Working Holiday Destination.

• The working holiday visa is frequently the first step to becoming hooked on the land down under.
• Legislation changes twice a year in Australia and the latest is that it is possible to stay for two years and the visa also now allows you to work for 6 months with one employer rather than three.
• Australian employers are realizing the change in the working holiday visa changes the commitment levels of overseas travellers, and are taking time to train and include temporary staff- no-doubt a great contributor to attachment.
• If after working in a great environment for 6 months, your question to an employer could well be: How can I stay on? At this point there is a need to seek advice relating to the possible pathways to migration.
• In the case of looking at immigration options, advice is as essential as services.
• When looking at short and long term plans, there are steps that can be taken in the short term that help you work toward the long term option of a skilled migration visa, for example.
• Starting with the end goal in mind is an essential part of the pathway to realising your dreams etc.

Take a Gap Year Down-Under

This year approximately 29,000 students from across the UK are expected to defer their university places.

Tourism Australia is calling on these school-leavers to consider a working holiday gap year Down Under to help fund their travels and gain valuable life experience.

Last year, 7%1 of accepted applicants deferred their university place for a year and, judging from the statistics from the past five years, this number of ‘gappers’ is expected to continue.

For those who deferred their university place or who didn’t quite get the grades they expected this year, a 12-month gap year Down Under on a Working Holiday Visa gives school-leavers over 18 the opportunity to work and play in Australia.

Until June 30th this year, almost 11% of Australian Working Holiday Visa applicants from the UK were aged between 18 and 19, a figure that has remained constant for the past three years.

Tourism Australia is looking to build on this and has recently launched www.myspace.com/workinoz which is a dedicated site explaining how to apply for the visa, including tips on living the Aussie lifestyle.

The website also gives information on Australia’s Second Working Holiday Visa where Brits and Irish can extend their visa for a second year provided they spend at least three months doing ‘specified work’ (such as fruit-picking or construction) in a regional area.

Tourism Australia General Manager (UK and Europe), Rodney Harrex said the 12-month gap year to Australia is a popular choice because it offers the chance to live abroad before embarking on a career or starting university.

“The Australian Working Holiday Visa allows travellers to stay for up to 12 months and work in any job,” he said.

“Provided you’ve got a return airfare and some savings to prove you can support yourself when you arrive in Australia, anyone between the ages of 18-30 from the UK and Ireland can apply.

“I know a lot of parents worry that their children will run out of money on their gap years, but the reality is on a Working Holiday Visa you can begin employment from the first day you arrive on Australian soil.”

UCAS data – 28,863 students deferred their places out of a total 413,430 accepted applicants.