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I would say it is worth being ambitious when you arrive, as there is a shortage of talent at the moment. I was prepared to take a step backwards, but in the end with a little patience I got a role at a higher level in a new industry which ticked all the boxes for my next career step.

Firstly, unsure just why my post was removed for articulating why this should not be allowed. At least those that do these things could be consistent and remove the post that prompted the reply in the first place. It should not be allowed as it makes the housing market ever more impossible for local buyers. Allowing uncontrolled foreign purchasing simply makes the laundering of ill-gotten gains to be unleashed in the Aussie house market. That being the reason Canada has banned foreign buyers recently in their market and has resulted in more interest in the Australian market by Chinese investors. NZ has placed new rules as well. It is a matter of if we want to allow as many locals into the market or exclude ever more as foreign investment dictates prices. One cannot buy willy nilly into most all Asian markets and many not at all.

You can definitely get a mortgage with PR. I don't think maternity leave would be affected because that it a right everyone has under employment law, so assuming you were legally employed you'd be entitled to it. Here is a list of PR entitlements taken straight from the Immigration & Citizenship website. Hope this helps... https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/permanent-resident/entitlements As a permanent resident of Australia, you generally can: remain in Australia indefinitely work and study in Australia enrol in Australia’s national health scheme, Medicare apply for bank loans to buy property sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible travel to and from Australia for as long as your travel facility permits. attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program work in New Zealand You may also qualify for other government benefits and services. Unlike Australian citizens, a permanent resident generally cannot: have an Australian passport vote in Australian Government elections unless you enrolled (as a British subject) before 26 January 1984 access student loans join the Australian Defence Force obtain ongoing work in the Australian Government return to Australia from overseas without a valid travel facility (you do not have automatic right of entry to Australia)

Some posts have been removed for going off topic, please respect the OPs post and remember this isnt CTF. Cal x

https://search.jobs.wa.gov.au/page.php?pageID=160&windowUID=0&AdvertID=322109 This link is for a position with WA health, hope it helps to give you an idea of what’s around

It’s better to regret something you have done than regret not doing something. Occasionally people post here that they made the move, regret it and are trapped because they can’t afford financially to move back. That doesn’t sound like your circumstance in which case…….It’s better to regret something you have done than regret not doing something. Go for it!

The reality is, in my view alone, Australia is still much better than the UK. Just a more laid back attitude and simple pleasures (heat, beach, more outdoor spaces). I probably earn less than I did in the UK (yes I'm that one guy who didn't get paid more when moving here) but it goes further. I live slap bang in Sydney's Inner West, there isn't really a more expensive lifestyle anywhere in Australia but it's still hands down more fun than anywhere in London. Is it perfect ? Certainly not, but I don't see the crime cess pit and drug addled youth that others seem to say is everywhere, yes plenty of drugs in Newtown but it's the "recreational" variety not the "life ruined" demogeaphic That said drugs in the modern world are like rats in the London underground. If you can't see some straight in front you it's because you aren't looking hard enough. That said it's mainly innocuous and certainly it is way more prevalent in the cities in the UK and US than AUS

Here we go again! Same garbage spouted when a young couple want to start a new life in a country they love. @Blue Flujust put a sock in it, mate, all you seem to do is whinge about everyrhing Austalian and then rabbit on about global politics. Get out of the rut and enjoy life, there’s a good lad. Cheers, Bobj.

Having children is a life-changing experience and involves personal sacrifice, so their lives will change radically wherever they live. Yes, they would have more of a support network in the UK, but then Australia is just a great environment to brings up kids. For a start, there's so much you can do here that doesn't cost anything (or costs very little).

God’s country or Blighty? Tough choice…

I agree with @can1983. You loved Australia when you were a couple with no kids, carefree. You may have been living in a lively, trendy suburb, maybe even near the beach. You were having a blast and as it was only temporary, you knew you'd see your family before too long (and you could afford to hop on a plane anytime, anyway). If you move this time, it will be a different story. You'll be more conscious of costs since you're planning to start a family. You may find you can't afford the lifestyle you had, or the kind of home you'd want for your child. That will change your whole experience of life in Australia and you may not like the suburban version nearly as much. If you haven't given that some thought already, it's something you should consider.

I too would make the moved whilst you can But I would not underestimate how hard it is to raise a family away from all grandparents wider family etc. Since we are an "anglo-australian" family we were always going to have to pick one and we opted for Australia. If you are both from the UK with only UK family its going to be hard in my opinion.

Deleted, you sort of answered my question. Personally I wouldnt move to an opportunity which was less than I had in hand but if you are up for the adventure, all you have to lose is your money - you could take a sabbatical which might give you a bit more security, your OH - well, he runs a risk winding up his own business but perhaps he could put it under management?

