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Hi there Guys, Im really hoping you can help me. Myself and my partner have decided that we have had enough of the UK for a lot of reasons and want to start a new life in Australia. We have heard a lot of brilliant reports about the way of life and career opportunities and decided that we are going to go for it. One problem though, we do not have a clue how to start the process. We are looking to be coming over within a few years so that it is not a rushed job and we are financially secure and would like ideas from you on where to start looking to live including, education as we have a 3 yr old son, best career opportunities, value for money property, and the all important one, how do we get into the country. This is not going to be for a trip for a couple of years, this is going to be a new life for us so as much help as you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. Gareth gareth.johnstone@yahoo.co.uk

Hi, Looking for some advice. My wife and I have both been offered Jobs in Brisbane with a combined salary of $142500 on a 457 temp visa with the option of perm res after 2 years. The companies have not offered relocation expenses, short term accommodation or LAFHA (i think part of this is to test our commitment to the move). After taxes, medicare, flood levy etc we would have around $2000 per week (sounds great!). At first I was really exicted about the move; however I then started doing a lot of research. We are both 30 with our own flat and two cars, we have abour £20000-25000 equity in our flat and a small amount of savings aound £5000. We currently earn around £60000 between us at the mo and have no kids. My wife teaches fitness classes at night and earns around £200-250 extra per week. After all our costs we would have $200 each per week disposble income in Aus and I heard things like cosmetics, clothes etc are much more expensive. This sounds materialistic but items such as shampoo, toothpaste, work clothes, suncream are essential. We then looked into the cost of living in Australia and discovered that Australias main cities are now some of the most expensive places to live in the world more expensive than London, Oslo and Stockholm (minus the social benefits of some of these countries). I have listed some costs below: Rental Accomodation - $450 - 650 PW (if in city very small apartment) Private Health Care - $50 - 100 PW dep on level of cover Phone/Broadband - $100 PW Utilites - $25 PW Food - $260 PW Train Travel to Milton & Cleveland from Wynnum for example - $160 If you have 1 car: Cars are extermely expensive in Oz even for second hand cars - Approx $10000 - 13000 for a really basic car or better old car with lots of mileage. I could easily have dealt with this though as the reason for considering moving to Australia is not for material items. Fuel is cheaper than UK though. Our back home costs would be around £150 per month. We would also need to sell our cars for a loss. In the UK we have a good family, a circle of friends and pretty secure jobs. However the lure of the outdoor living and better weather are appealing. Although Scotland/UK has some excellent scenary and great outdoor persuits also. We also go on great holidays to Europe etc and we went to Cuba last year. I am not sure this would be possible in Aus. I currently get 27 days annual leave in UK, in Oz would be 20, although perhaps wkns would feel like hols. I started thinking we have a good life here with more disposable income. Ok the weather is crap most of the time in UK but you do get the seasons, apart from summer :biggrin:. In a nutshell I dont think the grass is always greener and maybe I have over analysed things just a bit. LOL I think 10 years ago when the UK economy and the pound were strong, some people gained the benefit of rising UK house prices and sold to buy their dream Aussie home with pool etc. This dream is now some much harder to achieve. OK money isnt everything but it does make life a little easier. We also plan to have a family in 2 or more years, when supportive grandparents, maternity leave, flexible working etc are so important. My advice is go on holiday to OZ, sample the barrier reef, great beaches, exotic nature etc. Hols are much different to living and working in a place. If you have been made redundant and cant find a job in UK or have strong UK savings to fall back on then go for it. In my case I felt 'if it aint broken dont fix it'. However each to their own. Every country has its pros and cons. Australia is a country of much beauty, I have seen it for myself in 2008; however standing a the top of Ben Lomond looking onto Loch Lomond in Scotland is alos of stunning beauty. I look forward to hearing from people. These are only my views, feelings, and personal circumstances. I hope for some it has been informative. Best Regards

Has has anybody sent extra suitcases to aus?if so what company did you use and how much was it,extra baggage on quantas is a rip off something like 400 pound a bag. thanks for help:eek:

