Move to Australia a challenge, but 'we'll be staying'
April 21 2009 by Gareth McConnell
Anyone who has ever thought about Australian immigration will be enlightened to hear the story of the Robinson family from London, who after completing the visa application process to start up their own business, have finally made the move to Australia.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Kate Robinson, wife of Nick and mother of 18-month-old son Charlie, describes the Australian visa application process as tedious and difficult, but worth it in the end.
Tired of the quality of life in the UK and wanting a new challenge, the family made the decision to open an overseas branch of the currency broker business he worked at in London.
At first they didn’t know what part of the world to move to but after researching the top 10 cities in the world they arrived at their final destination.
“Ironically, we had visited Sydney a few years previously and at the time we both said we couldn't live there, having felt that Australia seemed globally cut-off, with comparatively little history or culture,” said Kate.
The family then contacted an immigration company who specialize in businesses moving to Australia and were advised to apply for a 457 temporary business owner visa. The visa allows them to live and work in Australia for four years and if they decide living in Australia should be more permanent they can apply for residency.
“The administrative hoops we had to leap through were onerous. Information about every immediate family member, countries we had visited and addresses we had lived at in the last 10 years were just some of the blanks we had to fill. More specifically, from a health perspective, we had to pay for chest x-rays and medicals by a doctor from an approved panel,” Kate added.
Further paperwork ensued when it came to Nick registering the new office, then just as the recession began creeping in late last year the family got the all-clear to move to Australia.
“Missing family and close friends is an inevitable downside to the move, but the delights of Skype and email bring us closer to everyone at home.”
“Mastering the barbecue, watching TV that includes reruns of The Bill, and coping with a country that has some of the world's deadliest snakes and spiders are part and parcel of our departure from the comfort zone. For now we'll be staying.”
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