Marisawright

Your current employment status won't affect your chances of being approved. They're interested in your chances of employment in Australia, not your home country. Your biggest obstacle would be scraping together the money to make the move. Setting up in a new country is expensive - it's not just air fares, it's the cost of moving your stuff, money for a rental deposit, then money to live on while you look for a job. Flats in Australia (except executive lets) are unfurnished, so you'll need to bring your furniture with you (e.g. in a Movecube) or budget to buy new when you get here.

If you're used to subsistence living, then you can probably manage all that for less than the average migrant, but it will still cost a fair bit, so you'd need to get some savings together.

One thing about the shortage skills list. I've known plenty of people come to Australia thinking there will be plenty of work in their field because it's on the list, and then struggle to find work. That's because the shortages are never Australia-wide. Also, the list relies on statistics which take time to collect - a shortage may be well and truly over, but the job will still be on the list because the statisticians haven't caught up yet. So it's really important to do your own research (on sites like seek.com.au) to see how many jobs there are in your field and what they're paying.

Hi Marisa, thanks for your reply.

 

I think the issue for us will be meeting the new financial requirements because it will now be necessary for me to obtain a job in the UK paying more than GBP 18,600 per annum before I can sponsor my wife. As a school teacher my salary would be more than that, but finding a job whilst still residing in Australia will be more of a challenge. The dilemma is that if I leave my current position and return to the UK, then I will no longer fulfill the other requirement of being in gainful employment for the 6 months prior to making the application. Chicken and egg really.

 

 

Could you take annual leave to go to the UK and see if you can find work? Of course it would probably mean you'd have to go back to the UK before her, to start the new job - but the turnaround time for her visa would be pretty short, (at least that's what we've been told).

Alternatively, have you studied the financial requirements document? If you don't have an income, there is a savings option that might work for you.

The exchange rate has no bearing on wages, when we migrated to Australia, the exchange rate was 2.6 - whilst I saw it drop to 1.5 it made no difference whatsoever - my salary stayed the same and what it paid for stayed the same...

 

Of course the exchange rate does impact the capital you can bring over...

I had exactly the same experience - there was a huge change in the exchange rate after I migrated. It should've had an effect in theory (more expensive imports etc) but I didn't notice any difference to my standard of living in Oz. You can't compare salaries between one country and another using the exchange rate - you have to look at what it buys in the country where you earn it.

Long ago when I applied, agents were practically unheard-of so I can't comment on how useful they are. However a couple of points occur to me.

One - unless you can get a personal recommendation, it seems to me that using an agent has more risks than benefits. Every service industry has its good and bad operators - whether it's hairdressers, real estate agents, mechanics, doctors - so there must be good and bad migration agents too. Size is no indicator (for instance, Chubb is one of the biggest security firms in the world but stories about its poor customer service are legendary). How will you identify the right agent to use? Do you want to entrust such a vital process to a total stranger?

Two - A correct application by an individual has exactly the same chance of approval as a correct application through an agent. Applying through an agent gives you no advantage in that sense. If you're not confident in your ability to do it right, then an agent makes sense - but it sounds like your husband is the methodical type who will cross his i's.

Three - there are so many different visas now, I can see how an agent could help work out which visa to go for. However if you already know that, that's not relevant.

Four - I've heard people claim that agents know how to present your situation in a favourable light, so you can get approved when you otherwise wouldn't. If that's true, it sounds like a good (though possibly illegal) reason to use an agent - but I'm not so sure. The rules are there for a reason. If you manage to scrape in by the skin of your teeth, then it's more likely you'll struggle to survive or to find a job when you get here, so maybe it's better to give up the dream?

Just an update. Having spoken to several banks in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man we were informed that Australia does not allow residents to open offshore bank accounts. It doesn't matter that the money is in the UK they would not allow us to open an account as we are currently in Australia.

Drat.

Maybe not a bad idea for anyone migrating to rent a furnished place for a few weeks, whilst they are settling in? I don't know how much more you pay for 'furnished?' Those rents did not look too bad for Surry Hills/Darlo, $500-600 a week?

I'd say most people would have to rent a furnished place for a few weeks when they first arrived - especially if all their furniture is in a container which won't arrive for several weeks. As I say, I don't think that's what the OP was asking about. Those rents don't look too bad but they are for studios and one-bedrooms, which I suspect are very small.

About a month before we left to come home I suddenly became a bit more constructively reflective rather than angry and, thankfully, mostly, that's how I still feel!

 

I don't miss much of Australia....I miss the coffee a lot, I miss the lack of rain (not the heat), I miss the beach, I miss the easy work and I miss the money.....actually that's a lot of stuff!

