Hi there!

[vuilbaard]

Hi guys and galls, new to the forum.

Why wanting to leave “sunny SA�

I simply can’t take the lawlessness and violence any longer. I feel like blowing a fuse (or more) when a taxi jumps the traffic lights; forms a new lane across the solid white line into oncoming traffic; uses the left/right turn only lane to skip past all the cars and to push in at the front (need I continue?). Nothing works properly anymore. But I’m most probably preaching to the converted.

Anyway, I’m 58 (yes I know, problem), wife’s 55. I’ve been in IT for 26 years and then (because I was too white for senior positions) changed course into housing construction. Luckily I’ve always had a “thing†for drawing plans of stuff – as a hobby. (Yep, designing/drawing a house is my version of a computer game! ) Taught myself CAD software, studied the building regulations and started drawing up plans for council approval. This was going so well, I even employed a junior architect and qualified draftsperson to assist me. Soon people were nagging me to build for them and that’s what I’ve been doing the past 10 years.

Wifey’s a “home engineer†and the thought of not having a maid doesn’t bother us – we’ve not had one since the late 1980’s.

We have a lovely daughter, who despite being dyslexic, studied Interior Design (3 years) and is now completing her 3rd year Photography studies at university. (At least her pictures don’t come out the same way her spelling does!) Her motto is: “Dyslexics have more fnu!†She’ll complete her final year before we get to move to Oz it seems.

Again, why move? We simply do not see a safe and secure future for us as parents; neither for her as young adult. SA has lost it’s ability to function properly.

Cheez! That’s a mouthful! But then the heading did say we needed to tell about ourselves.

We’ve finally decided this week that we want to emigrate and I know that there’s a long road in front of us, but it’s nothing compared to the alternative.

[Orion25]

Hi Vuilbaard,

Firstly welcome to the forum, you will find lots of useful info here.

Have you already been in contact wih an agent re immigrating? The reason I ask is your age, from what i'm aware it may not be easy as Oz has all these age regulations, but I'm no expert.

Good luck and I hope you succeed, in that case I hope we all succeed.

Looking forward to your journey.

T

[vuilbaard]

Hi Orion25,

Yep, know about the age thing but there must be ways to get past that. Even if daughter is primary and we follow, or something.

I'm still scanning the agents but have already spotted 2 with some good feedback from you guys on here.

Wish we had the R6m for a retirement visa (not that we plan to retire at all now - what would I do with myself??), but it would have made things SO much easier, wouldn't it?

[Orion25]

Hi Vuilbaard

I can recommend Stephen Dickson from Migration Outcomes Australia. He is known as SDMOA on the forum.

I really hope you find a way to get out as we totally understand your frusteration. As they say, where ther is a will there is a way.

T

[K-Vdm]

Welkom Vuilbaard!

Love the nickname!

Good luck on the journey ahead - where there is a will there IS a way!!

Can give loads of praise to Stephen as mentioned above, been very happy with him!

[Bob]

Well mate, I guess the first step to migrating to Australia is to make the decision to do so.

Do you know much about this big country, or just taking a stab in the dark knowing it has heaps of sunshine, too, like South Africa?

Also, what part of Australia interests you most? At the end of the day, I suppose where the job happens to be is where you'll end up.

If you need info on what makes Australia tick, nowadays or in the past few years, you can fire away and hopefully, I'll be able to help out, but I'm hopeless on visas and the rigmorole of going thro the whole process, unlike most of the other troops on this site.

If you can't get in yourselves due to being the wrong side of 45, your daughter can arrive, get permanent residency and then wait 2 years once she's here before "sponsoring" you to come over.

"Jan Stoof" is a mate, who just had his 60th recently in South Australia. His daughter married a bloke from Adelaide, have a young child now and they sponsored Jan and his wife to come to South Australia about 5 years back.

He rang me a few days back saying he was getting Australian citizenship this week some time.

I suggest you send him a PM (peronal message) about his visa, how he managed to get into Australia and what he thinks of the place.

He is originally from Pretoria and still has two sons there.

Best wishes.

[Garrick]

Welcome to the forum! Good luck with your move. Makes me really happy to see that people your age (not being rude) are willing to uproot and move. Good on you.

And yes, the first thing I thought was age being a problem, but you are right, from what I've seen (not an expert) the "get your child(ren) in on a PR visa then come over on contributory visa" is a good bet. Just make sure she can get in on a PR visa.

There's a "next step" to that too... for those with 2 children (same principal can apply to more).

1) Get child A in on PR Visa.

2) Parents move over on contributory visa (expensive - $90k+ ?)

3) Remaining child uses "remaining child" option for visa.

-G

[HansaPlease]

Her motto is: “Dyslexics have more fnu!â€

That's brilliant.

Welcome vuilbaard, hope you find everything you're looking for on the forum, and that you manage to find a way over to Aus as soon as possible.

[KangaRoux]

Welkom, Vuilbaard!

Ek ken I vriend wat dit gemaak het met sy hele familie en hy was 55 plus!

Waar daar I wil is is I weg!

Alles van die beste!

[Mikej]

Welcome Vuilbaard.

You will find a lot of help on this forum.

Good luck with the move.

Michael

[vuilbaard]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the welcome! Thanks too for all the info and pointers.

Orion25 and K-Vdm: thanks for confirming about Stephen - he is on my list (no. 1 - from all the reviews I've seen).

