Nurses Donna-Marie and Carl moved to Australia

With family spread out across the world, the idea of moving to a different country had always appealed to Carl Newman. But it wasn’t until February 2009, when he and his wife Donna-Marie arrived in Brisbane, Australia, to start their new life.

The couple admits that the country has “exceeded their expectations”. For the Newmans, the move meant a dramatic increase in their quality of life, as well as a much better work environment.

Carl and Donna-Marie now both work as nurses for Mater Private Hospital in Queensland, Australia. After attending the expo in the UK, they found jobs with Mater Health Services and applied for their Temporary Business (Long Stay) visas (Subclass 457), sponsored by their new employer.

“Transferring our skills was pretty easy,” recalls Carl. Both he and his wife had to register with the Queensland Nursing Board in order to be able to practice in Australia.

From applying for the visa to their arrival in Australia, the whole process took about one year to complete. “The hardest part was all the bureaucracy and paperwork involved,” says Carl. It was, however, all worth it. The couple feels at home in Australia and intends to settle permanently in the country.

“In the UK, you have little time to expand your learning, but here people live a lot better. They work and they have time to go home and just forget about work,” comments the nurse. And Carl and Donna-Marie agree that there are far more career opportunities in Australia.

For other health professionals considering taking the same step, Carl can only advise them to “get the paperwork done and double-check everything. If you are serious about doing it, do it”.