Marisawright

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.

8 minutes ago, Sarah p said:

Think I saw one is ore expensive but quicker? Happy to pay 

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

20 hours ago, Stev143 said:

Hi Marisa, we have no investments back home. Ive a private pension and our two state pensions. We didn't ever do a tax return in the UK.

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

14 hours ago, jessi said:

Thank you, would you know of a safe rural area not too bad to commute from towards deer park?

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.

16 hours ago, Stev143 said:

Dear friends, as usual we received our UK tax coding last month. I have a question. As we all know our state pension is frozen. It has had significant increases in the last 5 years since we came to Australia. When you receive your new coding, is this reflecting the new 2024 state pension amount, or is it based on the frozen amount. And if its based on the 2024 amount are we being over taxed..?? I hope I've explained that ok.

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

On 13/04/2024 at 05:49, 5Evns said:

we have thought about moving to other parts of Aus but my family are in sydney and our jobs are great here so commuting is too difficult especially with young kids. Eg we considered the central coast but there’s no childcare vacancies and DH doesn’t want to commute everyday. We thought about Brisbane, Perth etc but the pull is having my support network in sydney. 

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.  

3 hours ago, jessi said:

What about sunbury do you know? 

Would that be a nice neighbourhood for children and teens would anyone know? I see it was mentioned up above.

I see a few kids have recently gone missing around sunbury but then again that could be runaway teens long back home. It's so hard to know without actually being there.

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. 

5 hours ago, TheBs said:

Sorry to jump on this, but what about those in their 40s? Assuming time frames by the time we get out I’ll be 40-41 and my husband 45-46.

we have the points as it’s my visa we would apply on so I’m still in the age bracket (just) what about him for finding work? He currently works for the council finance department 

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

45 minutes ago, Ken said:

If it was the only property he owned (he said he used the money to buy a property in Australia so I'm assuming he didn't already have one) then provided he lived there within the last 6 years, it was still his main residence and so CGT exempt regardless of being rented out.

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?

4 hours ago, GerryM said:

Did you have to delcare the cash here in Australia and get taxed at all or simply transfer from UK and use for purchase of house here? In similar situation and weary of getting hit with a unexpected tax bill further down the line.

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. 

9 hours ago, Rob Frain said:

Airbeds for two weeks(!) 

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. 

7 hours ago, YogaLilly said:

I’m ...worrying about such a major life change for her at a young age when there’s no guarantee it would work? 

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. 

7 hours ago, YogaLilly said:

...and the cost of living is ridiculous.

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.

4 hours ago, jessi said:

The job is near Deer Park/ Caroline springs area. 

Any insider info on a nice village feel neighbourhood commutable? 

Ah that makes a huge difference.   Caroline Springs is right on the very outskirts of Melbourne, almost in the country already.  

https://www.homely.com.au/caroline-springs-melton-melbourne-greater-victoria

5 hours ago, jessi said:

I wouldn't have a clue on how much food would cost each week or car insurance, fuel, kids activities and schools, electricity bills, bins etc. 

I'm not sure if @Cheery Thistle is still around, but she did some thorough research recently and could give you some idea.  People coming from the UK seem to find food expensive, but I think that's partly because pre-prepared food is limited and much more expensive here.   When I was in the UK in 2015, I got so used to buying meal deals in Marks & Sparks and Tesco, it was a shock to come back to Oz and have to start cooking my own meals again!

Quoll makes a good point about the salary.   For senior roles, it's common to talk about a "salary package" rather than a salary.  So that $200,000 could include superannuation, which means it's actually $180,000 salary and $20,000 super (i.e. pension contribution).  It could even include the lease on the car.  So worth checking exactly what the 'base salary' is. 

2 hours ago, MuratGloris said:

Here's my advice. Many migration agents offer free consultations or assessments of your situation. Take this opportunity to talk to several agents and evaluate how they can help you.

I used to recommend that, too.  I don't recommend it these days.  Many of the best agents have stopped offering free consultations because they're far too busy.  Also you'll find a free consult is always very general and they still want you to pay to get an accurate evaluation of your specific circumstances.

