Ruth1

But if we are eligible for class 2 contributions whilst living in Aus, and have enough years left to top up before retirement, its not going to be worth it right?

I successfully submitted my visa without the police check. I just had to provide an explaination-which I said was due to the delays in processing..

Did anyone submit their visa before getting their police check back. There is an unexpected delay with the checks as they are having to process them manually due to a cyber attack, but I really need to get my HAP ID as there is a 4 week wait for medicals, and I also want to submit before the end of June when prices for visas go up.. this is for a 482 visa

I agree with this. I have stopped asking questions in this forum cos they inevitably take over the post going on and on about the same old thing over and over again. Its like a weird obsession. One of my posts (asking advice about Port Macquarie) got shut down because they took it on such a tangent.. I even went on a different forum to get away from it and there was clearly the same poster spouting the same stuff on there aswell. I know not relevant to the post (sorry) but I do think it needs to be called out as they are ruining this forum for everyone else who are just after some advice. On the topic however I have friends in Mandurah who absolutely love it and I am moving there myself in Sept. I have absolutely no concerns despite birdflus attempts..

What kind of Dr is your wife? There is quite a big difference between the two and she will only be able to apply as a General Practitioner if she is a fully qualified GP with equivalent training to Australian GPs. This is a specialist route whereas the resident medical officer is for non specialist, or junior Drs.. suggest she contacts a medical recruitment company for more advice as there is quite a long process to applying even before the visa stage. Ie having to get qualifications recognized, apply to the medical registration body etc..

I cant comment on quality of companies yet as we are on the other side of the move but I can tell you that prices have come right down. A company that quoted for us last year got back in touch to say that shipping rates are back down to prepandemic levels so they revised their rate from 9.5k to 6.5k and I got back in touch with another who confirned this and quoted under 6k! This is also UK to Perth for 20 ft container. Out of interest as an aside do you mind me asking why you didnt settle back in the UK?

Yep!! Got a job offer so just submitting the paperwork now. Think id spent too long thinking about it and spending time worrying about every little thing that I just have to see for myself

I am so very sorry to hear about this. Its comforting to hear other people having the same thoughts and in a similar situation.. My mum also died last year, out of the blue, at a young age and with no health conditions, and it led me to have the same thoughts about moving. Id been thinking about it for 15 years or so but always made excuses not to. If Im being honest, leaving her was one of my excuses, and I was too scared of change from my comfortable life, but as you say these things put a new perspective on life. I keep thinking that my mum would have wanted me to go for it as Im sure yours would have. She never even made it to retirement age, so I now think that my well paid job, nice house and pension in the UK isnt the be all and end all-life is for living. And as you say whats the worst that can happen, we move back and all thats lost is some money. Anyway, hope you dont mind me adding my experience but its good to know there are others in similar situations. Like you I am early 40s so its definitely a now or never aituation. Eek! x

There isnt much good news regarding finances lately, but I was contacted last week by a shipping company I had spoke to at the start of my journey to say that shipping costs have come down and they quoted me about £2500 less than my original enquiry about 4 months ago. Looks like container rates are pretty much at prepandemic levels although no doubt the costs for the removals people at either end remain high. Anyone else seeing lower quotes. I had all but decided not to bother shipping my furniture but might think again now..

Its natural to feel guilt but there is probably no need. Kids at that are are extremely resilient and catch up very quickly, and this is likely to be a huge adventure and learning experience for them..

Haha, what you are forgetting is the being late for work cos you have to defrost your car, going to and from work in the pitch black for at least 2 months, skidding on black ice, being held up due to a serious accident on an otherwise safe road. All things I have had to contend with this week. Snow is a giant pain unless you can stay inside and just watch it out the window

I honestly think its quite normal to feel that way at first. I remember having similar thoughts after I arrived for my 2 year stay-thinking how quickly can I get back, missing home etc. However that only lasted a few weeks and I remember looking back at those times when I was having to leave, thinking-what was I thinking as I was desperate to stay at that point. So yes, it does take time to settle and its natural to miss the comfort of home. However only you know what is right for you. Perhaps give yourself a timeframe to see how you feel and come back at the end of that if you still havent settled, but one thats long enough to give it a good go and to make sure you dont regret not giving it more of a shot, which I suspect you might if you came back straight away. As am aside, I am working in the NHS and it is collapsing around us... even in the short time since you left in Oct it feels lke it has fallen off a cliff and is not really functioning. Its on the news most days in terms of escalating waits, unsafe conditions etc so coming back to an NHS job may be much worse than the one you left..

You are absolutely not wrong.. we live in Cheshire East and our fairly standard 4 bed has been classified as band G (not sure how?) And we pay £3300 per year at the 2022 rates, so more than your table.. The govt has also lifted restrictions so now they can increase that by 5% every year Bins are collected every 2 weeks and I dont see much more benefit than that. Most of it apparently goes on social care and paying for the council. Honestly its one of the reasons Im moving as we soon wont be able to afford to live in our own house!.. Cheshire is fairly standard-not one of the more expensive councils.

Haha, yes that is a downside but they are only out for the summer months despite it being warm all year round. The first year I was bitten to death and then my body seemed to get used to it and after that hardly got bit at all

I think it would boil down to what you are looking for in the move. Yes you may get paid more in Melbourne but house prices and cost of living are quite a bit higher so it will likely negate the higher salary. Therefore start from what you are looking for.. People move to Melbourne for a vibrant city-it's arguably better for culture, diversity and events than Brisbane. The city itself is always described as more European feeling than others. If you are after what we Brits think of as an Aussie lifestyle then Brisbane is likely to be more for you. It has a more relaxed pace of life, better surrounding beaches, hotter weather (Melbournes weather, whilst probably still better than the UK, is not what people imagine of Australia-it can be rainy, cloudy and colder much more often), so all in all, Brisbane and Melbourne will give you pretty different things from your move, so dont just follow the money unless you have no preference otherwise