Geoff Bird’s Story – Citzenship
Tell us a bit about your background.
My name is Geoff and I’m from England. I first came to Australia on a working holiday visa in 2012. I loved my first year here so much that I applied for a second working visa after completing 3 months of farm work. My love of Australia didn’t diminish so I decided to apply for a student visa where I studied Wall and Floor Tiling for 2 years in Perth.
What are your plans for the future?
Now that my citizenship has been approved, my wife and I are hoping to purchase our forever home and grow our family. I would love to have somewhere for my family to come and stay when they visit from overseas.
How was your experience with Migration Downunder?
Having applied for my previous visas on my own, I found the whole process very stressful. After speaking with fellow backpackers, Migration Downunder was recommended to me as a reliable and trustworthy agent so I had no hesitation to use MDU for my graduate visa application. When that was due to expire and I wanted to remain in Australia my options were limited. I applied for a second student visa which was ultimately rejected. I appealed the decision through the tribunal but by that time had met my now wife Helena. Appealing the rejected visa gave me time to sort out my application for a partner visa. There were many complications and additional requirements, including some changes to policy, but I was successful in obtaining first the temporary partner visa and then being granted a permanent visa. Once I became a permanent resident, I knew that Australia would be my forever home, so it was important that I apply for citizenship. I am happy to say that my citizenship was approved in early December, and finally, after 11 years and 2 months, I have achieved my dream.
What is the impact Migration Downunder has had on your life over the last 5 years?
Migration Downunder has helped me achieve all of my goals and dreams. Working with Alice over the past 5 years has been life changing, she made each step of the immigration process clear and always communicated in language that I could understand. The whole Migration Downunder team has helped support her and my applications and I honestly feel that I would not have gained citizenship without their help. A big thank you to everyone at Migration Downunder for their belief and support over the years!
