Collie

What are your qualifications? Do you have enough points for a Skilled Independent visa for PR?

Don't tell any buyers that you are leaving in a few weeks, they will wait until the last minute and low ball you. Also don't hold it for anyone (unless they are willing to put down a large deposit - to take it off the market) If need be, can you leave the car with family to sell for you after you've gone? Better than sellig when desperate

Ok. Sorry my last post left a bit off (got distracted) - u are both young enough (& your child is) to make the move for 4-5 years and get your citizenship, if it's not for you - you can move back, all you will have lost is $ but you will know that you gave it a shot. If he is Head of Finance in a large pharma co, (team of 20 or so?), he is well qualified. He may have to move industry but should be applicable to fmcg or energy etc. You should be ok. Only issue is the more senior you are, the fewer roles there are. You both may have a step or 2 backwards initially (this is what I am experiencing in Perth also). Definitely talk to a few good recruiters. Any chance of a transfer for your hubby (have they Australian operations?), would Sydney be a consideration? Given the salaries that you will earn (combined), you could have a very nice lifestyle in either city. Sydney salaries are generally 10% higher but so is the cost of living so evens out.

Hi there, I'm a fellow beancounter, you should be ok for work in Sydney or Melbourne as there are plenty of big companies, both domestic and international. If you had said Perth, I'd have advised caution as it is tough for work over here right now. What sort of accountants are you and what areas do you work in? (Financial accounting, Reg & Compliance, Mgmt accounting etc). Sydney is better for FS although ANZ and NAB have their HO in Melbourne. Have a look at seek.com.au and Linked In to get a feel for what is currently being advertised. Maybe reach out to a few recruiters also to have a chat about the market and prospects Only you guys can decide if it is for you. There will always be an element of risk involved in the move. Sitting down and doing the pros and cons of each option is worth doing. It will cost you some $ but that is the price you pay for what you think will be a better life. Just accept that and move on. Your child is young enough to make the move and settle quickly through school, footie club etc (probably more quickly than you guys). Kids settle quickly, IME for adults it takes 12-18 months Only issue here is extended family, are they a big part of your life/your child's life at the moment? Many expats make the move back after having having kids as they want them to know and see their grandparents, cousins etc regularly. If you are going to do it, the next year or 2 is the time to do it. They are tightening requirements all the time on the immigration front. Plus you are both relatively young, the older you are, the harder it becomes. Also you are both young enough (& your child is) to make the move for 4-5 years and get your citizenship, if it's not for you Good luck and happy to answer any specific queries you may have. Probably more work related as I have never lived in Melbourne, just lots of visits.

Ok - so I wasn't aware that it wa a pro-rata thing over the tax year - are you sure about that? It sounds very unusual and would be a systems and admin nightmare for the ato and companies. I was on the ato site the other day on this issue and didn't see that mentioned anywhere. So that is the first thing that needs double checking Also - you need to pay (indeed overpay) tax in the first place to get a refund. So even if the the pro-rata thing is correct, if you had no earnings between Jul & Dec 2016, you would have had no tax deducted and therefore not be due a refund. So why do you think you are owed $2-$3k Refunds normally occur when people put their allowable deductions. I'm confused on the earnings and taxes on your post and dates, perhaps you can clarify and we can help you better. There is something that you are missing (the ATO are normally on the money) Jul - Dec you were on a WHV , yeah? earned how much ($0) and had tax deducted of how much ($0) Jan - Jun what visa were you on? How much did you earn? and how much tax was deducted? Now - you are on an 820 and are temporary resident whcih is only relevant to the 17/18 tax year,

WHV holders are non-resident for tax purposes. There is a special rate of 15% for the 1st $37k before the regular non resident rates kick in (think it's 32.5% and then 37.5%) They used to be residents for tax purposes but this changed. WHV holders don't have votes so that's probaby why

Hey Michaela, Duncraig is nice, I have some family in Greenwood so up that way a bit. Ignore the begrudgers. Long term that area will do well IMO. I'm NOR too but a little closer in, Mount Hawthorn. The Sydney institution that is Hurricanes have opened up in Hillarys if you guys are ribs fan. Best ribs ever (big portions so don'y have a starter) Yeah, it would be good to compare notes with your hubby on the work / career front. I'll pm you my details and we can set something up in the coming weeks. i have done some networking with other expats in the last few months, similar stories all around. I'm finding Perth is a who you know town also so always good to build the network. Talk soon and "Just keep swimming" Colin

Ok so the agent is not necessarily the issue. It depends on the numbers involved. Happy for you to pm me if you want. Filing early may have been a mistake as they may pro-rata it. Your tax return will no impact on a future visa

Being a citizen makes it easier, If you are a citizen, is your son not automatically a citizen also? Concentrate on the job first - they are in short supply. Plenty of good schools around and once you have a job you can pick were to live and schools etc.

Hey mate, I assume you have visas sorted already. WA and Perth are doing it tough for jobs at the moment so you would want to do your research on the work front before committing to the move. There are a lot of people unemployed, underemployed and leaving WA due to the lack of work.

