Marisawright

we'll explore for a while & do some of the tourist things on our list while we have the chance.

Good luck with your move - but do bear in mind that since you're going to spend the rest of your life in Australia, you're going to have plenty of chance to do "those touristy things" on weekends and holidays, so there's no rush!

@The Smith Clan - just don't let your sister turn it into too much of a holiday! If you want to make the right decision, then at least two of those three weeks should be spent touring the suburbs and going to look at houses to see what you can really afford, checking out schools, and making appointments with recruitment agencies to discuss your prospects. You should go to the supermarket with your sister when she does her weekly shop so you can see what prices are like.

You are going at a time of year when the weather is COOL by Queensland standards, so keep that in mind when judging the weather!

Sorry to say, but I get the strong impression your husband has absolutely no intention of living "international". It's not that he's lying - he's convinced himself that if you stay in Australia long enough, you'll learn to love it as much as he does. So his tactic is delay, delay, delay in the belief you'll be fine in the end.

I see two clues to that - one is the idea of having "a couple of years" experience in Australia before moving to your new home. Why? There is nothing special about Australian experience, it won't ensure him a better job when he moves - quite the opposite in fact, because (as he already knows from working in the UK) employers have an annoying habit of undervaluing experienced gained in another country. I suspect that once he got a job, he'd find reasons why he can't leave just yet - he's in line for a promotion, he's got a chance to get experience on a really exciting project, etc etc - and you'll still be waiting five years from now.

The other is this idea of "somewhere international". Have you discussed where, exactly? Have you talked about how he will pursue his career in a country where English isn't the first language? For most degree-level jobs, he would need to speak the language very fluently, so what languages does he speak, and how well?

Successful marriages are all about compromise but sadly, when it comes to deciding which country to live in, there's no halfway house - it's one or the other. One of you will have to make a sacrifice. In your case, you'd have to give up your country AND your family. In his case, he would only have to give up his country. I know that for some people, country is very important but the scales do seem a bit uneven to me.

Actually I've never worked in an accountancy firm either, I'm talking about finance roles in large corporations

Now that the dream is within touching distance we are panicking! Mainly the financial side of things, we have a great life and beautiful home here in the UK and although it is something we want to do we are worrying that we may end up giving it all up and not getting a job! We want to live on the Gold Coast but presuming he is likely to have more chance of a job in Brisbane.

Much of the Gold Coast is easily commutable to Brisbane. Accountancy is a very competitive field though, and most of the big companies have their headquarters in Sydney and Melbourne so it could be an uphill battle. One problem for accountants is that there is so much competition from immigrants from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. When I was in Sydney it had become rare to meet an accountant who wasn't Chinese! There is so much competition for accountants now that it's likely to be taken off the SOL.

Though I wouldn't normally recommend it - migrating is an adventure you should ideally do together - in your case I'd be suggesting he go out alone, find a job AND work in it for a few months to make sure he's going to be happy, before you join him.

If you were living in an old house and were unhappy with your life in the UK I'd suggest you just take the chance and go - but it sounds like you are risking a lot if you do that. After all, you may love it - but consider that every migrant goes expecting to love it (they wouldn't go otherwise!) yet about one third return. Those are not good odds when you think about it!

Can anyone give specifics outside of personal reasons how you think the uk has changed since you were gone

I think all countries are changing in similar ways due to globalisation, a lot of the problems you see in Australia are happening in Britain too. I think the big problem for migrants is that once you're a migrant, YOU change!

When you migrate your eyes are opened to different cultures, different ways of doing things, and the longer you're in your new country (unless you've managed to find a British enclave), the more your lifestyle changes to suit your new situation. Even if you don't like it, there will be things you enjoy as well as things you dislike. Then when you go back to the UK, you may find you can't slot straight back in to your old life and habits because you've been exposed to all those different influences.

To give you a silly "for instance" - growing up we used to eat Aberdeen rolls and my sisters still think they're a great treat. Then I went to France on work experience and got used to eating light, fluffy croissants. Aberdeen rolls are made to the same recipe as croissants but instead of being fluffy, they're squashed into a dense, slightly greasy patty - after France, I couldn't see the attraction AT ALL, and of course my family were indignant at me "disrespecting" a local icon!

The longer you've been away, the more of these trivial differences will occur and they can mount up until you feel quite uncomfortable back in your home country.

Also, of course, there's the rose-tinted specs. It's human nature to be nostalgic for the good things - who wants to dwell on negatives? - so when we leave a place, we're inclined to forget why we left! Even if you left the UK for positive reasons not negative (i.e. you were seeking adventure not running away from something), that can still be a problem. Why did you feel you needed an adventure? Why wasn't life in the UK enough? Why will it be different if you go back?

I'd say you need a MARA registered agent - if you have any chance at all, it will be very limited so you'll need to know exactly what to do, when.

