Life in Australia is “so much better”

After looking at photos of friends living in Australia, Yvonne Dry decided that she wanted the same quality of life. While living in the UK with her husband and two children, aged two and six, she began making that dream a reality.

And it happened. Yvonne and her family landed in Australia over Easter this year. Her 11 years of experience as a midwife in the UK helped her obtain a job with Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane, with the employer actively sponsoring her move down under.

“I contacted Mater Health Services and they told me about the Working In expo [Opportunities Australia Expo], so I went along and we interviewed there,” recalls Yvonne.

Yvonne applied initially for a Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (Subclass 457), with plans to later apply for permanent Australian residency.

Getting the visa approved was virtually hassle-free: “It took three months to be approved, and applying was easy because it was all very straightforward,” comments Yvonne, adding that the hardest part of the process was doing all the paperwork and getting the documents certified.

After arriving in Australia, the family found a house within a week. Yvonne’s oldest daughter started school soon afterward and has already made many friends in Australia. The entire family is settling well, despite the big changes.

Yvonne used to work part-time in the UK, but has now taken on a full-time position in Australia, as her husband has been able to stay at home with the children. Despite working longer hours, Yvonne says she feels “more relaxed” in Australia and that they spend “a lot more time together as a family” than they did in the UK.

“Life is so much better, in terms of outdoor activities, the freedom and safety of our children and the quality time that we spend together,” adds Yvonne.

To be able to work as a midwife in her new home country, Yvonne had to register with the Queensland Nursing Board. She found the registration process “easy and straightforward”, and was able to count on her employer to answer all her questions.

Moving to Australia hasn’t just improved Yvonne’s family life, but also her career: “I have a lot more opportunities here, more room to grow. In the UK, I felt that it was a bit stagnant. Here, they [Mater Health Services] have even give me money towards training and education,” she explains.

Yvonne admits missing the family that she left behind in the UK but, nowadays, there’s no homesickness that a Skype chat can’t help cure. “I want them to come here so they can see why we did it,” she adds.

For other health professionals who are thinking about moving to Australia, Yvonne’s best advice is to just “go for it”. “It was the best thing we ever did,” she assures.