Emigrating ?

schneebeli · #1 2nd January 2012, 12:50

Does anyone know much about what's involved in emigrating from the UK? Is it a very time-consuming process and does it cost much?

I'm considering Australia, Canada, or perhaps the Gulf states (though it wouldn't be forever in that case).

I'm only about 7 months away from the age limit for Australia, so had better get my act together...

Johnni · #2 2nd January 2012, 12:55

It is a long process esp. for certain countries. One of the main issues is getting a sponsor i.e a gurantee you have a job waiting for you etc. I went through the process trying to move to the US with my friend. He was marrying a native so was easy for him, not so much for me.

schneebeli · #3 2nd January 2012, 13:11

Ye I'd heard the US is particularly tough for Brits, which is why I'm not really considering it. The only person I know who moved there also married a native. I think I could get a job lined up for Oz or the Gulf assuming the paperwork and timescale for emigrating doesn't get in the way

Looking · #4 2nd January 2012, 13:22

Depends which age limit visa your talking about?

If its the working holiday visa for Australia then you must be there before you 31st birthday.

Once your there it will be easier to get a visa/sponsorship. Applying for a permanent visa form the UK will take longer than 7 months I think and it will cost you about £4000.

Johnni · #5 2nd January 2012, 14:41

A lad at work (19 yrs old) just emigrated to Australia. As far as i know he had family there but i think he went on a working holiday visa. And then will probably apply for a visa most likely.

Johnni · #6 2nd January 2012, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by schneebeli

Ye I'd heard the US is particularly tough for Brits, which is why I'm not really considering it. The only person I know who moved there also married a native. I think I could get a job lined up for Oz or the Gulf assuming the paperwork and timescale for emigrating doesn't get in the way

The US is notoriously hard to get into. I applied in 2002 so only a yr after 9/11 so you can imagine how stricter they became. One of the things you have to prove is that you are going to go back to your home country once your stay is over if you are on a short term visa. I guess one way is to show you have things to go back to like a home, partner etc and also enough funds for your trip home.

Toxic · #7 2nd January 2012, 16:23

my mate moved to perth, he didnt mention the cost that much, so it cant have been too bad

he got a job lined up fairly quickly and his boss sponsored him (i dont really understand the ins and outs but hes been there a couple of years now fine)

didnt sound to be too much of a problem once he got his job it was easy, although now i think hes buggering off to china anyway..guys got too much money

schneebeli · #8 2nd January 2012, 16:38

Gah, thought I'd replied to the thread earlier but the connection obv lost it. ^ Thanks for the info - ye, Perth sounds a good place to live.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnni

The US is notoriously hard to get into. I applied in 2002 so only a yr after 9/11 so you can imagine how stricter they became.

Unfortunate timing :/ Wonder if things have improved at all since?

Thanks for the info, Moving, I was thinking of the 'full' emigration which I'd heard has an age backstop of 43 (can't remember where I heard that tho.). Sounds like you need to get the paperwork process underway well before looking for a job as no one's going to wait months for a new employee. Luckily Oz seems to have avoided the world recession to a large extent so there seem to be quite a few opportunities compared to the UK.

Looking · #9 2nd January 2012, 18:53

I read it was 45. If you have a sponsor then they would cover the cost. Toxic's mate must have been there on a working visa and his employer then sponsored him to stay.

What do you work as? I know some people who are nurses and they got the health insurance companies to sponsor them and sorted the emmigration whilst they were in the UK.

kingandduck · #10 2nd January 2012, 19:42

I'd love to live in the States. It's basically impossible though unless you are a mega rich or are marrying an american.

I mean you can't even get a work visa unless you have a degree..

LittleMissMouse · #11 2nd January 2012, 20:06

Moving out of the UK is a doddle, you just have to fill in a P85 for HMRC and send them your P45.
Moving to, depends, if you have a job already sorted then it is also pretty straightforward, work/residence permit things are normally sorted out by your employer, and most give a relocation allowance plus help to get you sorted out accommodation and logistics wise. Time wise, if you have a job sorted it doesn't take that long, took me about three months, but that included xmas, a bit of faffing with contracts and working 1 months notice.

Vanessa · #12 2nd January 2012, 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleMissMouse

Moving out of the UK is a doddle, you just have to fill in a P85 for HMRC and send them your P45.
Moving to, depends, if you have a job already sorted then it is also pretty straightforward, work/residence permit things are normally sorted out by your employer, and most give a relocation allowance plus help to get you sorted out accommodation and logistics wise. Time wise, if you have a job sorted it doesn't take that long, took me about three months, but that included xmas, a bit of faffing with contracts and working 1 months notice.

Did you have a job with a UK company or were you just moving to the UK version of the same organisation wherever you came from? (confusing question I know bleh)

LittleMissMouse · #13 2nd January 2012, 20:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanessa

Did you have a job with a UK company or were you just moving to the UK version of the same organisation wherever you came from? (confusing question I know bleh)

I applied for a completely new job with a multinational company and there were posts available in Belgium and Switzerland and London (as it happens, I actually kind of got tricked into emigrating, I wanted the London job). Had a whole day of interviews in London, got offered a job in Switzerland, and the contract included the company sorting out and paying for the first months accommodation in a furnished apartment, a return flight and the cost of transporting any furniture out there. All the paperwork at their end was all sorted out by my employer.

schneebeli · #14 2nd January 2012, 22:14

Thanks for the info LMM - useful to know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Looking

I read it was 45. If you have a sponsor then they would cover the cost. Toxic's mate must have been there on a working visa and his employer then sponsored him to stay.

What do you work as? I know some people who are nurses and they got the health insurance companies to sponsor them and sorted the emmigration whilst they were in the UK.

Ah that's good news, thanks. I do airline technical office functions like maintenance scheduling and records stuff. It's probably not a listed in-demand job so not sure I'd get much help, but there seem to be quite a few openings with significantly better pay than here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingandduck

I'd love to live in the States. It's basically impossible though unless you are a mega rich or are marrying an american.

I mean you can't even get a work visa unless you have a degree..

You need a degree? Brits can't even join the lottery system of issuing green cards, which is incidentally how Billy Connelly's Australian wife Pamela whatsit won their American citizenship.

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Love My Cats

Myself and Mr ILMC looked at Australia away back in 2004 out of curiosity. From what I remember, there is a points system, which you have to meet (includes ages, marital status, work skills, professional qualifications, finances, family links to over there, and much much more). We would have been just short of what they were looking for (can't remember what this was now - as I said, we were just curious), and I know that things were getting tighter.

Annoying thing was, I had ambitions to get the degree that I'm currently studying for, which would have boosted our points. However, in doing so, I would have lost points as I would be older and into a new age bracket when I completed it, which effectively cancelled out much of what points I'd have gained from the professional qualification

That must've been a disappointment, ILMC :/ Suspect that'll be similar for me as I don't have a degree either.

Many thanks for the info, all.

kingandduck · #15 2nd January 2012, 22:26

Quote:

You need a degree? Brits can't even join the lottery system of issuing green cards, which is incidentally how Billy Connelly's Australian wife Pamela whatsit won their American citizenship.

Yeah, you need a degree to get a work visa.

As for the green card lottery, I guess there are enough english people in the US already.