# Disabled person looking to perhaps move Down Under...



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm a young man, age 26, who has Asperger's Syndrome. Being in a very stressful environment, getting a bit tired of some of the lack of virtues and values my country unfortunately has, and being in a land on the verge of economic collapse with a chaotic job market where opportunities for me have gradually shrunk, especially for individuals such as myself, I've decided that perhaps it's time to move on.

The problems is, as I have been told or understand, that Australia tends much more to accept migrants who are skilled laborers and have plenty of money ready. Problem is that I'm unemployed, live at home, and I'm not too wealthy, but I'm willing to work and want to work and although I don't have any degrees or certificates other than being a highschool graduate, I'm more than capable of being a productive contribution, not a drain, and I do have more knowledge about computers than the average person, mainly PCs and Windows which I have been at for nearly two full decades.

I feel like where I am, I'm stuck. I want to get out of Dodge as the phrase goes, but I don't know what to do in order to make this happen. I've read a bit on Australia's immigration page, but as to many specifics of Australian policy in regards to what I've said here, I'm a little confused and assistance would be required. Passport, entrance, costs, living arrangements, employment, etc.

Help a man out here! lol Things here for me aren't so dandy and would like an alternative to where I am.

And anticipating the question known to be asked of me, I choose Australia for a number of reasons...

1) In many ways, you're much like Americans to me. The differences I see are only slight which I think would make adjustment easier. We have common history in that we're both essentially British spinoffs of sorts, being nations comprised of former British colonies who wanted independence.

2) I like the beauty I've seen in Australia via YouTube videos. You look generally friendlier and more laid back than people I've seen here. My country is filled with tight and mean people unfortunately.

3) My mother has praised Australia and literally said to me and my father that if she wasn't American, she would be Australian because of the aforementioned reasoning that I just listed. Her positive praise of your country has only made me more keen on you.

4) I've watched a couple of movies and actors/actresses from your country. I've seen the Crocodile Dundee franchise COUNTLESS times as well as Tom Selleck's Quigley Down Under and acting talent like Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, and Russell Crowe, or if we're talking about older classics, Olivia Newton John and Errol Flynn. A country that can produce that has my attention.

Anyways, I got to get going, but please, by tommorrow I hope for a response. I just want out of here badly.


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

In order to be eligible for migration, you need to have an occupation which is on the SOL list, have experience in your field or alternatively, find an employer who is willing to sponsor you. In any case, you will need to have experience under your belt in order to satisfy immigration requirements to be granted a visa.

DIAC's Visa Wizard will give you an idea of the various visas that you MAY be eligible for.

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but based on the information you have posted, I think it will be quite difficult for you to move to Australia.


----------



## Guest (Feb 8, 2012)

Could you go to college? No reason why not with Aspergers, my husband has AS and went to college, in rhode island as it happens, went to grad school to get his PGCE and is now a qualified and employed teacher. He didn't need to use it for migration as he is Australian but he could have if needed.


----------



## naoto (Jan 8, 2012)

Other option is if you are a tradie. If you have experience in trades like building/masonry/paint/bricklayer etc you might be able to find an employer to sponsor you. 

Unfortunately you came at times where demand for immigration to Australia is at all times high. Being spared any GFC more people try to come than the government spots provided.


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

Zepplin said:


> I'm a young man, age 26, who has Asperger's Syndrome. Being in a very stressful environment, getting a bit tired of some of the lack of virtues and values my country unfortunately has, and being in a land on the verge of economic collapse with a chaotic job market where opportunities for me have gradually shrunk, especially for individuals such as myself, I've decided that perhaps it's time to move on.
> 
> The problems is, as I have been told or understand, that Australia tends much more to accept migrants who are skilled laborers and have plenty of money ready. Problem is that I'm unemployed, live at home, and I'm not too wealthy, but I'm willing to work and want to work and although I don't have any degrees or certificates other than being a highschool graduate, I'm more than capable of being a productive contribution, not a drain, and I do have more knowledge about computers than the average person, mainly PCs and Windows which I have been at for nearly two full decades.
> 
> ...



