keithandkate

That's great news, congrats!

We (2 adults + 2 under 3s) migrated with SIA back in September. They will give you an extra 10kg per seat on presentation of an unused PR visa. In our case that was an extra 30kg as we had to buy a seat for our 2 year old. You will definitely need to bring a print out of the visa grant with you.

We're in a virtually identical position, in terms of operating our company remotely, the size of the deposit and got an offer from CBA with no issues. We just needed the last two years returns (corporate and personal) and 2 years of transactions from the company account. My wife is an Australian citizen and has been with CBA for twenty years though. We requested a home visit by the mortgage innovator, so this probably helped a lot.

Isn't that true with virtually every industry? Doesn't mean it's easy to find work though.

Hi, We have a moderate sum of money owed to us (TDS protected landlord deposit) but the debtor refuses to pay up, probably due to the fact we are now in Oz and they think they can get away with it. We are not quite at that stage yet, but if things aren't resolved is it possible to access the small claims court from Oz? We would prefer not to travel back to the UK if at all possible as the claim does not warrant such expense.

Median house prices in Melbourne are about $700k, so this would only be doable a bit further out unless you would be happy to consider a flat. The eastern suburbs are pricy even by Melbourne standards, so may not even be possible on one income without a substantial deposit. What are you OH's salary expectations?

I think with those skills he should be able to find a role reasonably quickly assuming he interviews well. Saying that, a lot of experienced candidates are finding it hard to find work in Melbourne. The market is dead, and that combined with very high house prices could be a toxic mix. As Parleycross says, most tech jobs are in the CBD, but there are little clusters here and there. It should be possible to find reasonably priced suburb within 1 hour of the CBD, but to be honest house prices anywhere near Melbourne are high so you would definitely need to compromise on some things. Do you have any kids?

It's never happened to me elsewhere, but I was given the bird twice within my first hour driving in Melbourne. And what about that lane discipline? grrrr...

Unfortunately I can no longer access the full article myself. The jist was that there was a massive skills shortage in Oz that was costing many billions per year. The following article says more or less the same things - but seems wildly out of touch with reality. http://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/media-releases/articles/ict-skills-shortage-points-to-enormous-career-opportunities-160615.html

Meanwhile, this http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/shortage-of-it-and-communications-tech-talent-costly-to-economy/story-e6frgakx-1227399375726 It's hard to tie-in with what we see on the ground. "Australia currently uses skilled migration as one way to gain access to ICT talent, with over 21,000 visas granted to new arrivals last year (roughly half for short-term 457s and half for permanent migrants), more than a quarter of which were software developers and programmers. Around 2000 ICT workers left Australia in 2013-14 to work overseas, resulting in a net “brain gain” of just over 19,000 people."

What software did you specialize in?

Good advice, and good luck with your move back

Yes, it's very difficult to make any headway if you aren't based in Aus. Particularly because they insist on "Australian experience", whatever that means...

Any suggestions about the best unlimited packages in more rural locations? (Point Lonsdale/Queenscliff)

Definitely best to avoid the agencies, but not really possible when moving out there without contacts. Which industry are you in?