Marty, for what it's worth, I'm British by birth (thus hold a passport with all the usual EU right-of-abode/work privileges). As such, for years I copped questions from many friends and colleagues in the industry along the lines of: "Why don't you just go back home to the UK and try your luck there?" Needless to say, I think it's a prime example of the "grass-is-always-greener" syndrome. When I looked into it (which admittedly was a few years ago now), it didn't seem worth the trouble. After already having spent a small fortune to obtain local qualifications, I simply wasn't prepared to throw away more money than I already could not afford. Thus I decided it would be better to stay put and take my chances in this corner of the world. As it turns out, my Aussie qualifications eventually paid off, and I'm quite happy with my lot in life these days.
Nevertheless a word of caution (with only the best intentions) that you can either heed or ignore: Like you, I am also a family man and a late starter in aviation. It's true that I have achieved my goal of flying jets for a major airline, but at a cost. I went through a period where dogged pursuit of the "dream" almost cost me my marriage and family. These days Mrs. Bunglerat is pretty happy with life (including me), but in fairness to her and the kids, I made some decisions and put us in some situations that, quite frankly, if the shoe were on the other foot, I don't know that I would have stuck it out. How glad I am that I can now look back on it with a view to those testing times becoming a repressed memory.
So by all means chase the dream - and best of luck. It's certainly worth it in the end when your ship comes in. Just don't let aviation define who you are as a person. It's a part of your life - but not your whole life. I learned that one the hard way.