To start at the very beginning—and rather impressively on two different continents—in 2015 my wife and I relocated from the United Kingdom to Abu Dhabi for work, while our son headed in the opposite direction to Sydney with his then‑girlfriend (now wife, thankfully still the same person!). A few months later, once Scott had secured housing and mastered the local coffee culture, we made our first trip to Australia, visiting Mossman and surrounding areas in NSW and promptly fell head‑over‑heels in love with the country.
Fast‑forward a couple of years and, with retirement plans brewing, we decided to apply for a Contributory Parent Visa. Enter Migration Downunder, who took charge of the entire process and removed all stress—something we were very happy to outsource. We were advised to expect a four‑year wait, but then the world hit pause when COVID arrived.
Once life returned to something resembling normal, our visits to Australia resumed. By this stage, our son and daughter‑in‑law had settled on the Central Coast, and the excitement level rose significantly when we were told to expect our first grandchild in May 2024. Several visits later (some of which my wife managed to extend quite strategically), a beautiful granddaughter, Zara, arrived—who, I must note, seems to think Grandma is far more interesting than Grandad.
Then everything moved quickly: medicals, police checks, financial requirements—and before we knew it, our resident visas were granted. We are now heading over in a few days for Zara’s second birthday, while also tackling important admin tasks such as bank accounts, driving licence changes, and other thrilling adult adventures.
Later this year we will return to the UK, sell our house, and finally make the permanent move to Australia—four years later than planned, but happy and grateful all the same.
For anyone considering migrating Down Under, speak to the professionals at Migration Downunder. Julie and her team handled everything brilliantly and significantly reduced what could otherwise have been a very stressful life change. We couldn’t recommend them more highly.