Jump, definitely jump! Well I would if I was in your shoes. If you're going to start a family soon then you'd be better doing that here (Australia), or it's going to be more complicated, more expensive, and not to mention exhausting to migrate afterwards, so I wouldn't let that stop you - and at 28 you're still a spring chicken!

I would agree, I run a whole practice on data management here in Sydney, we must have (not all work for me) at least 200 consultants actively working on this, and each of the other big-4 have similar numbers (in Sydney alone). Every client I speak to is hiring data protection people at a furious rate (the only qualification at the moment seems to be able to say data protection). It's probably the hottest career and topic in Australia at the moment - you can thank Optus and Medibank for that. If you can't get a job in data protection in 2023 you never will, the market has never been hotter... If course we don't (and most client orgs don't either) advertise these roles, we head hunt them and recruit direct from masters courses. If you are offshore you will almost certainly never see an advert for DP here, and if you did we'd take one look at the fact you aren't onshore and ignore the application we all need people to start yesterday not some point in the future. If you are serious about working in that sector in AUS then get over here quickly - as a side note the sorts of salaries being paid for DP people here right now is in the 130k-180k range, so between 2&3 times what you are getting in the UK

I’m surprised you say that data protection isn’t a big thing in Australia yet. I recently retired from the Health IT sector in WA and it’s definitely an expanding department there. A former colleague of mine completed a Masters in Cyber Security about a year ago so I’m guessing she saw an increasing need in that area of Project Management.

Think carefully. I'd keep Australia as a holiday destination , if it were me. What exactly makes it better than UK ? Outside of the weather, which you can find closer to home. Both countries have 'issues'. Just don't over glamourise Australia. In a time of uncertainty, having security is not a bad thing at all.

Hi All, This is my first post in around 8 or 9 years. The last time I posted, I said we'd made the decision to return to the UK. I see my 'sticky' at the bottom says we'd return to the UK in 'Easter 2014' - I can't believe I'm still in Perth, in the same house and it's 8 years later. Life has peddled on by. My daughter is now 10 and my son is 8. We've obviously since been through the process of primary school, sports, clubs etc. We made a few more friends through school etc, my husband was hugely promoted and I began at a new school last year. Life has been pretty good on the whole. We started going to Bali and on caravan holidays down to Busselton. My husband's parents moved out here 4 years ago too. I'm still not sure how I feel about that one as in all my previous bouts of severe homesickness, it was my MIL talking us into staying - telling us how bad the UK was etc. I feel now there was an ulterior motive. It was inevitable really as my husband's only sibling lives here with his wife and kids too. We were only ever supposed to be in Aus a year and I think my issues stem from this. If my husband had said back in 2008 that we should move for good, I would have refused. I obsessed over this site, watched all episodes of Wanted Down Under and couldnt bear to watch the family messages part. I only agreed to come to Aus on the basis that it was for one year. That one year has just rolled on the the next and the next as life has chugged on by. I realise I occupy my mind with obsessing over things...first it was wedding forums, then getting pregnant forums, new baby forums, this forum when down, buying and decorating a house, getting fit, cake decorating, quitting alcohol. Don't get me wrong - I still have a life. I have friends, go for weekends away etc, but I can see a pattern in my behaviours and I think it's all a coping mechanism. I've been 'coping' for almost 14 years and now I feel too much time has passed. Great jobs, excellent salaries, good school for kids, a lovely house on which we are way ahead on the mortgage and a whole lot of other things. Is it all materialistic or is it realistic? I still can't shake the fear of growing old or even dying here. I cannot handle that my parents don't really know my kids. I've stolen that part of their lives from them. I cannot handle my mum becoming too old to fly here. I cannot handle that I've missed weddings, births, funerals. As always, I bury it. Anyway, I've just recently been back after 4 years of being trapped here. I desperately wanted to return to see my Dad whose health was deteriorating, but I was too late. Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly at the end of Feb. Because of Covid, I hadn't seen him in such a long time. As always, I didn't want to get back on the plane to return to Perth. Of course, I wanted to get back to my husband and kids, but I felt I could have happily stayed and built a new life back in the place I still call home. It's so strange that after 13.5 years, UK is 'home' and Perth is 'back' or 'over there' or 'Australia.' My homesickness is constantly buried deep down and rears its head every time I go home, or every time my Mum visits. It was so bad back in 2019 that I started seeing a psychologist and I only stopped my sessions because of Covid. I started seeing someone else just this week and I made it very clear in the first session that I would have been sitting in front of her whether my dad had recently passed away or not. I've spoken to my husband about it, and although he will discuss it, deep down I don't think he wants to leave what we have here. Why would he? His parents are now here. His brother and family are now here. He has an excellent job and salary. I suppose what I'm hoping for is to either make the decision to move back before the kids are too old, or to be able to put the homesickness to bed. Is it actually possible? I've seen many posts on here advising psychological help, but has it ever worked for anyone? Can a psychologist help me to bury the homesickness even deeper? It would be easier for everyone else if I could. I feel I'm rambling now and things aren't making sense. Thank you for reading if you have managed to get this far. I'd better go and change my 'sticky' in the footnote

I’m so sorry you feel you shouldn’t have moved to Australia in the first place but if you want to leave don’t believe all the horror stories you hear about life in the UK. I’ve already queried one comment about electricity bills going up from £100 to £400 a month. As for the NHS, we can’t fault the treatment we’ve received in the 11 months since we’ve been back. House prices vary enormously depending on the area.

