jt spark

Thanks everyone for the posts so far,my employer is paying for all costs involved with PR although I will be checking the small print to see if there's any conditions tied on with it,we both took career breaks for 3 years from our jobs and kept our home just in case,my employer is great to work for in every other way apart from the hours,we've come this far and I don't want to regret heading home and maybe realising later we should of stayed and got PR and then maybe try and change jobs/cities. Its definitely not much fun at the minute and I don't want to ruin my health or relationship!

Hi PIO,myself,wife and two kids (12&10) moved to Sydney from Ireland in Jan 2015 on a 457 visa,we had a great first year settled into jobs and schools etc and we're loving life in Oz. This year has been the opposite,the company I am sponsored by have been struggling for staff and I find myself working somewhere between 12-18 hour days during the week,and always a full day on a Saturday,Sunday's are lost usually cos I'm shattered and just want to sleep,at first I was told it was only temporary but that was 6 months ago,I've only had 5 consecutive days off from last January and if I ask for anymore than two days off I'm told were to busy,I'm not having a go as my colleagues also do similar hours including the boss,but life is short!! My wife and I have had loads of chats about what we should do,I love my job but I love my family more,we own our own home back in Ireland and have no mortgage etc and are renting it out at min,my wife and son would leave here in the morning if they could,my daughter and I love Oz but my job limits my time drastically. Ive spoke to the company owner about all of this and they want to help us get PR in January 2017 and want us to stay,but we know we will probably never own a home in Oz and will be stuck in rentals and I will always be doing crazy hours 4am starts etc,were not sure what to do,our current tenants move out of our home in a months time and the kids school starts back in September,should we just tough it out to we get PR and then rethink what we're going to do as we can give ourselves more options and maybe try a different City. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated PIO.

I am in the process of seeking a 457 employer sponsored visa,just been checking on the costs involved and want to know if I have to pay for all the costs of visa or is it down to employer,or do we split costs between us,any information would be appreciated.

Hi Mad Cow,what's involved in the skills assessment?Is it costly?What time scale is involved? Sorry for so many questions.

Ok thanks for that,will check out web site to get further info.

Just wondering what is involved in getting PR when on a 457 employer sponsored 4 year visa,do you have to wait 18 months etc & what are costs involved?

Thanks for the replies,I have also heard of a couple whose 2 kids were claimed by a relative on PR in oz and had no school fees to pay,not sure of the details except they were from NZ.

Hi just wondering do most schools want the money up front before kids start school in NSW,or do you pay in installments over the school year,thanks in advance for any help.

Cheers Quoll for the advice,also should add that on top of my basic salary I have the potential to earn an extra 20k before tax,but I prefer to work off my basic salary for finances,we are renting out our house also just in case things don't work out.

Thanks for the replies,we have set aside 10k for kids education so hopefully that's covered,and living rent free should also help for a bit,in the UK we are mortgage free & enjoy a good but not extravagant lifestyle,most free time @ beach surfing etc & in all weathers,but spent 6 weeks in oz in 2012 & decided we like to try living there especially as we had family there.In the UK we average around 42 k before tax.

Hi we are a family of 2 adults & 2 (8 & 9)kids moving to Sydney in January,we hope to have a combined income of around 100k on a 457 visa,we are staying with relatives for a few months so this will help on costs,just read the posts and am beginning to get doubts if we are doing the right thing as the cost of living seems astronomical,going to have to rethink finances etc....

Thanks for the advice,have checked sol list and my electrical trade is listed.

Hi, I am commercial catering equipment technician working on a range of gas/electrical appliances,I am looking to make the move to oz with my wife and kids,I have over 20 years experience in my field of work,just wondering what the chances of sponsorship are.cheers

Just what we didn't want to hear northshorepom,the costs of our move to oz keep going up and up,thanks for posting info.

Just a bit of an update,I have decided not to accept the 457 sponsorship, after much research into school fees,cost of living etc 70k in Sydney for a family of 4 was never going to cover everything,thanks for everyone who posted with their comments and advice cheers.

Have you removed covers and visually inspected the belt to make sure it is intact etc,there may be a problem with the drive motor or control pcb,and this could also be the reason why drum isn't spinning,just be sure before you start spending $$ on parts that aren't required.

For us,that is a reality check if we needed one,cheers for posting.

Thank you to everyone for posting their thoughts,views and experiences on living in Sydney on 70k,there is a lot to factor in especially with kids,schools,childcare etc,and the unforeseen,we can see the positive/negative sides of a 457 visa and are still not sure if that's the best way for us to go to Australia,its a big decision to make and were having a few sleepless nites thinking it over,the job etc is exactly what I want and the people I have spoken to their seemed helpful etc regarding any concerns,questions I have asked them,we have a good standard of living(not extravagant) and would hope for the same in Oz.

Thanks for getting back to us with your views on our question,we are hoping to live in Ramsgate close to family,but are flexible on this,i will have a company vehicle for getting to and from work (office is 8kms away) so hopefully this will cut down on costs,we are hoping my wife can earn around $30,000 which will help big time.

Hi we are a family of four (kids 7 & 8) and hoping to be in Sydney by July 2013,I have been offered a 457 4 year visa to work in a role similar to what i am doing now,the starting salary starts at $70,000 plus overtime,my wife hopes to get a job also asap,we will be staying with relatives for a few months to start with,we have been to Sydney in the last year and know it's not cheap.Would appreciate any feedback from PIO,cheers.

Hi Everyone, I am a Reg JIB Electrician & Reg Gas Safe in commercial catering and laundry equipment,have spent the last 12 years working on commercial catering/laundry equipment in the UK,myself,wife and two kids are hoping to move to Sydney,anyway saw a job advertised similar to mine in Sydney offering a full 457 sponsorship,i phoned the company & was told they would be very interested in me working for them,the job was advertised as 'full gas and restricted electrical qualification' required,i queried the company about this and was told that i could start working for them in Sydney with out having to do any extra training/electrical registration etc,not sure if it is as easy as what they are making out,anyone got any advice,cheers.

Thanks for the reply,we loved Brisbane when we were there,just hope we can get this whole process started asap now that we know what we want.Take care x

Hi Pinklily,after much thought and chatting to others i am going to use a migration agent as to do it yourself is a minefield and we dont want to mess it up,i think it will be money well spent,we never thought this whole process of getting to oz would be as ddifficult as this,as for kids were still none the wiser as we hear different stories all the time,how long will you have to wait on your results?Did someone recommend your agent to you?

Thanks everyone for your replies to my thread,bit of an update from us,we have just returned from our hols in oz,we visited Sydney,Canberra & Brisbane areas,we soon realised it is a very big place,we loved Brisbane,Coolnagatta etc. We now know oz is the place for us,so now we have to start the process of applying through skill select etc,does any one have any experience of this system,we would love to hear from you.Take care.

Hi, we are a family of four from Co.Antrim in N.Ireland and are hoping to make the move down under. We have a few concerns and would appreciate some feed back on the following points, I am a 38 yrs old fully qualified industrial/installation Electrician and would be the main applicant for visas etc.For the last 10 yrs i have been working as a commercial catering technician and am also qualified as a registered Gas Safe fitter.I would like to know if anyone knows what job opportunities would there be in this field of work around the Brisbane area. Our two kids are aged 6 & 8.I would like to know more about the Public/Private school system in Brisbane,after school clubs etc.Also info on childcare facilities. What life is like living in Brisbane social,recreation etc Thanks for reading this and looking forward to your replies.