Living in Australia is a dream for many people thanks to the warm weather and relatively high wages for working people. However, you may want to consider leaving to see the world, take advantage of an educational program or perhaps leave for professional reasons.

If you do decide to leave temporarily, what would you need to do before coming back?

If you have been living abroad on your own

If you have chosen to live overseas for a year and want to come back home, you can usually re enter the country without issue. For most citizens or permanent residents, you will have 56 weeks to come back without jeopardising your residency status. Those who do leave the country should remember their passports to ensure that they can both enter and leave any country where they visit without issue.

If you are trying to bring a spouse or partner into the country

Let’s say that you went to Paris, found true love and want to bring your significant other back to Australia. The good news is that there are many options available to help you and your partner get back home. Those who are under the age of 31 may be able to enter the country on a working holiday visa, which is good for six months. Those who have a skill set that is in high demand may be able to enter on a 457 visa.

These options may be best if you aren’t sure that you and your significant other will get married. However, there are marriage visas such as an 800 visa which allow those who are dating or want to marry an Australian resident or citizen enter the country for the purposes of getting married or establishing a de facto partnership. An 820 visa is a temporary partner visa that enables an individual to live and work in Australia in anticipation of getting married.

What about the children?

If you have kids, they are generally allowed to come and go as they please as long as they are with you. If your spouse has children, they may be entitled to be named on whatever visa your spouse obtains to get into the country. However, other dependents such as niece or nephew may not be able to be named on a visa application. Instead, they must enter the country with their parents or through other methods and then either apply in the country or have their parent or guardian apply for them.

You should plan to come back as soon as possible

As it may take several months to apply for and receive a visa, you and your spouse or partner should start the process as soon as possible. This may eliminate the need to come home before your spouse or partner is able to. Ideally, you will give yourself at least six months if possible and as many as eight to complete the process properly.

If you are interested in helping someone in their quest to move to Australia, there are many ways in which you can do that. There are a variety of visas available that can help an individual enter the country, find work and eventually help individuals start families in the country legally.

Have you ever gone overseas found love and returned with a partner and/or children? Please share in the comments below.

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