basil Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi, Im not sure if this is in the correct forum - hope so. We are now considering trying to go down the 457 route (with the hope our employer would support us for a perm visa swiftly after arrival) My husband is in the banking industry. I'm just curious to understand how common it is for companies to pay relocation expenses? Flights, shipping, initial place to stay etc. Or am i living in a dream world :wideeyed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanneHattersley Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 i came over on a 457 with a nursing agency - job secured. They didnt pay anything towards our relocation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chrissy63 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi I am being sponsored for a nursing position along the 457 route. My flights will get reimbursed (not the rest of the families and they have offered 3 months accomodation free. I think it really depends on individual employers and you're negotiation skills. Good Luck!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Ok, better get saving then! I thought that might be the case. On a side: do you know how i edit a thread title (speeling oops)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Think i just cross posted Chrissy - flights and 3 months accomodation is pretty good. At least we know it's possible so worth trying to negotiate a little with OH's employer. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chrissy63 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Well we thought 3 months accomodation was worth it at least it gives us some space to look around and weigh up options. We're also lucky in that employer has said will sponsor us PR after 3 months if we like it. Take care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BullcreekBob Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi, Im not sure if this is in the correct forum - hope so. We are now considering trying to go down the 457 route (with the hope our employer would support us for a perm visa swiftly after arrival) My husband is in the banking industry. I'm just curious to understand how common it is for companies to pay relocation expenses? Flights, shipping, initial place to stay etc. Or am i living in a dream world :wideeyed: G'day Basil & Welcome I think your post is in the right place and you'll probably get lots of suggestions. My *hopefully helpful thoughts* are to arrange all the employment conditions beforehand; - some employers pay relocation costs, some don't - some employers provide a period of subsised or free accommodation, some don't - some employers provide ways of reducing Australian tax significantly by paying living away from home allowances instead of salary, some don't - some employers pay for return trips to the UK to visit family, some don't - some employers agree to sponsor for permanent residence, some don't All of these things, and more, are possible but your husband will need to negotiate for them before agreeing to anything. It will mean not blindly accepting their first offer, or getting carried away with the exciting prospect of a *new life*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheerluck Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We got a month's accomodation, flights (for the 4 of us), car, removals. I guess it depends on your job, the employer and your negotiation skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks Bob that's really helpful. So re the PR bit - should that be in writing from the employer (they've said 12 months) or is it more of a loose goodwill thing? Also, sorry to ask a novice Q but what is this 'living away from home allowance' is it a salary addition with tax benefits to 'compensate' the period you are on a 457 (sort of a sweetener). That's how it's come accross to us from OH's company as we initially really tried to push for them to support us for a PR straight off. Completely agree with not getting carried away and accepting a poor deal. We had a list of our original minimum requirements (to keep ourselves on track supposedly) but they are lowering on a daily basis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chrissy63 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I emailed my emplyers re PR and have it in writing via an email that they will sponsor me. I would get it in writing somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BullcreekBob Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 sorry to ask a novice Q but what is this 'living away from home allowance' is it a salary addition with tax benefits to 'compensate' the period you are on a 457 (sort of a sweetener). Novice Q's are exactly what is expected from novices Some of the nice people here will answer the question. Some of the less nice ones will say - learn how to use the search button. Lots and lots has been said about LAFHA. In the past, there has been so much discussion about about LAFHA and if I gave you an answer here, it would be an incomplete answer with so much vital stuff missing. Search for and read some of the earlier threads and you will indeed find out lots. AND I promise to answer your next question, even it has been asked lots of times before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 LAFHA, aah that gives more on the search. i have so much to learn - thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EM&M Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 