Marisawright

Al Jazeera, Sky News and BBC Worldwide here (I'm in UK) all had coverage of the fireworks in London, Sydney, Edinburgh, Dubai and Berlin so I assume that would be the same in Oz.

Since the Sydney fireworks are so famous they did get longer coverage.

By the way are fireworks illegal in UK like they are here ?

No they're not, much to my surprise. We're overlooking the river in Soton and since we've both got nasty colds, we didn't feel like venturing out and just hoped we'd get a glimpse of the port fireworks from our balcony. Instead, we had a grandstand view of fireworks going off in all directions from one end of the river to the other. Only negative was that they kept going off intermittently until about 5 in the morning!

I thought it all sounded worth doing until I saw that dreaded number - "457". It does vary by state, but usually if you're on a 457 your costs will be much higher than on PR, even temporarily. You may be liable to pay full school fees for your children, there are benefits you can't claim, there may be restrictions on health care, etc. So you need to factor those additional costs in. Plus of course, it gives you absolutely no right to stay should you decide you'd like to - it's a complete myth that you can automatically convert a 457 to PR.

Have you thought about other costs too - long-term furnished rentals are almost unknown, so you'll still have to furnish a new house as if you're moving permanently, or ship all your existing stuff. You may need two cars on the Sunshine Coast as public transport isn't great.

It would make a lot more sense to ship all your existing stuff and rent out your house in the UK rather than just leave it empty. Get a valuer to complete a Schedule of Depreciation when you move out, and you will then be able to claim substantial tax relief on your Australian tax (landlords are treated very generously by the Aussie taxman - when I was working, the tax relief on my rental flat offset most of the tax on my salary).

I know there are risks in renting out but I've owned several rental properties and the risks are way overstated - of course if you buy an investment property in a problem suburb you're going to get problem tenants, but if your house is in an affluent suburb where rents are high, the odds are it will attract quality tenants who will do the right thing. And the difference to your bottom line would be dramatic.

Welcome vrak.

If you want to migrate permanently to Australia, then you need to be qualified and experienced in an occupation that the Australian government wants. These are listed on the SOL and CSOL on the government website (see below).

If people are advising you to get a student visa, then I assume your occupation is not on the list. The problem with that is, a student visa is only temporary and once your course is finished, you must return home.

https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Work/Work/Skills-assessment-and-assessing-authorities/skilled-occupations-lists/SOL

I've had that story from removalists before but it's all bluff. If you come across it, tell them you already have your own, so in that case you won't need a quote from them - see how fast they back down!!

I almost got a job in Armidale. Although it is a small place, it has a good level of cultural activities due to the high proportion of academics there (there are private schools there as well as the university). Housing is very cheap to buy, although more expensive to rent. Being far from city centres it has a lovely unpolluted feel but still has all the amenities you need.

It does get cold because of its altitude!

Too late to edit my post now, but I see you are close to retirement age. If you mean pensionable age (i.e. 65 years old), then I would strongly advise you to wait until you reach 65 before making the move.

If you wait, you can walk into Centrelink on the day you turn 65 and claim your right to the Australian aged pension - then you can leave the country the very next day if you like! But if you leave Australia now, you won't be able to claim the Australian pension from the UK at all.

If you've got superannuation or other income sources, you may feel that's not a big deal now - but you may feel differently as you get older and your nest egg starts to diminish. If you don't have a good nest egg, then obviously it IS a big deal, especially as you won't get much pension from the British government.

I've been thinking about it a bit more and I can see several other reasons why keeping the account in the UK would make more sense.

If you open an account in Australia, you'll be treated as a foreign investor and the bank will take 10% tax off the interest to give to the Australian govt. You will also have to declare the account on your British tax return, and may have to pay tax on any gain or loss on the exchange rates.

Interest rates in Australia are falling whereas in the UK they're rising, and if you're clever in your choice of account you'll get a better interest rate in the UK.

I'd say the first thing you need to look into is pensions. There are major implications for the Australian pension and your superannuation if you leave, and you may or may not be entitled to a British pension. How old are you?

A lot can happen in two years, so my bet would be to keep your savings in the country you're currently in - especially as the amount won't be significant for the first year or so.

OK I have learned a lot thanks to this thread!

Ayers and Lester are both contract management companies and they are legitimate. When you work as a contractor in Australia, you must operate as a business not an individual. Some people do not want the hassle and paperwork of that, so they use a company like Ayers or Lester to manage all their invoicing, tax, insurances etc. In return, the company charges a % fee.

