Newbie - Moving to from Scotland to Sydney on 457 Visa in December

I dont understand why so many people comment and be negative? I thought this site was for giving advice, i'm an adult and would not make a move with my family to the other side of the world if we were going to be worse off!

The reason everyone is being so negative is experience. We've seen far too many people post that they're coming to Australia on a 457 visa with great hopes, only to have them return with heartbreaking stories a few years later. There are certainly some great success stories too, but unfortunately they are not the majority.

It does sound as though we all made a wrong assumption based on your low rental budget, and worried unnecessarily about your ability to handle the extra costs of a 457. However it's the uncertainty of a 457 that is the main cause of concern - if your children were younger it wouldn't matter, but with a 15-year-old, it's important to understand what can happen.

First of all, you're coming to a new job and as you know, no matter how good a job sounds, you never know how it will turn out until you start work. If you arrive and find the employer has misrepresented the job, bad luck - you cannot leave. If you leave, you'll all have 90 days to leave the country, unless you can find another employer willing to sponsor you before the deadline. Immigration won't care if your child is in the middle of exams - you'll have to go.

Secondly, we all know that these days, no one can predict where a business will be in four, three or even two years' time. Even if an employer says they will sponsor you for PR (permanent residence), that promise has no legal value. We've had lots of people here who've worked their four year contract, and then the company's head office has decided it's no longer going to sponsor anyone for PR. That may not sound like a problem for you - you might say, well we'll have had 4 years' adventure in Australia, so what? But consider, if you have to return to the UK and your child wants to go to university, you'll have to pay international student fees because you've been out of the country for too long.

By the way, you mention buying a house - there are restrictions on buying a house while on a 457, and when your visa expires you will have to sell it immediately (bad news if the market is down). Because of the high stamp duty on house purchases, it's unlikely to make financial sense to buy a house - if you're not going to live in it for more than 5 or 6 years, you will actually be better off continuing to rent. Especially if you keep your UK home and rent it out.

Marisa has hit the nail on the head there comprehensively!

Leave your 15 yr old at home with relatives so there is no screwing up her education, take a career break (do not quit) from your current jobs, rent out your house and have an adventure by all means. We may be jaundiced by the prospect of taking a family out on a 457 because we've been around long enough to see too many broken promises and unhappy families. Of course there are those who've made a success of it but the bottom line will usually be - if you are eligible for PR then do it from the start, don't expect your temporary visa will turn into a permanent one!

We are moving over from Edinburgh, and have agreed a substantial salary well above national average plus bonus and commission so we will survive well. My husband will also be working when he finds work.

 

I dont understand why so many people comment and be negative? I thought this site was for giving advice, i'm an adult and would not make a move with my family to the other side of the world if we were going to be worse off!

Ignore all these negative people. As long as you are going into things with your eyes wide open I am sure that things will work out for you. Your housing budget seems ok to me. I live near Castle Hill and you can easily get a 3/4 bedroom house for under $600 a week. It is a great area for kids and there are some excellent schools. Baulkham hills high school and james ruse are some of the best public schools in the state.

We are moving over from Edinburgh, and have agreed a substantial salary well above national average plus bonus and commission so we will survive well. My husband will also be working when he finds work.

 

I dont understand why so many people comment and be negative? I thought this site was for giving advice, i'm an adult and would not make a move with my family to the other side of the world if we were going to be worse off!

I have just had a re read to see what the negative comments are and think it is quite explainable. And advice does not have to be positive to be good advice.

You came along asking about four bedroom houses in a good area with good schools in Sydney for $600 per week. Well thre just are not many positive responses that can be made to that, this is going to be a struggle. You have been told this by a number of people very familiar with Sydney, we are not lying about it and I think informing you that this will be hard is good advice even if it is not what you want to read. I moved over in 2010 thinking my $800 budget was more than enough for three bedroomed house but I very quickly realised I would need to up it substantially to get into a nice house in a nice area, ended up paying $1,300pw for a three bed. The houses I saw in the Hills around that time for $800pw were awful btw.

