A few questions! Moving to Melbourne...

[oliver27]

Hi guys,

 

I have an Australian partner, and we're looking to start the process of moving to Melbourne (something we've talked about for a while now). I would be moving on a de facto partnership visa (which we are going to save up for), but had a few other questions. I'm not expecting you to do my research for me(!), but thought this would be a good place to ask some questions from people in-the-know that will get us started in the planning process. Obviously the biggest factor is money, and trying to work out how much we will need will help us work out monthly saving goals etc.

 

Anyway, questions below, and thank you in advance for the help

 

 

 

• I know the cost of the visa obviously, but how much should I plan to save for 'additional' items? Health checks, police check, etc? I've read somewhere around £250 extra - is this right?
  
• Related to the above, in the visa process do I wait until instructed to get these completed? Or would I need the capital to get them done straight away?
  
• Roughly, was capital is required to make the move (excluding visa costs). I know this is a 'how long is a piece of string' kind of question, but taking into consideration we are two late 20's people, happy to rent, how much would you advise to save (each)?
  
• Related to the above, how long would you advise to save up to ensure you have enough money to live without a job? I.e. how long would you plan to be jobless for whilst searching? Do you plan for 2 months? 3 months? 6 months? I know the more the better, but realistically I could be saving forever and would never make the move! Again, 'how long is a piece of string' and depends on our circumstances, but by the time we move, I will have been working in digital marketing (with qualification) for a global company for around 1.5 years (all being well!) with other marketing experience prior, a degree and masters degree (unrelated subjects, but good grades); and partner works for a global blue-chip insurance firm, for around 2.5/3 years, and previous to that other global blue chip insurance firms (incl. Australia). We're both on around £28k each in the UK.
  
• Renting without a job. Presume I would need to get a house-share initially, as I know that you would need proof of incomes from a job for 3 months to get a 'proper' rental property. Is it easy to find a decent house share? And I assume we would need to be over there to actually find one, so would need to stay in a hostel for a while until sorted? What kind of deposit do the more 'casual' house share landlords require?
  
• I actually have a drink driving conviction (see my other thread started last year) - it was a long time ago, and haven't had convictions since. Before that I had a few minor warnings that would show on a police report for the visa. Again, both young and silly, but had a good record with no problems since. I'm not really worried about the visa application, because I know I'll get through that, but I'm unsure on the recruitment processes in Australia. Over here, my conviction doesn't need to be revealed (at least not for the positions I go for) as it as classed as 'spent' under the Rehabilitation Act, but how does this work in Australia? It would be about 15 years ago by the time I get there. Would I need to declare on job applications? This could be a serious consideration for me, as I if I need to reveal this, it might affect my whole chances of a successful career (and thus money/life) over there!
  

 

 

And if there's anything else you feel I may need to know, then please do say! Thanks again

[Backtoback]

My health check was £295 in London and my police check was £80.

I got them all done within a few weeks of submitting the visa online.

 

Everything else I am afraid I cannot really help you with, but we have just sold our flat (luckily) and will be taking £20,000 to help us set up out there with rent etc. However, we have an advantage in that my partners family are all Melbourne based, so we have places to stay for the first few weeks.

[Marisawright]

Hard to say how long you need to budget for. However I would suggest your partner should start looking for work a couple of months before you leave. Because insurance is such a clearly defined field, it should be child's play to identify all the major insurance companies, and submit applications on spec. If they've previously worked for Australian companies, no matter how long ago, then they should try to reach their contacts in those companies again too.

 

Note, it's important in those enquiries to be definite about your arrival date. Companies don't want to hear "I'm coming to Australia in the next three months" - they need to plan, too. The letter should say, "I am arriving in Australia on .... and anticipate being available to start work on ..."

 

Finally, they should approach their current company to find out if there's an opportunity to transfer to the Australian arm.

 

At the very least, those efforts should result in having useful contacts to visit as soon as you arrive, which will speed up the job-hunting process considerably.

 

Bear in mind you can always do temp work while you're looking for a permanent job. Research temp agencies in your fields (check seek.com.au) and register with them when you arrive.

 

For the initial period, look at Airbnb as well as hostels. People think of it as a short term thing, but you can often get quite decent discounts on Airbnb if you book for over a month. For long-term rental, I've never heard of needing 3 months' proof of income - if you're a new migrant and you've got proof of a job offer, that's usually enough in my experience.

Edited June 13, 2016 by Marisawright

[oliver27]

Hard to say how long you need to budget for. However I would suggest your partner should start looking for work a couple of months before you leave. Because insurance is such a clearly defined field, it should be child's play to identify all the major insurance companies, and submit applications on spec. If they've previously worked for Australian companies, no matter how long ago, then they should try to reach their contacts in those companies again too.

 

Note, it's important in those enquiries to be definite about your arrival date. Companies don't want to hear "I'm coming to Australia in the next three months" - they need to plan, too. The letter should say, "I am arriving in Australia on .... and anticipate being available to start work on ..."

 

Finally, they should approach their current company to find out if there's an opportunity to transfer to the Australian arm.

 

At the very least, those efforts should result in having useful contacts to visit as soon as you arrive, which will speed up the job-hunting process considerably.

 

Bear in mind you can always do temp work while you're looking for a permanent job. Research temp agencies in your fields (check seek.com.au) and register with them when you arrive.

 

For the initial period, look at Airbnb as well as hostels. People think of it as a short term thing, but you can often get quite decent discounts on Airbnb if you book for over a month. For long-term rental, I've never heard of needing 3 months' proof of income - if you're a new migrant and you've got proof of a job offer, that's usually enough in my experience.

 

Thank you very much for your advice.

 

My partner actually has family in QLD, so we've come to the realisation that we can stay there, organise job interviews in Melbourne (pack them into a week/couple of days), stay at friends in Melbourne whilst doing this, and then move to Melbourne when we have firm job offers. It saves heaps of money, as the biggest cost would be accommodation in Melbourne whilst being unemployed.

[Marisawright]

Thank you very much for your advice.

 

My partner actually has family in QLD, so we've come to the realisation that we can stay there, organise job interviews in Melbourne (pack them into a week/couple of days), stay at friends in Melbourne whilst doing this, and then move to Melbourne when we have firm job offers. It saves heaps of money, as the biggest cost would be accommodation in Melbourne whilst being unemployed.

 

Just don't let prospective employers know you're in Queensland.

 

I've tried to move interstate before and found Australian employers VERY reluctant to employ someone who is not already settled locally. I think they're worried that the employee will be delayed and/or distracted by the whole process of moving and getting settled: also that the employee will decide they don't like the city after all, and will move back where they came from.

 

Of course if your occupations are in short supply it's a different story - but in general, if the employer has to choose between you and a local employee who's slightly less qualified, they'll choose the local person.