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Hi, Does anyone have any recommendations for a financial advisor/planner who they have personally used when working out their move to Oz? We have property in the UK and looking for some advice on how to navigate a move and best ways to mitigate financial loss etc. Lots of confusing info out there! Any help would be hugely appreciated Thank you

The past 24 hours have seen the Australian Dollar surge to highs v the Pound that PIO members will not have experienced since 2017*, so if you are considering transferring any funds back to the UK now could be a good time for you. A combination of the Royal Bank of Australia leaving its cash rate unchanged at 0.1%, soaring commodity prices, a strong trade surplus and the ongoing war in Ukraine are the major contributing factors aiding this. Poms in Oz have partnered with multi-award winning Australian based (but founded by two Poms), Send Payments to provide our members with a cost-effective method to transfer funds securely from Australia to the UK. Receive a free exchange rate quote *Article written on 06/04/22

Hi there! I am currently working in Finance in the UK and hope to finish my diploma next year. I am then planning to move out to Australia. I know I will need to retake my qualifications. Please can you tell me which ones I will need and where I can find them. So far on google the responses I am getting are that I will need to do a bachelor's degree. Which I do not have but I will have my level 4 diploma qualifications. Any help or advice here would be great, Many thanks. Mike

G'day all, my last surviving family member has passed in the UK has passed away unfortunately. When the will is divided I will need to transfer money here. Has anyone got any advice on what service they used? And maybe who to avoid? Thanks all

Hi there, We just got granted 189 visas and will be making an activation trip soon from Canada. I am a Mechanical Engineer with almost a decade in the natural gas pipeline industry in Canada. I already got the CP Eng designation in advance from Engineers Australia. My Wife is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 6 years working in portfolio management for pension funds in Canada. Fixed income is her specialty. If anyone on this forum is hiring or knows companies that are we would be delighted to connect and go into more detail on our skills. Really looking forward to making the move. Thanks!

Hello people! Can anyone advise me on the best way to reclaim tax upon ending a visa and leaving the country? I have finished a working holiday and now a training visa and will be leaving Australia next month. Previously I have reclaimed tax from the gov website but I have heard people say that you can get a lot more of your money back from tax by using agencies? Has anyone used any such tax reclaim agents before that they can recommend? Would be v grateful! Thanks!

I made a similar post in.... looking like the wrong place ( hope its OK mods??) Seems as a result of a Royal Commission on banks /finance and loan companies and allowing loans beyond the means of the recipient to keep up the payments - that an income baseline was set and any UK expat in aussie with only the UK State Pension and especially if it was maybe granted 10/15 years ago ... can have issues getting a car loan and run fact any loans. OK to keep on topic...its only experience from UK pensioners I am looking for... however for those that don't grasp that these "new" condition affect all and any loans supplier on any type of purchase, I accept these are more often " unsecured" loans and banks and some other finance shops can offer secured loans - using mainly your home if you own it. I am more concerned in attitudes from car dealerships and car finance. It seems the income baseline has been set around the minimum allowance for the Aussie State Pension, which unlike the UK state pension - can be amended and or withdrawn. It seems that cardinalships et al, are under the impression that the UK state pension is the same - which ( so far) is not so. So any UK state pension only funded having or had this problem??

Hello, My boyfriend and I are looking into moving in the next few years, we are going over to visit first but need to decide where to look based on where we would like to live. I think the options seem to be Perth or Brisbane/Sunshine Coast - I was just wondering if anyone could advise which one would have better job prospects for both of our careers? My partner is a joiner, and I am a finance analyst (although I am not degree qualified)....so complete opposite work so we need a place that has opportunities for both! Any help would be great! Thanks

Deloitte Australia is currently recruiting nationally in all areas of Audit and Advisory amongst other areas. If you hold a CA (Chartered Accountant) or other relevant qualification, send a pm

Hi All It's been quite some time since I've been on here. We have been in Australia now for nearly 3 years, and have sold our UK home. The sales completes in a few days, and we don't really know the best way to move our money over here. Obviously it would be good to not pay any more taxes and charges than necessary! We do have a financial adviser in Sydney, but we feel they are always trying to sell us in to some kind of thing that profits them. We can understand why this might be, but we'd feel more comfortable knowing how this all works before making decisions. I'm pretty sure this kind of thing will have been asked before on here. We currently don't know much about this, as we have never sold a house and moved the money to Australia before. Any advoce and tips would be gratefully received. Many thanks Matthew

Hi, been living in Australia for years and now dual bristish and Australian citizen. I’ve sold my UK property and wondered if anyone has done the same and how that effected their Australian tax return? Do you have to pay capacitor gains tax? How does it work?