Bob, I know a little about Qz (and that they sometimes, and only somtimes, manage to beat the Boks at rugby ). I've been following your posts with interest. It's nice to read what a person (that's loves his country) has to say without being "better than you". I too love South Africa, as most of us saffers do I believe. But when one is driven out by such an incompetent government as ours, which is ONLY about self-enrichment and "stuff the rest", one gets to a point where enough is enough.

Anyway, work is work and I'll go where I can get it!

BTW, looking at your profile pic., we could almost be family (from a distance) with the grey hair and beards!

(That's where the "vuilbaard" comes from - let one of the local saffers explain!).

The push-the-daughter-into-the-firing-line-first idea is getting attention, simply because it will be easier for her. However, will still try my best to get in on my own steam ("hardegat" you know!). Will PM Jan Stoof too.

Again, thanks for the welcome!

[ATLAST2011]

A warm welcome to the forum.

You've come to the right place for support and advice.

Good Luck on your journey.

[Bob]

Hi guys . . . . . .

Bob, I know a little about Qz (and that they sometimes, and only somtimes, manage to beat the Boks at rugby ). . . . . .

Ah . . . that's cos you mob play that funny code called "Union". Not too many Aussies play that. More chooks on the field than in a chook yard with that code!

I'm a League man, myself (only 13 blokes on each side), and have just been up in Queensland where they are passionate about their Rugby League and dragged the wife off to all the main rugby teams in the State . . . Gold Coast "Titans", Brisbane "Broncos" & North Queensland "Cowboys" who play up in Townsville. My youngest daughter studies on the Gold Coast but works the corporate boxes on weekend games for the "Titans". She came along to the Brisbane "Broncos" game, too, but prefers Australian Rules football which is played on a cricket oval with 18 blokes a side. . . . . very fast!!!! She was born in Hobart, Tasmania and grew up in Adelaide, South Australia which are both "Rules" territory.

I notice that Perth is starting to do reasonably well in Union . . . the Force . . . nowadays after a lacklustre start for the first couple of years and that Melbourne is also going to get a shiny new Union team next year . . the "Rebels" . . . allowing Australia to have 5 teams in the Super League for the first time. I guess it will take a year or two for them to find their feet, but with all the Kiwis, Saffers and Poms in Melbourne there ought to be a good supporter base.

Anyhow . . . enough talk about the game played in Heaven . . . .

Sydney and Melbourne are where most jobs are, but also where most migrants go and they are growing faster than ever.

A "Regional" visa is easier simply because companies and towns find it harder to attract migrants to areas outside of the main capital cities across Australia. Basically, a regional visa would be most areas of the country outside of the big cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Perth.

Adelaide, S.A. and Hobart, Tas. are considered "Regional" because South Australia & Tasmania have both been losing their fair share of migrants to the fast growing cities over the past 25 years, so the Australian gov't has made it easier to acquire a visa to get to these places as a means to appease the respective State governments. "Regional" also includes all the country towns dotted across the landscape also, some miles from nowhere. Be prepared to go anywhere in Australia to get the necessary visa . . . . and this may not be the most desirable of places, but if you want to get your foot in the door, you can't afford to be fussy at this stage, in all honesty.

Jan is working miles out in the bush of South Australia, earning a really good salary that would make most South Africans envious, but the job is demanding in more ways than one, requiring lots of "homework" to familiarise himself with the regulations associated with his work. Not easy.

My own personal experience of South Africans is that they know their job and are motivated to succeed in ways that leave a lot of Australians standing still. Hopefully, you'll manage to get into Australia, show them what you can do and how experienced you are, impressing the company enough to get them to sponsor you for permanency. . . . . but you have to be good if you're the wrong side of 45.

I take it you can walk on water???

[vuilbaard]

Ah . . . that's cos you mob play that funny code called "Union". Not too many Aussies play that. More chooks on the field than in a chook yard with that code!

. . . . I take it you can walk on water???

Won't reply to that "chicken" thing

Only have my "learner's"

[AAAZR]

I can also recommend Stephen Dickson! Brilliant

A

[euroblue]

QUOTE (Bob @ Nov 12 2010, 08:25 AM)

Ah . . . that's cos you mob play that funny code called "Union". Not too many Aussies play that. More chooks on the field than in a chook yard with that code!

Bob, you Mexican bwahahahaha

Union, the game played in Heaven mate :-)

[Bob]

Ole!!!!!

. . . had to chuckle at a bloke in Cairns calling me a "mexican".

Everyone living south of Tully (about 98% of Australians) are "mexicans" to you lot up in Cairns.

I've only been twice to Cairns - once in the "wet" season when it rained each day and once in the "dry" when it rained only in the afternoons on each day.

It makes me wonder how you handle everything going mouldy and how you don't come away from Cairns without web feet?

[euroblue]

Ole!!!!!

. . . had to chuckle at a bloke in Cairns calling me a "mexican".

Everyone living south of Tully (about 98% of Australians) are "mexicans" to you lot up in Cairns.

I've only been twice to Cairns - once in the "wet" season when it rained each day and once in the "dry" when it rained only in the afternoons on each day.

It makes me wonder how you handle everything going mouldy and how you don't come away from Cairns without web feet?

But I did see that you do not disspute that Rugby Union is the game played in Heaven Bob :-)

Well Bob, next time that you are in the tropics, be sure to look me up and I will show you how us web handed and footed types roll...

And you are quite correct, when it rains here, it is endless.