Hello,

im a 17 year old 6th form student with a permanent residency visa in Australia. My mum, being a nurse, finally got accepted the visas just over a year ago, and so my family are heading towards moving to Australia, if things go well, next December. Yet, due to the current economic crisis in the UK, they dont think they would be able to afford the move.

I don't see any other option for me though. I do not want to stay in the UK! Uni fees are increasing and well, to be honest, the country is just so dull and it seems that there is just no good future here for me.

So my plan is to move to Queensland, once i have saved a lot of money up, live there for up to the required 12 months before i apply for citizenship, and if accepted, i want to go to university there.

But I need to know about some things before I make my decision.

Is it hard to become a citizen?
How is the cost of living over in Australia?
Is there a lot of job opportunities out there for young adults?
Would an English Driving licence be valid in Queensland?

I would really appreciate any help!
Thank you,

Jade

 

Hi Jade

It takes 4 years of living here to be a citizen, not one, so that's something you should consider when thinking about coming to university here. As a permanent resident, you are not entitled to the equivalent of things like student loans etc and your fees will need to be paid up front and you will not receive a discount for doing so. Your fees could be $4000 - 8000 a year, depending on your course, and then you have all your living expenses on top of that. Bear in mind that most uni students in Australia live at home when they go to university, so things like halls of residences are not readily available.

Your British licence would need to be converted to a Qld licence when you come and live here. It's not hard - it's just some paperwork and money. You will not need to take any tests or anything. As a PR you MUST do this, it is a legal requirement to do so.

Cost of living I think would probably be similar to larger cities in the UK.

Jobs - well that depends on the industry and the economic climate at the time you would leave uni - it looks like that would be a number of years away for you.

Another things to bear in mind is that the primary applicant for the PR must validate their visa for yours to be able to be validated, so if that was your mum, she would have to come to Australia either with or before you in order for you to live here as a resident.

Hope that helps

Love

Rudi
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