I help you with Australia:

1. You'll need to check if your skill set/qualifications are listed on the Skilled Occupational List (SOL) or Consolidated SOL. If so, this will be the cheapest way for you to obtain a visa (subclass 189 - Skilled Independent or Subclass190 - State Sponsored. The difference between the 2 is the 190 requires you to stay & work in the sponsoring State for 2 years, whereas the 189 doesn't have any restrictions. Total cost (without agency fees) payable to DIBP is about AUD6000 (Visa fees, IELTS exams, costs of certifying documents and degrees, costs of getting everything non-English translated into English etc). Agent fees can easily cost an additional AUD3000 to AUD4000.

You will need to get your UK degrees certified as equivalent to Australian standards by EA (Engineers Australia) - and you'll need to pass a points test.

2. Is your wife a specialist? Where did she graduate? Depending on these factors, she might qualify as the main applicant, because I know that doctors are in demand in Australia right now (there's news in the wind to say that this might change in 2017). However, getting certification and an Australian Registration can be a nightmare with AHPRA, especially if she didn't graduate from an Australian or NZ school. It's all quite protectionist, I'm afraid.

Once you've sorted out your eligibility, lemme know and I'm happy to offer my further 2 cents.

No worries, I'm not a MARA (Migration Agent Registration Authority) registered agent - just somebody who've been there, done that and bought the T-shirt to boot. Three times, actually.

Hi eastmeetswest,

Yes, as what kenji1903 has rightfully point out, find out if you qualify without the need for State sponsorship (189) or only with (190). Essentially both visas are skilled migration visas, but the 190 offers you the additional points if you can't meet the minimum 60 on your own. And, with the new EOI (Expression Of Interest) in place - i.e. you no longer apply for a visa outright, but express your desire for you, and wait for their invitation, it's also a matter of how many more points you can score above and beyond the next applicant. The higher the points, the faster/better chance you'll get before the quota for that year is filled.

IELTS is essential - I mean, for fcuk's sake (pardon my French), my bachelors (Sydney), masters (Cambridge) and fellowship (Glasgow) were all in English, but because I was initially a Malaysian passport holder (later Singaporean), I was lumped in the "non-native speakers" category, and I needed to show proof of English functionality. In the end, this turned out to be a blessing, because if you scored 8.0 and above for all your components (listening, speaking, reading & writing), you'd get some additional 20 points or so. Easy picking.

If you can meet the requirements on your own, then your wife can be the secondary applicant - but, if her degree is locally acquired, she might be asked/demanded to take the Australian Medical Council licensing exams. I know this because I helped my elder brother (who's an internist & a dermatologist) apply for his PR at the same time I applied for mine. We both graduated from Sydney Uni, but he stayed back to do his internship and later, his MRCP/FRCP & FRACP, while I foolishly came back to set up my own engineering construction firm in Malaysia (this was some 25 years ago). We both got our PRs (we both applied under the old scheme - the 189's predecessor, the 175), he stayed & is now a citizen, I lost my PR, reapplied, got it re-approved, only to lose it again (because I was now busy setting up my business in Singapore), and finally, I gave up on the 175/189 altogether and went over on a different visa altogether (the 188 temporary business visa, which has now been converted into a permanent 888 visa).

Anyway, back to your wife. Getting AMC recognition will be a priority for her, IMHO. It'll be her basic degree that matters, so it doesn't matter whether she has her MRCP/FRCS/FRCP or whatever alphabet soup you care to throw after her name. While this is not crucial for the PR application (if you're the main applicant), it will be crucial to her being able to practice and not let her brain go to waste Down Under. I'm not the expert on how to get her Malaysian degree recognized by APHRA - I mean, I could ask my brother the next time we speak over the phone - but you'll be better off checking with your migration agent on this.

And to answer your question - yes, I've migrated, but I'm still in Singapore. This is one of the beauty of the 888 Visa. Whereas the 189 or 190 requires a physical presence of 2 out of the last 5 years in Australia to qualify for a renewal (or what they term a RRV - Resident Return Visa, subclass 155), the 888 (for now) only requires a physical presence of 40 days per year to qualify for a renewal (I keep hearing news that this will be invalidated in the years to come, but it is what's stated on my 888 Visa for now, so I'm sticking with what's written).

Hence, I'm presently an Australian PR, but I'm still running my business in Singapore, while waiting for my Australian businesses to take root and take off (hopefully).

Then, why not the 188 or 888 Visa, you might ask? Well, it cost me AUD5,000,000 to secure my 188. This compared to AUD10,000 for a 189 or 190. It's a no brainer. I had to invest AUD5 million into a legitimate company, set up the company, run that company, employ Australians and generate income/show an intention to make profit, pay company & personal taxes - just so I get to keep a backdoor open in case Singapore fades into non-relevance in the grand scheme of things.

If you have the necessary points and are keen to make a permanent move over, the 189 is the way to go.

Good luck!