It looks like they offer an extra service for contractors from overseas who want to work in Australia, by sponsoring them for a visa. They're not recruitment agencies so they won't help find the job - the applicant has to do that.

And this is where there might be a problem. Although the agency handles all the paperwork for the visa, the employer will still have to prove that he can't find an Australian to do the job. Immigration may require the employer to advertise the job for some time and then explain why none of the applicants was acceptable, for instance. That will take time - and as there is a good supply of accountants in Australia right now, they're quite likely to find an acceptable applicant! I would also be worried what employers will think if they know you can't qualify for full migration - they may think that means you're not qualified enough or not good enough, and that may discourage them from hiring.

I'm not very familiar with the Labour Agreement stream for a 457, but hopefully this agency has provided enough credentials to show they are genuine.

 

 

Is this the one we're talking about?

http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/employing-overseas-talent/visa-pathways/employer-sponsored-visas/labour-agreements#.VoQ3MfmLTIU

It just seems a bit strange to me that an agency has a Labour Agreement in place, but it's still up to the OP to find the job. Surely it would be the agency's job to find and put forward the applicants?

Besides if the agency "has a Labour Agreement in place", surely they'd have to know who the employer is already? Or is the agency just saying they can arrange a Labour Agreement if the OP can find an employer who'll take him on?

There are agencies that will rent you to potential employer. They gave a eligibility letter where they say they will sponsor you and take all risks. Potential employer pay your salary to them and agency pays to you. They ask for 13%, but we will see about that. Do you have advices regarding this two visas?

Sounds like a scam to me.

I realise that I will be here for about half a year alone before my Family flies down

In that case, I would certainly recommend starting in a hostel or lodgings in Brisbane. I think it's possible that Northern NSW towns like Ballina or Coffs Harbour would suit you better than the Sunshine Coast as they are less touristy, and if you start in Brisbane you'll be able to travel both up AND down the coast to check them out. I would recommend budgeting to buy a car as soon as possible so you can research areas more easily.

I don't quite understand what you mean. If you find work, then your employer will sponsor you. An agency cannot sponsor you, or find a sponsor for you. Are you sure they are genuine?

My gooood. Another essay. Sorry about that folks but once I started writing it all just flowed out...

 

Will try to keep future posts a little bit...eeeerrrr...shorter

Not necessary - write what you have to write! There have been many, many people in the same situation as you, some have ended happily and some have ended unhappily. At least you have an awareness and understanding of you wife's fears and just assuming she'll be fine when she gets here, as some people do.

You say your wife "will automatically" get a spouse visa and your children will get citizenship by descent - just checking, you do know that you have to get them all approved before you can leave for Australia, don't you?

I've got better things to do than argue with strangers on a forum. If you've got an axe to grind then good for you.

I don't have an axe to grind and I'm totally perplexed at what I've done to upset you. All I did was point out that people are different - of course there are people who love the place they were born in, as you say, but there are also people who don't. I thought you were saying everyone MUST love their homeland, no exceptions - if I misunderstood that then I apologise.

Your posts frighten me a bit, Wojtek - because although I've only been on this forum for a couple of years, I've already seen several marriages break up because one partner nagged the other (who didn't want to go) into moving to Australia, convinced that he/she would love it because it's such a great country - and it didn't work out that way.

I know that sounds dramatic but I just want you to understand that migration is tough at the best of times - if you're not both 100% committed, it will be even harder, so I hope your wife is wholeheartedly looking forward to the move. If she's just giving in to make you happy, then the first time something goes wrong (and it will!), it will be all your fault, she'll start to resent you and blame you for dragging her away from family and home. Things can fall apart pretty quickly once that happens.

But, I'm going to assume that's not the case and that you're both champing at the bit to get to Oz. Personally I would suggest starting off by renting a place in Brisbane for six months, even though you'd prefer a quieter location. It will give you a much better chance of work, and it will be easy to travel up to the Sunshine Coast or down to Northern NSW in search of that perfect job.

Fine it's good to see that not all decisions need necessarily be emotionally based. I think that if you're well grounded and just move where ever best to provide you a comfortable life - then migration might be a more successful experience. If you force yourself to love a new place and all that goes with it - you're being even more unrealistic than the locals!

Why should you have to force yourself to love a new place? Don't you think it's possible for some people to genuinely fall in love with a new place and prefer to it where they lived before? Let's face it, if people who can didn't exist, there would be no happy migrants - and we know there are thousands!

