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It's great that you're done with vaccines for your cats! How long do you have before they necessarily must fly? In other words, at what point will delaying their travel force you to redo the process? I'm still in the process of researching all of this, and I haven't gotten that far yet. I think you're right about the 189. I'm not sure what kind of grief I'd have to go through to qualify under the 189 as a barrister or solicitor (American attorneys basically fill both roles in the US). I'm going to start researching that a bit. There are Australian-Registered Foreign Lawyers, and I would quickly and easily qualify for that, I believe. I'll have to see if that might be sufficient for a 189. If not, I'll see if licensure might be possible without excessive additional education. My preliminary research suggests that the process might be reasonable, but I'll have to dig deeper to be sure. The Australian-Registered Foreign Lawyer route would be the quickest and easiest, if it's accepted. Looking into that presently. I think Australia regards my JD as a Masters - not a doctorate. Not particularly pleased about that, but I do have to admit that it's not a research degree like a PhD. Even state bars in the US divide over whether or not we're legitimately to be called "doctors." I think we've earned the title, but it doesn't matter what I think. haha. Would you care to PM me the contact info for the Aussie lawyer to whom you referred? It would be helpful to have someone to call when I'm ready. Thank you! I'll definitely check out the Hagen site regarding the cat kennel. I'd imagine that someone should have it nearby. Thank you! Regarding your proposed travel dates, you've probably already considered this, but I would expect your plane tickets to be high on Christmas. Personally, I've been watching tickets on Google Travel, which provides a great range of dates and prices. Funny, but it seems it would be cheaper for me to fly east and stop off in the UK than to fly west and stop off in LA.

It's amazing how tall small cats can be. haha. At least I'm not the only one with a tall tiny cat! Which store did you find your kennel in? If we have one here, I'll swing by and give it a look. It's nice to know that it's well-built. I'm very distrustful of plastic kennels, as they can become brittle with age and temperature changes (a former vet of mine actually had an experience whereby a cat was lost on a vet trip due to plastic clips on a kennel breaking). I'd prefer to go with metal but, in lieu of that, I'd like to believe a good, new plastic one would be okay. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it's possible to transport two animals in one sufficiently-large kennel. You might look into that to see if it'll save you any money (or whether it might be easier on your cats). I'm tempted to look into it, but one of my cats is a bit moody, and I don't know if the stress might result in a cat fight (though the two generally get along very well). I have to reflect on that a bit first. That's a good suggestion regarding booking the entire trip through Qantas. I may ask about that. I've had some bad experiences as a passenger with United, so I don't think I'd fly my cats with them. No beef with American though, so I'd probably readily work with them on that. My biggest concern with using two airlines is that my cats might be left unattended in the heat on the tarmac or something like that. It's worth digging into, and maybe asking some probing questions about how my cats would be handled during the transfer. By IS, do you mean information systems? I think you'll do fine in Finance. I've seen a number of Analyst positions posted over the last few months. Check out Austjobs, if you haven't already. You might be able to line up employment before your arrival. Alternatively, you might be able to connect with a recruiter through AustJobs, and that recruiter might be able to help you get situated when you arrive. I'm a lawyer with a JD and a Business Management degree. I've been self-employed for the last several years or so, but the reality is that transitioning to law practice in Australia would require a bit of grief. Since I don't particularly enjoy law, I've decided to make a career change (I'd love to get into Corporate Strategy, Human Resources, or Work Health and Safety, as I know I'd be exceptional with and enjoy any of those). To be honest, being an employee will also be nice, over the uncertainty of self-employment - particularly setting up in a new country. Anyway, in sum, I feel pretty optimistic about the opportunities in Australia, from everything I've seen. Definitely expect your expenses to be higher, but I think you'll find the wages make up for that. If you don't drink, smoke, or eat out, you'll probably come out well-ahead (though I have a poor idea of housing and utilities costs over there). I don't think it'll be too challenging for you to get a job. I think you're on the right track with the 189. Maybe I should do that. Is the process arduous? I'm going over on a Work & Holiday Visa to start, and my girlfriend and I are thinking we'll do a Partner Visa in a few months. Even so, the 189 might be easier, simpler and faster from start to completion, whereas a Partner Visa requires a couple of separate evaluations and determinations over a couple of years, as I understand it. Minimizing the opportunities for administrative decline might justify the tests required under a 189, by itself, and the tests might also be professionally valuable (is that your experience?). I think the prices for the two visas are comparable. What's the process been like for you? How far along are you with the processes? My understanding is that the cat move takes about 7 months of prep.

