We Got PR Visas For Australia - Here's How

A lot of people have been asking how we got PR visas for Australia - Here's how in this video we share our experiences step by step and show you how we got Australian PR. We tell you haw we managed to emigrate to Australia from the UK and obtain our 189 skilled independent visa. We also share our tips for Australian Permanent Residency 2021.
To see more of our migration to Australia videos
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[@KatieArding1]

Thanks for the info! currently starting my process as a hairdresser praying it says on the skills list!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Fingers crossed for you

[@sarahnakidien957]

Your humor 🤣 great!. We're a south African family hoping to live in Australia. Banking on my husbands welding qualifications to be a benefit to the country

[@ejmakesus6]

Ross you have great personality for yt. My husband had to get a visa too, to come here to Australia from Fiji. This video has given me inspiration to share our visa story too . 👌🏻🙌🏻 great video

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Hey thanks for watching. Yeah, you should share it, people would be interested

[@zZ-Wipeout-Zz]

i had a random thought about a week ago to move to australia, im 32, been working as a freelance graphic designer for 2 years which is on the skills list but im waiting to hear back from the skill assessment. hopefully 1 day soon ( ish ) ill make it there. thank you for this informative video :)

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Sometimes the random ideas are the best. Hope it all turns out well for you!

[@freedomnaznet1103]

Bro did you make get, did you get accepted.? Am also a freelancer can you collaborate please?

[@tomm6273]

Fantastic video! I submitted my EOI for 190 back in March 2020- one week prior to UK lockdown so nothing has moved since. Currently waiting on GTI invitation, hopefully things will move soon. Keep the videos coming!!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Best of luck!

[@WiltshireSportingShooter]

Fantastic video. Very informative and to the point, cheers 🤟 Subscribed!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Cheers Ed

[@mjheal]

Very informative - I'm just about to start the process, you've got yourself a new subscriber!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks Matt, good luck on your journey

[@Britstralian]

Hey Ross! Would love to have you as a guest on the Britstralian podcast, if you're up for it let me know. Very helpful video for anyone wanting to come to Australia. I wish this existed when I was applying for my visas here ten years ago!!!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks for watching, send the details across

[@TheBAMFamalam]

Great video Ross. We didn't even know all of this about the points! It sure is a tough system, but very worth it to live here! 😊 🇦🇺

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks

[@jakethornton4483]

Really appreciate you doing this video. Very informative and answer a lot of our questions mate 👍🏻

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks for watching. Glad it can help you out

[@martinlandon5099]

Hi Ross, love the videos, very inspirational. This one was especially helpful. One on total costs of emigrating and getting a first job would be really handy.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

It's on the to do list

[@martinlandon5099]

@@ThatJohnstonLife Good man. Keep em coming 👍

[@G0RD0NJ0HNST0N]

Hi Ross, great videos! My family and I have really enjoyed following your journey. We are also Johnston's and are in the process of emigrating from the UK to the Brisbane/Gold Coast area. We are looking forward to more content. 🤙

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks Gordon, good luck for your move and let us know if we can do anything to help

[@mathewmcgill7474]

Thanks for all the great videos, Ross. I see you've done videos on different elements when immigrating, driving license, housing etc. but did you by any chance document all the expenses throughout the process, pre / post landing if you like? Did you have a budget? I don't know if you've done a video on that? Would be really interested to know as my wife and I are thinking of making the jump and we have a kid about a year old and trying to think about all the things / expenses we need to budget for.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

We do have a video for that Mathew

[@Char-kd3og]

Sooo helpful! Thanks for sharing.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

You're so welcome!

[@dw4258]

Thanks for the video. My wife, three daughters and I are half way through the process. We have completed the skills assessment and been approved on the priority list (software engineer), passed the PTE-A English with 85+ in all sections and so just about to submit the EOI to QLD. It's taken about 6 months so far. For submitting the 189 visa application, did you say c10 months? Thanks and please keep these videos coming, they really are helping people (stuck) in the horrible u.k :)

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Good luck on your journey. Processing times are all up in the air at the moment. Hope it happens soon for you

[@snaik08]

Your videos are so helpful! We will hopefully be moving end of the year with our baby.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks for watching. I wish you all the best for your move!!

[@missmoo9813]

So grateful for this video, I was unsure about using an agent, so this has helped reassure me about that. Thanks!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

I know and agent isn't for everyone, but we found one really helpful

[@RoadtoFIRE]

Hmmm very helpful. I know my husband would love to live in Australia.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

It's ace. You should try for it

[@alysonmolinari7976]

Loving your channel Ross! I have recently lodge my partner visa in order to move to Brisbane.. I am on the waiting phase *cricket cricket*

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Ha ha, I wondered if anyone would appreciate my humour. Hope you hear back from your visa soon!