I did - thanks. Think I'll just leave it over there and let it grow (hopefully). It had pretty good growth last year

No, I think you do nothing until the child is born, deal with it when you have the birth cert. Congratulations and best of luck.

Ok - so there is no automatic right to tax back. Firstly you need to have paid tax, secondly you need to have overpaid tax to be entitled to a refund. Taxback.com are a tax agent so should be able to explain it to you. If they can't don't pay them. On a WHV you are non-resident for tax purposes so will be taxed at a higher rate (special backpacker rate of 15% for the first 37,000, think it will be 32.5% after that). If you only worked 6 months of the year and your employer was deducting tax correctly, you should be due something back as you will have been overtaxed (provided you lived in Australia and did not work the rest of the year). On your new visa, you will taxed as a resident (lower rate tax tables). Give the ato a shout (or browse their website), they can be very helpful. They have a live chat feature https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Ind/Residency---working-holiday-or-visit/ You will need to know - When did you enter the country on your 417 visa. You worked on that for 6 months (until when) and earned 50k. How much tax was deducted? What did you do from the end of that job to 30/06/2017? Were you in Australia? When did you apply for your new visa? Have you worked on that? Hope this helps (I'm an accountant btw)

No point in doing anything until you have your visa and have booked flights. Then have a look at airbnb or stayz for when you arrive. For a 2 month stay, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate. Also they will be furnished and have most of what you need there. Long term rentals are normally unfurnished.

Hey Andy, Do you know if it is the same with an Irish pension (PRSA)?

Just a thought - If you guys move before 2021, your eldest may be able to get another RRV before 2021 for an extra year or best case 5 years. Given that all her family would be in Oz and if she is finishing uni or something I think she would have a strong case.

Congratulations on the impending arrival. IMO - Either move before 6 months pregnant (ie before Xmas) or wait until the baby is c.6 months old. I think the latter is the best course of action. Moving at any time is stressful as hell and you don't need that when pregnant. Stress & pregnancy are not a good combination. You know the system here (which IME is excellent for maternity care), you can let the baby settle down in the first 3 months and then start planning the move. There may be other factors that come into play which you have not shared with us (eg sick relatives in the UK etc) Good luck

Congratulations. That's a bit abit of a how long is a piece of string ? What is your budget - renting or buying? What are lifestyle factors that you value most (location v size of property, closeness to beaches/parks/bush, cafe culture, restaurants, pubs etc) Where will you be working and how long a commute are you willing to do - drive or publec transport? Give us a feel for all that and people can best advise you on suburbs that may be suitable

Right, in that case I'd say go for it before the 11 year old starts secondary school. You've weighed up all the factors and it is pointing to 1 decision, if you let your PR lapse, I think you will regret it down the line. Has the eldest done her leaving cert yet? if not maybe wait until she has that done. Is she going to go to 3rd level? Does she have family that she can stay with for a couple of years? Look she would probably be moving out in the next few years anyway and she will probably look to come over in a couple of years anyway (ideally before 2021).

Good move IMO.

Hi Noelle, What ages are your kids? Have you guys got PR or citizenship? Those are key factors in the decison. Eg if the kids are under 12 and you have PR (so it's use or lose it), I'd say make the call and move out. If the kids are older and you have citizenship, it may be worth waiting until they finish school. Ultimately you guys are the adults in the family and make the decisions that you think are best for your family. It's worth sitting down and doing a pros & cons list with all the factors, it should help cklarify your thinking.

Hey Michaela, Great post, well written. I don't think you sound like you're whinging at all, very honest and your can do/get on with it attitude really comes through. What part of Perth are you in? You timing wasn't great and Perth is a boom and bust town, definitely in the bust territory at the moment. Hopefully the swing back up is on the way, the silver lining is that house prices have dropped (your $630k house was probably $800k 3 years ago) The standard of house building in Aus (not just Perth) is pretty bad definetely need insulation as a minimum. It gets colder in Perth than Sydney but generally nicer during the day. I find once that sun goes down, it gets nippy. I feel the cold here more than I did in Ireland, related to the poor standard of housing but probaby also to the large swings in temperature, lovely, sunny and 22 during the day and drops to 5 degress overnight. I suppose we do live in a desert. I moved over from Sydney a few months ago, similar profession to your hubby (I'm CIMA and CPA Australia), finding the job market tough also. if you guys want to be socialable sometime, happy to meet up and compare notes. I can certainly give you the lowdown on Sydney should you wish to visit. The first 12-18 months are the toughest.

Have a look at airbnb, you may be able to doa a deal for 3months

Not at all. 90% were using "stuff" in the 80's so there was a high chance that Roche was on somethong. I take my lead from Paul Kimmage on this. A former professional cyclist in the 80's who quit the sport beciase of the drug taking. He was instrumental in exposing Armstrong (with David Walsh). He is a very successful journalist now and is a bit of an expert on drug taking on sport. He still loves cycling but has no faith in the professional sport anymore. His views are worth listening to. One would still need to a super athlete to complete the tour but don't kid yourself that it is a clean race

Good theory but doesn't work in practice. Ireland has a big binge drinking issue and one of the highest level of alcohol taxes in Europe. With you on the smokes though - wouldn't be legal if introduced today