I am so sorry to hear about your dad, that's one of the really hard things about being a migrant and all the logic in the world can't prepare you for dealing with it. What Marisa said. In spades!!!! The best a psychologist might be able to do for you is to give you coping strategies but if what ails you is exogenous depression then nothing they do is going to remove you from the stimulus which is causing that depression - leaving the country is the only cure. Medication isn't going to help you. Personally, CBT strategies worked the best for me but everyone is different. As one who has learned over more than 4 decades (I went well past the point of no return) that life is often about reframing and accepting the least worst option rather than getting all the bells and whistles - I still get immense "downs" where all I want to do is cry (I let myself do that in the shower and my DH is now in tune with my up and down-Ness according to shower length - it was a bit of a bugger during the drought but it was a coping mechanism and the alternative would be worse!) So I guess it comes down to whether you are prepared to fight for what you want (I wish I had, about 10 years after being here) or whether you are prepared to live with the least worst option. Only you will know how difficult it might be for your family to find work/home/school that you'd be happy with in UK but in the plus side, now is a VERY good time to be moving back - the $ has never been so strong. You might be able to do what I suggest for those questioning a move in the opposite direction - take a career break, rent out your home and suck it and see. We had 9 years in UK until Covid hastened our return and without a doubt they were the best 9 years of my life in a long while even though we were 24/7 caring for a demented mum, an increasingly frail dad and lending a hand with a frail aunt and uncle. But now, even though both my parents are dead I still need to get back for my sanity hits (and see my son and his family) - I had thought their passing would make it easier for me to be here but it hasn't. I do sympathise with the "changing of the goal posts" - that sort of happened to me but I was a bit slow off the mark realising it. At least you have that sussed and can confront it! You need to seriously discuss it with your DH and getting him to engage in counselling - whether it be with your counsellor or with relationships counselling - is a good move and the aim needs to be for you both to come to a compromise situation. With him being happy where he is, surrounded by his family that could be difficult but he needs to understand that you want what he is taking for granted and you've got diddly squat. Your compromise might be that the family budgets for at least you to take the kids home for 4-6 weeks every year (if you work in schools that will be for Christmas which isn't probably that ideal). Or, if you return to UK that he gets to visit his folks or pay for them to visit every year. At the end of the day, though, you may need to come to terms with what is your least worst option - here with him or there without him. Good luck, it's a sh!tty situation to find yourself in and it's made even harder because so many people don't understand what exogenous depression does to your mental health - with all the pragmatism in the world it isn't a matter of "suck it up, you live in paradise".

If you have genuine homesickness, which you obviously do, then it's like alcoholism. A psychologist can help you survive it, but they can't cure or "put it to bed". I am so sorry you're in such a no-win situation. I'm one of those lucky people who never felt homesickness, and for a long time, I couldn't understand people like you, who get so homesick they feel like part of them is missing. So I have a strong suspicion that your MIL, and even your husband, can't get their head around what you're going through. Let's face it, if your oh had half an idea, he'd have moved back long ago. One thing that may help is for your husband to come to a few psychologist sessions with you, once you feel the psych understands how you feel. It's funny how our partners sometimes don't hear us properly, but they will hear when someone else says the same thing. He needs to understand just how great your sacrifice has been, and how much of a struggle you have gone through for such a long time. Right now he either doesn't understand or is trying to pretend he doesn't understand, because you're letting him. Making him sit down with someone who will facilitate your discussion, will ensure he faces up to what's going on. If you don't do something now, you will grow old and die in Australia because in a few years, your kids will be too old to move back because "it will disrupt their exams', and then you won't be able to move back because they won't be eligible for domestic fees at British universities, so they'll have to do their uni in Oz. Then they'll have girlfriends or boyfriends and won't want to move to the UK. Then they'll be married and there will be grandkids and what will you do then? Even if you do want to move by then, it won't be practical because your pensions will be in Australia. We have had quite a few members who thought "at least I can go home when I retire", only to find they either couldn't afford it or couldn't bear to leave the grandkids. You have a window of a few years to sort this out, so don't let your husband fob you off. Best of luck.