Well folks it's decision time..Do it?

[Leighbee98]

So folks it seems it is now time for us to really make this decision.. Are we going for it or not?

We have heard back from 1 of the Migration Agents (we contacted three one is pending reply and the other we still need to provide more details to) and it would seem we have a couple of options.

I wont go in to all that just yet as we would like to hear back from all three first.. but we seem to have the ability for either of us to be the lead applicant under either a 189 or 190 (and I could also have the option of a 489)

As Wifey is an accountant we either need her to be the main applicant (high points) or I need her 5 points as partner skills as im lower in points as an IT bod. And with accountants there is the possibility we would loose her position from the list thus couldn't use her as the main or claim the desperate 5 points i need. (Thats my understanding)

So we need to commit and get started with skills assessments and English tests in either case.

So decision time. Do it? or not?  We haven't yet been to Oz and try telling an accountant to "take a punt"!!!! 

 

What do you think?  Did you give up a lot in the UK not knowing what would happen? did it turn out ok? no regrets?

[CeltInCaulfield]

Wouldn't go back to Blighty if you paid me.

Better quality of nutter over here.  Not quite so economically suicidal.

[Guest]

Depends on the type of people you are and why you want to make a move like this. 

If its for an adventure, experience a new country and lifestyle and you can afford it, why not. The worst that will happen is you'll find Australia (or the part of it you settle in, its a vast place and you can't write the entire country off based on living in one place IMHO) isn't for you and you prefer the UK or want to try somewhere else. You'll of course be a fair bit of change lighter for it.

If you are migrating because you are worried the UK is going to crap and all that, I'd rethink and perhaps look elsewhere in the world to see if there is a band aid closer to the UK that will help you perhaps figure things out. Canada perhaps, somewhere in Europe for a few years with an international company, that sort of thing. 

If you are leaving the UK on good terms and are happy living there, IMHO it can make a difference to migrating over those who are disillusioned with the country and want out. Or those seeking a 'better life' over what they have there. Australia isn't going to magically fix all the problems and woes in your life, in fact, migrating is going to add to some areas of it. Its tough going and not always swapping like for like in terms of home, job or lifestyle. It can take time to find your feet, adapt and find your place and be happy in it. 

Personally, we have no regrets. Love where we live, happy as anything.  We were happy in the UK, happy here. I'm the Brit, husband is an Aussie and he did 8 or so years in the UK with me so experienced both. Its coming up 5 years here in Aus now and no desire to return to the UK to live. If we do decide to move on it'll be to somewhere else in Australia perhaps or elsewhere in the world. UK is fine, has plus points but its not the be all and end all for us. We both lived in other countries outside of the UK and Aus and know we can be happy elsewhere also. More to life than returning there IMHO. 

[Skani]

12 minutes ago, Leighbee98 said:

What do you think?  Did you give up a lot in the UK not knowing what would happen? did it turn out ok? no regrets?

It turns out ok for some people....and not ok for others.  It's impossible to predict which camp you will be in.  I'd be very nervous about migrating without visiting first.  But even that has worked out well for some.

[Marisawright]

It's impossible for any of us to say whether you should do it or not.  It's a very personal thing.

For every Pom on these forums who is happily settled in Australia (like me), there is one who deeply regretted their move and is grateful to be back home again in the UK, several thousand pounds poorer of course, but lesson learned.

We don't know what your motives are for wanting to move, or where you're planning to move to, or how rich you are - so we have no idea whether your expectations are realistic or not. 

Australian capital cities do not have a more laidback lifestyle than the UK.   Australians work longer hours than many other nations.  Official working hours are 8.30 to 5.30 but if you work in a big corporation, those hours mean nothing!  Especially in Sydney, the working week can be much longer than that.   

Where the difference comes is in the things you can do in your free time - BUT that depends where you live and how rich you are.  The average person in Sydney lives a long way from a beach.   You may look forward to warmer weather but you may find you hate the sticky, humid summers where the sweat is dripping off your nose and your shirt is sticking to your back on your commute to work.  Or maybe you're the kind of person who loves the heat, but you choose Melbourne and end up wondering where the nice weather is.  

I think, if you are both professionals and you have some money behind you, that you should come for a visit   Usually I advise the opposite, but usually I'm replying to someone with a family, on a tight budget, who are going to need every penny to make the big move.  Just try to remember that you're on a research visit, not a holiday - because if you treat it as a holiday, you'll get no idea of what it's like to actually live here.  

Edited April 20, 2018 by Marisawright

[CeltInCaulfield]

To reflect on what a couple of the other guys have said, do remember that most of the expats who post on here after migrating out won't be in the "We Hate Australia" camp.  I mean, there are a couple of them that float around, but by and large you'll find users are generally pragmatic and realistic or head over heels in love with Oz.

We have some major problems here that need dealing with.  For example, I had to wait seven minutes for my flat white at the Arbory last Saturday morning over breakfast...

[J-J]

I would agree with a lot of posts on here Oz has its pros and cons. Personally I love the place and can't wait to move but there will be a lot of this I will miss (Like a £40 flight to Spain, a £2.75 pint of beer, probably a cold Christmas although i haven't had a hot one yet).