Hey, my friend and I are both thinking of moving to the bay next year even though parents aren't happy so the won't help us find the information on the bay. We would like to know is it worth it for a year fresh out of school? Can we study there? Is it expensive? Will we find work? Are the bills manageable on a teen wage? Is there financial support there? Is it recommended for two best friends who want out of home?

Hi all, We have been in Australia for 8 years now, my husband will be retiring next June (2018) so is starting to look at the best options of moving/accessing his pension, he has two private pensions in the UK. We have been talking to a company called Alexander Peter, so was just wondering if anyone on here has heard of them or used them to deal with their pensions? Many thanks Dawn & Nigel

Hello, Myself and my girlfriend have just moved to Sydney. She has a student finance loan that we would like to pay off, and we are looking for the best way to do this. Has anyone recently had the same issue with a loan issued after 1998 and before 2012? She earns over the UK threshold for Oz workers. Can we pay into an Aussie account, and can we claim the tax back on this or have it taken pre-tax as we would in the UK? The worry is that we have to pay 295 pounds a month (minimum payment) after tax and after financial exchange rates. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Quick piece of advice! I traveled to Oz on a working holiday visa back in 2001. I am now moving to Oz on a 190 Perm Resident visa in September 2017. I have the letter with my old TFN on it - will this be re-opened or will I need to apply for a new one once I arrive? Thanks!

Hi I've searched online and can't seem to find an Australian calculator online for working out pro-rata salaries. I've been researching many part time roles and they all state 0.6/0.8 (etc..) FT equivalent. There's a really helpful pro rata UK salary online however I just can't find one for Australia. Does anyone know where I could find this? Thanks.

Hi Does anyone on here have tips in this area? We are moving to Sydney in 4 weeks time, and are letting our home ion the UK out. We will do our own tax returns, as we can claim back interest and costs etc. We are married and co-own the property. So, do we do a single tax return, or are we required to do one each (for UK tax) and would we get any tax-free allowance in income? and if so, do we both get one? I will probably ask my accountant, but was looking to gain a bit of knowledge first so I can follow his advice better. If anyone knows, please help us I gather you can phone the tax man yourself, but I am in work and have no spare time at all right now.. Thanks! Matthew

Hi guys, I am set on moving to Australia for a working holiday, in September or October. Being quite an irrational person it seems smart to gather your opinions and experiences on this matter. I would greatly appreciate any advice positive or negative and a thank you in advanced if you can provide any! Getting to the point I will try and keep it simple and I hope not to boring! Too paint a picture I am a 22-year-old male (23 in June!) living in London with a couple of friends. A quick heads up to anyone looking to move to London in your early 20s, you may want to be earning a lot more than you would expect to really enjoy the “London Life.” Having been unable to save money from my salary and with my house contract running out at the end of August, this year has been somewhat a nightmare. Having planned to save up enough for Australia the following year. Now this is where I need your advice please! Being able to save up more than enough for flights, visas and all the essentials to make it to Australia, though not having the money for a safety net to get into Oz. Am I mad to take a credit card out of £2000+ (4000 AUS)? Furthermore I am looking at finding farm work with accommodation and meals provided before I depart. This may be unrealistic and if I am unable to do so I am motivated to find work quickly once I am out there. Previously working on a farm in Kent for the summer I am prepared for the manual work, although the heat will take some getting used to I can imagine! First question, is this viable, if not why? Please feel free to be honest, but if so please explain why. If you believe in my adventure, thank you! Please feel free to help answer some more of my questions J With the variety of places Australia has to offer for a starting point I am unsure where the best place would be to start. From your experience and knowledge, in my situation, what would be your first choice and why? Also how much can I look to make whilst carrying out the farm work, with and without accommodation and meals paid for? I have been looking at starting in Perth, working out there before Christmas and to deciding where to go from there. Additionally having borrowed money off my dad who has always been supportive of my irrational way of living I would love to pay him back whilst in Oz. Would this be viable? How much can you make in other fields a week and what fields are the best to go into? Looking at my research I am hoping to make between $600- $800 AUD a week. I have a degree in business management and marketing and have currently been working for a pharmaceutical research company. Would this be of an advantage, as I know it is hard to find office work? Finally onto living costs! From you experience, in times of activity filled weeks and those weeks you work, sleep and relax, how much do you look to budget? From one extreme to another, in terms of the amount you spent a week. From my spreadsheet I am looking at budgeting a minimum of £200 ($400 AUD) a week and a maximum of £300 ($600 AUD). Though these are estimates. What additional costs apart from food, travel and accommodation? I have included between $150- $250 AUD pocket money for the week, is this enough? Any replies will be much appreciated and responded to, and the more details the better! Even if you would like to share an experience I would be more than happy to hear it! To finish I know everyone lives to a different lifestyle and budget when travelling, I just wanted to get an idea from other experience on budgets and cities. Any other relevant information you may think would be useful in my position would be great! Thank you! Mike

