Ausvisitor

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Me neither.  That's why I moved to Melbourne, rather than move to Sydney's outer burbs.

Me too, I went to Sydney to start with but hopped to Melbourne as soon as it was possible

Unless it's sheep dog or a greyhound you'll be shunned in Melbourne nowadays for being uncool in your choice of canine

There is no such thing as a global university, there are many universities with a global recognition.

The thing you will quickly learn with Australian migration is that superlatives and grandiosity are irrelevant.

10 years experience at Harvard or Cambridge is worth as much as the same time at Hull University (no disrespect), it's your ability and quals that matter not how you can package it to sound good.

That said a professor at age 38 is highly desirable to Australia so you should have no issue getting a visa

On 09/04/2024 at 16:08, Philip said:

..and even more surprisingly my conveyancer did not care about the source of funds one bit...

Very different to a UK property purchase we just made in my partner's name...

Needed to send £3 to do a legal search, their card got blocked so to keep things moving I paid with mine.

Cue a request from the solicitor for a full due diligence and KYC on me as well. Pointed out that I was nothing to do with the transaction, but that was not enough and so many pages of carp later they could buy a property I had no interest in. Go figure!

1 hour ago, Judy said:

All UK pensions whether state or private are taxed in Australia. 

Yes but the question was about the UK tax code not the treatment of the income in Australia 

6 hours ago, Stev143 said:

Hi Marisa, we have no investments back home. Ive a private pension and our two state pensions. We didn't ever do a tax return in the UK.

It's the private pension most likely as that's UK derived income

Just now, BendigoBoy said:

That sounds like you did it a bit on the cheap, to be honest.  I've a mate who moved over about 2 years ago who splashed nearly $65k just on the move alone. Mind you, he did fly the four kids and the two adults out in J, so that would bump it.

Yeah just two of us, and I may have chosen to forget some of the costs to soften the blow as time has passed

On 11/04/2024 at 07:17, BendigoBoy said:

 

In terms of cost?  An absolute drop in the ocean compared to the rest of the costs you'll find associated with immigrating.

I wrote a post once about our path to getting here and being settled in a rental property.

Now we probably spent more than some would be we weren't *exuberant* in our choices.

I can't find the post, but from recollection we spent over $40k on relocation and visa stuff between deciding to go and actually being in our rental (that doesn't include the $35k for a new car either).

Our migration agent was about $3,200 of that total cost and worth every cent

10 hours ago, BendigoBoy said:

Add in usual caveats and warnings about 482s being temporary, no guarantee of permanent residency and the need to potentially go home on expiry here, etc.

Yes very true, everyone thinks it won't happen to them but it can and it does.

In our office we decided to stop focussing on one area of the market that was not as busy as we imagined it was going to be. 

This meant we ended up having to make some redundancies including a couple of people who had moved their families over (2 adults 3 kids of school age) expecting to make their life over here (including selling up back home). Unfortunately once you get the news you have 88 days to find a new job and get the sponsorship transferred (which is a large paperwork activity that doesn't happen overnight) or you have to leave the country.

A 482 is good for those who want a short adventure or those who are aware and willing to take the risk but it's not the nirvana guaranteed path to PR everyone suggests it is...

Your coding is based on how much you can earn tax free, it isn't reflective of your income, so it changes each year based on

1) the agreed tax free amount from GOV

2) any tax you owe previously 

3) any other benefits you have or income from dividends etc

4 hours ago, BendigoBoy said:

Too easy.  Look at Eynesbury, unless you have a pet cat.

Is that because of all the witches looking for a co pilot?

Seriously though what's the issue with cats out there?

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Ah that makes a huge difference.   Caroline Springs is right on the very outskirts of Melbourne, almost in the country already.  

https://www.homely.com.au/caroline-springs-melton-melbourne-greater-victoria

Yeah I drove out there today from the CBD, it was 40 minutes in the car from the CBD on a Sunday morning. 

It's worth pointing out there is absolutely nothing in Caroline Springs so cinemas, decent shops, good restaurants you will be travelling 

15 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

A nice scenic walk and free exercise!

True but the bigger issue is that my house is only a 13 minute walk away so I'd have to drive past the office to park there and then walk further than I would have had to in the first place!

But seriously, parking in the city isn't fun unless it's included in your employment perks

1 hour ago, BendigoBoy said:

Southgate isn't too bad if you're in early and leave after 2pm. Something like $25 a day

True but that's 16 minutes walk from my office on Collins st. 

6 hours ago, calNgary said:

$200k is a bloody good salary and above average, especially if the car, fuel card and Super are on top of that. 

On seek.com you can find Melbourne has over 29,000 jobs advertised, restrict the search to jobs paying $200k and it drops to 1,700,restrict it again to jobs paying $250k and it drops to 860 . Maybe see if you can find hobby's job position on there and see what sort of salary is being offered.

                  Cal x

Yes it's entry level big 4 director pay, 15 year experience solicitor or as you say a medical specialist.

Not saying there aren't jobs out there that pay that but they are few and far between.