Hi Zeppelin

This is my first post on this forum and I have joined it specially because I was browsing and I am particularly interested in your query/predicament. 

Apparently I am required to make 5 "good" posts before I will be allowed to paste any links in my replies. So, for the moment, please bear with me whilst I answer you in the long-winded way. 

Now: Google is your ally! 

1. There is a Senate Committee of the Australian Parliament which is called the Joint Standing Committee on Migration. In 2008, they were asked to hold a Public Inquiry into Australia's current migration treatment of persons with Disabilities. In June 2010, the JSCM produced a Report entitled Enabling Australia, which they tabled in Parliament but so far, there has been no formal Response from the Government. Please Google Joint Standing Committee on Migration + Migration Treatment of Disability and you should be able to get to the links for the Public Inquiry, which is enormously significant for you because of your medical condition. 

Have you heard of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (known as the CRPD)? If not, Wiki probably contains a brief and lucid description. The CRPD says that Persons With Disabilities should have just as many rights to move around the Global Village as persons without disabilities. Australia reserves the right to discriminate against Disabled Persons at the time when they apply to migrate but Australia has signed and ratified the CRPD, subject to this one proviso about migration. The JSCM say that this is a wholly misguided approach by a country as civilised and as wealthy as Australia. 

I think you need to get to grips with the background to the hurdles you might face on the medical front before you do anything else, and the stuff above will get you started on that. 

2. Please Google "DIAC + Work And Holiday Visa." I presume that you are an American Citizen, in which case you want to know about "Work And Holiday" rather than "Working Holiday." You are young enough, so a Work And Holiday visa would get you out to Oz for 12 months, which would be a start. Instead of watching films, go and see the place in the flesh and see what you think of it after a few months on Australian soil, I suggest.

3. If after a year of "try before you buy" you still believe that a long-term future in Australia is for you, the probability is that you would need to become an International Student in Australia after that. The Govt recently commissioned the Knight Report, which has now been produced. The recommendations contained in the Knight Report have not yet become enshrined in Australian Immi Law but I expect that they will have become Law, say, 2 years from now and if Knight's recommendations are followed, I think that the new International Education route into Australia will give people a very sensible, viable chance of obtaining a decent tertiary education in Australia followed by a sensible, viable chance of obtaining Permanent Residency in Australia in the longer term. 

The Government is known to be in favour of following Knight's recommendations - it is merely complex and time consuming to turn the recommendations into a visa system that works. 

If my hunches are right, I think that the pathway for you wil be as follows:

A. A Work and Holiday Visa - to try before you buy AND to give the Knight recommendations time to become a viable system of visas. That will have been done within, say, two years from now. 

B. A Student Visa next, followed by the 4-year Work Experience visa that Knight recommends should be the follow-on from it.

C. Employer-sponsored Permanent migration in, say, 7 or 8 years' time, by which time the recommendations in the Enabling Australia Report should also have become Law, meaning that your AS would not pose the problem that it might pose right now. 

My apologies again for having to be long winded instead of just sending you the links. 

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Guest (Feb 8, 2012)

Hey Gill, wondered where you had got to. Don't Amerians who apply for the work and holiday visa have to be college grads? 
I wouldn't holdd my breath on either of the 'reccomendations' in the reports myself. They are only reccomendations after all not instructions and I've not seen any move to implement them. Have you?


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

I see there is a little bit of a problem here. Um, I noticed when looking at an Australian job search that many of them require a driver's license and/or vehicle. I don't have either.

EDIT: Forgot to add, where would be a good place for someone of my qualifications to live in terms of like cost and proximity to places of employment?


----------



## Guest (Feb 8, 2012)

Depends on what jobs you are searching for and from where you are applying for them! 

For instance bar work, which is what many youngsters do when on work and holiday visas do, you dont need to drive. 

And if you are already in australia and hold a valid visa allowing you to work there is disability dicrimination legislation which means you can pply for the job anyway. I dont drive due to epilepsy and my work would always specify driving because I'm a social worker. But in Australia and the UK I can apply and they must make adjustments to allow you to do the job without driving. 