Hey Diana! Since your cats will be with the same airline for the duration of their trip, that may streamline things. I don't think there's any way I could catch a Qantas flight from Orlando to LAX (they generally do that as a codeshare with American (or United, I think)). I believe that was the complicated situation to which the lady was referring. Since yours will be on Air Canada all the way, I would suspect they'd be better cared for, and that they'd get more direct attention. Still, you might want to call the folks in the freight department and inquire. The implication was that refreshing the kennel would not be something Qantas would do, but I didn't really confirm that. To be honest, when the she recommended that I avoid booking my cats on another airline as a connecting flight and told me that it could get complicated, I automatically mentally shifted away from that approach, and I didn't really push further. Not sure what their layover will be when they fly, as it'll be 6-12 months from now. I believe my last layover in LA was about 2 hours. As of right now, I'll probably just ask my folks to hand deliver them to Qantas freight, and go from there. It'll cost more, but I know it'll be handled well that way. Alternatively, I may hire a Pet Agent simply to pick them up at the airport and deliver them to Qantas freight, if that's an option. What field are you in? What's taking you to Australia? I suspect you'll find plenty of opportunities over there. As far as I've been able to tell, Australia looks to be in a growth phase, while the US seems to be a bit stagnant. Not sure about Canada, but I'd be surprised if Australia disappoints. Depending on your field, you might be able to line up employment, or even sponsorship (which could save you a ton on your visa). Personally, I would recommend leaving the cats behind for a few months until you're settled and comfortable, assuming that's an option. Then, they can join you once you're established. I think that might be the least stress for you, and for them. Don't think I've mentioned this yet, but for thread posterity: The lady at Qantas quotes me $400 to $700 per cat from LAX to MEL, depending on size and weight. I expect to be at $700 per cat, unfortunately, as my small cat (and he is very small) is regrettably tall when he sits. Unfortunately, Qantas only flies animals out of LAX to Australia from the US, so a DFW to MEL flight isn't an option.

Oddball, Thank you for the tips! I just now applied to join the Facebook group. Hopefully, they'll accept me promptly. DianaK, Thank you for sharing your experience! Are your cats able to fly directly from Calgary to Sydney? Or do they have connecting flights? If they have connecting flights, how are you handling the transfer? I spoke with a lady at Qantas who said that airline to airline transfers can be a bit challenging, with pets. She seemed uncomfortable with the idea (and now, so am I!). It seems that, for the US, Qantas only does pet flights directly out of LAX, so I have to get them there. My cats are on the other side of the country, in Orlando, Florida. Qantas said that a kennel clean is often necessary by the time animals reach LAX (5 hour flight), and strongly recommended a Pet Agent (AirAnimal, in Tampa, FL) in this situation, so I requested an estimate from them today. I'd like to avoid the Pet Agent fees if I can at all do so. So far, my only alternative seems to be to ask one of my parents to fly out to LAX with the cats (that'll be $700-$1,000 in airfare for both the cats and one of my folks). If you have any other ideas as to how to handle that, I'd love to hear them! I'm trying to keep these numbers in perspective. While large, these figures aren't quite the same since I'll soon be earning an Aussie wage (American wages seem to suck, in relative terms, though I know costs are lower in the US too). So, really, I need to view this in relative terms, but it's still pretty intimidating! Regardless, I can't even imagine leaving my cats behind permanently. It wouldn't be fair to them, or to me. Thank you both, once again, for sharing your thoughts and experiences! Tom

Hey everybody! First time poster here. I hope you can help me out. My girlfriend is an Aussie, and I'm an American. After 3 years of doing the long distance thing, we're working on getting me over to Australia. Now, the complication seems to be my two cats. Leaving them is not an option for me, and I'm trying to figure out what I'm looking at in the way of expenses. Has anyone moved a cat (or cat-sized dog) from the US to Australia? What was your experience? What were your costs per cat? My cats would be traveling from Orlando (MCO) to Melbourne (MEL). Alternatively, I could get them to Dallas, and they could travel from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Melbourne (MEL), if that would be easier or cheaper. My vet told me to expect to spend around $8,000 per cat, which seems terribly high. At this point, I have government Lodgement and Assessment fess figured at $730 for both cats combined, and quarantine fees (now only 10 days of quarantine required) figured at $3,434. That brings my total government/quarantine costs to $4,164 for both cats combined. Does that sound about right? Am I missing anything? Any idea how much plane tickets should cost? I know they are required to travel as cargo. Do you have any recommended carriers? Is there a good reason to use a Pet Agent? I'd like to avoid the expense, unless a Pet Agent is absolutely necessary. I know it might sound a bit crazy to spend this kind of money on cats, and that it would be cheaper to "replace" them. But they're simply irreplaceable, and I'd run into a burning building for either of these little guys. Thank you so much for your help! Any input is greatly appreciated! Tom