Moving to Australia with your family

Moving to Australia with your family

So, you are thinking of moving to Australia with your family.

Well, why wouldn’t you?

Beautiful clean cities. Gorgeous beaches. A world class educational system.  A place of opportunity and freedom.

Me

My name is Peggy Kerdo, and I am the Principal Solicitor and founder of Kerdo Legal.

My parents made the decision to make the move to Australia over 65 years ago.

My mother was around 25 years old and was sponsored by her brother (my uncle) to come to Australia. My uncle had come here as a temporary skilled migrant and later got permanent residence after two years of working on the railways. Mum left her village in Greece, flying to Colombo and travelled by sea from there (8350km by air). Her boat arrived at Station Pier, Port Melbourne, just as so many other migrants did at that time. Mum she settled into a tiny house in Richmond, Victoria. Mum’s visa was probably under a family reunion program for permanent residents because back then the Australian Government understood that migrants are happier – and more productive – if they have their family living with them.

My father was an electrician in the Greek Merchant Navy and “jumped ship” in Geelong, which means that he ran away from the ship when it docked and never came back! It sailed away without him (yes, he was an illegal boat arrival)! Australia was in a process of nation building at that time and people with trades were welcome, but Dad met Mum and they married. I was born a little over a year later.

Neither my mother or father finished high school. But they had dreams of a better future and they worked hard.  My sister, brother and I were all born here, and we also worked hard. All three of us have university qualifications. Both of my children have Masters qualifications. The freedom, safety and opportunity in Australia allows us to have happy, healthy lives. All of us continue to contribute to Australian society by being active, proud members of our community.

You

So, if you are reading this and you are overseas, or in Australia on a temporary visa, what options do YOU have to migrate to this beautiful country?

Most of the options are through a skilled visa pathway. This means that you may be able to apply for Australian permanent residency because you have a skill that Australia needs. The skills needed in Australia vary from hairdressing, medicine to computer programming (full list here). Start by getting an English assessment. Ideally, you should have at least functional English, but there are some positions that do NOT even need this (but the visa application fee is higher). If you have a profession, like medicine, nursing, law or engineering, you will need a much higher level of English. It really does depend on your specific case.

You may be able to take a longer pathway to permanent residence by coming to get your qualifications and experience in Australia. For example, you may come to study to become a chef in Australia on a student visa and then go on to a temporary sponsored work visa. This will give you Australian qualifications and the experience you need to then apply for a skill visa from within Australia.

 I am in Australia already. How can I bring my family to Australia?

If you already in Australia, it really depends what sort of visa you are on right now. There are some options if you are on a work visa (whether it is temporary or permanent). Contact us to see what your options are.

What now?

Every case is different and at Kerdo Legal, we know this, and we can guide you to the best pathway for you and your family.

You really need to contact us for a FREE first consultation, so we can get all your details and see what is right for you and your family.

Call us on +61 3 9416 7767 or email on [email protected] to book a FREE VIDEO OR PHONE consultation.

(Photo: me with my parents and relatives at a traditional Greek ceremony, circa 1963. Mum holding me, Dad to the right of the photo)