 

But the hardest thing we have found is the ending of the adventure. There were a lot of negatives but we were 'out there' ducking and diving and now we are back in our safe little box and that feels a little suffocating sometimes.

 

Sometimes we have to stop and remind ourselves....actually we didn't like it did we! And we need to remember that without being bitter and negative but also not to remember it through rose tinted glasses and regret leaving...

 

Sums it up perfectly. The country you're NOT in always seems more attractive, and the negatives of the country you're in loom larger than they really are. You'll get the right perspective on it eventually!

So somehow on my 3rd trip down under over christmas, to visit my beautiful godson and best friend, i've decided that leaving my 2nd family over there is too hard every time and to apply for a SOL visa. Not something i'd ever considered before, thought my life plan was here in the UK, but i'm single, no kids, so have nothing to lose. I figure if i get a visa, i can always go over and come back if it doesn't work out, I have friends and family in the UK but we're all over the place and most have families of their own and are busy with their own lives so we don't catch up too often, and family wise my parents are already gone, and the rest of us are a bit disjointed and not very close, so I don't think missing them will be a huge factor.

 

I realise the 9-5 will still have to happen, and it won't be like being there on holiday, but i have a support network there and hopefully the ability to get a decent paying job. I just think i'd rather spend my weekends on the water/camping/outside instead of watching TV in a bid to avoid the cold.

 

What made you move over? What were your reasons? Trying not to second guess myself here:wink:

I moved many years ago when the economy in the UK was very depressed, so it's not relevant. However I think you should go for it! As you say, being single you're not going to have as much expense as moving a family, so it won't be so painful if you decide it was the wrong decision.

Besides, my observation is that proximity to loved ones is a very important factor in whether migrating works or not. It's the people who deeply miss their family or friends who are most likely to go home, regardless of other factors. So the fact that you're coming TO the people you care about most, suggests to me that you'll do just fine!

I've just spent 26 days in the Uk with a thorough 1 hr cycle round Asda, another round primark, and TBh, I think Oz is cheaper, but I ain't getting into that argument...............I know the facts.............others can think what they want according to their agenda or inabilty to apply the exchange rate

Someone posted a spreadsheet on another thread where they compared actual costs. It came out about even, with some products dearer in Oz and some dearer in the UK. So I think that's what I'm going to rely on.

Well we went on holiday in Sydney last year and it was cheaper than going out in the South/London where we live... but obviously never lived in Sydney just holidays and we live down South and it's more expensive than up north anyway.

 

I read something the other day about Sydney and London and other cities. I will try and find it xx

Yes, historically I've always found Sydney (inner suburbs and beaches) much cheaper than anywhere in the UK for eating out. That's based on multiple trips to the UK in the last 30-odd years. However restaurant and cafe eating don't give you much clue as to how much things cost in supermarkets etc.

The city comparison in that article refers to corporate expats, who typically live in expensive areas and eat out at expensive places, so without being able to break the various costs down, it doesn't say much.

We are permanent residents in Australia, but not citizens and still have money in a savings account in the UK. Due to the rubbish interest rates we were thinking of an offshore account. However I have heard that the offshore banks do not allow Australians to open offshore accounts.

I was just thinking about this, if we move to the UK. I'm British and I opened an account with Barclays in Jersey when I lived in Africa. However that was 40 years ago and I can't remember a thing about how I did it!

I just had a look at HSBC's Jersey website and it says they "service" Australia whatever that means.

Since Jersey now shares its account details like any other EU bank, I'm not sure there's a lot of benefit having an offshore account any more?

...if you have an accident, or an emergency, they just whip you into hospital. It's not like the USA, where they ask you if you have insurance before they operate? (Or is that just a myth?)

 

The one insurance I read you should have (and I don't) is for the ambulance?

 

But, for all that, I'm still confused. Do I NEED medical insurance? Am I rorting the system by not taking it out? Is there something that I am missing?

 

 

 

I paid $3,000 to my dentist last year, and I'm sure I've asked her a few times whether I need insurance, but she says it's not worth it. Because I spent so much, together with podiatrist's fees, I was able to claim some of it on my tax return.

 

I still have over 20,000 pounds in mini cash ISA's in the UK, and I thought I would keep that as my emergency fund if I wanted to have a private hospital operation, but if you have an accident, or an emergency, they just whip you into hospital. It's not like the USA, where they ask you if you have insurance before they operate? (Or is that just a myth?)

 

The one insurance I read you should have (and I don't) is for the ambulance?

 

But, for all that, I'm still confused. Do I NEED medical insurance?

I've always had medical insurance and my husband never has, so I see it from both sides.