Wouldnt really apply though if you are non australian, without a visa, not lving in australia and looking for a sponsor. 

I know how hard it is for someone with AS to learn how to drive. My hubby didnt mind drving the freeway in the states, no junctions, lights and just keep driving straight. But could never drive on residential streets because of all those things and the panic that goes with AS! 

Where to live could be anyones gues. Australia is a pretty expensive place to live. Most of the cheaper housing is in the less desirable areas as it is in the states. They are also close to the city where there is obviously more work. But Australia is a huge country, where about is it you fancy going? Beach? Rural? Mountains?


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

_shel said:


> Hey Gill, wondered where you had got to. Don't Amerians who apply for the work and holiday visa have to be college grads?
> I wouldn't holdd my breath on either of the 'reccomendations' in the reports myself. They are only reccomendations after all not instructions and I've not seen any move to implement them. Have you?


Hi Shel

A US Citizen who wants a Work and Holiday Visa subclass 462 only needs to prove that s/he has graduated from high school. Zeppelin meets this requirement, it appears.

The recomnendations in the Knight report are already being implemented with very few changes. The remaining measures needed will be introduced by early 2013 according to the Minister. Knight's recommendations look very elegant to me and I think they will enable the Australian Government to keep its snout out in front when competing with other countries to attract International Students. 

There has so far been a stony silence from the Government in response to the Enabling Australia report, but I think that is inevitable at this stage. The JSCM is very influential and its recommendations usually are followed in the end, but the JSCM usually suggests radical, widesweeping reforms, not just a few tweaks here and there. Enabling Australia makes 18 recommendations - all of them expensive to implement - whilst ignoring the sole proposal that DIAC themselves put forward and wanted.

Being strict about the Health requirement for Migration does enable Australia to save money. At one of the Public Hearings, the JSCM Chairman told the audience that as far as the principle of altering the Health requirement goes, he and his fellow JSCM members needed no further persuasion. However, he stressed that whilst one can suggest radical reforms in principle, somebody is going to have to pay for their implementation and it will be the Aussie Taxpayer who pays.

There is never going to be a good time to ask the Taxpayer to find even more money for the purpose of modernising any part of the Immigration Programme.

Also, I asked George Lombard how long it would be likely to take to implement the JSCM's recommendations? George said it would depend largely on how much DIAC drag their feet, choose to be obtstructive etc. Apparently, some years ago the JSCM recommended a total overhaul of the way the Detention Centres are run. George said that the Pollies were keen enough to reform that part of the system but that DIAC were very obstructive for several years until, eventually, the Pollies got their own way. He thought that reforming the Health Requirement would take at least 5 years and possibly considerably longer. 

From Zeppelin's point of view, I doubt whether altering the legislation on this bit will matter too much. As an onshore Student graduate, he would be making an onshore application for an employer-sponsored visa, so the State Health Waiver would kick in in any case. Plus when a recent graduate has already been working for the sponsoring employer, not even the CMO could say that Zeppelin would be "unable to work" and would be eligible for Disability Support Pension in Oz. 

About 3-4 years ago, the World Health Organisation said that Asperger's is not a disease or a disability. They said it is merely that the mind of someone with Asperger's doesn't always work quite in the same way as one might expect. It is generally accepted nowadays that Einstein had Asperger's, for example. It might take time for that sort of WHO opinion to get from Geneva to Canberra but eventually a carrier pigeon will manage to do it, I expect! 

If Zeppelin proves to be capable of doing everything I have suggested, there is clearly not much wrong with Zeppelin. I merely think that Zeppelin should be made fully aware of the controversy about the Health/migration issue. 

Zeppelin will not be applying for PR for some considerable time yet awhile anyway, plus Zeppelin might never apply for skilled migration in the end. S/he is 26 now. If s/he goes to Australia, the chances are that Zeppelin will settle down with an Australian Partner, in which case a Partner visa is the thing that would evebtually lead to PR. There is a Health Waiver on medical conditions with Partner visas. 