I know it is tough for you but sadly, Australia just doesn't want migrants over 50. The problem for them, is that if someone emigrates at 50, they'll work in Australia for 15 years and then be entitled to a FULL Australian pension and all the benefits that go with that. Clearly, only 15 years of work isn't going to pay for what could be 20 or more years of pension, plus aged care, plus the higher medical costs associated with old age and death. So a migrant over 50 is likely to cost Australia more than they contribute.

 

I had a holiday to Bali, I wouldn't have done that if I was in the UK, should I add that too? What about my divorce? I recon that wouldn't have happened in the UK either? That's another cost then?.

No of course not, because both those things weren't necessary to enable you to settle in Australia!

Of course you're going to replace one mobile contract/car/lease agreement in the UK with one in Australia BUT what about changeover costs? You probably wouldn't get a full pro rata refund on your insurance, car rego etc when you left - that's a cost. When you leave the country you often have to sell the car at the last minute (because you need it for the move) so it's likely to be for less than it's worth - then you have to buy your new Aussie car at full price. That's a cost. You might have break costs on your broadband or mobile phone contracts - that's a cost.

If you hadn't moved to Australia, would you have given away/sold off all your furniture, crockery, cutlery, toys, bedding etc etc and bought new, or would you have kept it for several more years? That's a cost. As Andrew said, it's easy to account for the big costs with a little research, but it's all those little costs that can torpedo you if you're emigrating on a tight budget so it's just plain irresponsible to dismiss them as if they just didn't exist.

What about migrants who hate their life in the UK ( well 1 hates, 1 is more disillusioned/apathetic about...) have sh*t jobs both in terms of pay and conditions but those same jobs in Aus are both much better paid and the demands into your personal/ family life are nowhere near as detrimental. Is it still ok for us to try something different??!

Yes of course it is, provided you're sure the jobs really are better paid (taking into account the difference in cost of housing and living) and that the demands are less. If you are going to Tassie I could believe that perhaps the hours would be less demanding than the UK - but in Sydney and Melbourne, in my experience, people work far longer hours and get shorter holidays than their equivalents in the UK, so I don't get why people think Australians have a better work/life balance - they don't.

the op on this said he was leaving the country and wanted to cash in his super (well 1 anyway) and take the money with him. based on that info he would be hit for tax would he not? change what you tell the tax man but your intent is still to as original plan! Tax avoidance? tax evasion?

IF the OP is resident in Australia, and notifies his superannuation company that he is leaving his job and will not take any further employment in Australia (which is true), then he is eligible to take a superannuation lump sum because he has reached his preservation age. No lies necessary.

He will have to pay tax on that because he is not 60 yet, and I am not suggesting he try to avoid that.

If however he waits until he is no longer resident in Australia, the whole picture changes and he might face tax as a non-resident. So that's why it's important to carry out the whole transaction while he's still resident and therefore it is all perfectly legal. If he does that, it is irrelevant whether he subsequently leaves the country or not.

Hi

We are looking to emigrate, but as my hubbys job is CSOL we can only get 457,489 or 190 visa( all sponsored)

but how are you supposed to get sponsored when companies wont consider you unless you live in Australia!!!

There are loads of Paramedic jobs available over there,

So annoying

I know it's annoying but consider it from the employer's point of view. He advertises a job and 5 people apply. Two of them have good qualifications. One is a local - all he has to do is give notice at his current job and he can start in a month. The other is your hubby - by the time he's done all the paperwork and got out to Oz, how long will it be? Plus what if he doesn't like Australia after all (a lot of Brits don't settle in Darwin) and leaves?

Realistically he's only going to get a job offer if there are no locals ready to take the job. Not what you want to hear but you can understand why employers feel that way.

I think you may have answered this with your post in response to STEVEPEACOCK. If he is leaving the country for good he will no longer be a resident. There may be ways around it by how to time things and maybe by not being entirely truthful.

The clue is in what you've written. If he is leaving the country for good he WILL no longer be a resident - in the future. If he withdraws the money fulfilling all the legal requirements WHILE HE IS STILL RESIDENT, what he does in the future is irrelevant.

You don't need any of that early on. It was all sorted once settled. That money came out of the the first pay cheque. So it wasn't a 'migration' cost, but 'living' costs.

 

Why would I add the cost of extra furniture (from a 2 bed UK house to a 4 bed Aus house) or 2 expensive cars? Or insurance I didn't need or get?

 

I did pay friends, but only a few months after I'd moved out. And it was a few hundred dollars to cover bills.

So, if you can't find a job for three months, you simply won't get a mobile phone?

As you say, there are lots of things which are just replacing what you spent in the UK - food, phone bills, etc, and those will all be covered by your pay when you start earning. BUT there are lots of other costs that you wouldn't have paid IF you had stayed put in the UK - and the money for those has to come from somewhere. Good luck to you if you routinely have money left over from each pay check to pay all those extra costs - but you don't know the OP's earning capacity so it's not fair to blithely assume they'll be able to absorb them. They may be small individually but having moved from Oz to the UK recently, it was a shock to see how quickly they mounted up.