The other "negative" theme on the thread is about the visa. Again this is good advice, because you seem to think you are emigrating. You are pulling teenagers out of school and talking of buying a house when you do not even have a permanent visa or a plan to get one. There is nothing wrong with a 457 visa, it has its place, but only if them holder properly understands that this visa is temporary. The saddest tales that we see all too frequently on PIO stem from a 457 visa holder thinking that they are emigrating.

I have just had a re read to see what the negative comments are and think it is quite explainable. And advice does not have to be positive to be good advice.

 

You came along asking about four bedroom houses in a good area with good schools in Sydney for $600 per week. Well thre just are not many positive responses that can be made to that, this is going to be a struggle. You have been told this by a number of people very familiar with Sydney, we are not lying about it and I think informing you that this will be hard is good advice even if it is not what you want to read. I moved over in 2010 thinking my $800 budget was more than enough for three bedroomed house but I very quickly realised I would need to up it substantially to get into a nice house in a nice area, ended up paying $1,300pw for a three bed. The houses I saw in the Hills around that time for $800pw were awful btw.

 

The other "negative" theme on the thread is about the visa. Again this is good advice, because you seem to think you are emigrating. You are pulling teenagers out of school and talking of buying a house when you do not even have a permanent visa or a plan to get one. There is nothing wrong with a 457 visa, it has its place, but only if them holder properly understands that this visa is temporary. The saddest tales that we see all too frequently on PIO stem from a 457 visa holder thinking that they are emigrating.

I like this response most of all I think

There are risks in what you are trying to do and people are trying to help out with some of those. The cost thing I think is being pointed out because Sydney is a very expensive place, more expensive than most people think it is likely o be researched from afar, and it's all about housing. The problem for people here is that what's acceptable (in terms of house, cost, area, commute) is highly variable from one person to the next, so it's easy for people to be alarmed by a $600/wk budget for a 4 bed house. This is not impossible but it is going to mean compromises in terms of area/commute.

The other big risk (and to me it's a critical one) is with your teenager and specifically their education. If they are planning/hoping/expecting to go into higher education then I think you are taking a massive risk here: If it doesn't work out and you want to return home, or if you have to return home because of visa problems - both are possible - then you are stuffing them for UK higher education, because their education in Aus, and quals if they get that far, will be in a different system that makes getting in to UK Uni more of a trial, AND you will be liable to pay overseas student fees for higher education, which puts it out of reach for most people. Conversely, if you stay in Aus then as non-citizens (and you have no chance of making citizen in the timeframes required), they will not be eligible for HECS loans, which again makes Higher Education in Aus very expensive, and out of reach for most - and you appear to be on a fairly tight budget

If your kids were younger then I'd be in the "go for it" camp, as you have a teenager then you owe it to them to be much more careful - you're taking risks on their behalf as well as your own

I like this response most of all I think

 

There are risks in what you are trying to do and people are trying to help out with some of those. The cost thing I think is being pointed out because Sydney is a very expensive place, more expensive than most people think it is likely o be researched from afar, and it's all about housing. The problem for people here is that what's acceptable (in terms of house, cost, area, commute) is highly variable from one person to the next, so it's easy for people to be alarmed by a $600/wk budget for a 4 bed house. This is not impossible but it is going to mean compromises in terms of area/commute.

 

The other big risk (and to me it's a critical one) is with your teenager and specifically their education. If they are planning/hoping/expecting to go into higher education then I think you are taking a massive risk here: If it doesn't work out and you want to return home, or if you have to return home because of visa problems - both are possible - then you are stuffing them for UK higher education, because their education in Aus, and quals if they get that far, will be in a different system that makes getting in to UK Uni more of a trial, AND you will be liable to pay overseas student fees for higher education, which puts it out of reach for most people. Conversely, if you stay in Aus then as non-citizens (and you have no chance of making citizen in the timeframes required), they will not be eligible for HECS loans, which again makes Higher Education in Aus very expensive, and out of reach for most - and you appear to be on a fairly tight budget

 

If your kids were younger then I'd be in the "go for it" camp, as you have a teenager then you owe it to them to be much more careful - you're taking risks on their behalf as well as your own

I agree with Northshorepom. I didn't think that the posts were negative, just cautionary. Sydney is expensive. It is far more expensive now than when we arrived here in 2009 with a 457 in our sticky mitts. We came with small children (aged one and two) and with a load of savings in the bank, and it was still hard.