Cover for dentist, optical and podiatrist aren't part of basic medical insurance - they're covered by an optional "extras" policy which you can choose to tag on. I wear glasses and have typical NHS teeth (full of fillings), plus my hobby is dancing, so it's worth it for me. If you don't use those services much, then extras cover probably isn't worth it, and you'd pick a policy which didn't include it.

If there's an emergency, you won't be turned away from hospital for lack of insurance, so don't worry about that. The ambulance won't refuse to pick you up either! We've also found waiting lists in the public system aren't nearly as bad as some people make out, though maybe that's because we live in Sydney, or maybe it's just lucky the type of problems we've had.

The reason most people have medical insurance is tax - you pay a lower Medicare levy if you have it. People used to wait until they were old (and more likely to need it) before they got insured. However some years ago, the government introduced a rule whereby if you didn't take out insurance before you were 30, you'd get slugged with a big surcharge in old age. My husband is facing that problem now - if he were to take out insurance today, he'd have to pay a 60% surcharge on the premium!!! That's why so many people are insured nowadays.

I took out insurance for tax reasons but now I think it was probably a good idea. I had a major spinal op last year and it cost $35,000. I had no idea operations could cost so much! Even with private insurance, I only got back $23,000. I'm not sure how much it would've cost in a public hospital, but I'm glad I was able to go private to access the latest whizz-bang technology, since it was a fairly risky procedure. As we approach retirement, it's likely we'll need more medical treatment than less!

You CAN rent furnished properties in Sydney.

Yes you can, but they are practically all "executive lets" - short term rentals, designed for companies. They're usually not just furnished but fully equipped (pots, pans, cutlery, linen). They're usually much more expensive for the space you get, so even if longer leases were available, you wouldn't want to make them your home. I assumed the OP was asking about being able to rent a furnished apartment long-term, as people do in the UK.

It's also true that pet-friendly apartment blocks exist, but although the rules may allow pets, you've also got to get past the agent! My niece has cats and always struggles to get a flat, she says that if it's a choice between her and someone who doesn't have pets, the agent will always give it to the "pet-free" person.

I personally like the fact that we, as a nation moan and grumble a bit....to me it shows we question things rather than being accepting of everything. It does get a bit much at times though but the inane grins on most of the Aussies we knew got on my nerves just as much, to me it was like a kind of moronic brainwashing.

I must confess to being mystified, I'm seeing this comment all over the forums but I've never encountered it myself. Sure, the media can be a bit jingoistic but I've never come across it amongst real people. Does it come down to where people live? I know there are huge differences from state to state and city to city - I know Australians all speak the same language but attitudes are enormously different. Maybe I was just lucky to land in Sydney, and be able to afford to live in the centre, rather than somewhere else!

 

Personally we have found Oz so much cheaper than where we were in the UK. We compare #of hours worked in each country to buy the product and Oz always wins. If you are confident of an increase in time then I would say you'll sirvive with savings to help for your extras and 6 months passes sooner than you'll realise- but make sure you have a back up fund if needed.

You are the first person who has said this! EVERYONE else keeps saying how much dearer everything is in Australia. Is it because you're basing it on the # of hours worked rather than a straight conversion?

Where do you get your stereotyped ideas from?

 

people move for many different reasons......you are not the oracle of migration so stop pretending to be

I never said I was. It just worries me that many people on these forums seem to have arrived with totally unrealistic expectations and when they don't eventuate, they blame Australia not themselves. Of course, I understand why that is, and it's human nature - but it would be so much better for them if they hadn't got into that situation in the first place.

I do find it amusing that those who defend Oz the most on these posts are mostly those who have not lived there.......... It is not the Utopia that some believe it to be. Starting all over again and going backwards in your career can be very hard for those who have given up a comfortable life in the UK.

This is the thing I struggle with. If my life in the UK had been "comfortable", I would never have dreamed of moving half way round the world. And we probably wouldn't have come if my husband hadn't already had a firm job offer equivalent to his UK job. The cost and upheaval is so enormous, people shouldn't be migrating for a minor improvement in lifestyle, or with any illusion that they'll make heaps more money. It's just too uncertain.

its not easy coming back though, moving abroad certainly changes you forever and I do miss certain things. I miss the sense of adventure, and the fact that every day something surprises me.....like when I turned on the radio at 9am and heard the word w£nker.... Or when I was asked by a senior nurse to go "check on the po@f in room 19".....

This is so true. I'm so glad I lived in Africa and then went back to the UK for a year before emigrating to Oz. Home seemed so different when I got back from Africa, I really saw it differently - though it was probably me that had changed rather than it! If I'd gone straight from Africa to Australia, I probably would've developed the "rose coloured glasses" view of the UK and not settled so well here.

"I have found that many people move to Oz with a dream of sun, sea, blue skies, great jobs, good money, house with a pool, car etc etc, and this is great and these things are here, but some things take time. I did come over here thinking that life would be totally different and to some extent it is, but really the day to day is very much like life was in the UK."