2 hours ago, maximum said:

Thanks for the help, I am 44 in September and I know 45 is a age of concern. I will contact an agent and go from there. 

Actually, a much bigger problem is that Firefighter is NOT on any of the current occupation lists.  Paul Hand (who posted above) is a migration agent so he knows what he's talking about.   If your occupation is not on the lists, you cannot get a visa, and there's no way around that. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

2 hours ago, maximum said:

Thanks for the help, I am 44 in September and I know 45 is a age of concern. I will contact an agent and go from there. 

Actually, a much bigger problem is that Firefighter is NOT on any of the current occupation lists.  Paul Hand (who posted above) is a migration agent so he knows what he's talking about.   If your occupation is not on the lists, you cannot get a visa, and there's no way around that. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

20 minutes ago, EJMac said:

Woodend/Gisborne/Macedon is rural and an hour into city on train, similar time to drive but longer in peak hour.

I agree, if they are willing to look at areas which are an hour's commute by train, then there are plenty of lovely rural or semi-rural areas around Melbourne.  

The problem is the driving time.  It isn't just 'longer' in rush hour, it can be very much longer, because once you hit the suburbs, you can get very held up. I wouldn't like to take on a property in those areas assuming it'll be a manageable commute by car.  It would get old very quickly IMO.

@jessi, check realestate.com.au for house prices, and be aware that real estate agents here are crooks -- they shamelessly photoshop the images they post online, so always  assume that the photos look better/bigger than the real thing.  Also bear in mind there are good areas and bad areas in every town and city, so if you see something that's unusually cheap, it's because it's in a bad suburb.   Homely.com.au can help you check that out with their suburb reviews:

https://www.homely.com.au/find-places

7 hours ago, jessi said:

My husband has gotten a good job offer in Melbourne. 

At least I think its good. It would be 200.000 aud per year.

Would we be living ok as a family of 5 on that starting money? We have 2 teenagers and a 5 year old.

If he did accept we would like to live as rural as possible within an hours drive into Melbourne, as he will have to commute. Geelong distance would be good but geelong is a city so far too big for our liking.

Plenty of countryside within the same distance as Geelong.  Look at the stops along the Ballarat or Bendigo railway lines. Alternatively check out the Dandenong mountains (not to be confused with Dandenong the suburb).  

However as BendigoBoy says, if you mean "an hour's drive from the centre of Melbourne at peak hour", then there's nowhere rural within that area.  You'd still be in the Melbourne suburbs.  Melbourne is a sprawling city.  Your oh could certainly get from Geelong to Melbourne in about an hour on the train, but driving in rush hour, it could easily be 2 hours. 

If you go to Google Maps, you can check out driving distances at different times of day by choosing "directions" and selecting the day and time you want to travel. 

Having family and friends in Oz doesn't help you get a visa, so don't worry about that.

How old are you?   If you're young enough to get a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) then that's your best choice, because it will give you two or three years to decide whether Australia is for you.  

If you're too old for that, then you need to find out if you're eligible for a visa.    There are lists of occupations that are wanted in Australia.  If your occupation is on the lists, you can apply for a visa. If it's not on the lists, you can't get a visa, full stop.  So that's the first thing to find out.

As it's a complicated process, the best thing is to book a consultation with a good migration agent.  It will cost you some money but it means you'll know exactly what your options/chances are.  Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matilda.

5 hours ago, mrdgoode said:

I can imagine its going to be an exuberant cost depending on how much involvement we want but, how do you find a reputable migration agent/company?

Asking here is a good start.  There are some agents who visit these forums and are generous and supportive with free advice.   They are Suncoast Migration, Go Matilda, Andre Burger & Associates and Pinoy Australia.  Your agent doesn't have to be in your city as everything is done by email and phone these days.  You can start by asking them for an indicative quote. 

Years ago, few people used an agent. Nowadays it's such a complicated process, it's very wise to use one, even if you're not busy.  Anyhow, as BendigoBoy says, if you can't afford an agent you certainly can't afford to migrate, as it's such a small part of the overall cost.