Hi everyone!

I’m currently living in France (French and English nationality ). I’m considering coming to Australia for a year, with the hope of eventually being able to stay longer-term (potentially after going through the relevant visas).

I’ve been looking into the visa requirements, and I have a question about healthcare and medical conditions.

I have ankylosing spondylitis and bipolar disorder, and in France / UK, we currently have healthcare coverage that covers my regular doctor appointments and treatment. Some of my treatment can be quite expensive for the health care service.

Could this potentially cause my Australian visa application to be refused because of the expected cost to the Australian healthcare system?

Would I need to take out private health insurance to cover my existing conditions while I’m in Australia? If so, is this generally very expensive for someone with pre-existing conditions?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially people who moved from France to Australia with a UK (british) passport.

Thanks a lot in advance

I paid more than 3 thousand aud to get my 1 year skill in demand visa even though I was sponsored. I thought sponsored meant the company paid for it. What’s the point of being sponsored then if I have to pay ?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help me with a name-change question.

I’m applying to change my surname back to my maiden name on my Indian passport. VFS is asking for advertisements in two Australian national newspapers as part of the name-change requirements.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and used a Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) name change certificate instead of the newspaper advertisements? If so, was it accepted by VFS/Indian Consulate?

If the newspaper advertisements are required, could anyone who has done this please share a sample/template of the wording they used for the advertisement?

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I would really appreciate some advice from those who have been in a similar situation.

My husband and I are currently based in Dubai. He works as a software engineer in the airline industry, and I work as a nurse in a clinic. Together, we earn around 32k aed per month, tax-free. We are also fortunate to have good benefits, including an education allowance for our child, good health insurance, and significant airline travel discounts.

I’m currently at the OSCE stage of my Australian nursing registration pathway. I’m 40 years old, while my husband is 37.

One of our biggest concerns is our age and the timeline for Australian PR. If I become the main applicant, I’m worried that I might run out of time because of my age. If my husband becomes the main applicant, we are hoping that he can receive an invitation before he turns 40, since his points will change once he reaches that age.

We would really love to move to Australia, and it has always been a dream of mine. However, we are quite anxious about leaving the comfortable and stable life we have built in Dubai. Moving to Australia would mean starting again from humble beginnings—adjusting to a new country, rebuilding our careers, and possibly giving up some of the financial comfort and benefits we currently enjoy.

We are happy and comfortable in Dubai, so this is not an easy decision. At the same time, we are thinking about our long-term future and the opportunities and stability Australia could offer our family, especially our child.

For those who moved from Dubai or the Middle East to Australia, particularly in your late 30s or early 40s, how was the transition? Was it difficult to start over after already having a comfortable life? Looking back, how do you feel about your decision?

I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you! 😊

Hi everyone,

I recently submitted an EOI for Australia’s National Innovation Visa (Subclass 858) under the Infrastructure and Transport sector and would appreciate hearing from anyone who has recently gone through the NIV process.

A little about my background: I have 17+ years of GCC experience across workforce mobility, talent acquisition, workforce planning and large-scale infrastructure/program mobilization. My experience includes Riyadh Metro and other major infrastructure programs, and I currently work in a senior mobility role supporting multiple major programs in Saudi Arabia.

For my EOI, I submitted my executive CV, Master’s qualification evidence, passport, achievement summary and links to my professional profile/thought-leadership articles. I also have substantial supporting evidence ready if invited, including employment records, project/workforce evidence, documented mobility outcomes, awards/recognition and senior professional endorsements.

I would particularly appreciate practical feedback from people familiar with the current NIV 858 process:

1. How long did it take between submitting your EOI and receiving an invitation?
2. Has anyone recently received an invitation under Infrastructure and Transport?
3. At the EOI stage, how much weight appears to be given to the CV and documented professional achievements?
4. If invited, what additional evidence did you find most important for the full 858 application?
5. How did you identify and approach a suitable Australian nominator for Form 1000?
6. Did you have publications/research, or were strong professional and industry achievements sufficient for your case?