Hi all Just opened a Commonwealth Bank account online. Of course I still need to go and show my ID at the branch I chose when registering, but I'll have plenty of time on my hands when I arrive...! Will let you know how it goes [won't be happening until after 27 May though].

As a 10yr resident of Aus (never thought of going back even for a nanosecond) I suddenly find my hotmail and LinkedIn accounts being bombarded with scaremongering mail urging me to "transfer pensions now" and "get it done quick or lose it". As the holder of a MOD (UK), local government and NHS pensions I have to admit to being a bit twitchy about this mail. I understand that I will still be able to claim the pensions and that only certain pensions will be affected subject to a review by the UKPA (Pensions Agency?) as outlined with such simplicity in the last Budget. Does anyone know when this review will be finalised and what the current status of the pension transfer issue is? I certainly won't be handing anything over to these charlatans and probably won't have to after I collect my Nigerian lotto winnings. Any help appreciated. Regards

Hi All We have been here now for just under 3 weeks. I know a lot of you wonder about costs and so forth. Here are some of the unexpected costs we have had. Satnav $150, essential for finding our way around. Plus I spent $30 on a decent map book, fab for looking at localities when driving around. Printer $150 plus ink $150, must admit we bought a slightly better than basics printer, but found necessary for printing the numerous forms we have had and CVs for job interviews. Driving Licence. $110 each. this was not necessary, but we had bought a car from a friend in Sydney so made the transfer easier. This also made taking out a rental easier. Working with children registration $80, hubby wants to work in a college, to obtain the necessary paperwork we had to pay out this cost. Food Costs Our first shop came to about $300, but you have to remember you have to start from scratch again, so all the stuff you take for granted in your cupboards, oils, bin liners, toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, bug spray, washing powder. Its unlikely back in the Uk I would have bought all of these at once, but were needed here. I did not buy too much food in that shop either, bread, milk, beans, cereal and some meat maybe. Since then we have spent about $130 each time, and added more essentials when we go, probably at the mo going every 5-6 days. If you are switched on you can get some good buys, the first time we shopped we got Heniz baked beans for 97c, so bought a few tins. Also meat and veg seem cheaper than in the Uk, and if you look out for the specials. Alcohol is a ridiculous price, I drink souther comfort, so glad I brought a bottle in my case, as $60 here. Also brought Pimms as again $50. Bring you allowance in your case, I am then asking people who (hopefully) visit to restock us! The wine we drank at home which was australian was £8 in the Uk is $17 here. Eating out In the first week, we must have spent a fortune on food and drinks, this was from being in the car all day driving around looking at houses, so budget more for food. An average medium coffee is $4.50, and bottled drinks are about $3 upwards. We kept bottles of water in the car which have been bought at the supermarket. Food costs for an average meal, e.g. pizza has come to $100 for the 4 of us, and a Mcdonalds was $35, so much more expensive than back in the UK. Subway was also coming in at $30+ for 4 of us. Now we are more in the habit we are planning better. Fuel Cheaper than in the UK at approx $1.50 per litre, and the supermarkets give you 4c off a litre as well. Clothes I have had to buy a few bits and pieces, as did not pack for this wet spell we are having. Clothes are more expensive and don't seem as good a quality. My mistake was not bringing a decent work suit for an interview, thinking I would get one here, big mistake, costs a fortune for a suit which feels cheaper than next, but probably cost double. Will now be ordering from Next as they deliver here for free if over $30 plus M & S also deliver for free. (not sure how returns work...) Other We have also had to buy stuff that will become necessary once we have our long term rental next week, while we wait for the container. This included Beds for the kids, plus bedding, kids needed new beds anyway. Bed for us, plus bedding, which we will use as a spare once ours arrives. Table and chairs, left ours behind. Sofa, again left behind. Iron and ironing board, didn't think to pack, left in my rented house. New school shoes and uniform. School has summer and winter uniform. Summer starting the 7 Sept. Pens, paper and other stationery bits, again more expensive than back home. Essential for kids homework and form filling! Will update this thread if people find it useful, once I become more aware of more costs. Cheers Nikki

