Mosa

PR granted this morning! We were told to expect it to take 6-9 months but it took 3.5! Now we just need to finalise the sale of the house then we can get this show on the road!

What about the Dalmatian coast in Croatia? The old part of Dubrovnik is a world heritage site and I have heard that the islands are gorgeous. Not sure about the £££ though.

It is so much more stressful than I thought it would be. Ours has been on the market for about two and a half weeks. We had a good few viewings in the first week or ten days, maybe five? Then nothing. My husband doesn't seem to be finding it stressful but I am. We haven't booked flights yet but we're planning on leaving the UK in the middle of October. Good luck with getting the house sorted again. Hopefully another buyer will come along quickly for you.

We heard about it through my husband's employer. They are furnished flats that they let out to visiting academics at the university. I'm not sure if they are university owned or just happen to be near by.

That's good to know. Thanks! Did your tenant need to give any document/reference to show the pet was no trouble? I half thought of asking our vet but the cat has had a few traumatic procedures at the vet and has now taken a dislike to her!

We're moving to Sydney in October and are taking our two cats with us. We're going to book temp accommodation for 4 weeks and hope that we can find somewhere to rent in that time. I have no idea if it will be enough time but we went with 4 weeks because shortly after that, the cats will coming out of quarantine and they aren't allowed in the temporary accommodation. Finding somewhere to live that will allow cats is probably the biggest source of stress with the whole move.

OH's employer had already sponsored employees before so we didn't have to wait for that part. They submitted the employee nomination on 6th of May. That was approved on the 13th of May. We submitted the visa application the same day or the next day given the time difference and the visa was granted yesterday. His employer told us it could take 2-4 months so it was a relief that it was so much quicker.

IME they aren't great unless you are at the top of the food chain. My husband is going over for a job as a Senior Lecturer. Lecturer salaries seem to be fairly consistent between unis and maybe not very negotiable. That said, his super is generous (17% i think) and that's not included in the salary quoted in the salary scale.

Our 457 visa was approved yesterday! Right after seeing that email, we got the results of the cats' blood test so they are set to make the journey. The house is on the market and we've just had the first viewing. Fingers crossed that it sells before we go.

Replying to myself because now I think I have been naive about shipping costs. I think I am just sad that our relocation budget is well and truly busted! (but on the bright side, we got our 457 visas yesterday and the house is on the market so this adventure is a-go!)

We've had a rep around to look at the stuff we plan on shipping (Southampton - Sydney) in October. He estimated that we need 800cu.ft but suggested a sole use container. We got the quote this morning: A$8500 + insurance at almost A$2000 for 22.7cu.m sole use container. It includes packing up here and unpacking in Sydney. That's a hell of a lot more than I was expecting, probably 20-25% higher. Was I being naive? Is that really expensive or just what it costs? Is it somehow costing more because it is being organised from Australia? From reading posts here i thought it would be around the £4k mark for shipping. Our quote is in dollars because it has been organised through my husband's new employer. They wouldn't tell us how much the shipping would be until we told them the value of our stuff. I've got a separate quote for the insurance (the same wild guess value because we haven't worked out the actual value yet) and that was about £500.

I will get my act together and contact them today or tomorrow. I can't help feeling a bit annoyed that the shippers won't tell us how much it will cost (excl. insurance) until we tell them the value of our stuff. They have already said that we will need a 20 foot container.

We had a shipping company out last week to have a look at the stuff we are taking. The guy who came out seemed pretty good but now it seems that they won't even give us a quote until we send in the forms for insurance. I think I'll be contacting IYM! ​Right now, I'm here trying to figure out replacement values in Australia for the stuff we plan on taking. I started with the Ikea things which was easy enough but this is tricky. I've no idea where to look for comparable items that would potentially replace ours if they got damaged beyond repair.

Congrats Plimthing! That was fast! We're a bit behind you but I hope we get the 457 sorted quickly too since we're planning to go in October and still have the house to sell. I am a bit afraid of putting it on the market before we get a visa. We have just heard that OH's employer has submitted the nomination and has given us the TRN for both the 457 and the 186 visas so we can go ahead and submit our application. The 457 will be this weekend's job. It seems straight forward enough (no medicals/police checks/english or skills test )so I am a bit worried that we have missed something. Hopefully not.

My husband has accepted a job offer in Sydney and is due to start in November. His employer will be sponsoring his visa (and mine as his spouse) and they say that they will apply for two visas in parallel: a 457 and a PR visa (I don't know exactly what) due to how long it takes to get a PR visa. Has anyone here been through something similar or have any idea how it will work out? It sounds weird to apply for two visas at the same time but I suppose the employer has probably done it before and knows more about it than us! Thanks!

Thanks M2M. That's my gut feeling as well. I have contacted the other companies to see what they say but I've been very happy with all I have read about Petair and my own conversations with them so I think we'll try to make that work.

We're moving to Sydney later this year for my husband's new job and we're taking our two cats with us. I've already been talking to the people at Petair about shipping them. Between what I have read here and what they have told me, I was feeling pretty to take that route. My husband's new job comes with quite a generous relocation deal but we have to use their shippers. They have said that they deal with jetpets and skypets so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either of those companies. I think they are both based in Australia. Thanks!

Hi Stevie, We're probably heading over to Sydney about the same time but it sounds like you've done a load more research than me so I might be asking you for tips. Good luck with the move!

We'll have 3-4 weeks accommodation in a furnished flat when we first arrive. It is being organised through OH's new employer in Sydney and is very close to his job. I hope that will give us enough time to find somewhere to live. Finding a place to live is the thing that is stressing me most about the move and it might take us a bit longer than usual because we have pets.

The job my OH has been offered is also at a uni and he is hoping for a November start date. They (the uni) say that their usual approach is to start the process for a 457 visa and PR (this might be 186?) at the same time with the expectation that PR won't be finalised before we move.

We took the cats for their rabies vaccination this morning. That's the first thing we've actually done (not just talked about!) since OH got offered the job in Sydney.

It looks like I am going to move there without ever visiting. It is a slightly different situation (moving for a specific job that my husband has just been offered) but we had pretty much the same thoughts as you. A visit out there would cost thousands and I have doubts whether a week or two could give us a good idea of what it would really be like to live there. At the moment we are living in a city that neither of us is particular happy in, OH's job offer is a very good one for his career, I'm up for the adventure so we might as well have a punt.

We'll probably be taking them so! Thanks for that info. It is also interesting to read how you changed your mind about renting vs buying. Definitely worth bearing in mind.

Would you still recommend bringing the washing machines and tumble drier if we know we are going to be renting for at least couple of years? The washing machine is 5 years old and the drier is about 4. Both had good energy ratings at the time we bought them. I am a bit worried that we'll end up renting somewhere that has no space for them and no space to store them.

He s negotiating the details at the moment but November has been suggested as a start date. It won't be before then as he has agreed to stay here until the first of November. The employer will help sort out visas (457 at first) and relocation but again, details are hazy.