In 2008/09, Husband and I went off on a round-the-world backpacking trip. We visited the US, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and the Maldives, before coming back to the reality of Hampshire in the UK . Ever since, we’ve dreamed of moving to Australia.
After having kids, we decided to put our emigration plans on the back burner and try to make the UK work for us. A few years have passed and Husband’s job is in jeopardy, so we decided the time had arrived to reconsider our options. We debated long and hard about whether to relocate to somewhere in the UK that could offer us a more relaxed, outdoor lifestyle, or follow our old dream and try Australia. We voted to give Australia a go!
We made the decision to emigrate from the UK in June 2013. On 1 July 2013, Husband’s job as an aircraft maintenance engineer (avionics) was removed from Australia’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL). It was bumped onto a secondary list that the different states can pick from to create their own State Migration Plans (SMP). The only states that had him on their list of skilled occupations in demand were Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. Neither were places we wanted to move as they were two states we didn’t get chance to visit on our trip, but we didn’t let that stop us.
We engaged a migration agent to help us through the process. After talking to them, and doing lots of research, we decided to apply for Husband’s skills to be assessed under a different occupation – one that WAS on the SOL. Our agents were confident that his skills and experience met the criteria for this other occupation, but it was still a scary few weeks waiting to hear if we’d been successful. In November 2013, his skills as an Electrical Engineering Technician were accepted by the Trades Recognition Authority. We’ve got a long journey ahead, but our aim is to be in Australia by July/August 2014.
You can read more about our emigration plans in the posts below.
Should we stay or should we go?
Decision made…Australia here we come!
Whether to take your dog to Australia
What to do with your pet when you move to Australia
Our emigration journey: Skills assessments and visa applications
Migrating to Australia: One step closer!
Ten things I learnt over Christmas 2013 (bear with it – the Australia update is at the bottom of the list!)
We’ve received an invitation to apply for our Australian visa!