OK LAFHA, O how the Aussie government have managed to confuse everyone with this. IF you are earning anything over the basic minimum salary for 457 which is somewhere around $42,000. What you need is for the company to pay you the differance as LAFHA, You will get X amount fro rent and x amount for living costs tax fee but only if it is written into your contract. There is a breakdown somewhere on the government website under fringe benefits. We are on minimum salary so cannot claim any of this tax free or we would be in breach of out 457 visa. Good Luck Em x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thanks Em that makes sense from a personal tax benefit situation but am i right insaying that as a 457 is a temp visa then any contract of employment has to be temp or fixed term too? If you get the company to 'falsify' your base salary and represent the excess over $43k as LAFHA what happens if you go onto PR through an ENS visa - would it not look suspicious if your slaary jumps up when the LAFHA is removed? or is that completely ok? would some companies take away the LAFHA and then re-negotiate salary (I expect not as you are free to move once you have PR anyway) Sorry for the silly q's but as you can see i'm a bit nervos about the whole temp visa thing and transfer onto perm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BullcreekBob Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 If you get the company to 'falsify' your base salary and represent the excess over $43k as LAFHA what happens if you go onto PR through an ENS visa - would it not look suspicious if your slaary jumps up when the LAFHA is removed? or is that completely ok? G'day You won't be able to get a company to 'falsify' your base salary - or indeed anything else. The amount of scritiny employers are given for employing overseas labour is massive. Yes be under no illusions here, 457 visas are for cheap overseas labour. Perhaps a bit like the Poles in the UK? LAFHA is a way of for employers to make their offer slightly more attractive to potential employees but as has been stated, the government has set a minimum wage that must be paid for overseas labour. If an employer wants to offer more than that, then yes they have the option of paying some of it as a tax free allowance. If a 457 visa holder obtains a permanent resident visa, it is perfectly normal for the salary to jump up quite a lot, so nothing suspicious there. If a 457 visa holder buys a house here, or applies for PR, then it becomes hard to claim that they are actually "Living Away From Home", i.e. it is clear that they consider Australia to be home. At which point the employer will probable cease paying a LAFHA and adjust salary up by at least an equal amount, however enjoy the benefit while you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 At which point the employer will probable cease paying a LAFHA and adjust salary up by at least an equal amount, Thanks Bob that's good to know. IF you are earning anything over the basic minimum salary for 457 which is somewhere around $42,000. What you need is for the company to pay you the differance as LAFHA It was this advise from Em that made me use the term 'falsify' in our situation, because I assumed the LAFHA to be a small beneficial amount not the difference between actual comp and minimum salary for a 457. From your response I think i'm correct? it's just a perk that will hopefully be there for a while. Re the salary jump from temp to perm visa - we wish, that doesn't really happen in banking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hi Basil As I understand it your husband is a high-flying investmet banker who would have to work in Sydney because that is where the international investment banks all have their Australian bases? If so, and if one of these banks wants his skills more than he needs a job with them, you should be in a very, very strong bargaining position and, I would venture to suggest, you should also have some "corporate client based" RMAs acting for you and helping to negotiate the best possible deal with the bank. Sure, you might not have identified which bank yet but for example Ashmore Brown act for some of the banks. I know they act (or used to) for the Macquarie Bank but I don't know which others. Please see here: Macquarie Group Australia Ashmore Brown & Associates I would imagine that Mr Brown in their Sydney office would be your man. But what happened about the skills assessment that you were considering with the help of ptlabs? Did the computer people refuse to accept it or something? It is a while since you and I spoke but my impression is that whatever the score might be with the visas, you might find that an experienced RMA can get you a much keener deal with a bank than you might be able to get by yourselves. Or have a word with Alan Collett, I firmly suggest. If Hubby is young and therefore not yet senior enough to be able to write his own ticket, don't forget that Alan Collett was a Chartered Accountant before he became a Migration Agent, is a CA in both jurisdictions and I would think he would have a very shrewd idea of what sort of deal Hubby ought to be able to command. You would need to contact Go Matilda in Melbourne, where Alan is based. I'm a tad surprised that you seem to think this is DIY turf, though. Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thanks Gill it's really reassuring to think we shouldn't be going down the DIY route. Husband isn't a high lfying investment banker though, he works for an investment bank (but isnt a banker) which from what I can gather seems entirely different from a visa perspective. really thick question but what's an RMA? Something Migration Agent? OH is largely staying out of this research thing and we have always moved internationally with a company (his don't have a good presence in Aus so we can't this time. So i guess we've just dont the usual thing and gone via a recruitment consultant. We explored the independant visa with Ptlabs last year and were considering attempting a (can't remember the terminology but justification of work experince) to get a successful IT assessment. Ultimately the reason we chose not to go that route was because to apply independantly or even to pursue an assessment OH would have to tell his employer he's looking to leave / migrate. Given the fact it could be unsuccessful or even some time away it would just be burning too many bridges. Re the young thing- he's 34, I am completely ignorant of whether he could negotiate his own ticket based on his job / experience being in demand as you put it. I do know that this whole visa thing makes us feel like we are bottom of the pile and not what the australian market seems to want! Husbands not an accountant though so i'm not sure if Alan could help? I will show OH your post and the links though - may make him sit up and realise we could have other options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Morning, Basil A RMA is a Registered Migration Agent, whose activities are fairly strictly regulated by the Migration Agents Registration Authority and the Migration Institute of Australia. It is illegal to offer migration assistance or advice from within Australia unless one is MARA registered. Recruitment agency is a different field altogether and I don't know anything about that. It is irrelevant that Hubby is not an accountant. Alan Collett knows more than enough for all 3 of you about how to count beans and how to drive a hard and beneficial-to-you bargain on your behalf, I suspect! Best wishes Gill Best wishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Alan Collett knows more than enough for all 3 of you about how to count beans and how to drive a hard abd beneficial-to-you bargain on your behalf, I suspect Hi Gill, now i am even more confused! (it doesn't take much i know). Are you saying a RMA can assist in recruitment and negotiations? I had always thought they were about helping you find/consider your visa options (for us it's only employer sponsored now) and then helping you go through the paperwork process. I had no idea they helped ' drive a hard bargain' in the employment process. So much to learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hi Basil It stands to reason. The Employer hires a recruitment agency to find people willing to go to Oz to work on the terms and conditions that suit the employer. The recruitment agency does not necessarily know what the best visa option might be for the candidate concerned. The recruiter's job is to get the guy into the post quickly. The RMA's job can sometimes be to say, "Hang about. I can get this guy an ENS visa (PR) just as fast as you can get him a 457." Also, Alan Collett is unique (or nearly so) amongst RMA's because of being a Chartered Accountant as well, and on account of doing international tax-planning, business monitoring etc for people much richer and cleverer than thee or me, I'd be surprised if he doesn't find that he can get you a better deal than Employers/recruiters might want to offer. He would not charge you for an initial brief chat. Contact details are here: Go Matilda - Your Gateway to Australia - Contact and Feedback I'm sure you need to talk with Alan rather than to any of the others on the GM team, but although I know that Alan is based in Melbourne, I am not sure whether it is th CBD or the Geelong address. Also, he has recently started a sister company, which is called Find a Job in Oz I would suggest searching its website and maybe sending a CV? Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wrangers Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Reply to Sheerluck Hows it going? We are from Stone in Staffordshire and will be moving to Brisbane in next 6 weeks? Any tips would be fantastic, could do with info on good suburbs as we have 2 teenage boys Read your thread about removals, we are contemplating Pickfords or *********, who did you use? Al n Deb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sammy11 Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 some of my contacts had problems with pickfords, some of the smaller companies seem to have a better reputation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wrangers Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Thanks, that's useful to know. ********* are removals local to us and they gave us the best price too. They're all very competitive and if they know someone else has quoted a lower price they will aim to beat it. Worth knowing, we've had £100's knocked off our original quotations by doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wrangers Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Sorry, the website keeps putting **** instead of the real name of the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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