Ausvisitor

Ok so you named a random set of cities in the UK. I suggested they were all bigger than any non-capitol city in Australia (noting the outlier of York). I think even your own answer supports that assertion, so I'm not sure why you are making such a fuss about it. The simple fact is someone living (like the OP) in the SE of England is used to being in a more dense area within spitting distance of the greatest city on the planet. With the greatest of respect Broken Hill or Wogga Wogga isn't going to cut it for most of them.

Maybe not, but all of those are bigger than any non capital city in Australia (and many capitals) so the comparison doesn't really stand

I get your point, I was saying it from the point of someone who is a city dweller. If I lived in London I'd say the same of wymeswold (which is lovely and very desirable but unless you really know your UK geography you just went "where's that..." and that's what I mean)

Some of this depends on the situation though. As a rough guide the Aussie credit card issuers work on a credit limit of around 1k for each 10k of income you earn. Most have minimum limits (generally 5k) so if your individual income isn't over 50k you aren't going to get anywhere. If you can't show all your UK pension regularly hitting your AUS bank account then it isn't income it's savings or pocket money. If you want it classed as income get it paid monthly (in full) direct to an Aussie account (like you would if it was a wage) That said (as ramot) indicated loads of people are getting these cards with foreign income etc, so maybe the OP is actually failing one of the other affordability questions (given retirement is in play here it might be the fact they are applying for travel insurance cards which generally stop providing that cover at retirement age and AUS banks are scared of being hit with mis-selling scandal similar to the UK one recently)

The reality is that teachers are paid a little better here in Australia (not much), but the cost of living is way higher than the UK so it gets eaten up pretty quickly. Overall I'd say the salary to price of living equation works out roughly equal. Housing is no cheaper over here, in fact of you want to live in Melbourne or Sydney it will be more than you are spending now (I guess as teachers you aren't limited to the cities but who moves around the world to live in nowheresville) If you are doing this to save cash can I suggest Cumbria, Staffordshire or Teesside all in the UK all much cheaper places than the south of England Just as an aside I don't think you can really say "we can't afford to live on our salaries" in one breath and then say "we'll go on a £10k+ holiday" in the next. The two don't really align...

Even that is a bit outdated. Certainly western Sydney isn't as pretty or gentrified as the eastern suburbs or the north, but it isn't the hell-hole people think it is (it was but no more). Also with the build of the new airport in western Sydney and the expansion of the metro to Bankstown by 2024 as nd Parramatta and the new airport by around 2028 those western areas are going to become very popular with people seeking affordable space, and with that sort of migration comes huge uplift in services and property values. Certainly don't discount the west unless you are getting your advice from someone who currently lives in the west.

It's their words not mine, but they mean the exact opposite. You need a job offer of outside WA. If applying for a 190 in WA you don't need one...

On the age topic, yes Australia used to be (and sir tof still is) a bit ageist when it comes to older employees. However I've noticed this last 6 months that is changing. The demand for people is meaning they would quite happily take what ever resource they can and to be frank, the most recent generation's attitude to hard work seems to be pushing most employers towards shunning youth and employing older people who are used to actually having to work...

You mention Sydney north shore / Eastern suburbs... I get that's where everyone wants to live, and your friends and family may have lived there for decades, but housing is astronomical out there. You are going to need/want a 4-bed with some outside space. Well I haven't seen a habitable one of those in that area under $3m in a long time, and we are looking daily. Not to "rain on your parade" but unless you already have around 1-1.5m dollars in deposit a house in that area that would accommodate your family is probably unaffordable

Best advice is to stop comparing the school systems. Yes your middle kid is now a seasoned UK high school attendee, but that's in the UK in AUS he is the young kid on the block. The two systems are so different it's not worth comparing. Now what is worth knowing is university fee status. In Australia a PR or citizen attracts home fees when attending University, in the UK you need to have been resident for the three years prior to attending University to be considered a home student. If your kids plan to go to uni in the UK or you think you might do 5 years here then go back this will becomes a problem (specifically for your youngest)

I think WA (generally) offers 190 visas to those with a valid job contract (more than just an offer). Unless you are already in WA (for 12months or more) then this isn't usually applied. On top of this, because they know job contracts can fall through you need to show proof of funds, it's about $30k for a couple A MARA agent could assess your situation and give you a true opinion on likelihood of entry and the criteria you'd have to meet. WA is the hardest state to migrate too (unless you have a 189 in which case it isn't the states decision where you go). You will find your journey easier if you are happy to live in another state for 2 years first

They might do it as Loopylu suggests but I suspect not. COVID vaccines where basically a turn up and get (yes you should have had a NHS number but they ran a don't ask don't tell policy so we could vaccinate people in the country at the time) To get the vaccination in the UK for a 6 month old you are invited you don't make the appt yourself so as they don't have you listed as residents you won't get called. And the vaccinations aren't an emergency need, if you are a few months late it won't be an issue, so it won't be covered under reciprocal care

Exactly why I live in Sydney's Inner West, wanted a nicer more interesting place. Loved in the thick of it in the UK, didn't want suburbia out here, but you do have to pay for it

That's rather sexist and elitist raising the age for Dames but not Knights of the Realm!

