Krystaltips

You'll be fine to use your friend. We're using an agent so they have taken care of most of the document certification however, to save time on the skills assessment my husband had a few documents certified by a close friend who's a solicitor.

My advice in a nutshell?...Grow a pair, do the right thing and think before you jump. This could potentially be one of those life changing moments that you can't ever undo so you need to make the right decision, for the right reason. Either way, you state you don't love your current girlfriend so surely the only options are a) leave & find a way to continue living in Oz and move forward or b) go back to Scotland and pick up where you left off. Each will have consequences (good & bad). Honesty is always the best policy...and that includes for yourself. Good Luck.

I've spoken with quite a few companies to get rough costs for both a 20ft & two 40ft containers (depending on whether we take just a few household items or that plus two large cars). Out of all, we have arranged for PSS International to come out and give us a quote. I was really impressed with their service so far, there are no additional fee's and they're competitively priced. They also offer a storage option once goods are in Oz (depending on location it can be a free period of storage) and if you do take your car/s they are the only company (that I've managed to find) that actually load your car at your house, straight into the container. As with most other companies, they offer a free quote, so it might be worth giving them a call.

Ok, so that's not so bad. I thought it would be the other way round. Does using your account from the UK (making transfer's etc) actually up your credit rating though? Interesting, looks like it will be a similar system to that of the UK, pros & cons to it, but I'm assuming this wont effect us initially until we're further down the line and have built up some actual Aus based credit history? That wouldn't be my definition lol!

Is it feasible to open up an account whilst still based in the UK and make regular transfers to help increase our credit rating? Apart from this, are there any other ways of getting a footing before actually moving out? Thanks in advance

Because (allowing for slight variations) we do know the size and style of house we'll buy?

There were some enticing benefits to the 188 such as taxation,dividend payments, directors loans etc, but unfortunately things are a bit more complicated in our case and the short term benefits it could offer were negated by other factors and long term plans. My husbands accountants recommended a tax specialist based in Sydney who he's been dealing with and I think they have explored every opportunity. No doubt everyone's circumstances are different, as are their business structures, but for us the 189 was the best option. I've just noticed your company affiliations! www.gmtax.com.au looks very informative, I'll forward the details to my husband, he may well take a look and give them a call!

Thanks all, it doesn't seem too badly priced in comparison from what I can gather. Jdad84 - if it helps, I've just done a quick check (I tend to use http://www.ao.com ) and a Whirlpool 420l fridge in either ss or white, ranges from £1001 - £1429 depending on the model. The particular Beko washing machine you've bought is no longer for sale but alternate models range from £169 - £369. Depending on what we decide to ship out and the container size, we'll probably purchase most items once out there.

I've just been reading through some of the positive stories, great to hear people's plans working out for them. Need to keep bumping the thread so the good vibe spreads! Murrydownunder - you may need to be a little more specific in what you do as there could be other options for you. For instance, my husband works in construction so to speak but his actual role/day to day job, isn't present on the SOL for our chosen state (NSW). This being the case, the application for his visa has instead, been based on other qualifications/job spec that is present on the SOL. His current job still encompasses the responsibilities of the skill he's applying for but wouldn't necessarily have been what he'd originally thought to look under. You of course have to have the qualification to support your skill category but for instance, on the 189 visa, once in Sydney, he can work in whatever capacity he can find a job in! (I think?...shoot me down if that's wrong fellow forumers)