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

Zepplin said:


> I see there is a little bit of a problem here. Um, I noticed when looking at an Australian job search that many of them require a driver's license and/or vehicle. I don't have either.
> 
> EDIT: Forgot to add, where would be a good place for someone of my qualifications to live in terms of like cost and proximity to places of employment?


Hi Zeppelin

Are you male or female, please? 

Generally, the people on W&H visas or WH Visas don't hang around in the main cities trying to do mainstream jobs. There is money to be made by working in the mines or the mine camps, for example. Those aren't in the main cities. 

Look on the Thorn Tree forum, which is part of the Lonely Planet Guide, I suggest. (I don't think I can post links yet.) 

Do you think you would have a problem with learning to drive, please?

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Guest (Feb 8, 2012)

Quite right Gill, I think the main reason why I didnt get scruitinised on my health was because although they didnt ask for it I sent evidence of paid employment and non dependence on welfare! If I couldnt have sent that and said I was a kept woman, by my husband, parents whatever, then they could have decided no visa as I was a risk of being a drain on Australia! 

Good news about the W&H visa only needing the applicant to finish high school as yes it could as Gill says mean you could get an onshore sponsor. Which would get them to look differently at your disability as they did in my case!


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm a male and I don't think I will have any problems with learning how to drive other than a slight attention span problem. Nothing I can't easily work over though.

However mining I don't think is my particular cup of tea. Too dangerous and too stressful I'd think. I looked up jobs on the Australian JobSearch website and seen that the only jobs I was all that qualified for were some entry level sales positions, cleaning, and work at home telemarketing if I'm not mistaken.


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

Are you there GW?


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

Looks like I'd need an employment sponsor.


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

*Crocodile Dundee*



Zepplin said:


> I'm a male and I don't think I will have any problems with learning how to drive other than a slight attention span problem. Nothing I can't easily work over though.
> 
> However mining I don't think is my particular cup of tea. Too dangerous and too stressful I'd think. I looked up jobs on the Australian JobSearch website and seen that the only jobs I was all that qualified for were some entry level sales positions, cleaning, and work at home telemarketing if I'm not mistaken.


Hi Zepplin

I don't think we need to worry too much about what sort of work you might do in Oz until you have decided whether or not you are going to go for it with getting a subclass 462 Work & Holiday visa. (If you tell Google 'DIAC 462' the link to the right visa will appear at the top of the search list.) 

If you decide to get a sc 462, it would give you 12 months in Oz. During that time, you are not allowed to work for any one employer for more than 6 months, though you could work for lots of diffferent employers instead if you wish. 

Please do check all the details for the sc 462 and make sure that there are no hidden gremlins that could trip you up. Your AS would not prevent you from getting a sc 462 because it is only a temporary visa, which would not permit you to access any part of the State Welfare/Benefit system. 

I think you need to do things one step at a time. Australia might be the biggest disappointment of your life once you actually spend some time there, so I think the first step is to spend some time in Oz and just see what happens. 

Assuming that you decide to proceed with this first bit, do you know whereabouts in Oz you would want to visit first? 

Crocodile Dundee was largely filmed in Kakadu National Park - which is about 500kms East-ish of Darwin. When the film first came out and was such a huge hit, Kakadu got a huge rush of visiting tourists. There are crocodile infested rivers, swamps etc but the Rangers have built walkways for the tourists, which will enable them to see the crocodiles without putting themselves at any risk. 

A very laconic Australian friend of mine told me that a lot of the tourists ignored the signs and tried to emulate Crocodile Dundee by walking along the edges of the rivers and swamps. The Rangers got so fed up with people ignoring the signs that they made a second lot of signs, saying "Crocodile Bait" and pointing towards the dangerous areas. Being Aussies, the Rangers felt that anybody who ignored the second lot of signs deserved what they got, apparently. 

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

Looks like I don't have enough money.


----------



## Guest (Feb 9, 2012)

How much money do DIAC ask for and do you have to evidence it? I know when British people apply for a working holiday visa it is requested they have enough funds for their trip, which would include an airline ticket home at the end or money to buy one. But in reality very few actually get asked for proof they have it. Many go with a enough to last them a month or two with the intention of finding some sot of work asap to fund the rest of the trip.

