If you are new to this series, so far….
- In Part One you have the idea.
- In Part Two you looked at the various Visa options.
- In Part Three you looked at using a MARA Migration Agent.
- In Part Four you agreed the basis of your application.
- In Part Five you needed to Prove It!
- In Part Six you looked at taking the dog or cat.
Moving to Australia – Part 7

Catch a Plane?
Not yet!
So far we are at the stage where the basis of our application has been agreed, my wife’s skill set has been accepted and we know that the dog can come. It had taken us six months to get here.
But three of those months were wasted on a migration agent who just wasn’t interested. So by choosing your agent more wisely, you can get this far in three months. What happens next?
Now Is the Time to Apply
Yes, I know it seems like we have done a lot already, but we haven’t yet actually filled in the application form. There are over a hundred forms to choose from over at immi.gov.au – the Australian government’s immigration site. There’s a form to cover every kind of application. Ours was a 30 pager.
Filling in the form in is probably the easy part, although it will take you a fair amount of time. The difficult part is, again, in the “prove it”. You have already proved, if you are looking to come here as a skilled worker, that you do really have that skill. Now you just have to prove everything else!
Proofs you may need to get include your birth certificate, your marriage certificate, your divorce certificate if you are divorced and another marriage certificate if you remarried. Certificates for exams passed, your degree certificate, photographs of each applicant, and you also need to ensure that you each have a minimum of five years left on your British passports.
All of these proofs need to be photocopied and certified by a justice of the peace. This didn’t cause us any problems as our migration agent happened to also be a justice of the peace. Very handy!
No stone is left unturned during either of these prove it stages. I forgot to mention that during the “prove it” part of my wife’s skills assessment, she had to get a sealed, certified transcript of her degree course, so assessors could check to see if the course content was relevant.
You will also be asked to list everywhere you have lived in the last 10 years and, if it can’t be verified their end, you will be again asked to prove it.
If any of these documents come from a non English-speaking country – someone I know got married in Rome, for example – then you will need to pay for a qualified translator to translate the text and verify it.
Sound like fun?
Our application along with all those proofs went into the post and were received by the Australian authorities on August 3rd 2006. We paid around £50 to have ours delivered by courier, it’s not the sort of thing you want lost in the post.
At this point I want to quickly remind you that this is our story, and everyone’s story will be slightly different. For us, seven months almost to the day from the day we decided to move to Australia, our application had been received. I am describing how we did it but I do want to make two points.
- Some people will tell you you do not need a migration agent and you can save yourself £1200, or whatever the fees, by doing it yourself. I still believe it’s a good idea to get one and spoke about all my reasons in part three. Everybody is different. You do have a choice and the choice is yours.
- I have heard from a couple of sources that an electronic application is faster than a paper application. That may well be the case, so if you have the choice and you are in a hurry, apply electronically.
But you may like to consider this. Applying to emigrate to Australia is a big step and a massive move. From our initial idea to actually living in Australia took us 23 months. It’s a long time, yes. But it was also our final 23 months of living in England. It gave us time to say goodbye to the country we lived in all our lives. We even had a holiday in Cornwall!
It also gave us time to visit some of those places in Europe we hadn’t yet seen. Europe is a fascinating place. So for us, the 23 month wait was just right. For us, the important thing was getting the green light from Australia. Not the speed with which we did it.
Because once you’re here, you won’t be going back in a hurry.
Go to Moving to Australia Part 8
For a full chronological list and brief description of all the posts in this series about how I moved to Australia, please visit my page How to Move to Australia.
Hi Bob, Can u pls guide me how could I prepare for:
1) Evidence of detailed research undertaken into living and working in the NT, that demonstrates I have a realistic knowledge of the environment and planning on migrating. Research to cover knowledge on climate, relocation costs, living expenses (for example, food, utilities, rent), and accommodation costs to settle in the NT. Also, evidence to include a narrative explaining my reasons for wanting to migrate to the NT.