From our experience of looking into this route and after much deliberation, we opted for the PR 189. We ruled out the 188 as it's only a provisional visa, although I believe you can apply to have this extended via state nomination which can then provide a maximum of 8 years. There are specific requirements that need to be met by the business before you can then apply for your PR. We did consider the Business Talent subclass 132 as a close friend who is a member of AVCAL suggested it might be a good option for us. However, it didn't take long to realise there is (understandably) a hefty amount of information & documentation required to support your application, it really is extensive and there are the financial commitments/constraints of it also (you have to maintain your investment for a set period of time etc). Even if your granted the 132 which is a permanent Visa you still have a couple of years of monitoring and if the business fail's to meet the criteria there is the risk your visa (188 or 132) can be cancelled. To us, it seemed an extremely lengthy (& expensive) way of achieving PR and again, turn around times for the 132 are lengthier than the 189. This is just my overview, obviously there is much more to it than the above. The 189 application is straight forward and enables you the freedom of living/working wherever you want and once settled and having found your feet, you can then set up a business anyway, which is what my husband will do. As Rammygirl pointed out, your UK registered business can also sponsor you. There are a number of options and as my husband did, it might be worth you speaking with a corporate immigration specialist. Once we'd decided to apply for the 189 I also chose to use an agent to help process the application. Partly because it eases the pressure and there is always an answer should you have any questions, but also for me personally, I wanted my own advisor rather than just going off my husbands advice & research! (Hence, I'm utilising POI for my own research as I need to be sure it is the right decision for us as a family).They also gave reassurance that the 189 was the best choice as we did spend time considering the 457 (simply for ease & speed of getting out to Oz and all number of alternatives!) We chose Ian Harrop & Associates and I have to say, they have been fab. We spoke with Go Matilda too and were originally going to use them. My husband is Commercial Director for a large commercial design & construction company that he co owns here in the UK but for Visa purposes the easiest route for him was to apply as a Quantity Surveyor or Architect, both of which he's qualified for and are on the SOL for NSW. It means we will (hopefully) be granted PR and then once settled he can move forward with his own plans. We will still have an immense amount to sort out both in Oz and back in the UK but we'll just take each day at a time. All the best.

It's a tough decision, we really liked the appeal of Brisbane but all things considered, we had to go with Sydney. From the little research we did do on Brisbane, my overall opinion was, it would be a great place to live, especially with a young family. I also read through Brisbane's Economic Growth Plan - lots of new houses and development planned for coming years which would be a good indicator of potential employment opportunities for your line of work? Sydney of course is a fab option too but it's a whole different ball game...and an expensive one at that! There is so much to consider, do lots of research and use PIO for guidance, everyone on here has been an endless source of help...as long as your informed, you can't really go wrong. Good luck :-D

I see quite a lot of negative responses to posts from 'hopeful's' on the forum and with the objective of this thread in particular being to ascertain what made people emigrate to Australia in the first place, I'm genuinely interested in hearing what actually made people decide to leave everything behind for a new life of apparent doom & gloom? The majority of people seem to say it's for a better life (or standard of living), more sunshine, less stress, an adventure etc etc....undoubtedly programmes such as WDU fuel peoples perception of what Australia has to offer, but from what I've seen (I am one of the saddos that watch it) the majority are not heavily inherited families, they all go over and have to do a work/lifestyle comparison? I completely understand it isn't for everyone and really feel for those that have moved across only to have their hopes unrealised, resulting in a return to the UK. I'm also aware your setting yourself up for a fall if you don't do enough research or let such programmes tint your glasses but seriously...if you aren't moving to Australia for any of the above....what was your driving force to leave the UK/your home country and if it is just as bad if not worse (in some areas) than the UK, why do you not return?

There are many factors but in brief, we've had 8 years of falling/flat interest rates which has propped up the housing market and made borrowing far easier (personal borrowing whether it be mortgages or credit cards etc has increased). We have a vastly increased young-in work dynamic and unemployment has been falling and we have increased foreign investment (panic buying). The strengthening property market shows wide growth variations across the regions (growth much slower in the North of England and Scotland) but as a whole, has in part been responsible for the UK's economic rebound. London is at risk of entering a 'property bubble' and general consensus is that house prices are overvalued, you also have government schemes such as the 'Help to Buy' (which many feel should be scrapped) that further assists in forcing up house prices as it increases demand. House prices on the increase result in more equity within property (for some) in turn, people then decide to move and so the life cycle of supply and demand continue's. Interest rates will have to go up before long, although possibly not this side of the election (or even this year) but once they do, I think we'll start to see things change significantly and it will become more apparent just what a fragile state our economy is in....and on that cheery note!...

Having looked at a few options, I think we'll be shipping stuff out! Domayne looks interesting though and is along the lines of what I'd be looking for. I'm assuming tax is only applicable on items that are declared as <12months? As long as goods don't arrive in manufacturers packaging, I'm hoping you can avoid being hit with this?

