Immigration Forum / Australia and NZ / July 2006

  Hi Habibi

I suspect that your best option is likely to be to  stay where you
are,  save some more money, see how  things go with your girlfriend.
I don't think there is much point in trying to protect your present
visa if you reckon that you would not be able to afford to live, earn
and pay tax in Australia, is there?  Presumably the tax-collector in
another country is currently benefiting from your expertise in IT and -
as a result - your income tax payments?

Why would you want to live in Australia when it seems that your
prospects - professional  and pe rsonal  - are much brighter elsewhere?
Governments have an uncanny if  inconvenient habit of imagining that
commitment to a country is demonstrated by your willingness to pay tax
on your contributions to that country's economy.

Don't think whether the available career paths for you in Oz were to
your liking (you could've always got a job outside of IT) followed by
the inconvenience of interrupting your new love life, followed by the
fact that you don't think you could afford to live in Australia as yet,
followed ny never having paid tax in Oz are likely to attract much
sympthy from DIMA.

I suggest you obtain the best professional advice you can find, to see
whether a clever (if expensive) lawyer can think of a way of turning
what you say into a demonstration of close ties with and commitment to
Australia, my friend.

Best of luck

Gill