No. It's what I have read on the multitude of threads about homesickness on this forum. Whether you think you love your country or not - it's a separation anxiety that calls us back. Can you explain that?

I do struggle to understand it because I don't feel it myself, but I'm not saying it doesn't exist for those who feel that way. But your post implied that everyone feels that way about their home country, I'm just saying that's not true in my experience.

I'm unusual in that I've returned to the UK for practical reasons, I didn't feel any pull to return here at all.

I think the love affair you have with your country is one of the biggest journeys and greatest loves you'll ever live through. We all hold deep nostalgia with the places we grew up.

No we don't. It sounds like it's something you value and enjoy and good for you - but it certainly is not the case for me, and I know many other people who couldn't wait to leave their home country behind and held no affection for it at all. It's not about regret, it's about a difference in personality!

This is part of the problem, some people believe their values are SO fundamental, it's obvious that everyone else in the world MUST feel the same way - and if they don't, they must be delusional or have some underlying problem. My oh can be like that, we've had some humdinger rows because of it!

I think Quoll what you said above is quite harsh.

Kiwi, I've said this before - PLEASE read a post CAREFULLY before you reply to it. Quoll refers to OTHER people who can be harsh - she's not being harsh herself. You upset people when you don't take the trouble to understand what they've written.

I think it is much more complex than the glib "missing family and friends" which is often trotted out in a slightly pejorative sense - "meh! They can't leave mummy".... It's more about fitting with those around you and not have to put on an act every day that you "belong" - subtle things like sense of humour, shared interests, sense of community.

 

I do do think things change as you get older and like most animals, many of us want to turn up our toes in the place we began once the adventure wears off. Homesickness is (again, sadly pejorative) more than missing F&F it's about loss of self and identity IMHO and is often quite irrational and resistant to logical thinking no matter how much your head tells you "this is home" if your heart doesn't agree.

I hope you didn't take my post as being pejorative of people who are attached to their family!!! I can imagine an individual being nasty about it, if he/she feels their partner is ruining their "Australian dream" - but I can't recall seeing forum posts doing so. People are what they are: I may not have that close tie to family but I do recognise - and in some way envy! - people who do.

I guess I latched on to the "family and friends" explanation because I can understand the rationale of missing people, even if I don't share it. Whereas I find it harder to comprehend people being willing to split up with partners etc because they feel they "don't belong", it's such an abstract concept it's hard for me to get a grip on. But that's probably because I've never felt I truly belonged anywhere, especially in my home town.

Thanks both. Yes wife is Australian. Part of the issue is one months notice for both our employers, and job starts sooner than that time. This leaves us virtually no time, to pack and sell our car. We were reluctant to resign from both our jobs until we got the visa. And now we have received today, its panic stations!!! The extra salary in Oz would help over the next 2 months, so hopefully I get the answer which helps! I have sent the question to immigration also to be on the safe side.

Having gone through the same thing six months ago, I suggest you bite the bullet and sell your car to a dealer. You won't get the best price but if you're anything like us, you'll find you need your car more than ever in the last few weeks because there's so much to do. We advertised our car on Gumtree and Carsales.com.au and it was a big mistake - lots of time-wasters, people offering silly money, and having to wait around for people to view the car at a time when we just didn't HAVE time! In the end, we sold it to someone through Gumtree about four days before we left - but the price was only $500 more than we'd been offered by a dealer on Parramatta Road - so all the effort was a waste of time.

Will your job in the UK wait for you? I can't help feeling it would be a huge risk to let that job go - what if it takes you a couple of months to find another one?

Thanks for the additional food for thought. Looks like I'll be ok either way, so it's just about pursuing the opportunities now and seeing how things pan out. Over to the universe!

A few more thoughts for you to mull over. You mention you're more of a heritage hound than a beach bum - there is no heritage in Australia! Modern Australia is a much younger country than South Africa, and the traditional Aboriginal lifestyle didn't leave a lot of evidence apart from some precious rock art in a few places. One of the reasons my oh was so keen to move to the UK in retirement was the access to the wealth of heritage buildings and museums in the UK and Europe compared to Oz.

On the other hand, even though I'm far from a beach bum I really miss the weather in Australia (and in Southern Africa where I lived for three years). The Aussie weather and the outdoor lifestyle are much more like the South African lifestyle, British society is very different.