Australia - Child With Autism
Posted by Argonaxe@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 6 comments
I'm in the process of looking at a skilled worker visa. I think that would be the best bet for myself. In the ideal world, I'd be lucky enough to have a subclass 189 visa. If I could manage that, it would simplify things. And for context, if it helps, I am a software engineer with around 8 years of full time commercial experience.
From the content I've looked at so far, granted it is very early days, I think I'd be fine to aim for a visa, subclass 189. I will be looking more & more into this as time goes on, looking at what applications I need to submit, etc. So we'll see, I'm not placing all my eggs in one basket just yet.
However, there may be a potential spanner in the works. My family. From what I've briefly read, dependents are covered provided they pass the health checks. I do worry for my child who has autism. My son is currently 3 years old, still completely nonverbal, etc. Between the NHS being godforsaken, the UK generally being a 3rd world country now & his age, etc. We don't really know the full extent of his needs at this point in time. For clarification, I don't think my son's needs are that severe, but the reality is that I simply don't have a clear picture right now. I mean he's not even officially diagnosed, but that's more a result of just how backwards the NHS is, please don't get me started. 🤦
Does anyone have any experience or any advice regarding dependants with special needs?
Argonaxe@reddit (OP)
Hey all. Thank you for your collective input so far. It's not what I was hoping to hear, but definitely in line with what I was expecting. 🙂
I have another question. Would the outlook be very similar if we have relatives able & willing to sponsor us? I am expecting that we'd need to have a waiver in place for our son's needs, etc.
I'm just curious. I'm trying to explore all possible options I guess. It wouldn't be my first choice, but if it's a possibility, I'm happy to explore it.
Might the outcome be somewhat different with a visa subclass 491? I'm exploring the possibility & I've just started my expression of interest application.
legsjohnson@reddit
Doctors struggle to get a visa with L2 autistic dependents; sounds like kiddo is L3 and we're inundated with unemployed tech people, so I don't think your prospects of an exemption are great.
CocoaCandyPuff@reddit
You will need a medical waiver to be eligible but to be honest you won’t get one due the cost that will be for the health system. They also make projections of the child present and future needs and it won’t be easy to bypass this. I’m sorry, I just want to be realistic, it will cost you a lot of money, effort and energy and the chances you get it waived are really really slim to none.
Argonaxe@reddit (OP)
Honestly, thank you, I've always preferred someone being brutally honest with me as opposed to beating around the bush. No need to apologise.
I have thought from the start, it may be a nonstarter, a dream at most. But I keep telling myself there's no harm in trying, while I still hope we manage to make something work, I am also being realistic to the idea that it may be nothing more than a fantasy.
Looking at things from the perspective of a country, it's only natural that they wouldn't want to let people in that cause more of a burden to the domestic tax payer. Again, it is a matter of being realistic.
Trick_Highlight6567@reddit
You need a lawyer specialising in medical inadmissibility. Families are refused visas due to having an autistic child all the time.
Please have some perspective.
Also keep in mind that software engineers weren't invited for in the last 189 round, and unless you have 100+ you're unlikely to be competitive.
You may want to look into 190/491, but for these you need to be invited by a state. The 491 also requires you to live regionally for 3 years.
Argonaxe@reddit (OP)
Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated. If I'm being honest with myself, I did think it was very unlikely that we'd manage to get a visa due to my son's needs. I have read it's quite common for this to be a cause for rejection & naturally, it makes perfect sense.
As for the current state of the UK, yeah, I was just being a bit silly. But I do have a funny story, a colleague from a 3rd world country said how they always had an image in their head of the UK. And when they got here, they were painfully disappointed, stating that at least the homeless people back home had plenty of sunshine. That did make me laugh. But yeah, I was just being silly/sarcastic there, I didn't mean it in a literal sense or anything & I certainly didn't have any ill intentions.
As for 491, sure, I'll look into an array of different options. I have also got some relatives out there that may also be willing to sponsor us and/or provide whatever help they can. Again, it's not something I've explored completely, I don't want to place any burden on anyone if I can help it.