People aren't saying don't come, just think very carefully about all of the possible consequences for all of the members of your family and work out what you would do and how you would make it work, if it doesn't work.

One very big issue you need to consider is that if your 15 year old reaches university age while on a 457, they will be international students. This means zero help and very expensive fees - potentially 10's of thousands per year. If you find yourselves though going back at the end of the 457, the 15 year old would then be regarded as an international student in the UK until they can satisfy the residence rules - normally several years back living in the UK

Thanks for your thoughts.

My 15 year old son does not wish to go to uni, he is a hands on lad who wants to learn a trade. I have asked him if he wishes to stay in the Uk to finish his exams however he wants to be with us and quite rightly so.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

My 15 year old son does not wish to go to uni, he is a hands on lad who wants to learn a trade. I have asked him if he wishes to stay in the Uk to finish his exams however he wants to be with us and quite rightly so.

Difficult to predict the economy 2-3 years ahead but generally speaking he will have more trade opportunities in Australia but this is where one size doesn't fit all - we moved back to Scotland after 5 years in Australia and I believe my son has more opportunities here and he was desparate to go to uni here which we couldn't have afforded as an international student.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

My 15 year old son does not wish to go to uni, he is a hands on lad who wants to learn a trade. I have asked him if he wishes to stay in the Uk to finish his exams however he wants to be with us and quite rightly so.

If you aren't able to get PR he won't get an apprenticeship in Aus and would have to return to Scotland to do that or alternatively he will be up for International fees at TAFE. He won't be able to leave school until he is 17 anyway as that is the school leaving age for Aus. (sorry, I thought it was a daughter in an earlier post!). NSW youth unemployment is quite high at the moment too but in another couple of years who knows.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

My 15 year old son does not wish to go to uni, he is a hands on lad who wants to learn a trade. I have asked him if he wishes to stay in the Uk to finish his exams however he wants to be with us and quite rightly so.

That does make quite a big difference. But as per Quoll's post you'll need to focus on getting PR asap (and you're better off not relying on an employer for that as that's never quick nor guaranteed)

Hi there

We are in penrith, renting a 5 bed home for $490 a weeķ, we really like it here it easy to get to Parramatta. Regarding school fees you can get an exemption depending on what you will earn, worth looking in to

Hi there

 

We are in penrith, renting a 5 bed home for $490 a weeķ, we really like it here it easy to get to Parramatta. Regarding school fees you can get an exemption depending on what you will earn, worth looking in to

Thanks Sammy good to hear! Looking forward to our adventure :wink:

For what's it's worth you can get a great 4BR/3Bath/Triple garage McMansion in Kellyville (Glenhaven/Duncraig end) for $750 week. It's a great area and the houses are at most 20yo, some rentals around B'Hills are 50-60yo. It's an extra 15-20 min drive in rush hour but 10 mins any other time.

Also on the 457 is what it is, no matter how understanding or aware some people are I always sense people have the attitude that this happens to other people and not them...at the end of the day you are always on 3 months notice and that's a fact.

Aside from redundancy because of lack of work it also works the other way where a successful expanding business is bought over through acquisition, there is no guarantee that all employees to be kept on. Of course this can happen to Citizen/Residents but the difference is they don't have the concrete weight of work restrictions that a temp visa holder has. 90 days is not that much when the wheels of job seeking turn painfully slow.

457 is a bit of a lottery it works for some and not for others.

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