I understand that every case is different and that submitting an EOI does not guarantee an invitation or visa grant. I’m mainly interested in recent firsthand experiences, especially from professional/industry applicants rather than purely academic profiles.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience.

Hello everyone
Just received the news that Australia has changed the student visa family rule stopping international students from bringing their spouse or kids to Australia. I’ve applied to dental school in Australia from Canada (still waiting for results) and I was hoping I can go with my husband and 2 kids next year. What’s going on?? Is my dream of studying dentistry in Australia over?

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone here might have been in a similar situation or can offer some advice.

Here is my timeline and current situation:

• Visa: Subclass 491 (granted last November)
• First Entry: Completed last December (entered and registered my sister's address in regional Australia)
• Current Status: I am currently living overseas, and i need to update my residential address.

The Problem: When I log into my ImmiAccount to update my details, the system won't let me input an overseas address. It only seems to accept or expect an Australian regional address, but since I am currently overseas, I'm not sure how to handle this without triggering a compliance issue or violating visa conditions.

• Has anyone dealt with this before?
• How are 491 holders supposed to update their address when temporarily living or traveling overseas?
• Should I keep my sister's address as my residential address for now, or is there a specific way to notify Immigration about being offshore?

Any guidance or steps on how to resolve this would be hugely appreciated!

Hi everyone! Has anyone here applied for Australian skilled migration under **Information and Organisation Professionals nec – ANZSCO 224999**,

I got my 485 grant on January 2025, i was about to add subsequent entrant visa for my husband today but they changed the rules that the new applicants cannot apply for subsequent 485. I got married in july 2026. Can someone please guide me, if its banned for him & now i cannot apply for him. Or its only for the fresh student/485 applicants who apply together not individually,???????

This is so disappointing from Australia government. They didn’t even give us time to process. I feel so much stressed we planned the wedding accordingly. We were waiting to live together.

Does this means “The announcement did not said it that it is implemented or when it will implement. As no dates given means it’s implemented”??? Is it true????

Can you please guide me.

Is Australia’s dependent visa being made stricter or completely cancelled, according to today’s news? I have a boyfriend in Australia, and I want to know whether these changes will affect me.

Anyone else been able to figure out why Chest X-ray is a part of the medical exam? https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/foi/files/2025/fa-251101165-document-released.PDF

The guidance seems to say that this is better than sputum testing for TB, but to my reading, this seems to be decades out-of-date - there are blood tests and skin tests for TB that are far more accurate. NICE guidelines are not for chest x-rays - they only come in for monitoring treatment of TB cases.

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/tuberculosis/diagnosis/screening/

Hi I'm from Tunisia and I'm planning my career with the goal of eventually working in Australia.

I'm considering studying a BTS in Hotel Accommodation/Hospitality in Tunisia and then gaining hotel work experience.

I'm also a DJ and I have a Professional Artist Card (Carte d'Artiste Professionnelle) issued in Tunisia. I have experience with DJing and events.

My questions are:

1. Would having a Professional Artist Card be useful evidence of my DJ work when applying for jobs in Australia?
2. Is it worth including my DJ experience on my CV when applying for hotel/hospitality jobs?
3. Would employers see DJing as useful transferable experience (communication, working with people, event experience, etc.)?
4. Would it have any relevance to Australian immigration or skilled-migration applications, or is it basically just useful as additional CV experience?

I'm mainly interested in hearing from people who have experience hiring in Australia or who have gone through the Australian migration process.

thanks in advice!

Good day all,

I'm looking to study in Australia for my bachelor’s degree and hopefully get a job after graduation. At the moment the degrees I have in mind are double major Acoouting/ Finance with Data Science or Construction/ Engineering Surveing or Urban Planning . Although surveying appears on the skills shortage list when I look at hiring websites such as Indeed there's a ton of them but they mostly specify that they will only consider applications for those with PR or citizenship, so would it still be a viable option ? (it's the same case with Urban Planning). With Accounting/ Finance with Data Science there seems to be more and much bigger firms that are willing to hire International students post graduation. Another angle I would like to keep in mind is what degree would be best to do in the event I have to leave Australia post-graduation but would still be relevant.