So on the application form does it ask you to send proof of the funds?


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

Zepplin said:


> Looks like I'd need an employment sponsor.


Hi Zepplin

It would NOT be possible for you to get an employer-sponsor at this stage because you do not have a trade or other skill that can be evidenced by production of a formal, paper qualification for the occupation involved plus proof of at least 3 years' work experience in the skilled occupation concerned. 

The ONLY visa that would permit an unskilled young person of your age to spend a year in Australia would be a Work & Holiday visa. Part of the Government's purpose with the Work & Holiday idea is to provide a cheap, itinerant labour force for temporary jobs such as crop-picking. The whole thing is about encouraging a "cultural exchange" amongst young people. If the Aussies accept 1,000 young Americans each year on W&H visas, the reason is because the USA allows 1,000 young Aussies to spend a year in the USA in the same way. The idea is that the young person travels around the other country, just supplementing a long holiday with the odd bit of work. It is NOT a "career option." It is merely a "gap year option," if you like.

So a W&H visa would have to be followed by a Student Visa next, so that you could spend a minimum of 2 years' at college in Australia, learning a skill that would be useful to the Aussie economy. After completing the 2 year Student Visa course, you would then be able to get a subclass 485 visa, which would allow you to spend a further 18 months in Australia working full-time so that you could get some work-experience in whatever occupation you have studied whilst at college. During this 18 months work experience post-college, there would be a reasonable chance of talking an employer into sponsoring you for a further visa to allow you to stay in Australia. 

Make no mistake, though. It would be a long process that would take several years and it would also be expensive because the college fees are about 3 times higher for an International Student than for a domestic (Australian) student. 

That is why I would advocate a W&H visa first because a W&H visa would give you the chance to decide whether you like Australia enough to want to proceed with the rest of the possible game plan. Remember - Crocodile Dundee is a fictional character - he is NOT representative of real life in Australia.

You do need to be clear that it is NOT possible for an unskilled person to gain Permanent Residency in Australia unless the unskilled person is also the only Remaining Relative of a family living in Australia or s/he enters a long-term Partnership with an Australian Citizen. It does not seem that you would be eligible for a Remaining Relative visa, and you would need to spend at least a year with an Aussie Partner in order to be able to satisfy the eligibility criteria for a Partner visa, so the International Education route would be the only route that you could rely on at this stage. Quite a few International Students do settle down with Aussie Partners but we cannot rely on that possibility unless it actually happens, plainly.

Look on the bright side, Zepplin. You have youth on your side (I wish I still did but I am 30 years older than you!) You are clearly also very intelligent and very articulate. So I am sure that you will be able to find a way to be able to afford a W&H visa if you want one badly enough. 

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

Somehow I don't think it's going to happen.


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

Zepplin said:


> Somehow I don't think it's going to happen.


Hi Zepplin

You might be right but I have shown you how to make it happen if you want it to happen. 

I think that maybe you had not realised that what you want is NOT simply going to drop into your lap? It is NOT just going to drop into your lap but I believe that if you want it badly enough then you could MAKE it happen, my friend.

It is really only a case of whether you want it badly enough, I suppose? 

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

I know it's not going to fall right into my lap, but I don't have the necessary resources to make something like that happen.


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

Zepplin said:


> I know it's not going to fall right into my lap, but I don't have the necessary resources to make something like that happen.


Hey, Zepplin

You are only 26, my friend. You could get a Work & Holiday visa at any time before your 31st birthday. 

So it is far too soon for you just to give up in despair, hon. I'm in the UK and from what I read in the serious newspapers in England, the US economy is improving, with substantial numbers of new jobs being created and unemployment levels declining? If that is correct then your prospects of finding work could improve in plenty of time, couldn't they? 

Keep a goal in mind and keep looking forwards, hon.

Cheers

Gill


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

Hate to bump this but I thought of something. I don't know if it counts, and please forgive me for forgetting this, but I may actually have a skill that could be used, I dunno.

