Stepping out from the shadows

[LeighM]

I've been deliberating for months when this post was going to be written, or if it would be written at all. My conclusion however has been that I have learnt such a wealth of information from this forum that it would be criminal to at least not offer some form of contribution, in the spirit of putting some value back into the system. I've felt a part of this forum since about August last year, in the same way that a voyeur looking through a window feels like a part of the family

Hello everyone, my name is Leigh (but I'm a guy ) and I have a lovely wife and two boys aged 13 and 10.

I was hoping to give a chronological account of my story, but in reality it has no real beginning. Perhaps I will start in October 2006, when my family was invited to attend my wife's cousin's wedding in Perth, who has been living in Oz for over 20 years already. My wife had previously traveled to Oz on several occasions to spend time with her family (and felt no real draw towards the place at the time), but something twinged in both of us during this trip (influenced in part by my wife's uncle's fervent indoctrination of why we should move ASAP) and we spoke about it for months after the trip. Finances not permitting (and my qualification and work experience contributing), we shelved the idea and got on with life.

We were invited out again in December 2009 to enjoy Christmas with the family, and this was really the turning point in our journey. Our boys were old enough as well to fall in love with the place, and we knew that the time had come to put measures in place to get there. By April 2010 I had contracted a migration agent (Peter Chiam) and he helped me for about 3 months to prepare my RPL application (since I have no degree, but sufficient IT-related experience). Our world came crashing in on us in June 2010 when my occupation (IT Project Manager) was removed from the SOL. We were devastated and, over a period of time, gave up on the idea of migration completely.

In September 2013, my wife's sister and her family migrated to Perth and she spent every week for months convincing me to reignite the process. The pain of rejection from our previous encounter had left a scar in our emotions, and I pushed the idea from my mind and changed the subject at every opportunity. In May 2014 however, she got really frustrated with me and sent me a curt message saying "email me your CV". She passed my CV on to her migration agent who had a look at it and got back to her saying that I was a suitable candidate for migration. I stared at this email for what felt like an eternity, not understanding how I could have missed out on the opportunity, and feeling quite embarrassed at the same time. I had neglected to research State Sponsorship, and my occupation was on the skills lists for SA and VIC. I agreed to meet with the agent the next day (not saying a word to my wife) and she confirmed her email to me in person. I spent the next 3 months saving up money and in August 2014 I signed a contract with her to begin my application (finally letting my wife in on my plans ).

My saving grace had been the RPL documentation that I had completed in 2010, I simply updated these and my agent submitted my application to the ACS. Within 2 weeks, I had received a positive outcome and you would need to tranquilize my wife and I with an elephant shotgun, we were so excited! We took a conscious decision to not tell our boys, owing to not wanting to get them too excited while not knowing what the rest of the process held in store for us. I wrote the IELTS in October and got an 8.5 average, thing were starting to feel real now and excitement dripped from our pores like thick brown gravy. Then at the end of September, VIC placed a temporary suspension on IT-related State Sponsorship applications, and our progress was brought down from manic to pedestrian. Waiting is one of the hardest things to do in this world, I have learnt a supernatural kind of patience and Faith in our Heavenly Father, who I know has been orchestrating this process since 2006.

Nothing stood in our way though, we busied ourselves with unabridged certificate applications (only the marriage one remains outstanding) and on the 5th of January when the suspension was lifted, our application hit their computer system so fast, I think one of their computers must have flown clear across the room!

