Fundalski Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Hi there. Hoping someone can help me out a little if possible. I’m here as you can guess, because I want to look into the possibility of emigrating to Australia. I am a 33 year old male with a wife (33) and two boys (2years and 7months & 1 year and 2 months) We are homeowners in Wales, United Kingdom. We have equity in our home of around £80,000, I am a level 2 qualified carpenter that have been running as a sole traders for 3 years and now a Ltd company for the past 4 months. I specialise in fitted bedrooms, walk in wardrobes, sliding wardrobes, home offices, blind installations and kitchen fitting. My wife has a BA honours degree but is currently employed as a civil servant working in events. I believe my trade is on the SOC list, I’m not sure about my partners if anyone can shed some light on that also? So I suppose that’s is the story as it is, we are just looking to see if anyone thinks our plan could be possible. Long term aim would be to purchase property but realise if it is at all possible then we may have to rent first??? Thanks in advance for any help give. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 From what you have posted, if you, or your wife, can satisfy the mandatory pre migration skills assessment, you should be OK. May I suggest that you consult a registered migration agent for an assessment of your prospects? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Just to be clear, to get a visa only ONE of you needs to be on the SOL, not both. One of you will be the main applicant and the rest of the family is approved based on that one applicant. As you say, when you first arrive in Australia you'd probably need to rent for a while. In fact you'll need to book a holiday flat for a month or so while you find somewhere longer-term to rent. Then you'll sign up for a six or twelve month lease which will give you time to look around, get to know the good areas, and find the right house. Do research housing carefully, though. Look on domain.com.au and realestate.com.au to check the prices in the city you're looking at. I'm not too familiar with the price of houses in Wales but I suspect that in most cities in Australia, you'd have to settle for a much smaller house than the one you're in now. Where were you thinking of moving to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundalski Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 Hi marisa Thanks you for replying. Well my partner would love to live somewhere like Sydney, Melbourne or cairnes. With me it would hugely depend on the job aspect of it all, I would need to be able to try and secure myself a job so would probably depend on that, I specialise in fitted bedrooms and kitchens over here (carpenter) I've been generally browsing online but cant seem to find any site or companies that I could possibly introduce myself to and see if any opportunities may be available to someone in my position etc... If you know of any sites or anything that may point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated? I’ve looked at that skills select and it would seem I need to do a skills test or interview etc…which I am fine with. With regards to the job front, would i need to find an employer before I attempted to come over or would I be expected to search for jobs when out there?? Would you think it would be better for me to go and try it out first before moving family or would that be even more complicated. Just worried about selling everything up and then potentially not finding a job etc… I will check those house sites you posted today and see if I can get some figures back for different cities etc.. thank you for them. Sorry for all the questions, it seems so complicated but something that Im eager to try and get done so I suppose it will get a but easier once I start getting familiar with things. Appreciate your help and time. Thanks wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundalski Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 Hi W Russell. Many thanks for you response, although it seems a difficult and complicated process I'm trying to keep the costs down and do things myself if I can. I'm a bit worried that using an agent will cost us too much in the long run. Appreciate your help though Thanks wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Has your partner ever visited Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns? They are very very different....especially Cairns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Sydney and Melbourne are both big cities. Sydney has a warm climate, sunny winters and typical Aussie ocean beaches. Melbourne can get hot but winters can also get cold and grey, and its beaches are in the bay - the comment from some Poms is that it's not what they expected Australia to be like at all. Cairns is a much smaller regional city with a tropical climate. The three places are so different, I'm wondering what exactly you're hoping to achieve with the move? I think you'd be shocked by what your money could buy in Sydney. If you had to move to London, could you afford it? If not then you can't afford Sydney either. Melbourne is more affordable but not too far behind. You'd find Cairns far more affordable but then, you might find jobs harder to come by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Hi W Russell. Many thanks for you response, although it seems a difficult and complicated process I'm trying to keep the costs down and do things myself if I can. I'm a bit worried that using an agent will cost us too much in the long run. I'd say if you can't afford an agent, you can't afford to migrate. The whole process is going to cost you thousands of dollars and the agent's fee will seem like a drop in the ocean by the time you're done. I didn't use an agent, but that was thirty years ago when it was a lot simpler. Nowadays it's quite complicated and it's easy to