Deb Moss

Just moved to Canberra and purchased two cars. All dealers are having EOFY sales and I have found them to be slightly cheaper than in UK (probably due to exchange rate) and new or nearly new cars were not that much more than second hand cars with 60,000 KMs. Costs do add up and we are now looking at kitchen white goods (which are more expensive) and TVs etc. Make sure you budget very carefully - we didn't and savings have been eaten into. Another option would be to pay outright for cars and get a 0% credit card for other purchasers once settled (NAB are doing one at present). Good luck.

Sorry to jump on someone elses post. Just regarding your comment on school fees. We are arriving in about 6 weeks - its a very quick move so we haven't had a chance to investigate everything. If you are on a Permanent Residence Visa do you still have to pay for full school fees? ive got 3 school age children and I haven't factored in this at all!!! please advise if you can!

Thanks everyone. A good mix of opinions. Pretty much how people view IKEA here I guess. With three kids I rate their storage systems quite a bit. Have to say - I'm rather excited at the prospect of larger rooms!!

We only have a standard double here!

Hi Any IKEA fans out there? we are soon to be arriving in Canberra and I was delighted to see there is an IKEA just on the outskirts. My question is Are the IKEAS like the London stores? Size wise/stock etc. also, are they as good value as here in the UK? We are in the process of deciding what to bring and what to buy over there. Thanks

Wow - you must of been very organised!! Do you bought your mattress over there - any size problems?i

Thank you Suzukiscottie

Oh no! All that discomfort for nothing!!

Thanks everyone. Very useful. Will read up on these!

We are making a very quick (hopefully) move to Australia. I am unsure on items that are not allowed so thought I would start on this forum:- Are you allowed to bring duck/feather down duvets and pillows? we have them for all beds and they were quite expensive but was unsure if this would be allowed? I am thinking of shipping these via a courier service rather than with the rest of our heavier stuff as I want them straight away. Also, we want to bring our double bed frame but our mattress is quite old. Are beds/mattresses the same size in Oz? Dont want to bother bringing my bed if I cannot buy a suitable mattress. (some european sizes are different - ie IKEA) Thank you

I got this reply today:- Thank you for your e-mail. Please be informed that if you hold an unused/unstamped/not validated migrant visa that specifically states that you are permitted to remain in Australia indefinitely / permanently for flights departing from London/Manchester you will then be entitled to our migrant baggage allowance (i.e. 40 kilos per seat paying passenger) This baggage allowance will only be granted when you check in at the airport when this visa is sighted and checked that it has also not been travelled on before, this has to be the first time it is being used. You can have as many items of checked luggage as you wish provided: •The total combined weight of all the items put together does not exceed your total checked allowances •No single item of baggage exceeds 32 kilos in weight, as a health and safety requirement If you are not holding the correct visa mentioned above at check-in, then you will be entitled to the standard free checked baggage allowance of 30 kilos per seated passenger. For reference, for flights between the United Kingdom and Australia, the excess baggage charge is USD85.00 per kilo which is approximately GBP58.00 per kilo. Please note excess baggage is charged at check in on your day of departure using the applicable currency exchange rates for that day. We hope the above information helps. Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines

We validated our PR visa with a 3 week fact finding trip and returned to UK to make preparations for a permanent move. We are heading out in March. Does anyone know if we would be entitled to this still? I'm guessing not ?

Hi Petal38 Im sorry to hear about your family losses, what a sad time that must have been for you all. And congratulations on the birth of your little boy! Looking at the criteria for the RRV 155 and 157, we didn't think our "special circumstances" would fall under the criteria for the 155 which gives you 1 year from the date it is granted. The 157 only gives you 3 months. When you apply, it is the same form and the officer who deals with your application will either grant you the 155 or 157. We have been granted the 155 which we are so pleased about. It has cost us $360 per person though - which is almost £1000 for us but well worth it. The visa is processed very quickly - 48 hours! Good luck xx

Here is an update on our situation. Shortly after this post my husband secured a position in Canberra, we begun to make plans to make the move. We had a few situations to get through and had just started to put things into place when the company withdrew their offer of employment as a local candidate came through. We were devastated. My husband looked for another position but there just wasn't anything out there. We thought that was it. Then in November, he secured another position in Canberra. What with Christmas and only 2 months left on the visa we knew it would not be possible unless there was some way of extending our visa. After researching, we discovered this was not possible but we would possibly be eligible for a Resident Return Visa 157, the reasons we had not made the move in the last 5 years would be taken into account. The applications are in process. This morning my husband and one of my children's has come through so it looks like we will at last be coming to Canberra! I will be seeking lots of local advice over the next month or so!!

Oh no Maggie2012. Do you mind me asking what situation you are in now? Are you in Canberra? Working?

Thanks for your replies everyone. SRG73 - your info has been very informative and certainly puts things a little more into perspective. My husband has lots of experience and has worked his way up to earning a good wage. The positions advertised are on a much lower salary which is a concern in itself. When we started the whole process 6 years ago, there seemed to be plenty of positions available in Canberra and my husbands salary here was not so good so seemed to be a "no brainer" at the time. However, money isn't everything so there are many more draws for us to come to Australia. My main concern is my children are all primary school age, I dont want to get them settled into school when we arrive only to move on again a few months down the line should we not find empoyment in ACT. The rules on the whole "moral obligation" are so sketchy with no definitive answer. I would not feel comfortable going straight to another city without at least giving Canberra a fair chance! Im a bit of a scaredy cat!

Hello My husband and I, along with our 3 children are due to move to Canberra later in the year. We have the 176 Visa, and due to family issues we have not been able to come to Australia before now, leaving only 9 months left before expiry. My husband is a Building Surveyor here in the UK. He has been looking for positions in Canberra and has contacted numerous companies but has not heard back from anyone, not even acknowledging receipt of his details, even when chased with follow up emails. There are only a few positions being advertised yet in other states there seem to be many. Worries are starting to seriously set in now as, with 3 young children, we cannot take the risk of him not getting employment when he arrives. Did anyone else experience a lack of feedback from CV's before arrival? I know this Visa has no conditions, however, we really want to do the right thing by coming to Canberra. Would love to hear if anyone else has successfully secured a position in this industry - Property Valuer (RICS/API) Thank you

Thank you for your reply. Job prospects are much weaker now than when we applied. We still want to make the move and with our visa end date looming, we were looking at different states where more jobs are available in my husbands field. I don't know if we are legally allowed to be in a different state.

Does anyone have any experience of going to a different state other than that on their sponsorship visa? Our visa states we have a moral obligation to remain in the state for 2 years. So if anyone has experience of changing this either before or after arrival, please advise if the process was easy? Possible? Thank you