tracy303

As I said earlier, it all happened very quickly and I think excitement may have overtaken practicality. We just went along with what we were told but subsequently have done a lot more research and realise that things are not quite as good as we first thought. However all is not lost as my OH is probably going to have a great time in Sydney and my daughter and I can look forward to some great holidays. If my OH can get the salary increased then we can look at things again. With regard to the cost of purchasing a property, although the properties are expensive, they are far cheaper than renting. I also have enough equity in my English property to just about be able to afford one, so that is why I thought it quite a good option but not if there will be no PM. That would be a nightmare!

Yes I did, sorry, should have proof read first lol.

Thanks Paul and I have to agree with everything you say up to a point but we are over 50 and therefore cannot emigrate so PM is our only option. I have since my last post received a response from Oz immigration who have told me that our only route for PM is for my OH to qualify under the Higher earners route which must be to earn a salary of at least $29,300 for a minimum of 4 years. He is about $20,000 shy of that so unless he can get the salary increased, I think we are stuffed. If we are forced to come back to the UK after 4 years, the Aussy qualifications will not mean a great deal for my daughter unless she can sit the IB in Oz and this is why I am not too sure it is going to work for us. Clearly if we could stay in Oz, the the Aussy school certificates would be much more appropriate but I just do not think that is going to be possible hence my indecision.

Thank you Suzukiscottie and Bungo for your responses. Yes, it would certainly make sense to rent our current house as opposed to selling and that thought had obviously occurred to us but as the rents are so expensive in Sydney whereas purchased property seems a lot more affordable, I thought it would be better to sell up and purchase in Oz. However, in light of the temporary visa not necessarily becoming permanent, it rather sheds new light on that situation. Therefore now seems the best option.

Just to set the record straight, we decided that it would be better for my OH to out first to make sure the job was as described and seemed, as far as he could tell, secure. I did not want to risk pulling my daughter out of school in the UK, whilst studying her GCSEs and then find out my OH did not like the job and we would be coming home again. We also have a house to sell in the UK so it was never going to be a simple as us all jumping on a plane at the same time. As for the 457, no, we did not have to undergo a medical but, as previously stated, we were required to take out full health insurance. I think we may have been slightly mislead over the PR situation and were told that it became permanent after 2 years.

No medicals and no blood tests, but I realise now that we were probably naive and what we thought would lead to PR is not necessarily the case!

My hubby is actually working in Riverwood and I guess we just looked at a map to see what places were in and around that area. It is very hard to make a decision without actually going out to see the place for myself. My daughter and I are planning on travelling out at Christmas for a holiday and to have a bit of a recce. I am also planning on going out before the Ozzy schools break up so I might be able to go and view a few schools. So my question is, where would be a good place to live within a 30-45 minute travelling distance of Riverwood NSW, but has fantastic schools, a friendly community, and is reasonably rural, although I do want shops. I do not want to live in the middle of nowhere lol! Any recommendations?

I think my OH looked at Campeltown quickly and thought that the property prices sounded fairly reasonable, but I think that my main consideration now will be to go to an area that has a school offering the IB as I do not want her to suffer at all with her education. I feel that way she will cover off all of her options.

That is where the difference might lie because my husband has already passed a skills assessment test. Does that mean that he does have permanent residency then instead of the 457 visa (I have not been able to talk to OH yet to confirm)?

Firstly, let me say thank you for all your response which are much appreciated. Now somewhere along the line my hubby mentioned permanent residency so this is a point I need to clarify: are we on a 247 or PR. Obviously that would make a huge difference on where we stand. We will be living in Sydney which I believe is really expensive for housing. My husband had a quick recce in Campbelltown and said it seemed nice and a lot cheaper. I currently live in Berwick upon Tweed which is cheap as chips for housing ie $1200 per month for a good 3 bed house rental. I anticipate having to pay double that for a comparable property in the Sydney suburbs. I am more of a rural person at heart so do not think I would cope well living smack in the middle of the city anyway. The education advice is really good and the IB definitely sounds the way to go as it keeps my daughter's options open. However, as you say, we really to check out the visa situation before making any real decisions. i have been to Oz for a holiday and initially stayed in a small town called St James 'near' Melbourne. My mother in law lived there but has now sadly passed. The community spirit it St James was second to none and the whole town seemed to take my m-in-law under their wing and really looked after her. Everyone was just so friendly. We also stayed in Melbourne, Sydney and Port Douglas. Clearly we did not notice the 'community spirit in quite the same way in the cities but most people seemed friendly and helpful. I did originally come from London so I appreciate that you the smaller the community the more likely you are to benefit from a 'community spirit'. My husband is on a good salary I think but not an amazing salary for Sydney so I think I would definitely need to work to maintain a similar lifestyle. I would want to work anyway as it always helps you to fit into somewhere new I think. i did really enjoy Oz so I do not think I would, personally have any issues and they also love rugby. My daughter plays rugby and refuses to go to Oz unless she can find a comparable team to play for lol! The heat I can cope with as I spent 2 years in Cyprus and that can get to 42 deg plus 85% humidity. I'm not so sure about my daughter but she is young and would no doubt adapt. i did laugh about the comments about the UK's current grading system where you seem to get an A* for just turning up for an exam these days as I too went through the old O level system where only the really bright kids got an A. I had never heard of an A*. That all changes this year as my daughter's year are doing the new style where grades are going to be marked 1 - 9 with 1 being the highest but it is going to be harder to achieve s 1 grade allegedly. Less or no course work, so basically the old O level style exam with a different grading system! once again thank you for all your comments and I will post again when I ask my OH what visa we have got.

My husband has recently gone out to Oz on a 457 Visa and naturally wants myself and our daughter to join him at some point. My worry is that my daughter is just about to start her GCSEs in the UK and I was wondering how they stack up against the Australian system. My daughter seems quite academic and is keen to go on to University after she finishes her A Levels/HSE but understand that if she wanted to come back to the UK to attend Uni, she would have to come over as an International Student. I guess my question is, how does the Australian system stack up against the UK system. If my daughter just takes the plunge and sits the Ozzy equivalents will they be acceptable in a British Uni, or is she better staying in the UK to take her GCSEs/A Levels. I keep finding lots of conflicting information on this subject and I am really confused. I am also interested to hear from ex-pats about how they find living in Oz compared to the UK. Do you love it out there or wish you had never made the move? We do not really have any great family ties with the UK, so missing relatives would not be an issue for us as I think that may affect some people. I do not really want to do anything for at least six months until I know that my hubby is settled in his new job; I don't fancy trekking halfway across the world to find out that the job was not what he anticipated. Its not like moving from London to Leeds of course; it's all a bit more complicated. Let me know your thoughts please.

I was just wondering how you got on with your son in Australia as I am in a not too dissimilar boat. My daughter is just about to go into Year 11 in the UK to start her GCSEs. She is quite bright and is hoping, to go on to University later on and she would like to become a teacher. My husband has just gone out to Sydney to work and naturally wants us to join him as soon as possible but my daughter is really fretting about her education. Is she better off just forgetting her GCSEs/A Levels and go for the Aussie equivalent of HSC or is she best off staying in the UK to finish her schooling here. Obviously, that would take 4 years in the UK but I do not want to wreck her chances. How do the HSC stack up against the English equivalents? Or should I just go for it and move lock stock and barrel to Oz. We have been given permanent residency if that makes a difference.