I used to work for two years at a tanning salon doing data entry work involving people's billing information. Would that actually count in any way?


----------



## Zepplin (Feb 8, 2012)

Anyone?


----------



## stormgal (Sep 30, 2009)

Zepplin said:


> Anyone?


I think you look at the SOL lists and find an occupation that you think may resemble something that you did/do. Once you find an occupation, look up its descriptions given by ANZSCO and see if it fits. 


Look up a job title here:

Skilled Occupation Lists (Formerly Known as Form 1121i)

Then search for the job title or code to find its job's description to see if it's anything that fits your responsibilities.

1220.0 - ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition, 2006


If you can't find anything above, you should really do the WHV because you are at the perfect age for it.


----------



## Gollywobbler (Feb 8, 2012)

Zepplin said:


> Hate to bump this but I thought of something. I don't know if it counts, and please forgive me for forgetting this, but I may actually have a skill that could be used, I dunno.
> 
> I used to work for two years at a tanning salon doing data entry work involving people's billing information. Would that actually count in any way?


Hi Zepplin

The sort of work experience that you describe will not enable you to get any sort of skilled visa for Oz, unfortunately. 

I think that the goal you need to aim for is a Work and Holiday visa. 

Cheers

Gill


----------



## jb12 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi Zepplin,

There was a different posting found at this link about another person asking about the working holiday visa that expands of what to possibly expect from examples of others obtained this visa and what type of jobs they obtained : http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...ng-australia/103479-question-about-visas.html

In reading your posts, it sounds like you want more a permanent move to Australia to which I don't think the WHV will be it. Just because most of the jobs that WHV holders get are temporary high turnover jobs such as in restaurants, hotels,etc. I don't think there would be many employers willing to sponsor people working on high turnover jobs. Usually, there would be locals that can fill these type of jobs. Just the same as it would be here in the US. Also, in Australia even people with the skills in demand and education/work experience do not necessarily have it made to be sponsored as well. It all depends on the company's budget situation and if it's worth for them to sponsor anyone or just go with someone that already is authorized to work in Australia.

It's a big decision to move from one country to another especially if there is no job already set when you arrive. Having the financial resources is very important considering you need to have a place to stay, money for food and public transportation while looking for that job. In addition, there is no guarantee that a person would find a job that would be enough to pay for the basic necessities as I mentioned above after the money brought over is gone. This might be for a temporary stay but might be very difficult to maintain for long term. If you do further research, the cost of living and prices of products in Australia is about 2-3x more than the US. Many Americans do not know about this until they are in Australia on vacation or have moved due to a job,etc.

From your post it is evident that you are unhappy in your current situation. However, I don't know if actually moving to Australia will make you happier since getting a job will also be an issue. But you will also have to worry about the increase in cost of living especially coming from a country where you don't normally see prices being that high. I'd also like to comment that you and many of us have about Australia of Australians being so friendly is true to a point. There are also mean and non-friendly people in Australia as well like it is anywhere in the world. 

The WHV isn't your only option to visit Australia. If you have a US passport, you can apply for an Australian Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) that currently costs AU$20. You can find more information at : Internet Visa Services Australia

The ETA is valid for a year. Along with your US passport, you are allowed multiple entries into Australia within the year. However, you can only stay up to 3 months at a time. You don't necessarily have to go back to US but just need to get out of Australia and maybe visit NZ (for cheaper airfare than going back to US or other countries nearby) in order to restart the time again. In addition, you would not be allowed to work at all. 

It's probably best in your situation to make changes locally first, to do what you need for the change. If there are no job prospects in your city or state, maybe move to an area that may have more job opportunities for what you maybe qualified for and what interests you? I realize this is not easy since this will involve money as well. However, you don't need to worry about the visa and your money would stretch a bit longer due to a lower cost of living compared to Australia. 

When the time comes that you are able to save enough money to take a trip to Australia on "vacation", this can give you an insight if this is the country you really want to move to. It's quite different seeing the area in person. It might or might not be what you expected. You can also just go straight for the WHV if that is what you really want.


----------

