| Our journey started 4.5 years ago. My partner | | | | was at home for 4 months, no fire fighting and |
| and I have decided to leave the UK, I already had | | | | no scuba diving....... |
| a sister living in Australia and have visited a few | | | | All this time I tried to keep my spirits high and |
| times, the beaches, the laid back life style, the | | | | I've done pretty well I think. I recovered well and |
| weather and all the possibilities for outdoor | | | | got the go ahead from the specialist. Finally we |
| activities - surfing, scuba diving etc were very | | | | were able to lodge the application which was |
| tempting so we decided to make the move. | | | | approved pretty quickly and we arrived to |
| We were both firefighters in the UK and enjoyed | | | | Australia, settled down in the beautiful Sunshine |
| our work but apparently this was not in demand | | | | Coast in QLD. Have I mentioned the great |
| in Australia so we had a problem with skilled | | | | beaches??? |
| migration. We hired a migration agent and were | | | | We sold our house in the UK and that gave us |
| advised that our best option is to study in | | | | enough funds to buy a plot of land and build our |
| Australia and we were told that if we structure | | | | home, we truly felt at home and were very |
| our studies properly, we may be able to apply for | | | | settled. |
| Skilled Migration when we graduate and this will | | | | My studies were lots of fun, for 2 years I studied |
| enable us to get our Australian permanent | | | | all aspects of pastry and baking and I found work |
| residence. | | | | very easily working in a few local cafes and |
| It was a long term plan but if nothing major | | | | bakeries, getting enough work experience which |
| changed in the law then we had a good chance. | | | | after completing my Certificate III enabled me to |
| We decided to go for it and I decided to study to | | | | apply for a skills assessment with the TRA and |
| be a Pastry cook. I've always enjoyed baking and | | | | nominate the occupation of Pastry Cook. Once |
| thought the move to Australia would be a good | | | | that was completed our migration agent lodged |
| time for a career change. | | | | our permanent residence application through Skilled |
| We started the process of getting all our | | | | Migration and that was approved after 6 months. |
| documents together to get them ready for travel | | | | We couldn't believe it! We were Australian |
| to Australia House in London but then the worst | | | | permanent residents at last!!!! We already felt very |
| happened. In the medical tests that we had to do | | | | much at home here so that made us feel like real |
| for the student visa application, the doctors | | | | Aussies.... So yes, it was quite a long journey |
| discovered a cyst in my chest. I then had to start | | | | because of our specific circumstances and we had |
| a series of additional tests to discover the nature | | | | our share of trials and tribulations along the way |
| of the cyst and I was later told that the cyst | | | | mainly because of my health issue but looking |
| needs to be removed for me to satisfy the | | | | backwards we are grateful for the decision we |
| health requirements for the visa. My studies had | | | | took. |
| to be deferred by 6 months, I was operated and | | | | |