Also worth looking at some comparison sites as car and fuel cards are taxed to high f**k in Australia I'd you thought European taxation on fuel and cars was high you've seen nothing yet (it's why almost no-one offers them, they just aren't as economical for the business or the employee as just paying you more to start with).

The thought of start early and leave early is a notion perpetuated by "Wanted down under" and similar - it was true decades ago but nowadays (at least in Melbourne and Sydney) it's starting start early, leave late and still get stuck in the traffic.

If you are coming to Melbourne because it will be shorter work days then don't bother if anything it's a longer slog than in the UK (oh and the $12 an hour parking in the city isn't fun unless that's covered)

In terms of drugs, Geelong is certainly not without problems in an Australian viewpoint, but if you apply a level of relatively to UK/Ireland then it's an absolute haven of purity.

One thing you might want to consider (given you said teaching about 82 genders was bad) is that Melbourne (and VIC) as a whole is - to use the modern vernacular - quite possibly the "wokest" city in the world (which I see as a good thing). However if this is a potential problem for you the openness and anything goes nature of Melbourne might be a difficult one to get over.

Remember that Melbourne as a city is 5m people and Ireland as a country is only 6.4m - so it's going to feel big. (Geelong is basically the size of Cork).

As everyone else has said what I think you mean by rural is certainly more than an hour rush hour driving from Melbourne City.

200k is basically about 10.5k per month after tax etc.

So the answer to is this livable depends on your needs, if you are renting that is going to be around 3k per month for a 3 bed house most places, buying is expensive (and unless you can buy cash will generally require you to get through probation first before being allowed a mortgage).

I guess my experience is different, it's a structured promotion process and everyone who gets the role starts on the same base pay regardless of age.

So if I'm 50 and there is a wunderkid at 25 we will both be paid the same (give or take - this wouldn't happen in reality it's 20 years to get there) so there is no cost change between the oldie or the youngie

3 hours ago, Philip said:

I was researching this for my own knowledge and found the following information which may be useful - I have no experience with those services (not least because it will be 15 years before I can get my UK pensions)

https://gmtax.com.au/super-uk-pensions/uk-pensions/uk-pensions-lump-sum/

https://www.directdocs.com.au/ozstomember.html

I'm going to have this problem one way or the other.

I'll either be in AUS with a super and a decent UK pension that will be taxable or in UK with a private pension and a sizable Super that will be taxable.

Either way I can't see a way to avoid tax on both ... I guess the flip side is you only get taxed if you are getting money so it's better than not being taxed I suppose 

13 hours ago, Quoll said:

62??? Oh dear.  As has been said, Australia is very ageist and if they can get a 20 year old to do the job they will pick them every time.  Dont fancy your chances unless you are in an incredibly niche market that nobody else in Australia is skilled enough to do.  Over the hill at 50 here.

That's a very dated view, maybe if your skills are poor and therefore a younger person is as good as you then yes, but for those with actual skills and ability mid 60s is now the normal retirement age.

Your experience may have been different depending on your skills and abilities

Work life balance being better in Australia is generally speaking now a myth (or a memory of a bygone decade), at least if you need a city of large town to support your particular career or you want a decent school for your kids.

I work in consulting (and whilst not law we have a lot of similarities, work driven by client timescales and needs, deadlines not changing when the need to do more discovered etc) and I can safely say I've not done less than 60 hours a week since Christmas, in nearly two decades doing the same job in the UK I never worked this hard.

That said the weather is better and people are friendlier.

If you can apply for a 191 then surely you already have a 491 and the ability to work so what is stopping you just taking the new job?

1 hour ago, kkhcivil said:

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your responses.

Yes, there is no "No Further Stay" condition on his visa 600. He already started to talk to some employers in Australia.

Given that his situation is not a straight forward one, he is going to talk to a MARA agent.

Thank YOU.

If he is in Australia at present I think technically he shouldn't even be talking to employers on a 600 visa, as its an activity related to work.

He should (if AUS visas work the same as US and Canadian ones) go offshore and communicate whilst not in country, but maybe the AUS visas is not quite so restrictive 

Assuming this is for your brother (in your other post) then I doubt he qualifies for an 866 protection visa.

The fact he has time to plan "ideal" migration options suggests he does not meet the bar for asylum in Australia.

(I may be wrong but you have given few details)

Also note that once granted an 866 he can never return to that country so if it's a way to get here quick but he may wish to return (to see elderly relatives etc) then it's not an option

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

Ah, I was assuming you were thinking about the ease/cost of keeping the horses, but it sounds like competition is the most important aspect. What kind of comps?  

Melbourne is a much bigger hotspot for all horse competitions than Sydney.

Two things to consider

1) you are a department head which suggests you aren't a new qualified teacher so age is important, over 45 (or more importantly over 45 by the time you are invited) means you miss out on age

2) you are a teacher, did you do a 4 year degree (or degree + pgce year)? Australia doesn't recognise the 3 year degree then learn on the job route into teaching so if you didn't do a 4 year bEd or a PGCE you are already ruled out