Hit the nail on the head.

Can you remember what these books were called/or who authored them? thanks.

Gosh, it was 35 years ago, so no! As I was writing that post, I was wishing I could remember. I particularly recall an excellent chapter on moving to country Victoria. It nailed the footie obsession perfectly - when I was reading it in Scotland, I thought, "surely this is grossly exaggerated!". Until I got there...

You are right Marisa "Passed down to us in our folklore" Sometimes I wonder if its a question of pride. There is an old saying 'Pride comes before a fall.' I remember a teacher at school talking about the subject of pride many years ago. She suggested aspects of pride are positive. Pride in your children, your parents, the qualities of your partner etc, but if you feel the need to express regularly the pride of where you come from there might be an element of doubt in your mind, she offered.

We're at cross purposes, Paul. I wasn't talking about Aussies. I'm a Scot and I was working in Scotland at the time - and every single one of those workers knew someone who'd done well in Australia, so they had a very positive view of the country. When I was a wean, it was the common perception in Scotland, because so many people from previous generations had been so successful there. That's what I meant by "passed down to us in our folklore". I meant British folklore, or at least Scottish folklore. And I'm sure people of my generation passed it on to their kids, and it's been reinforced by programmes like Neighbours and Home & Away. Unfortunately, that old picture still lingers in people's minds and today's Australia isn't as much of a land of opportunity as it used to be.

When I return to the UK in August this is something I will take with me and it is evident in "the first person plural" if that is the right expression. (Someone will correct me if it isn't). Our this and Our that. I hear it every day in the press, all media and everyday conversation. Our highest mountain, our deepest lake, our barrier reef and our boys who just thrashed the poms at cricket. I wonder if there is anyone in the UK who refers to London as "Our nations capital?"

 

So it goes on, a film trailer on TV announced in that deep gravelly voice, "Starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney and "Australia's" Cate Blanchett. Why is there a need to do that???

 

I've never minded about that because Scots are famous for doing exactly the same (there's that famous Aberdeen newspaper headline when the Titanic sank - "Aberdeen Man Lost at Sea" - which isn't true but it's funny because it's an exaggeration of reality). But there's nothing wrong with patriotism.

Well, we r not planing it tmrw, maybe in a year, but we r going to be in the same boat in the uk (worth of financially elc) but somehow it feels it's going to be easier to manage in oz with parks beaches good weather day care rebate etc...

I think what Paul is saying is that you could get parks and even beaches by moving elsewhere in the UK. Yes you'll get more sunshine in Australia but that doesn't mean you'll spend more time outdoors - there's a lot of concern about sun exposure here, especially for children, because exposure as a child can lead to skin cancer in later life. Australia is far closer to the sun in summer than the UK, so the UV factor is much higher. In the summer, it takes about 10 minutes to burn if you don't wear sunscreen. The advice is to stay out of the sun between 10am and 3pm in the summer, and if you must go out, slather on sunscreen and cover up. Kids here go swimming in "rash suits" - like a shortie wetsuit made of lycra. They go out to play in the playground in long sleeved shirts and hats.

I have another head in real estate but somehow can't post any replies there any more... Does anyone know why that is? Thank you

 

 

it is easier to rent a furnished place in the uk but is that true that majority of rentals in Sydney are unfurnished?

we have a dog too... That's prob not going to help to find a good rental place easily...

Yes, all rentals in Sydney are unfurnished. So you'll need to budget to buy all new furniture, or to take the lot with you. A lot of apartment blocks won't allow dogs, though that is changing slowly.

February is a bad time to come to Canberra. There is a lot of competition for rental accommodation because the students are all coming back for the new university year. Wait until March or April when the rush has settled down, and you'll be able to do better deals with the real estate agents.

You can't survive without a car in Canberra, so your best bet is to buy a car as soon as you arrive, it will make it much easier to find accommodation.

Can anyone, who has had issues ( like citizenship refusal ) regarding not honoring their moral obligation to stay in the state that sponsored them for two years give me some feedback?

 

PS. I am not interested in any moral lectures. I need informative, useful and factual feedback.

 

Property prices, crime, good schools, work availability and making a success of settling in Australia with four small boys is at the core of my decision making. The best reward to Australian society is for my family to settle in and be productive tax contributors to society, i.o.w to add value to the system and to integrate.

 

I do not have the luxury of uprooting four boys after a two year trial and then to move to another state. Wherever we go has to work out. I still prefer my sponsored state of Victoria, but this might not tick all the boxes at this time? I am now considering Queensland.

 

Thanks

Pierre

Curious - if you still prefer Victoria, which box isn't it ticking?