Australian Visa - Update 3 “We Won’t Really Know Until We Get There!”
Monday, January 12th, 2009
Andrew was successful in obtaining a Level 1 pass in his paper-based skills assessment toward his (Independent Skilled Based) visa application. The next step is a practical skills assessment which he must undertake, scheduled for 7 April. Following this, visa application itself must then be prepared and lodged. The process so far has been expensive. Alot of money for something we remain unsure about applying for but flexibility to decide when the time comes. Jury is out in terms of whether this is/will have been worth the expense as we are unsure of final goals (unknown except we like the idea of the challenge to live and work for at least a year in another country - preferable a warm one! currently). But, questions such as, will we want to live and work in Oz in reality? Or simply be homesick by the time we reach? Will we make it at all or, fall in love and stay in the first country we step foot in outside the UK and blow the plan completely? Maybe we’ll be happy selling deckchairs somewhere hot and sunny!
It remains that “We Won’t Really Know Until We Get There!” and we are left with the fact that Andrew’s age is against him to be able to do this without this particular visa type. Well - in our view in any case (and legally & safely with children involved). So, should we proceed without the visa and we reach Australia, fall in love with the country but then have no means legal of staying at this stage, we might well kick ourselves very hard at having passed up such an opportunity before we get all old and wrinkly. On the upside, the total visa cost covers all four of us as a family and ultimately gives us flexibility and freedom to decide when the time comes about how we feel and what we want to do. Here’s hoping the cost and effort is worth it!