Hi guys, I'm a heavy diesel mechanic with 23 yrs experience within the army, I have been applying for loads of jobs via seek.com.au with no joy so far (5 months of trying:arghh:). I was thinking of travelling to Aus to cold call some of these companies that regulary advertise, has anyone done this before? did you have any success? I have been told my CV is strong by UK consultants which is also backed by an equally strong cover letter. If not has anyone got any ideas? I'm aware that there is a shortage of diesel mechanics so cant understand why I'm having so many problems. :mad: Thanks, Sean (forgot to mention I'm after employer sponsorship)

Hi Everyone, I was just wondering whether I should be making an Australian or UK will. I am currently in Aus and about to apply for the defacto visa. I am from the UK, all my assets are in the UK (nothing complicated, just 2 properties which I plan to keep). I have no assets currently in Aus, my partner owns the flat. There are no kids (at the moment!). If I make a will in Aus will it still be valid in the UK? or should I wait till I next go home to make one? Very confused here, so any advice would be appreichated! Thanks H :-)

Im trying to find someone who has actually gone through the experience of shipping their car as theres an awful lot of speculation and different opinions. Ive been told by a shipping agent that it will be about £6500 in total to get my car ready to drive in Aus.. This seems outrageous to me! I wondered if anyone with the experience of shipping a car can shed light on this. Thanks Luke

Just doing a bit of research on who's best to go with We're coming over in a couple of months and will be getting our UK phones unlocked so we can sign up on a SIM only deal in Australia when we arrive I can see from the carriers' websites what their deals are like - but of course what they don't tell you is who has the best coverage? We'll be spending most of our time in and around Sydney, so I can't imagine it will be an issue. But are there any standout service providers, or ones I should avoid? Thanks in advance P

Hi everyone, I may have the opportunity to work for an Australian company if I move back to the UK however I'm confused on how and who I'll pay tax to. The company is Australian and doesnt have an entity in the UK, I will be working from a home office and the Australian company will be paying me into my UK account. Has anyone been in this situation or have any knowledge of how the system works and where I will pay tax? Thanks for your help!

HI to everyone. I am new to this forum and i want help from everyone in this forum. Me planning to apply for Immigration to AUs with my wife. My credentials are: * MBA Finance and MA(Economics) * Approx 4 years finance and accounts department experience as Accounts Assistant and Accounts Officer. * Age 26 years * No Children just me and my wife. What are my chances to apply for Australian Immigration under Skilled worker program which will be State sponsored and If i will score 7 bands in IELTS all module. Please do Suggest. Me waiting.

I am looking at ways of earning my own few dollars and have decided to be an avon rep!!! How many people would actually order from an avon book left at their door here in Aus?? I love some of the bargains in avon, Im not a huge fan but I know many people are, I may be converted!! Would you trust ordering avon at your day, you pay on delivery nothing up front!! did my 1st street and got 2 orders today, just wondered if this is because its my first time leaving books at these houses or because people are unsure?? Thanks guys!

Was just having a nosey to see if I could afford my dream home in oz (i wish) and was gobsmacked to find the following. 12 months ago for £125,000 I would have had $218,750 1.75 dollars to the pound Now for £125,000 I would get...... $186.251 :0( 1.49 dollars to the pound

Just a quick one We are being quoted 12-16 weeks including customs clearance which from research on here and elsewhere seems very "top endy" I suspect they are allowing themselves 6-8 weeks for consolidation and mucking about in the UK, which I have told them (it is a company arranged move) is unacceptable - have asked for an 8 week maximum timescale (excluding any customs issues). This is particularly important to us because it looks like we are arranging an uplift date of 3-7 October, so we'd really quite like our stuff to get to us before Christmas pretty please! Am I being unreasonable?

Hi guys Just a bit of advice if anyone can help.... Were moving back to the uk from perth and wondered what shipping companies anyone has used to ship from aus to the uk?