miss a small detail - if you submit your application with a mistake on it, they'll reject it and you've done your dough. Using an agent means you can be confident you get all your i's dotted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Hi marisa Thanks you for replying. Well my partner would love to live somewhere like Sydney, Melbourne or cairnes. With me it would hugely depend on the job aspect of it all, I would need to be able to try and secure myself a job so would probably depend on that, I specialise in fitted bedrooms and kitchens over here (carpenter) I've been generally browsing online but cant seem to find any site or companies that I could possibly introduce myself to and see if any opportunities may be available to someone in my position etc... If you know of any sites or anything that may point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated? I’ve looked at that skills select and it would seem I need to do a skills test or interview etc…which I am fine with. With regards to the job front, would i need to find an employer before I attempted to come over or would I be expected to search for jobs when out there?? Would you think it would be better for me to go and try it out first before moving family or would that be even more complicated. Just worried about selling everything up and then potentially not finding a job etc… I will check those house sites you posted today and see if I can get some figures back for different cities etc.. thank you for them. Sorry for all the questions, it seems so complicated but something that Im eager to try and get done so I suppose it will get a but easier once I start getting familiar with things. Appreciate your help and time. Thanks wayne Based on what you have said I would doubt your partner could secur a visa and therefore it will be down to you. I recommend you focus on the visa not the jobs right now, you are not going to get much interest whilst you are visaless or overseas and in any case I believe being self employed is more the norm for trade occupations. I can kind of understand why somebody might toss up between Sydney and Melbourne (although they are different) but for certain professiona they might offer similar opportunities. But a toss up between Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns is a bit strange as Cairns would be a completely different lifestyle - perhaps these are just three places she has heard most about? :wink: Unless you are coming with pots of gold or expect to be earning big dollars, I honestly would rule out Sydney as you can work anywhere where there are people! I would never specifically recommend coming out separately, I firmly believe that migration is a journey best made together. However if you are nervous and can afford to run two households for a short period of time, then it is a personal choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled Pink Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Sydney, Melbourne or Cairns... thats like saying London, Liverpool or Cornwall... very very different cities, and then throwing a rural village into the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Sydney, Melbourne or Cairns... thats like saying London, Liverpool or Cornwall... very very different cities, and then throwing a rural village into the mix. Maybe London, Birmingham or Saffron Walden? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundalski Posted July 29, 2016 Author Share Posted July 29, 2016 Hi, Firstly thanks for all the responses! Some lovely banter thrown in the mix too. The reason I mentioned those three places is because we went travelling through Australia around 4 years ago and loved those 3 the most, we travelled down the east coast and could see ourselves living in those areas. I know they are different but I am from Wales where therelse are large built up cities and also lots of regional areas too. We get on with both styles of living so are really open to options. As mentioned though may find work harder to come by in cairns, which is going to be needed however we make the move. I have seen carpenter jobs advertised in Perth but that is over the west side I believe? I had a friend who lived there a few years ago but he said there really wasn't much to do there and he advised if I was going to work in Perth then to live in a different area??? Would this be feasible? As with the other cities also?? Basically I am looking to get a better life, with better climate for me an my family. Maybe melbourne and Sydney aren't the way forward then if they have pretty bad winters etc.. With regards to using an agent, I realise it may be complicated and time consuming but that's not to say it can't be done without one surely? We have around 80k equity in our house along with a few other assets, I'd just rather be clever with money and save myself an un needed cost. As I'm here as a newbie I realise I may make a few comments that don't make much sense to you guys, but bear with me I'm still learning about it all. We loved Australia the most out of travelling to Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, new Zealand, and America, we just feel that we would like to try and make a life out there. Thanks wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Maybe melbourne and Sydney aren't the way forward then if they have pretty bad winters etc.. They don't have "pretty bad" Winters by UK standards. Tradies still wear shorts year-round. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 29, 2016 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Maybe melbourne and Sydney aren't the way forward then if they have pretty bad winters etc.. Average minimum - maxium for the coldest month (July) in Melbourne is 6 - 13.5 C. For Sydney it is 6.5 - 16.7. Both of those are warmer than the south of France in winter. Wouldn't call that "pretty bad winters". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Sydney and Melbourne are vast sprawls. What you loved when you visited, there is a good chance that you'll not be able to afford to live anywhere close to those areas and would be miles away in a far flung suburb that resembles nothing about the cities you liked. Also £80,000 is a decent amount to have to bring but keep in mind it will be a while before you can buy, perhaps longer is self employed. You could chew through a chunk of that when starting off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 I had a friend who lived there a few years ago but he said there really wasn't much to do there and he advised if I was going to work in Perth then to live in a different area??? Would this be feasible? As with the other cities also?? Not sure what he meant by "a different area". Perth is more than 3 times the size of Greater London...Melbourne 6+x, Sydney 7+ x - so travelling times would be enormous. There are some great fans of Perth on PIO. But the construction industry has taken a dive there lately so your chances of work would probably be better on the east coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Sydney and Melbourne are vast sprawls. What you loved when you visited, there is a good chance that you'll not be able to afford to live anywhere close to those areas and would be miles away in a far flung suburb that resembles nothing about the cities you liked. Also £80,000 is a decent amount to have to bring but keep in mind it will be a while before you can buy, perhaps longer is self employed. You could chew through a chunk of that when starting off. I agree with Snifter. You probably spent most of your time in Sydney in the centre and the beaches. If you have a few million to spare for a house you can have that lifestyle, but otherwise not! It would be like someone having a holiday in London and deciding they wanted to live there - then finding that the closest they could afford to live was Slough. So you really, really need to start looking at house prices. They vary enormously across Australia, just like they vary enormously across the UK. I also agree that you'll burn through a fair bit of that equity just migrating and getting started. I suggest your first step should be to put together a budget so you can understand how much the whole process will cost. You need to allow for: - visa application fees; - air fares; - shipping all your belongings (or buying all new when you arrive, rental properties are not furnished); - buying a car (they are more expensive in Australia); - a month's holiday accommodation while you look for a longer-term rental; - a month's rental bond and a month's rent in advance for the long-term rental; - six months' living expenses (it can take that long for you to find work so it's wise to have that as a buffer); - some tradespeople have to work at a junior level for a year until their qualifications are recognised, if that's the case then you'll need to budget for that lower income. Also check out child-care costs which I'm told are far higher than in the UK. I know one young woman who's a stay-at-home mum because it would cost her more in child care than she could earn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi, Firstly thanks for all the responses! Some lovely banter thrown in the mix too. The reason I mentioned those three places is because we went travelling through Australia around 4 years ago and loved those 3 the most, we travelled down the east coast and could see ourselves living in those areas. I know they are different but I am from Wales where therelse are large built up cities and also lots of regional areas too. We get on with both styles of living so are really open to options. As mentioned though may find work harder to come by in cairns, which is going to be needed however we make the move. I have seen carpenter jobs advertised in Perth but that is over the west side I believe? I had a friend who lived there a few years ago but he said there really wasn't much to do there and he advised if I was going to work in Perth then to live in a different area??? Would this be feasible? As with the other cities also?? Basically I am looking to get a better life, with better climate for me an my family. Maybe melbourne and Sydney aren't the way forward then if they have pretty bad winters etc.. With regards to using an agent, I realise it may be complicated and time consuming but that's not to say it can't be done without one surely? We have around 80k equity in our house along with a few other assets, I'd just rather be clever with money and save myself an un needed cost. As I'm here as a newbie I realise I may make a few comments that don't make much sense to you guys, but bear with me I'm still learning about it all. We loved Australia the most out of travelling to Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, new Zealand, and America, we just feel that we would like to try and make a life out there. Thanks wayne Well I love Sydney and Cairns too, for different reasons. But when it comes to choosing where to live the practical considerations such as affordability and availability of jobs has to come into it. Who mentioned bad winters in Sydney and Melbourne? :err: My OH didn't wear a coat once in Sydney! I wore a coat in July amd August only most years and during my final year there I didn't need one at all. You are not going to find a winter in Australia bad. You are accustomed to much worse. I don't get where your friend is coming from with the advice to live in a different area if you are working in Perth. If you are working in Perth you are going to want to live in Perth. If you are outside Greater Perth say well then you are in a regional area with far less to do and you will have an enormous commute to boot. Australia is a big place, it is not like say, living outside Manchester because you don't like cities and getting the tram in instead. But anyway, Perth is in a downturn and if it wasn't on your radar before