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ILoveWombats
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To UK from Australia

Post by ILoveWombats » Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:37 pm

Hello

Forgive me for not being very immigration-savvy. I don't know very much about it, hence why I'm here.

Basically my girlfriend is from Australia and is coming to live here in the UK permanently. Seeing as we don't have a clue about what to do, I was wondering if anyone who is Aussie and has successfully moved to the UK could provide some kind of mini guide as to what to do. I think we're mainly worried that she'll get a work visa and once it's up she'll have to move back to Australia and try and get back here for good. How difficult overall would it be for her?

Any information/experiences would be appreciated!

Cheers :wink:

Mr Rusty
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Post by Mr Rusty » Sun Aug 12, 2012 3:59 am

How old is she? Has she been to the UK before? She might qualify for entry under this scheme, which would give her a stay of up to 2 years:-

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... igibility/

Wehi
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Post by Wehi » Sun Aug 12, 2012 8:55 am

You should also ask her if she has a grandparent that was born in either the UK or Ireland - many kiwis & aussies do - if that's the case she can then apply for an ancestry visa which would give her 5 years straight up after which she can apply for Indefinite leave.

ILoveWombats
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Post by ILoveWombats » Sun Aug 12, 2012 7:08 pm

Thanks for replies.

She's 24 and hasn't been here yet. And her grandparents weren't born here, but great grandparents were. Does it have to be grandparents?

What's the best route for her? And if she just takes a regular work visa how easy would it be for her to stay here permanently?

wf
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Post by wf » Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:02 am

ILoveWombats wrote:Does it have to be grandparents?
Yes
What's the best route for her?
Tier 5/YMS as suggested above which is easy to get in her circumstances.

It gives 2 years leave, if she is living with you the whole time (and you have sufficient documentary evidence) she can then apply for an unmarried partner visa to continue her stay.

ILoveWombats
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Post by ILoveWombats » Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:07 pm

wf wrote:
ILoveWombats wrote:Does it have to be grandparents?
Yes
What's the best route for her?
Tier 5/YMS as suggested above which is easy to get in her circumstances.

It gives 2 years leave, if she is living with you the whole time (and you have sufficient documentary evidence) she can then apply for an unmarried partner visa to continue her stay.
I read that the YMS, once the time is up, won't allow her to apply to stay here permanently.... ?

Also, when she does come here she won't be living with me straight away. Could we still apply for the unmarried partner visa? Also, are you sure they allow it for unmarried partners because I keep reading about the need to be married/in civil partnership?

It's just a shame about the ancestry thing, because her family do originate from here.

Do you reckon she's better off just to get a working visa and apply to stay permanently during that period? Especially if she can prove she's in a stable job/paying taxes/is independent. Or would they make her go back to Australia before she can do that?

wf
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Post by wf » Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:21 pm

ILoveWombats wrote: I read that the YMS, once the time is up, won't allow her to apply to stay here permanently.... ?
If eligible for unmarried partner, you can switch in country under the current rules.
Also, when she does come here she won't be living with me straight away. Could we still apply for the unmarried partner visa?
No, as you require evidence of living together for 2 full years, which will only occur at the end of her YMS if you lived together the whole time.
Also, are you sure they allow it for unmarried partners because I keep reading about the need to be married/in civil partnership?
Yes, all explained on the UKBA website.
It's just a shame about the ancestry thing, because her family do originate from here.
Yes, like many (including myself) but they have to draw the line somewhere.
Do you reckon she's better off just to get a working visa and apply to stay permanently during that period?
No, as the cost and effort required to get a work visa (ie: Tier 2) is orders of magnitude greater than for a YMS.
Especially if she can prove she's in a stable job/paying taxes/is independent.
Not going to make any difference if she can't get the visa in the first place.
Or would they make her go back to Australia before she can do that?
ditto.

ILoveWombats
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Post by ILoveWombats » Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:36 pm

Her grandparents are Italian. Could she apply for an Italian passport? I'm pretty sure that'd mean she can live and work in the UK.

wf
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Post by wf » Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:40 pm

ILoveWombats wrote:Her grandparents are Italian. Could she apply for an Italian passport? I'm pretty sure that'd mean she can live and work in the UK.
There is a fairly good possibility she can gain Italian citizenship though the rules are a little complex and from what I understand the process may take some time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_na ... _sanguinis

And yes an italian passport allows her to work in the UK.

anniecc
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Post by anniecc » Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:12 pm

The only fishhook with Youth Mobility is that if you're not planning to live together or get married (which would enable your girlfriend to switch into the family category), she will have to go back to Australia at the end of it.

The UK government has tightened the criteria for work visas a lot in recent years. A work visa is really only an option if your gf is working in a designated list of shortage occupations or has a PhD. Otherwise her prospective employer would have to show that they had no applications from UK or EU citizens who could do the job.

Another option would be for her to come as a student. If she graduates with a UK qualification, she has an easier route to obtaining a work permit as UKBA waive the requirement for employers to offer the job to a UK or EU worker first.

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