Marisawright

14 hours ago, markpea27 said:

I am dipping my toes into researching what is available for me and my family in re locating to Oz.

Would anyone know or maybe have used any kind of fee assistance or loan schemes for the money required in the process of emigrating?

No, there isn't. Australia isn't desperate for migrants any more, in fact there are far more applicants than there are places for most occupations, so the government doesn't feel the need to offer incentives. 

If an employer is willing to sponsor you, they will probably offer you something towards your relocation expenses, but these days even that isn't likely to cover everything.

10 hours ago, Rob Frain said:

You were correct, however the cost is land transport from Melbourne to Perth as they don’t go to Perth by ship!!! 

That's what I suspected.  I recall someone else had the same problem with another shipper because they didn't dock in Sydney, so their shipment had to come by road from Melbourne.

3 hours ago, SteveT said:

My wife is a NZ passport holder and we want to live in Australia. Would I be better applying for a 461 visa or a 309/100 visa?

Surely you're not eligible to apply for a 309/100?

17 minutes ago, Geraldineinoz said:

when do I transfer my money to my UK account which I have kept open, do I do it now or when I get to the UK, or do I wait until I am about to purchase a home? Thank you in advance  

It won't really matter from a tax point of view. Once you're resident in the UK, you'll be liable to pay UK tax on the interest whether it's sitting in your Australian bank account or in your UK one.  

43 minutes ago, Bob Jones said:

You can use the Barclays app for authentication instead of the card reader. 

I tried that when I got locked out with the card reader. I can't remember why it didn't work but I recall that it didn't work either. 

On 23/04/2024 at 16:57, MC2 said:

Hi all. Myself and my family (two kids aged 4 and 7) have been back in the UK for 3 years but it’s just not working out for us. Previously we lived in Sydney for 7 years and we are considering moving back to Australia. My husband can get a job in Brisbane. What I’m after is info on areas to live in. In Sydney we lived a 5 minute walk to beautiful beaches and this is the life I envisage again but understand it may not be as easy as we’ve had it before. 
I would like to know of nice family friendly areas, good schools (state) that would be close to nice beaches. Thank you!

The good news is that house prices in Brisbane are substantially lower than Sydney (for an equivalent property), so it may not be as hard as you think.  However the bad news is that Brisbane doesn't have beaches near the city like Sydney, so you're either up for a long commute or accept that you've got to drive to the beach on the weekends. 

28 minutes ago, Rob Frain said:

I asked movecube why the costs once in Australia are so high. They didn't give a response but just gave me a breakdown.  Is it me or is that "Movecube Transfer" very high. What do we think that consists of as all I can think of is off the ship to the warehouse?

Why not ask them that question.  I'm guessing "Movecube transfer" is the transfer from the port city to their depot in your city.   

1 hour ago, AliG said:

Good point but I think you mean National Insurance (NI) contributions?

Sorry yes, I do mean NI contributions.

16 minutes ago, Toots said:

I couldn't live in one of those houses even if they were half the price.

Me neither.  That's why I moved to Melbourne, rather than move to Sydney's outer burbs.

3 minutes ago, Toots said:

There have been 1.4 million views.  Surely those dog boxes can't possibly be worth over a million each.

A million dollars for a house is very cheap by Sydney standards.

@Geraldineinoz, I'll take this one thing at a time.

UK Pension

The good news is that your UK pension should increase when you move back, because you'll get all the annual increases you missed out on.  I recommend you also look into back-paying any missing NHS contributions, which will increase the pension you get.  It's not too late!   It's usually well worthwhile, but the UK Pension Service can help you work out whether you would benefit from paying them.  I suggest waiting until you're in the UK to contact them, because the answer will be different when you're living there, compared to if you enquired now.

Australian pension

Are you sure you'll lose it?  I can believe you'll lose it temporarily, because once you sell your house, you'll have money in the bank and then you'll fail the assets test.  However once you've bought your home in the UK, you might be able to get the Aussie pension again. So I wouldn't consider it a lost cause -- keep in touch with Centrelink and let them know when your circumstances change, and see what happens.  

