MeliB Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Hi all Firstly thank you, without knowing it, and me lurking around I found this forum sooooooo helpful. My husband and I decided to start the process and we are excited and scared at the same time. We are working through an agent and when he gave options on where we could go I started freaking out... How do you decide where you want to go without any idea how it looks or schools or work ect??? Anyway after many late nights of reading up we decided Adelaide will be our home. We went to home affairs on Friday and Saturday to apply for all the docs we could think of, the whole day in long lines with a 3 year old was not fun.... Not to mention the time the system went offline and right after the generator died because the diesel ran out. Lol. The agent sent the list of requirements and tomorrow I will start collating the documents. here we go..... Oh, my husband is a panelbeater and we were wondering if there are anybody in this field on the forum? Until next time. Mel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Good luck! I am sure you will love Australia. Sure, most things are just a little bit different here. But, your day to day life will be all to similar. The advise from a lot of forum members is to move to the smallest city where you will get a good job. As a panel beater, your hubby can work almost anywhere. Don't go to Sydney and take 1.5hours to do a drive that 30mins outside of peak traffic. I live in Sydney and I am telling you to avoid it. But I work in software, so I have to be in Sydney or Melbourne. Adelaide does have a tiny city vibe. I am told the Addelaide Hills is a really great area to live. My pastor and a good mate are from Adelaide. They always talk about how great it is. Cheers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Welcome MeliB, I do hope that your journey is a smooth one and that you find answers to most of your questions here. I agree, Adelaide is a beautiful city... if I had a choice of where to live in Australia, it would most probably be in the Barossa Valley outside of Adelaide! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 I think most people would advise for you to go where the jobs are first, panelbeating is I am sure needed everywhere and is not state specific. We also looked at Adelaide as people said it was alot quieter than other states(not sure how true this is). It does look beautiful. I am loving Melbourne though and the fact that it is easily accessible to other states. If you have settled on Adelaide there's lots of info on this site regarding suburbs, schools etc. Just go to the community section or do a search. I'm sure this will help. And also google. There's nothing you cant find out on there. All the best in your journey to Oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosa1035 Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Hi MeliB, I've been a part of the forum for a few years now, and although mostly a lurker, I have received some invaluable advice! We did our visa activation trip in April/May last year, and visited all the big cities. They all have their respective pros and cons, and I think you would be fine wherever you went, but Adelaide is something special. When we arrived at the airport, we felt like we had arrived home (despite never having set foot there before!) There is an innocence and charm about the city, and if you are looking for a lifestyle that is a unharried and relaxed like the old Joburg I remember growing up in, then you have found your place! (But WAAAAAAY more beautiful than Joburg!) There is a Facebook group of South Africans living in Adelaide that I belong to, it is a nice introduction to the day to day activities of the place - newbies arriving and desperately needing camping mattresses; advice on schools; where to buy SA products etc etc. It also gets a bit heated at times when people don't agree on posts (usually SA politics!), but that might be a nice way to become familiar with suburbs, local stores etc. I have a panel-beater friend who arrives in Brisbane in November - I would be more than happy to get in touch with his wife and just find out the best avenue for looking for work etc. He was fortunate enough to get a job before they left SA, but they wouldn't have gone over unless he had the job (despite having PR). They arrived within a few days of their visa expiring, after looking for a few years to get the job before landing! Not sure I could have coped with that emotional rollercoaster! Best of luck with everything, and who knows, we might see you in Adelaide! Only 315 more sleeps until we leave!! Ros Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeliB Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Thank you all, much appreciated. @Rosa1035 Your help would be much appreciated. It looks like the visa might be a 489, all depending on the English test, that might be a challenge as hubby works with his hands and does write stories and letters the whole day. I downloaded everything about the tests and examples so we will see. Question just for interest sake, are you allowed to travel outside Australia when you are working your two years towards PR, on holiday for example, or do you have to stay in the region the full two years? Thanks again for all the help. Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chips Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 3 minutes ago, MeliB said: Thank you all, much appreciated. @Rosa1035 Your help would be much appreciated. It looks like the visa might be a 489, all depending on the English test, that might be a challenge as hubby works with his hands and does write stories and letters the whole day. I downloaded everything about the tests and examples so we will see. Question just for interest sake, are you allowed to travel outside Australia when you are working your two years towards PR, on holiday for example, or do you have to stay in the region the full two years? Thanks again for all the help. Mel We also applied for 489 visa still waiting for outcome, you are free to travel at anytime but you have to stay 2 years in the Regional area and provide evidence for working 1 year in the Regional area when you apply for permanent visa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosa1035 Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hi Mel, I have emailed them this morning, and will let you know when I hear back from them! Best of luck with everything - exciting times ahead! Ros 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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