The UK property market is without doubt strengthening with particular areas such as London and SE showing absurd growth. Unemployment has fallen far quicker than anticipated and if it continues to drop, longer term inflation pressures will rise, as will interest rates. That isn't a good thing! Britain's economy is definitely looking healthier and will appear to 'boom' for a good while yet, however we still have the likelihood of deflation in Europe as well as China's unstable economy looming overhead.....recovery is a long way off and IMO, unlikely to ever happen. It's hard to see the bigger picture with personal wealth seemingly higher, consumer confidence growing etc...but Britain's economy is a sorry state of affairs. Australia has it's own economic issues, but I know where I'd rather be residing in the future!

Just considering cost comparisons on setting up home in Sydney. I'd like to replace everything new ready for our new home & life and trying to work out if it's more cost effective to buy everything here and ship it out or, buy everything once we get out there. Are items such as beds, sofas, patio furniture, dining tables, comparable in price to the UK or much more expensive? What's Australia's equivalent of stores such as John Lewis, Habitat, Heals...are there online stores I can check out? ...of all the things to think about...lol

Definitely! I've lived life flying by the seat of my pants lol, having children has grounded me slightly and having 3 little lives we're responsible for has meant we've approached this with much more caution, as we have to make the right decisions for their future! If I was in your position...there would be no hesitation! You've got the opportunity to create a whole new future for yourself, scary yes, but very exciting :-D

Don't give up, it's all still within reach! My agent provided us with a great breakdown of each section of the IELTS and a couple of links for some practise work - I'm more than happy to forward it to you if it helps. The IELTS site is quite helpful too http://www.ielts.org/test_takers_information/test_sample.aspx Good luck and keep pushing forward!

In short, my husband! The big 'four oh' is approaching this year and he's suddenly decided he wants more out of life! We have an amazing life here in the UK, so to say it came as a bit of a shock is an understatement! We do worry about the children's future and what opportunities will be possible in the UK 10, 20 years from now (lots of boring economic reasoning) but we've also realised we don't need to move at the pace we do here and would most definitely like a better work/life balance. My husband is a workaholic and I have no doubt life in Australia will eventually start to resemble life back here but the thought of more quality family time, evenings spent outdoors, increased recreational time, better weather etc etc and simply just having him around to see the children grow up....it seems like a no brainer! I'm devastated at the thought of leaving all my friends and family and whilst I'm really excited, I also have pangs of apprehension, but life is short and I feel you should always grab the chance of a new adventure......

Would you not consider Sydney (& surrounding suburbs). I think it would possibly tick all your boxes?

I'm not sure how it works in USA, it does seem to be attorney's that offer the migration service (http://www.eurekamigration.com - if you do a google search I'm sure you'll find others). If it helps, I'm pretty sure you can use a migration agent based anywhere so you could use an Australian or UK based company and here in the UK at least, they don't seem to have any legal background.

We are at the beginning of our application for the 189 and chose to use an agent. Agent fees alone are approx £1900+VAT (eek). Our application isn't typically straight forward though so for us, it's great to have someone on call for advice and the experience to get over a couple of obstacles. But with the Skillsselect website and the 'experts' on PIO, along with a check list to ensure you don't miss anything, you can absolutely do it yourself, but it's personal choice. From our experience so far, the worst bit has just been getting everything together for my husbands skills assessment. If we had a bit more time on our hands to look into everything and a slightly more straight forward case, we would have dealt with the application ourselves and saved some money. It's not rocket science, it really is just having attention to detail and ensuring you don't miss anything. We spoke with GoMatilda & Ian Harrop, both were great and I'm sure there are other fab MARA registered agents if you decide to go down that route. Good luck ;-)

Well that sounds a bit more promising. Why are second hand car's so expensive?

Out of interest,does anyone know if new/used car prices will come down at all in the very near future or will they always remain high? I'm going to get a quote for bringing our cars out (it's sad I know, but I'm one of those saddos that love my car) it probably won't be viable, but worth looking into I thought! Are fuel prices high in comparison to the UK?

Booming???...We are currently one of the most indebted countries in the western world with an approx total debt of around 5 times what our entire economy is worth. Add to that all the unfunded promises our government has made to date and our debt increases to around 900% of what our economy is worth! It doesn't matter how much demand there is within the construction sector currently, or how much sun is shining (unfortunately)...our economy is heading for financial collapse! We may not see it straight away, things may stagnate for years and appear stable but it will happen eventually.There is no way for us to recover.