Superannuation

 Talk to your husband's superannation company and see if they'll pay the income stream into a UK bank account, or whether they'll have to continue paying it into his Australian bank account.  It's no great problem if they pay it into an Aussie account, because then you just use a company like Wise to transfer it when it suits you.  

The bad news is that his income stream (and your other pensions and income) will be taxed by the UK taxman, but the good news is that it won't all be at 40%!   You'll each be liable for the same income tax as every other British individual, i.e. no tax on your first £12,570, then 20% tax on income up to £37,700.  Then it's 40% on anything above that.  There's no tax exemption for pensions like there is in Australia unfortunately.

House Sale/Investments

If you sell your house and put the proceeds in an Australian bank account before you leave Australia, the money is just savings and won't be liable for any British tax. If you have other investments, or if you delay the sale until after you've left, it may be a different story and you should get some professional advice.

On 22/04/2024 at 20:49, Laura Jayne R said:

I am a 32 year old, British Citizen with a fiancé and a young child. We would like to relocate to Australia as a family. 
I am an experienced merchandiser and demand planner (which isn't a recognised skilled job in Aus) and my partner is a sales manager for a Freight Forwarder. 
As we have a dependant, we cant go on a working visa and as I'm not a skilled worker, I'm not sure where to go. 

We are really keen to make a move before we get 'too old'. We are happy to consider anything, like possibility to retrain etc.

Only one of you needs to get a skilled visa, then the other partner and child just get added to that visa.  So I would investigate whether your partner could qualify for a skilled visa.  As Andrew says, I wouldn't waste time trying to work it out for yourself, because the rules are changing all the time and there's a lot of outdated info on the net:  if you are serious about moving, book a consultation with a good migration agent and get the up-to-date, accurate situation.   Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matlida.

If it turns out that your only option is for one of you to retrain, it's really important to choose something you want to do for a living -- because there is NO guarantee that any occupation will still be on the list in 5 or 6 years' time, when you've finally gained enough qualifications and experience to apply for a visa.   For instance, a lot of people assumed Australia would always want nurses, but before the pandemic, they were thinking of taking them off the list (the pandemic changed that!).  It would be a shame to put in all that effort, find your chosen occupation has been taken off the lists, then be stuck in a job you don't really like in the UK.

2 hours ago, Nemesis said:

Same here. Shared container there and back, nothing missing, nothing damaged. And no hassle of having to try and juggle things to pack them in the movecube. 

I'm sure you and @calNgary both had a good experience.  Most people do.  But just because most people drive on motorways and don't have an accident, doesn't change the fact that lots of accidents happen on motorways.   Same with shared containers.  The risk is higher than with a dedicated container or Movecube.   It's up to the individual to balance risk vs cost.

2 hours ago, RubyMonday said:

 I also don't know that I trust these removal companies. I've read stories of things going missing or coming up broken. 

Most of those stories come from people who book space in a shared container.  And yes, that does happen, and it's inevitable if you think about it. Your stuff is loaded into a huge container with stuff from three or four other families.  The shipping company has processes to keep them all separate, but the container is likely to get unpacked and packed again a few times before your shipment gets to you.  Customs may decide they need to inspect something in the middle of the container and your stuff is at the front, or the company might unload the container onto smaller trucks for final delivery.  The more handling, the more chances of things going missing or getting broken.

That's one of the reasons the Movecube became so popular so quickly.  You get to pack your own stuff into your own cube, which gets sealed up.  

Having said that, I think you're doing the right thing.   I recall you're likely to be in the  country, and the cost to ship your goods from the arrival port to a country destination are likely to be eye-watering and not worth it. 

TBH, from your previous comments, I think you'd be better off with a shared container.   Movecubes are best if you have a lot of boxes and small to mid-size items to ship.  If you're shipping large furniture items like beds or sofas, they'll fill the cube inefficiently and leave you with odd empty spaces that you can't fit anything into.  If you've looked at examples of how to pack the Movecube, the whole reason it's worth using is that you can use every inch of space by packing all the crevices and gaps with small items.

However here are some considerations when making the comparison.  Firstly, make sure you're comparing like for like.    