And here we find ourselves today, playing the waiting game again. We are not despondent anymore, we've slowly started introducing the possibility of migration with our boys, but have told none of the other family yet (only my sister- and parents-in-law know, since they had parts to play in our application). Once we receive our invitation to apply, we will widen the circle of people that know, and once we receive our visas, I may consider a helicopter-assisted pamphlet drop to tell the rest of the world

Finally, an indescribably huge thank you to everyone that so unselfishly contributes to this forum on a daily basis, I don't think you understand the value that you contribute to migration hopefuls like myself. I feel it would be remiss of me not to offer insights from my experiences too, in the hope that it will be of value to someone else some day. Looking forward to meeting some of you in Melbourne one day soon

Edited January 6, 2015 by LeighMcLaren

[BriD]

Thank you for your story and officially welcome to the forum

I think your story would be a true inspiration to people. I always find it inspiring to read about those who really slogged through it all...faced mountains and walls and still found a way through it. That shows such perseverance and persistence...hats off to you guys seriously!

I hope that your waiting game is not too long this time and that before you know it you have a VISA Grant in your email inbox and you can make your plans for your big adventure

Keep the updates coming, I enjoyed reading this!

[Mara]

Welcome officially to the forum Leigh, now that you are done with lurkimg in the shadows. It is posts like yours that makes being a host on this forum such a worthwhile occupation. As you are applying for Victoria, I guess you will be heading to Melbourne? If there is any information I can assist with please do not hesitate to make contact.

[Fish]

A 18-month belated welcome to you Leigh

Isn't it funny when you lurk on a forum for a long time and feel part of it but not part of it at the same time. You feel you know the regular contributors and have your likes and dislikes and then every now and then you remember that no-one knows you yet

Anyone who is lurking, come on board. As you know most people are friendly on this forum and you can stay away from the more controversial threads if you don't like confrontation

It is really exciting reading your story Leigh and would be great to follow your journey if you want to keep sharing it with us...

Edited January 6, 2015 by Fish

[Rush22]

Hi Leigh

Thanks for the post. Like you, I have been lurking for many months.

Thankfully, we have PR and hoping to make the move mid 2015.

Small world hey, your sister in law assisted me with some information early 2014.

Good luck with your plans.

Rashida

[Fish]

Hi Rashida, welcome to you too !!

Mid 2015 must seem a lot closer since that New Year's clock ticked over

[LeighM]

Thank you for your story and officially welcome to the forum

I think your story would be a true inspiration to people. I always find it inspiring to read about those who really slogged through it all...faced mountains and walls and still found a way through it. That shows such perseverance and persistence...hats off to you guys seriously!

I hope that your waiting game is not too long this time and that before you know it you have a VISA Grant in your email inbox and you can make your plans for your big adventure

Keep the updates coming, I enjoyed reading this!

Thanks so much, BriD! I plan on tracking my progress on the forum and wading in on conversations if I can offer any value.

Welcome officially to the forum Leigh, now that you are done woth lirkimg in the shadows. It is posts like yours that makes being a host on this forum such a worthwhile occupation. As you are applying for Victoria, I guess you will be heading to Melbourne? If there is any information I can assist with please do not hesitate to make contact.

Thanks so much Mara. Yes, we plan on making a new home in Melbourne. Strangely, most of our Oz family are in Perth, but we decided to make a life of it in Melbourne. I'm slowly piecing it all together, but I'm sure I will have many questions to ask!

A 18-month belated welcome to you Leigh

Isn't it funny when you lurk on a forum for a long time and feel part of it but not part of it at the same time. You feel you know the regular contributors and have your likes and dislikes and then every now and then you remember that no-one knows you yet

Anyone who is lurking, come on board. As you know most people are friendly on this forum and you can stay away from the more controversial threads if you don't like confrontation

It is really exciting reading your story Leigh and would be great to follow your journey if you want to keep sharing it with us...

Thanks Fish, that's precisely how I felt! Decided after all to man up and start talking to the people I'd been having mental conversations with. Will definitely be updating on our progress.

Hi Leigh

Thanks for the post. Like you, I have been lurking for many months.

Thankfully, we have PR and hoping to make the move mid 2015.

Small world hey, your sister in law assisted me with some information early 2014.

Good luck with your plans.

Rashida

Small world indeed! That's such exciting news, good luck with the move and see you on the other side.