[@jennifertaylor4301]

Thank you, very informative- Could you do a video on teaching Life as a Secondary teacher in Australia? The process you want through and how you getting on Looking forward to your next Video

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

A life of a teacher video is definitely on the to do list

[@charlierobson7603]

could you possibly do a video on how to move on your own?

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

I'll add it to the list

[@angharadphillips3276]

Thank you very much, extremely helpful!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Glad to help

[@freakstraw8452]

Me and my sister are looking at moving soon, looking for skilled visas is a nightmare 😫 thank you for the tips

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

No worries, thanks for your support

[@elayne2237]

That was really helpful information👍

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks, I'm glad it helped

[@jaymielynnfraser4243]

Great video thank you! x

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

No worries. Thanks for watching

[@nellytea7114]

Great Video, I was just wondering how did you manage to get your flights during COVID? I'm sure you know many Aussies in the UK are having a difficult time getting home to Oz. Were you guys just lucky? Cheers

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

I know, our hearts go out to all those currently stuck. We booked before the flight caps, and then followed all the standard advice for all citizens and PRs. We're really fortunate

[@nellytea7114]

@@ThatJohnstonLife very good, Good Luck with it all :)

[@jostaniforth7407]

For anyone reading this, it's well worth using a migration company. I was 5 points short for my visa, the migrant agent advised me I could get these by doing an English test. Very funny because I'm both English and an English teacher! In any event, the company even sent me past papers to practice with. I'm not sure it would have occurred me to try to get missing points that way. That essay on red ants I had to read in the exam still makes me laugh!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

I can't even remember what my written task was about lol!!

[@kateswift4904]

I really do find your videos interesting. We too are at the beginning but I am in the unfortunate position of having to return to uni because my teaching degree was a 3 year undergrad....ggrrrrr.... However, on route and a bit touchy with the age but AITSL will be coming into the picture soon. Do you happen to have a check list and any templates so I don't run into delays please? I udnerstand the wording must be just right and Im stumped.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Hi Kate. Message us on instagram and I will try to help as much as I can

[@MrRichardKC]

Hi Ross, thanks for this, really helpful! My partner and I are right at the beginning of what we hope will be a move to AU and a currently binging your videos for tips etc. Just out of curiosity which Migration Agent did you use, and how did you conclude that agent was the right one for you? We're struggling to get our head around all of that and by the sounds of it you had a pretty good agent. Having looked around im not really sure how you'd go about finding the right agent, how to sopt a good one or even what to look out for to begin narrowing it down. Cheers Rich.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

True Blue Migration Services are fantastic. They're MARA registered and offer a free visa assessment so you know your options before you spend a penny. They can also offer payment plans to spread the cost. They're definitely worth a shout

[@RajasekharUK]

Very informative Ross. Can we apply Australian PR as British citizen?

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

If you fit the other criteria of course

[@jasontoner749]

Great video

[@tasospat4919]

Hello! I've just stumbled upon your channel and I find your content really interesting and informative! So keep it up mate! I was just weighing up my potential options for moving to Australia. I'm half Greek half English so basically I have 2 citizenships. I reckon that using the UK passport would be better for moving to Australia. I've been living in Greece most of my life and I'm about to graduate from a Greek university in industrial engineering. My work experience is limited however but I'm 25 years old (about to turn 26) and I'm looking to accelerate things in my life and settle somewhere new. Do you reckon it would be better to get some experience in Greece, the UK or in europe and then go there or should I consider the working holiday visa as a potential first step to dip into Australia a little bit and getting experience there? Thank you in advance! - Tasos

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Hi Tasos, glad to help. With your age I would recommend a working holiday visa to see if you like living here!

