@ thefire - That's basically not true.  Yes, you need to prove that you have enough money to support yourself during your initial arrival, waiting for your visa approval or during the interim until you find a job, but that's only for SOME visa types.  Again it depends on what kind you apply for.  You don't need a ridiculous amount of money to be allowed to have a holiday here, just enough to support yourself during your stay.  This is to prevent people coming here on a tourist visa (no work allowed) with, say, $200 to their name and then illegally working here.  I had about $7500 in my bank account when I got a 1-year Work and Holiday visa here.  The visa I just got approved for didn't require me to have any money, just to demonstrate that my spouse would financially support me until my visa was granted.

Quote from: thefire on March 23, 2012, 12:05:36 PM
How did you get residency in Australia?

As Kreuzfidel said - there are lots of ways.  You don't need $100k!
1.  Student visa - apply to study here, you get a visa that's valid while you're studying.  Note that a student visa limits you to 20 hours of work per week.
2.  Working holiday visa - that is a short term visa only - you are allowed to work part time on a time limited visa - it basically allows you to backpack around the country and earn the cash to pay your way so to speak.  Generally speaking this visa can't be extended unless you manage to qualify for either of the next two:
3.  Working visa - the infamous 457 visa.  This requires that you have a skillset that is in demand in the country.  Usually you'll only fall into this visa category if you've successfully applied for a job in the country and your employer sponsors you.
4.  Spouse visa - you marry an Aussie!  This one takes forever to process, and then they put you on a probationary spouse visa for 2 years - if you're still married after two years they take pity on you and then give you the permanent residency

The first two visas are relatively easy to get, and are a good way to come over short term and to see whether or not the country is as scary as people make it out to be. =)

I also love Tasmania, but it is a bit of an Aussie joke to 'bag' Tasmanian's particularly if you know them. Karen happens to be a personal friend and we just joke to each other. Tasmania is also relatively small compared to the mainland states and you can drive around it in hours rather than days. The countryside is gorgeous and different to the mainland. It can be much cooler and people need to remember that the Aussie climate is not for everyone. It can be very hot. The biggest scares for me aren't the wildlife but the bushfires. They can be horrific and anyone living outside of the CBDs needs to have bushfire plans.

There is no gender marked on Tasmanian Licences.  With all the jokes about inbreeding directed at Tasmanians they probably figure it is pointless! 

The Immigration Dept has a point system to assess whether someone is elligible for residence.  Other than that I have no up to date info on the specific requirements.

Tassie is a great place, especially if you like the outdoors .  The roads are motorcycle heaven, awesome fishing, especially trout, great hiking, some great wineries.  What's not to love about an island shaped like a woman's pubic hair! Hence the term "map of Tasmania" in the song by Amanda Palmer!

Karen.
 

Quote from: justmeinoz on March 24, 2012, 07:14:56 AM
Tassie is a great place, especially if you like the outdoors .  The roads are motorcycle heaven, awesome fishing, especially trout, great hiking, some great wineries.  What's not to love about an island shaped like a woman's pubic hair! Hence the term "map of Tasmania" in the song by Amanda Palmer!

That much is true!  The main problem with Tassie has been jobs - there really isn't much down there other than the wilderness!
As it stands, I think last set of statistics still has Tassie with the highest unemployment rate. :/

The job situation here is pretty bad at the moment, with a lot of uncertainty in the logging and timber industries over forest access and conservation issues.  The flow on effects could be bad and add another couple of thousand to the jobless figures.  On the other hand if you work in fish-farming or vineyards/winemaking the situation is much better, with both doing fairly well and expanding.

Karen. 
ps.  The North-South divide in this State is a family thing.  One family in the North and one in the South!

It's been a long time dream of mine to backpack around and see all of Australia. But the work-travel visa is only for people under 30, which I think is BS! Some of us older people want to see the world too! So I guess I'm not allowed to come there and backpack around then am I? It will most likely be sometime when I'm over 40, which to me doesn't necessarily mean I'd be incapable of backpacking around the country just because of my age. But I really do want to see the country some day, and I don't want to marry anyone either. I'm a lone wolf.

@ thefire - I barely got my Work and Holiday visa - got approved about 2 weeks before I turned 31.  But you can come here on an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and stay up to 3 months at a time for a year.  You can simply renew the ETA online when the one year expires.  ETAs are available to people from most developed countries and you just go online, fill out a form, submit payment and it's usually instantly granted.

Now I really want to move to Australia.

You would hate it Malachite,

We just rest on the beaches; the girls wear bikinis, the guys wear whatever they want to hide the physical reactions of watching girls in bikinis (Damn). And we drink cold beer or beautiful wine and eat great food. It is a very tough life, but someone has to do it.

I'm brave. So I'm committed to the hardships.
Sorry; hold on for a second " Honey, peel me a grape" Now, where was I?

Cindy

Quote from: Cindy James on March 28, 2012, 03:50:07 AM
You would hate it Malachite,

We just rest on the beaches; the girls wear bikinis, the guys wear whatever they want to hide the physical reactions of watching girls in bikinis (Damn). And we drink cold beer or beautiful wine and eat great food. It is a very tough life, but someone has to do it.

I'm brave. So I'm committed to the hardships.
Sorry; hold on for a second " Honey, peel me a grape" Now, where was I?

Cindy

I think Australia could use one more person to commit to their hardships.  I'm willing to put in the work. 

For some reason there appears to be a queue. Lordy, people love hardship. So many brave people, 'cut the grape in segments dear'

Quote from: Cindy James on March 28, 2012, 04:02:19 AM
For some reason there appears to be a queue. Lordy, people love hardship. So many brave people, 'cut the grape in segments dear'

Someone has to get the job done.   

-and dip them in vodka, Oh that's a clever trick, you want to balance them there while I 

Naughty girl

It's tough that's for sure.  I had to have Spring Bay Oysters two meals in a row one day last December! And I am soooo sick of fresh salmon.

I'm bored with all of the exotic wildlife - too many koalas and cockatoos *sigh*

I just spent over an hour looking at immigrating to Australia.  I have no special skills that they want and I will probably be over 30 by the time I would be planning to move there and I have no family or partner to sponser me so I'm stuck here.    I guess when Uncle Sam said "I want you" he wasn't playing lol.


No those aren't tears....I just have something in my eyes. 

You never know what the future may bring, Malachite!  And you can still come and visit Cindy and me in Adelaide

Mal! Go to school with me! I'm going to start on my electrical engineering degree once I get a better job, specifically so I can be more appealing to other countries Do a 'once a week' class or, or an online course, or something and we can tell uncle Sam he can't keep us /together/, haha!!

@Kreuzfidel lets hope it brings good and unexpected things.  Maybe  I could just start up a buisness down there lol or maybe if you or Cindy know a nice lady down there who is ready for a commitment......

@Biscuit_Stix  Let me know when classes start.  I knew I shouldn't have went for my Criminal Justice Degree but regardless we will show Uncle Sam a thing or two!