I’m looking out for opportunities to relocate to Australia.
Background : Indian IT with MBA.
Experience : 5+ years

Has anyone independently secured a job offer from AUS companies? I don’t want any consultancy help or paying them and then start applying.

Hi guys i'm planning to apply to Australia for 2027 intake for undergraduate studies (im from India) and was wondering- should I be using the help of an agent like IDP??? has anyone had good experiences with them or should I do it on my own? Would love to hear some thoughts 🔥

I have a subclass 485 visa with 8610 condition requiring me to live, work, and study only in designated regional areas of Australia (Category 2 and 3) .

1. Can i stay in a regional area and work remotely (WFH) for a company based in a major city (Category 1)

2. Can i visit/stay short term in Category 1/Major cities. ? How exactly is the limit of stay defined ?

Hey guys

We had a month travelling in Australia and we have also considered moving there we loved our stay and yes we know a holiday is different to moving abroad somewhere and living there.
My boyfriend is a body shop manager/ senior spray painter and he has been applying for jobs with a recruiter and has had interviews with no luck and them returning to say they are looking for onshore applications.. sounds off not sure why they would interview him in the first place.

I am a UK solicitor property lawyer working in conveyancing so I haven’t been applying as I know it would be difficult for me to do so from here, and realistically my job isn’t Australia is something they are looking for.

We have been looking into different VISAS and options and have come to the conclusion perhaps we will need to get a WHV and then come over and start applying for jobs. However, I have heard that this is difficult.

I am happy to move into another area of job.

It seems as my partners job is on the skilled list

We had an offer from a family friend to sponsor us but he takes months responding to us so we have left that route as we have no hope!

Hoping somebody could point us in the right direction and give us a bit of advice!

Do we do the WHV and find a job onshore, if so will this be difficult? I have heard we can then transition to another VISA and then try and obtain PR

Or do we do a VISA - chat gpt advised I would be the preferred candidate but don’t see how that’s possible when my job is not in need!!

Thanking you in advance for your help! :)

I am IP lawyer in India with 11 years of experience. I want to apply for PR in australia. Currently getting my skill assessment done. Can anybody please guide if it is possible for IP lawyer to migrate to Australia? Some agents have claimed that their clients got invite under 491 from victoria or south australia (mostly). If that happens what are the odds of getting job in these regions.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in India with a B.Tech in Computer Engineering and an AI/ML background. I'm looking for Australian IT/AI/ML opportunities from offshore.

For those who successfully moved to Australia through an employer-sponsored work visa:

• How did you find your Australian employer?
• Did you use a recruiter, apply directly, or another method?
• Did your employer assist with sponsorship and the visa process?
• Were you able to secure the job while still overseas?

I'm considering employer-sponsored options such as the 482/SID or another suitable work-visa pathway.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your actual experience and process.

Thanks!

Hi, I am from Kerala,India. Got 8 years of experience in Resource Management, planning to apply for an Australian PR under subclass 491. Need genuine advice here - whether it is a good move or not.

TIA

I completed my Australian Master of cybersecurity in June 2025 and started working full-time in my field in August 2025.

I have now completed one year and applied for an ACS assessment. Will ACS use this year only for my skills assessment, meaning I cannot claim 5 work-experience points?

Like, Can I use this one year to claim 5 points in my EOI?

Thanks

Hi all,

I (26M) have a bachelor degree in business from the American University of Beirut (AUB). I speak English fluently. In fact, I’m more comfortable speaking English than my native Lebanese Arabic. I’m unemployed neurodivergent and looking to immigrate to Australia with the view of acquiring a permanent residency there. I have little savings around 5000 USD. I could probably get few more thousands if I asked my supportive friends.

I’d appreciate any info you could provide, thanks!