I probably wouldn't add it now. Loads of people do the process without an agent. I started with one, sacked them after skills assessment for sheer incompetence and was much happier doing it myself as I had better visibility and control. I am however good with paperwork, reading and applying rules because of my work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundalski Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi. Thanks, for all that. Maybe I'll start looking at job salaries in different areas first then as I'm sure that will hugely impact the areas we can afford to live in/around. Can anyone help out with the main job sites you use out there, along with main house buying/rental sites?? I should be fine doing the process without an agent, I run my own carpentry business, lots of planning and paperwork involved in that, so I'm certainly going to give it a go. If you have any advice on living areas that i could research that i possibly havent thought of or heard of then that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 The main job site in Australia is seek.com.au The sites for real estate are realestate.com.au and domain.com.au I would suggest looking at Brisbane, Cairns, Newcastle. Brisbane is the best for job prospects as it's the biggest city. Personally I would choose Newcastle rather than anywhere in Queensland because I can't handle heat and humidity, but it sounds like you're looking for a hot climate so further north might suit you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi. Thanks, for all that. Maybe I'll start looking at job salaries in different areas first then as I'm sure that will hugely impact the areas we can afford to live in/around. Can anyone help out with the main job sites you use out there, along with main house buying/rental sites?? I should be fine doing the process without an agent, I run my own carpentry business, lots of planning and paperwork involved in that, so I'm certainly going to give it a go. If you have any advice on living areas that i could research that i possibly havent thought of or heard of then that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again wayne The main job site is http://www.seek.com.au and for houses try http://www.domain.com.au Australia is a big place as you know and without knowing what you like to do and what climate you prefer it is a bit random to throw out places to research. Anyway being random, I will throw out where I would go if I were in an occupation that enabled me to work anywhere - which as a carpenter you probably are. So I would stick to the east coast because it is easier to access the rest of the country from there for holidays and exploration. I would rule out Sydney because housing is too expensive and I would probably rule out the tropical climate of the far north. I personally just dislike Melbourne. So I guess I would narrow it down to the coastal areas of the north of NSW or the southern part of Queensland. So places like Newcastle or Port Stephens in NSW or anywhere from Gold Coast through Brisbane and up to Sunshine Coast in Queensland. That just me though. But to be honest, I would be tempted to say park this for now and focus on the visa application particularly if you are going to be doing this yourself. Trades skills assessments can be quite hard so you need to focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundalski Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi Perfect thanks for all that info both! OK I've got a lot to get on with now lol! Yes hotter climate would be more ideal for us but as people have said, the climate will be so much better thanow what we are used to in Wales lol. (Rain rain, cold, fog, more rain) that's our summer too lol. With regards to pointimg in the right direction for visa , Would you have any advice on the best route to take. Me skilled worked Wife BA degree 2 small boys under 3 Many thanks for all your help so far!! Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi Perfect thanks for all that info both! OK I've got a lot to get on with now lol! Yes hotter climate would be more ideal for us but as people have said, the climate will be so much better thanow what we are used to in Wales lol. (Rain rain, cold, fog, more rain) that's our summer too lol. With regards to pointimg in the right direction for visa , Would you have any advice on the best route to take. Me skilled worked Wife BA degree 2 small boys under 3 Many thanks for all your help so far!! Wayne Pretty much all of Australia is hot. It is a hot country, it is probably the humidity that differentiates between places more than heat itself. And most parts of Australia will have higher rainfall that Wales! I was actually depressed by the constant rain when I first moved over although it was a particularly bad year. Overall I do prefer the Australian climate because of the milderwinter, but I find the UK climate more comfortable to live in and some people will prefer the UK climate. A degree is not sufficient to secure a visa unless it is in engineering or accountancy and then it might be so I suspect that only you will qualify. Look up the 189 visa as your first step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaty Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi W Russell. Many thanks for you response, although it seems a difficult and complicated process I'm trying to keep the costs down and do things myself if I can. I'm a bit worried that using an agent will cost us too much in the long run. Appreciate your help though Thanks wayne We're not using any agent. It's not Rocket Science, just take your time, read everything thoroughly and tick all those boxes! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 It may not be rocket science but it's easy to make a mistake and if you do, it's an expensive mistake as you don't get your visa fees backs if you get a refusal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.