[@nithinparekkattil8344]

Great videos , we are considering a move as well. Currently in uk, considering Brisbane due to near tropical weather.Where abouts in Brisbane are you, which suburbs are affordable yet not too far frm city? Thanks

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

We live just north of North Lakes, very affordable area, depends on your budget and for us, very accessible into the city when we need to go

[@2217909]

All ur videos where brilliant and informative however this one is kind of nightmare just because of how long it took u to get there but thanks for telling the whole truth

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Always tell the truth

[@bradleystrasz]

Hello I’m 19 years old and looking to go on a working holiday visa, can you get a pr without a higher education or a trade, I have worked in the trade game for 2 years and have good understand but I don’t have any qualifications that would help my case, thanks

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

The government is looking to introduce a way for all temporary visas to reach permanent residency. Once you get here there might be a way

[@ellenmaddocks8851]

Hey ross great vid! Out of interest, how many months of bank statements did yu need to provide? I supplied during the start of my career and worrying that will be abit hard to collect!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

To prove my employment, it was 8 years worth of statements. I had to go into the bank to request the oldest ones

[@cherylsutherland9464]

Watching your videos From Perth Australia 🇦🇺 ... does your wife Samantha work & what is her occupation? Welcome to Australia 🇦🇺 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Thanks for the support. Yes she does, she is a disability support worker

[@cianrooney2403]

Hi Ross, great video! I was just wondering how important the experience in your field is to get the visa? I would be hoping to apply with my trade qualification but don't have post graduate experience just the 4 year apprenticeship so would be able to prove with payslips. Would not having experience be a big factor in this and what would you recommend doing instead? thanks

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Experience gets you extra points for sure, but depends also on your age when applying. You'll have to do the maths and calculate when the best time to apply for you is considering all the factors

[@brendanjones6260]

Great video, quick question hope you can help, me and my wife will be applying for pr after she qualifies as a nurse in the next 3 years, I'm a qualified plumber for the last 10 years, which one of us would be the main applicant? And which one would have to sit the english exam ect.. thanks in advance

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

It really depends on how quickly you want to get it started. I think both of your careers are on the skills list so either could apply and you could also look into enhancing each others application. In that case you would both have to do an English test, but only the main applicant would need to get superior English for the higher points. I would definitely speak to a visa agent even just for an initial enquiry to let you know what your visa options are. Most will do that for free

[@brendanjones6260]

@@ThatJohnstonLife thanks for the help 👍

[@stephaniejones996]

Hi, your videos are really useful 😁 Could I ask, you mention that you need 8 years of pay evidence. Is that every single pay slip/bank transaction? Or just one slip from each year?

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

To prove the pay evidence, I think I had to provide one every 3 months for 8 years showing the payments from my school/employer

[@connorellis4916]

Hi what agent did you use please?

[@martinajankovicova9174]

Hi Ross, your videos are great, so informative 🙂 I just wanted to know, how much did having an emigration officers set you back? Thanks!

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Between £2000-3000

[@suehenderson2598]

Which part of England you from?

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Originally we're from the South East

[@declanmanning2440]

Great content, wish we'd done it in time but 53 now so holidays only for us.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Hopefully the borders will open sooner rather than later so you can get your next visit!

[@stephaniejones996]

Can I also ask please, how hard was the English exam? What exactly is it?

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

Some bits I found surprisingly tricky, but overall it wasn't too bad. I think it helped that I am a teacher!

[@jonsimmons4150]

No guarantee of having employment even on the skills list. Most UK quals are not valid in oz, you have to redo everything here on your pocket. Anything trades related. I have been in oz 7 years, and just got citizenship, but I scuppered my career to do so.

[@ThatJohnstonLife]

That's a shame to hear about your career. Fortunately for me in teaching, everything has been transferable

[@jonathansimmons5353]

@@ThatJohnstonLife one of the few . any practical, hands on, car mechanic, diesel mechanic, truck driver, sparkie, plumber, welder-nothing is transferable. and it doesn't matter how many decades you have been doing the trade, nothing is transferable. you have to redo to lower 'Australian standards' just a warning for those that think the skills in demand list is accurate- it isn't, and by a long shot. -there is no guarantee of getting a job even when you go through the 15 months in college redoing to lower australian standards. never mind for me- with brexit it is a boon for polyglots like me in the UK with high end technical skills, and 23 years exp. living in EU countries..

[@hereinoz7051]

True... I emigrated as a fully qualified electrical/ mechanical engineer with extensive qualifications. Also 10yrs in the Uk Fire rescue. Got my visa, moved here. And nothing absolutely nothing was recognised. Not even my HGV licence. Was very very stressful. So... Started my own business and now pay others to do the work. If there's one thing I've found in Australia it's who you know and not always what you know.

[@jonathansimmons5353]

@@hereinoz7051 cronyism and nepotism trumps skills and experiance in australia. Thats why its backwards looking, coal burning. The 30-40 year lag on the rest of the world will always be there bcos of that.

[@jed2055]

@@hereinoz7051 Something you would never have done back home in the UK. So Australia has created another entrepreneur. Good stuff!

[@MsSarahRush]

Do the 8 years of bank statements need to be clarified? 🫤