Andrew put it well:

"people shouldn't confuse deferring a migration cost and paying for it from an Oz paypacket with eliminating that cost all together. Staying with friends or family doesn't mean you don't need to pay a bond on a home it just means that your cashflow is easier and you pay for it from local earnings not UK savings. Every cent you spend that you wouldn't spend if you stayed in the UK is a migration cost, even if it's months later. These "hidden" costs really torpedoed us"

The tax man works in mysterious ways and his sniffer dogs too........... agreed and as already said expert advise is needed.

I'm still mystified what tax you think the tax man would be after - I'm not suggesting he avoids paying the tax due on withdrawing between 55 and 60. What other tax is there?

I would agree that this is something that needs research, I am being made redundant in the near future so option of gaining PR after 4 years on a 457 now a none runner. I am over 55 and was under the impression that I could access 1st 180k tax free (I must have read that in the financial pages) however after consulting my fund today they advise that is for residents & none residents are taxed at 35%. That's on to of 15% taken off contributions !!

Yes, non-residents are taxed very differently, which is why I've been advising the OP to get his super out of the fund while he's still a resident.

x2 Adults

 

Shipping = 2200 GBP

Flights = 1100 GBP

Cheap car = 7000 AUD

 

That was it.

 

Stayed with friends till there were two pay cheques coming in (5 weeks). Then moved into a rental. Bought missing furniture, then got a better car.

..... in my book, the cost of that missing furniture and the cost to update to a better car should also be included in your costs. Also the cost of car insurance, home insurance, mobile phone contracts, broadband, phone, all are costs you need money for early on. Plus I'm sure you ate a bit of food and gave your friends some money for putting you up?

I did it. It's a pain. Unless you have a good friend managing it for you. Basically the estate agent lied to me about the condition, and charged a fortune for repairs. Plus I had these awful tenants who never paid the rent on time, and always had a repair job to complain about to justify paying late. Nightmare. Did it the other way too. I'd never do it again unless I had a trusted friend to manage it, or I really loved it.

I've had four investment properties in total, over a period of twenty years so a lot of different tenants. Never, ever had a problem. You were unlucky. And I used agents not friends.

Lets hope they do then! The poster did not say he was retiring just that he was leaving the country the only relevant part of tax/super I knew about that is for non-permanent residents along with Aus citizens.

PS, do you think they may chase after you for the tax element though?

In order to leave the country he will have to give up his job! So it will be his last job in Australia, and that's all that matters.

What tax element are you referring to? If you mean the usual tax that's payable if a 57-year-old withdraws a lump sum, then I'm not sure what happens - I suspect the super fund may deduct it.

Anyhow, that's why it's so important to get it all sorted before he leaves the country, so there's no question of whether he's resident or non-resident etc.

As long as you have an Aussie passport you have to pay tax on worldwide income even if you don't own property or don't even live there.

 

You are an Australian citizen once you have that passport, so you have to pay your taxes in Australia for the rest of your life

 

There's no way out of it, not being resident or not owning property doesn't exempt you anymore.

Total rubbish. Where you pay tax is determined by whether you are legally resident in a country - it has NOTHING to do with citizenship.

It's my husband who's going Marisa.....what made you think I was 'older' haha? I am 'older' than my toyboy hubby you're right...but only by two years.

Hubby has been granted his WHV before he's too old for one....which will be in about a week or two !

Didn't mean you were "old", just that you were a "serious" migrant rather than a backpacker.

He's going to Darwin.... So I expect it'll be pretty sweaty and humid when he arrives and then ease off slightly as time goes on into the dry season.

 

You had me really confused there, jodipodi, for a minute there I thought YOU were the one going on a WHV, and I was so sure you were older than that and going for PR - very confusing!

For people in my situation who like to work for an international company, I could, if the opportunity arose, ask to be sent off overseas on an expat assignment to a Middle East or Asia office for a few years and I can enjoy full expat tax-free status being a UK citizen.

 

 

My oh has also worked on similar contracts and you are right, his salary was tax-free. But that is a special arrangement while you are living in the country. If you had bought investments and then left the country, you would've become liable for tax as a non-resident. Different countries take different attitudes to non-residents: some give them more favourable treatment than nationals, some give them less favourable treatment. Australia is less favourable.

If you've taken out Aussie citizenship there are tax obligations that go with it.

There are tax implications whether or not you're a citizen. If you're a foreign national owning investments of any kind in Australia, you have to pay tax on it.

Not quite sure of your logic Marisa? We are all complaining about the frozen pension, it's a totally illogical rule

I agree it's illogical and you're entitled to complain, but I was replying to JohnDoe who said it didn't matter - because it's topped up by the Aussie pension. I was just pointing out that only works if you're entitled to the Aussie pension!

The advice I have been given by my Superannuation fund is that if I retire from the workforce in Australia and I am over 60 then I can take the whole amount with no tax deduction. I can go where I like after that and work in another country if I choose, so long as I don't work in Australia again.

Exactly. In fact, I've been told that even if you retire and take your lump sum, you are still entitled to change your mind and go back to work in Australia in the future. They won't come chasing after you to get the money back. They recognise that people's circumstances change.