Anyone else still studying for their accountancy qualifications with the aim of applying for PR as soon as they are qualified? Or been in the situation previously where you were just waiting to get through those last few exams to start the process? I am potentially 6 months away from qualification, so prob 9 months away from starting the application process. Just waiting on results of a re-sit which I will receive this Friday - which will allow me to sit the Strategic Level Exams in November. So much rides on this one result, failure now means I wont be starting the process for at least 15 months. Going to be one nervous as hell week. Cannot wait to move myself, and my family over to Aus to start our new life together. Its been my dream for 10 years to come back one day - and i'm finally getting close to making that a reality. Ben

Hi, I recently maxed out my credit card to buy a car online. since then, the car has a major fault and have lost my job. I am here on a 417 WHV and want to fly back to the uk . I cannot afford to pay the credit card , and before you awnser this thread, i do not make it wright at all. But i am very short of options. The card is for 4K AUS. Please can someone tell me would it affect my credit rating in the uk and would they try to catch me in the uk? Thanks Rugs:no:

Hello All, We have been over here for 6 months now and have just transferred half of our intended savings as the rates rose. I have been told that we should transfer the rest of the money (£20k) before the end of the tax year here. We remortgaged a flat at home to give us funds to come over and then the rates dropped dramatically so we have waited. We have a small unit here with an interest only mortgage. Therefore we are paying interest on 2 loans, but UK flat is rented out. We still do not have work ( a deliberate choice to spend time as a family for the first 6 months) but are now looking in earnest. As we have not worked whilst being here I am assuming it is best to bring the money before the end of the tax year as if it comes after July 1st it will count as taxable income on top of earned income (hopefully!) for next year and will also affect any family benefits we get (husband is Australian and he gets family tax credit A&B). Any advice much appreciated as we don't mind a slight loss on the exchange rate by transferring now if it means we are less liable next tax year. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, My family moved out from London to Melbourne seven years ago, when I was thirteen. I never wanted to immigrate, and as much as I've gotten used to Melbourne I can't help but feel that I'm still an outsider here. I'm now considering going back by myself, for many reasons. I'm a student, and it's been my ambition for years to go to Cambridge University to study history. I achieved the marks I needed in order to get in. But, I discovered that although I'm a British citizen, I'd have to pay international fees in order to go to any university in the UK. Apparently, in order to get normal fee arrangements, I'd have to have lived in the UK as a resident for three years before the start of my course. I'm considering finishing my undergraduate Arts degree at Melbourne Uni, then returning to the UK and doing casual work for three years before trying to get into Cambridge (or, if unsuccessful there, another university) for postgraduate study. My questions are: 1. As a British citizen who hasn't lived there for a long time, would I have the right to work in the UK? 2. How easy is it for young people to get casual jobs at the moment in the UK? (I've worked casually for several years in call centres, conducting social research. Would there be similar opportunities?) 3. Or, is there any chance of getting a slightly better job with my Arts degree? 4. Is there any chance I'd be eligible for any welfare payments? 5. Would I be totally crazy to move back to Britain by myself, as a young person with little to no financial support from my family? Could I rent a flat? Could I survive? Any answers to any of the questions would be much appreciated!