Different shippers deal with the arrival charges differently.  NO ONE can tell you what the customs/port charges will be when your shipment arrives in Australia, because it depends entirely on customs/port authorities.   Some shippers don't mention them at all, some mention them but say, "we can't tell you what they'll be".   Movecube usually includes an estimate of those costs in their quote.  If you check the small print, it will say it's just an estimate.

Therefore, I'd be going back to Movecube, and ask them to clarify what that customs charge is. 

Remember that with the Movecube, you're paying for extra security:  your goods will be shipped in a sealed box which will be opened only by customs.  A shared container may be packed and unpacked several times during its journey, (as partial shipments are added and removed), increasing the chances that your stuff will get lost or damaged.   

On 20/04/2024 at 18:35, Aggib said:

I'm moving back to Melbourne in February 2025, would like to take my 2 year old dog  what is the best company to use.

Petair -- run by vets.

9 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

Unless it's sheep dog or a greyhound you'll be shunned in Melbourne nowadays for being uncool in your choice of canine

Round my way (in Melbourne), some kind of -doodle is compulsory, or a French bulldog.  Greyhounds are still 'in' but not sheepdogs so much.

13 minutes ago, Snowbound said:

Hi all. Hubby and I have decided (after a lot of thought) to return to the UK, at least for now. My Dad has recently passed away and Mum is now alone. We plan to go July/August (have already sold our house). We are citizens and would like to remain so should we ever like to return .

My question is regarding tax… if we do not earn any income in Australia beyond 30th June and complete our tax return and advise the ATO that we are leaving…. Would we then need to complete an Australian tax return for the following year declaring UK income. Or…. If we continued working for another month (July) and had to complete a tax return from the UK next year… would we be taxed on our UK income too? Any advice gratefully received. Thank you. 

If you are an Australian citizen, you won't lose your citizenship no matter how long you're overseas for.

My understanding is, it doesn't matter what date you leave Australia and move to the UK.  Whatever day you leave, that's the day you stop being liable for Australian tax and start being liable for UK tax.  So if you leave in, say, December 2024, you'd be liable to pay Australian tax for the period from July to December, and that's it.  Whatever you earn from that date on in the UK has nothing to do with Australia, and vice versa.

I should say, that assumes you haven't left kept any investments in Australia.

1 hour ago, AnthonyC said:

I'm now 60 and my Mum is 83 (she lives in the UK) and the clock's ticking so I'm feeling the pinch more than ever to relocate and establish myself back home. I'm in the planning phase now (getting everything in order etc) to relocate back next year.

Are you aware that if you leave Australia before you reach pension age, you won't be able to claim your Australian govt pension?   Do you have enough super that you won't need it?  Are you eligible for the UK pension instead?

Also, be sure you look into the best way to collect your super.  If you wait until you've moved overseas and then claim your lump sum, you'll lose a huge chunk of it to the British taxman.   So if you want a lump sum, it's vital to withdraw it well before you leave Australia.  Once it's landed in your Australian account, it's just 'savings' and you'll be able to transfer it without tax implications.

6 hours ago, Samanddave said:

Can anyone give me examples of shared finances that are not shared bank account, mortgage or tenancy that could be used as evidence of shared finances?

Are you sure it's a partner visa you want to apply for?  It sounds like maybe a Prospective Marriage Visa would be a better choice?

For a partner visa, you must already be in a 'de facto' relationship for at least a year.  That means you've already been living as if you are married for a year.  Dating or being engaged does not count.  I'd recommend a consultation with a MARA registered migration agent to make sure you're applying for the right visa.

2 hours ago, Johnny Kash said:

Harvey Norman Outlets can have some decent floor stock with no wait time - its all stuff that people have returned or might have a small mark on it etc.

However do check whether there is an outlet in the city you're moving to...

51 minutes ago, can1983 said:

Many nationalities are known for setting up little communities in different countries. I actually think the brits aren't the worst

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.

9 hours ago, Sandgroper said:

No sorry I'm calling BS British people do not move to be in a community of British people that simple is not true.

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.

4 hours ago, Sandgroper said:

Perth is nothing like Benidorm those comments are pretty ridiculous

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.  

10 minutes ago, Sarah p said:

Thanks what options are there? 

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.