I hope that someone can answer some of the questions below, and comment on the issues if they've been in similar situations.
I am a Norwegian man (early 30's), and have been married to an Australian woman for the past five years. We have resided in Norway since 2001. We have a 6-months old daugher together, and she holds a dual citizenship (Norwegian + Australian).
We are currently in Australia on our maternity-paternity leave, and I hold an extended tourist visa. We first applied for a supported dependent visa, but this type of visa was abolished on 1. November 2005. There is an 8503-condition in my visa (no further stay), so it is not possible to apply for permanent residency while we are here. A pity since we really want to sort out future visa issues while we are here, and are in the proximity of immigration offices etc.
My wife is very happy to be back in Australia, and we both want to live here for a substantial amount of time in the near future.
While we have been here, we have heard about the pretty strict conditions that apply for permanent residency. One other married couple who are in a similar situation told us that I need to be in Australia for at least 2 years out of the five-year period in order to comply with the conditions of the PR-visa. Is this correct, or do I only need to re-enter Australia within 5 years after the visa (PR) has been activated?
Also, when the visa is granted, how much time do I normally have before i need to enter Australia? I currently hold an Acting Professorship at a university in Norway, and would then maybe come into the position where I have to leave at an awkward time. To find similar jobs and make the transition between jobs smooth may take some time, and since both my wife and I are 'highly qualified' (as defined by DIMIA), we do want to work in our specific areas.
Another issue which has come up is related to the 'Resident Return Visa'. The information I have found indicates that I may be granted only a limited number of 3-month RRV-visas if I'm not granted a 5-year RRV. This is really awkward since I need to travel overseas to attend conferences and meetings as a scientist. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to get a 5-year RRV?
There seem to be a lot of rules and conditions related to us wanting to live here in the future, and almost a bit 'risky' to start the process. We still want to keep close ties with Norway, and ideally have the opportunity to come and go as we like in both countries. My wife has permanent residency in Norway, and the procedure there was very easy compared to Australia. We would also keep our opportunities to go and work in other countries since this is quite common in our professions.
Comments and advice are most welcome