I am due to take my IELTS test in a few weeks. I am born and bred in England, and was wondering about how they mark the writing test in the general tests. They mention that the assess the accuracy and use of grammar and spelling. Now, at my work, I often disagree with other native Australians about the correct use of English. e.g. Organise = correct, Organize = wrong Does anyone have any details on how strict they are around this kind of thing? I will be using what the Queen taught me :policeman:

Hi Everyone, I've been working abroad for the past 5 years. I have savings in USD and GBP... I've held them in the hope the Aussie would fall... it just keeps rising :arghh: Any opinions on which way you think the Aussie dollar will head over the longer term? (next 1-2 years....) Any advice/ ideas are much appreciated :biggrin:

Not really a dilemma about moving to Aus, but more about now I have returned to the UK, I am considering renouncing my Australian citizenship. It's an odd comment to make, but I was wondering if anyone has done this or considering to do this at all and what impact (if any) it had, other than the obvious one about having to get a visa if you want to visit Aus again. I went to Aus on a work visa, then permanent resident, then citizen since 2006 and I want to try and access my superannuation and close it down. The only way to do this seems to be if I had been on a temporary visa, but there is nothing mentioned about if you are no longer a citizen. I was wondering if anyone knows any information about this? I have spoken to the ATO and Virgin Super and they keep referring me to the conditions for DASP, which doesn't state anything about 'if you are no longer a citizen'.. Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Hi guys, Myself and my father will be flying out from England within 6 months to a year, we hope. He has launched his Visa from over here ( i think its the 127? Not sure ) for both of us to gain our perminant residency in Townsville. Im not sure if this is in the right section but hey. How long does a Visa from the Uk take to get us both to Aus? He is getting the ball rolling soon. My Dads agent said 6 months minimun but has anybody else had any other experiences? Another thing, i want to take my bicycle with me. What will i have to do? A friend of mine said that they're very hot on muddy tyres so im guessing ill have to wash them or get new ones. Does it cost alot of money? We'll know doubt be flying with Quantas if that helps. Any advice / help is much appreciated guys! Thanks alot, Sam. :hug:

Today is the day, the Greens now control the Senate so things are likely to get very interesting, carbon tax, mining all that stuff, interesting times. They will pull the strings.

Hi, Container leaves today! Should I pack my Belkin wireless router? Will it work in Australia? Thanks, Mike.

Hi PIO we have got the shipping people coming this week to give us a price for shipping to Brisbane. Wwe have been disscussing what were thinking of taking and its not going to be that mush as we think it may be to much, and to be honest we will be downsize anyway when we get to Aus. depending on what price we get, do all the main shipping companys do small containers etc, just to ship boxes over, plus some electricals goods, TV's, stereo's Photos, xbox etc. any information will be appreciated Cheers, Troy

Hi guys, Just looking at which bank to go with here in AUS and as i will be using MoneyCorp i was wondering what charges (if any) people have encountered when transferring money in and out of the counry (to/from the UK) with the AUS banks.... ...I have ben thinking about going with Commenwealth Bank but not really sure.... It states on their website they charge $22 for international money transfers but i'm unsure if this would be charged if going through MoneyCorp Cheers Roflie

Hi, I am looking for some info for my partner who wants to pursue nursing as a career. Currently we are living in the UK, when we do decide to move to aus, she will be applying for a Spouse visa, and hopefully will be granted a Perm. visa straight away. What she would like to find out is this: 1. If she studied Nursing here in the UK; How long will the course/s be and will she then be able to move to australia and get a job on those qualifications? 2. What specific course/s would she need to pursue in Nursing over here? OR 3. If we moved to Australia now; Could she study as a Nurse over there? And if so, which course/s would she need to pursue? Any info would be so helpful. Thank You

Hi I have worked as a contractor in Oil & Gas for the last 6 or 7 years in the UK and enjoy having the freedom of working like this in terms of time off, committment and also the increased income. In the UK there isnt a benefit of having a permanent job anymore so why not contract. I have submitted for a visa to go and live in Australia. Can i work as a contractor in AUS and does it have simular benefits to the UK? I want to work as a company not through an umbrella company. any links to a web page on the basics of AUS contracting.

Hi all! Well it won't be long now until we touch down in Oz:spinny:. We intend to sell everything and just take our suitcases ( very full of course ) . The cost of shipping just doesn't seem worth the hassle , so we intend to buy new once in Oz. Has anyone else done this or did you ship out and was it worth it ? Thanks,

Hi, My partner wants to train to be a nurse. She will have a visa that will allow her to study in Australia and so we was wondering, where and how etc on her training over there..? Could someone shed some light on where to go to get training on nursing qualifications in NSW please? Any links to read through would also be great. Thanks in advance