2) Statement documenting my commitment to the NT.
Regards,
John
No, you would need to speak to a migration agent about these things if you need assistance.
Well Bob,
I thought I’d drop you a line in this section. The visa is applied and payed for! Docs submitted last night, except for the police clearance and medical for which I understand we need to wait until the case officer requests it. So we are in the waiting stage for said case officer. It’s very exciting, I almost can’t believe we are this far in the process!
You mentioned you had a long lead up from the idea to actual moving. If you can believe it, the idea for my wife and I began when we returned from a working holiday visa in 2006, and becoming an engineers was part (but not the sole reasons) of that plan to move back to Oz.
Well, that’s a very long lead up Martin, having had the idea in 2006. Congratulations on getting your application in, now all you need to do is go through that nervous waiting.
Hopefully, when they start dealing with your case, they will soon ask you for the medicals and police checks, and when that happens, you know you are getting close.
Good luck, I hope it goes well.
HI Bob,
I have applied for 190 visa class and have already lodged an application through skillselect after being nominated by Perth. I have also paid the money. I didn’t send any documents through skilselect and nobody has contacted me yet. I was a little bit worried. Do i have to wait, or send in the documents?
I think you might be better off asking this question over at my page EOI, quite a few people there have been through this process and they know how it works. If you ask this question there, hopefully someone might be able to give you some advice.
Cheers, Bob
I would recommend getting an Agent myself, we used one they were really good for us … they told me how to layout my skill references for the Australian Computer Society, they were on my case all the time which was great really because it meant we had all the paperwork done within a decent time-frame and got our visas within 12 months.
It does cost about £1000 but its well worth it.
I’m inclined to agree with you Jon, as long as you get hold of a good agent, and it sounds like you did.
In the whole scheme of things, the money you pay a MARA registered migration agent is only a small percentage of the total cost of the move, and, in some cases, it can mean the difference between success and failure.
We certainly used one.
Cheers
Bob
Hi bob,
its 4:00 in the morning and my first morning in OZ. jus came yesterday from India on a PR and still have to adjust to time changes. Was feeling a bit gloomy and am still trying to convince myself that i have made a good decision to come dowm to OZ. I am 26 and still am in early days of my IT career. Back in India i felt i was all set and settled but I guess my quest for still better life and my family interestd landed me here. Was trying to find my way out of the gloominess and in the process laded on your website and finally the 20 reasons… book. U said it all..Marvellous..I get a feeling that yes maybe i did take a right decision after all. I looking forward to settle down and find a good job ASAP and have a ball here down in OZ. You have compared very well about lifestyle differences between UK and OZ…hopefully taking a leaf from your book maybe after having a good stay here could jot dowm my experiences and compare OZ and INDIA like u did :)…Cheeers Mate u Rock!!!
Hi Anujesh
Firstly, welcome to Australia. Secondly, sorry you are feeling a bit down, but I am pleased to hear my book has helped to lift your mood a bit.
The first three or four months here can be quite a struggle, they were tough times for us when we first arrived. Our daughter, at just 3 1/2 years old, seemed to suffer the worst. She just wanted to go home.
Yes, the early days can be quite tough. But stick with it, put yourself about, try and make as many friends as you can and get involved with as many things as you can. Sports, community events, activities, anything. Just get involved.
And also, get out and about to enjoy the beauty of Australia, the beaches, the countryside, the mountains, it’s all there to enjoy. Give it your best shot and I’m hoping you’ll get to love Australia as much as I do.
Good luck and do let me know how you get on.
Cheers
Bob
Thanks Bob for sharing your ideas. :Just get involved” says it all…i understand by that what you mean. And it makes perfect sense. Will keep coming to your website. And bob please continue posting you have beautiful and honest site in place…do take care of it!!!
Cheers
Anujesh
Oh, I’ll keep posting all right. Thanks Anujesh.