The problem you will most likely run into is that even once you've done the 2 years to get an IT related skills assessment, because the IT career path is so popular it is extremely competitive and so you really should talk to an agent about methods to make yourself as attractive an applicant as you can

I would say it is unlikely. I work for an organisation that is pretty progressive when it comes to letting people work from wherever they want but even so we can only work in the UK under these conditions... 1) you must have the right to work in the UK (sounds like you do) 2) no more than 8 weeks at a time without returning to Australia. This is a taxation issue (both corporate and personal). I'm sure there is probably some leeway on duration but it wouldn't stand as a financial qualification for a visa because by definition it can only be a temporary income One of the accountants on here may have more details, but I'm my view it seems like it isn't really a starter other than as a way to have a short term income on landing

I agree with this, but with the important caveat that the trade needs to be on the "wanted list". The problem is that this process (qualify, who and skilled visa) will take 5-6 years to complete. No one can safely predict which trades will be on the list next year never mind 6 years from now Dependency is a difficult one to prove, we had to do it as s our daughter turned 18 between doing the medicals and getting the grant (4 weeks). If we had applied a month earlier we would ha e missed a bucket load of annoying paperwork. Unless you can prove you have been paying for his accomodation (not in the family home) and all his living costs (food, clothing, transport) you will be very unlikely to show dependency so you need to put that aside and start looking for other options, unless a really good agent has some other insights I am pretty sure the dependence route is a non-starter

We looked into this as I did similar. When speaking to UK clients whilst they didn't mind me not being on site they weren't happy with a 12 hour time difference. Some where so we looked into insurance, the cost is prohibitive if you do the work outside of the UK, most company insurers won't touch you for the mandatory insurances and instead tell you to open an Australian subsidiary. Tax is a disaster, honestly it will be easier to setup as a Australian entity and contract with your UK clients as an Australian company billing them in pounds and agreeing to contracts under UK law. Also it will make the move to local clients easier

So at 47 because of how the new pension was brought in (and the smoothing out of the entitlement to state second pension) I now have fully paid my NI needs to get a full UK pension, no matter how much more NI I pay I will never be entitled to more state pension. So in my case it would be completely crazy to offer to pay NI contributions, however OH isn't in the same position and we will look to pay them in the future (only needs 7 more years out of 20 possible years and we might move back so no point paying now as we end up over paying and there is no refund process)

Cool, that's fine I was just querying it as I know the US, Canada and the UK won't allow you to enter their countries on a one way ticket unless you can show some other travel document (already paid for) that shows you leaving before your tourist visa expires If AUS doesn't have a similar rule (and I'd expect your agent would know if they did and wouldn't be recommending this route if that was the case) then you are all good! Good luck with the move

Private insurance is so common because of the Medicare levy surcharge. My surcharge would be over $6k. The cost of my (relatively minimal) health insurance is $3.5k per year. So already saving $2.5k. Then we get $400 optical and about $1k dental (we are entitled to more but haven't needed more) that we use. Would also need ambulance cover at $150 I'd we didn't have private medical. So out insurance premium after taking out repayments and ambulance cover is $2k but saves us $4k+ in tax So whilst I don't agree with private healthcare, I am certainly going to keep paying for it whilst it saves me that sort of money, I'm sure I'm not alone...

We certainly won't, we rarely even employ people on the 491 visa because the nature of our work means we can't guarantee where you would need to work. No way we are employing anyone without PR or our own sponsored visa. Just the way it is ...

I noted that the OP was planning on only buying a one way ticket. Surely travelling on a visitor visa this might mean denial of boarding on the plane or refusal of entry into country? It certainly would in the US, Canada or UK... (Unless you can show some other means of returning. I know many Brits doing similar to Canada book an expensive - but fully cancellable - business ticket for their return so they can show an intention to leave but not lose any cash on the ticket)

You don't know your European history very well then. Consider Germany 1939-1945 and what they were allowed to do legally by their government that the same country government is now prosecuting people for (even though it was legal when they did it) There are literally hundreds of other examples of a government reversing it's stance and criminalising activities that were performed legally at the time.

You are completely wrong in your assumption on the in house team. For one we outsource all this to external MARA agents Secondly it isn't my line manager asking it's the head of the organisation (12k+ people in AUS and 250k+ people worldwide) Thirdly, the advise to a holder of a personally acquired 190 visa would have diddly squat impact on an organisations ability to sponsor others (as they aren't sponsoring this one either) I guess though truth and facts don't fit your narrative here...