Marisawright

Not saying they are. In fact, that's the point. I remember being struck by that when I first arrived in Sydney. Sydney has its Little Vietnam and Little China and Little Lebanon. Yet try to find a suburb where Scots or English or Welsh people congregate and you'll draw a blank. Presumably because we're English-speaking and mostly white, we tend to just become part of the larger community. I've observed other Australian cities are the same -- except Perth. I have relatives in Perth and was surprised at how many of their friends are other Scottish migrants who live in the same area.

It's on the record. Of course not ALL British people move to be in a community of Brits, but in Perth, it's FAR more common than anywhere else in Australia. The statistics prove it. Look it up.

No one said it was like Benidorm. What we said was that when they move abroad, many British people prefer to live in a community of other British people, rather than become part of a melting pot. Benidorm is an example. Perth is the only city in Australia where that happens. The five most British suburbs in Australia are all located in Perth. For some migrants, that might be exactly what they're looking for. Others (like Steve) prefer a multicultural experience.

The most sensible way to find out is to book a consultation with Paul Hand (above) who is a qualified migration agent. The employer-sponsored visa is a 482 visa and there is no age limit. It's the new version of the 457, basically. It lets you work on a 2 to 4 year contract for an employer, with the possibility of renewal for another 2-4 years. I notice on another thread you were asking about parent visas. The wait for parent visas is extremely long, so the 482 would offer you the possibility of filling the gap. There is also the possibility of a bridging visa if you then apply for a parent visa. It's important to get the strategy right, so I would strongly advise you to consult a good migration agent (like Paul Hand, who posted above), to work out the best combo of visas to achieve your goals.

The slow one takes 30 years. The "quicker" one takes about 12 years.

In that case, why are you being given a tax code?

To be specific nowhere is going to be a bad commute to Deer Park/Caroline Springs because he won't have to enter the city. It's just a case of deciding how long a commute he wants. However Quoll makes a good point. If, as you say, your visa will "move quickly" it must be a 482 temporary visa, in which case you won't be able to access the apprenticeship scheme. I'm sure your husband will want to apply for a more permanent visa asap, but that can take a year.

Do you still have other investments in the UK? I'm wondering why you're still doing a tax return.

What about Newcastle (NSW)? Could DH get work there? I know Sydneysiders rubbish Newcastle but it's based on a very outdated concept of the city.

Sunbury is a suburb these days, not a rural area, but (like Caroline Springs) it's right on the very outskirts of Melbourne and still has a country-town feel about it.

He'll find work, he may just not get the chances at promotion that he would in the UK.

I know about the exemption, was just trying to keep it simple. Anyway, I thought that if he bought another property and has been living in it, the UK house can't be claimed as his main residence any more?

Did you sell your own home, that you were living in before you moved, or was it rented out? If it was your own home, then there are no Australian tax liabilities. If you rented it out, even for a short time, then it's an investment property and you should've been declaring the rental income already. I'd advise using a tax agent to work out what your liability for tax would be, but bottom line is that it doesn't matter because how or when you transfer the money won't make any difference to the tax liability.

Actually, beds are the one thing I wouldn't be taking. They cost a lot to ship compared to what they're worth. Also, mattresses, sheets etc are not the same size in Australia.

At your daughter's age, it's going to feel a bit frightening at first, but she'll soon adapt and is likely to find it a wonderful adventure, whether it becomes your forever home or not. In fact, I'd say it's a good time to give it a try, because you certainly wouldn't want to be moving her once she's 14 or 15 and about to enter her most important years at school. Right now you have a window where she can recover from the double upheaval if you end up moving back again. However, I am a little worried about this idea of "work out a schedule where she would come and visit for extended periods". The Australian school year runs from February to December. The only opportunity for an "extended" stay would be the summer holidays. I guess it could work if you both fly back to have Christmas in the UK, then you go back to work and she stays until school starts in February? It would mean she'd miss out on most of summer in Australia every year and that might affect her friendships here, since she'll miss out on all their summer activities. The cost of living in Australia is higher than in the UK, especially housing if you have to live in one of the capital cities. That's offset, in some occupations, by higher salaries -- but it's not the case for every occupation, so check out the salaries in your field and make sure you would be earning more, because you'll need it. Also research the cost of childcare (before and after school care, holidays etc), which I believe is higher than in the UK.