It all depends on your personal situation for us it's the right time to go and we want a change. 

[Leighbee98]

7 minutes ago, J-J said:

I would agree with a lot of posts on here Oz has its pros and cons. Personally I love the place and can't wait to move but there will be a lot of this I will miss (Like a £40 flight to Spain, a £2.75 pint of beer, probably a cold Christmas although i haven't had a hot one yet).

It all depends on your personal situation for us it's the right time to go and we want a change. 

Is it bad but personally I just like a change and a new challenge, experience new things and meet new people. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Im sure i would miss things from time to time, but its about filling those gaps with new things i love (somone said Singapore for $129 each way...  apart from the beer cost in singa eeek)

[CeltInCaulfield]

After you get used to buying drinks in Australia, you won't worry about Singaporean prices 

[Leighbee98]

36 minutes ago, CeltInCaulfield said:

After you get used to buying drinks in Australia, you won't worry about Singaporean prices 

I best brew me own then the rate i get through it!! 

[J-J]

8 minutes ago, Leighbee98 said:

I best brew me own then the rate i get through it!! 

Also if you are a smoker you soon won't be if you do move........ 

[Leighbee98]

3 minutes ago, J-J said:

Also if you are a smoker you soon won't be if you do move........ 

Luckily no smoking for me....  too tight to spend all that on smoke... bbq smoke now thats a different matter!!!!

[CeltInCaulfield]

Redgum won't cost you too much.  About $300 a tonne.

[Leighbee98]

6 minutes ago, CeltInCaulfield said:

Redgum won't cost you too much.  About $300 a tonne.

I usually google terms im not familiar with.... Redgum... and music band?

[CeltInCaulfield]

Redgum - hardwood.  Bloody gorgeous burner, lovely smell, and needs a lot of heat to get going.

And that's the price for the weight.  Don't fret - most good companies will deliver!

[Guest]

If someone said, sorry you're  not able to make the move, would you be really really disappointed/devastated? There's your answer.

I have many accountant friends (have been involved in finance for years) and yes, not many of them take a 'punt' Many of them however take jobs around the world, some have moved back to the UK, others won't leave their new countries and others will move on.

Do your research, populate that spreadsheet, give yourself a safety net, and then another. Double costs. Look at the negatives. Think about positives.

If you can, go for it.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Guest

[LKC]

As others have said, to an extent it depends on why you want to move.  I've always felt that if you are running away from things, they will probably catch up with you, and if you want to move because it will change who you are and how you live, it probably won't.  I've seen many people talk about wanting to move for a 'better lifestyle' or whatever, without ever really defining what that is.  If you are an outdoorsy family in the UK, you will likely be in Australia.  If you work long hours in the UK, you likely will in Australia.  You need to be realistic.  The mundane things in life still have to be done wherever you live in the world.  Migrating is hard.  Physically, emotionally, financially hard, and you have to be ready for that.  If it doesn't work out, then moving back can be hard too, particularly if you haven't left a safety net of cash to be able to do it.  You need to talk about what happens if one of you likes it and the other doesn't.  If you have kids (you don't say in this post and I can't remember from your others) it can be much more difficult and complicated if things don't work out.

That said, if you want to do it for the adventure of living in a foreign country, why not give it a go?  We went for the adventure, and what an adventure we had!  Our kids were little when we decided to do it (1 and 2) so they were easily portable, OH was offered a job opportunity with sponsorship (for a temporary visa initially and PR after), and we'd always wanted to try living in another country.  We had an itch we just had to scratch, so we did it!  We had a glorious almost nine years in Sydney, and I don't regret our time out there one bit!  We came back in the end for lots of little reasons which just tipped the scales in favour of the UK, but when we moved back we moved to an area we'd not lived in before (Scotland) for another adventure.  We now live in the middle of a farm and couldn't be happier!  However, we were financially very secure, and OH, the kids and I have quite a tight unit bond, if that makes sense, and have always been good at talking through problems and decisions.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.  You might love it, you might hate it, you probably won't know until you do it.  And remember, nothing has to be forever. As a friend said to me when we were umming and ahhing about whether to move back to the UK and where to go if we did 'You are not a tree.  You don't have to stay where you are,.  You can pull up your roots and move whenever you want.  And if you don't like where you move to, pull them up and move again'.  Good advice I think.

[VERYSTORMY]

It comes down to what you think it will offer. That and how much you can afford. 

You are moving from one first world country to another with pretty similar pluses and minuses. Many seem to think they will have loads of time laying on a beach without understanding that people in Oz generally work longer hours with less holidays. People think, ah, but the sun, without understanding that it can get so hot you end up hiding in air con or can be severe in other aspects - we had near misses of bush fire more than once. Then, depending on state, others, such as cyclone.

For us, we were a bit different, as Oz wasn't even on the top 100 places we wanted to visit, not that we had anything against it, we just hadn't even thought about it as there are so many places we wanted to see and experience. Then, I was made a job offer and thought why not. We left after eight years thinking nice enough place but a bit "meh" 

Do not underestimate the financial impact if you find yourselves coming back. It is huge, particularly when older. Not so big a deal for someone in their twenties, but it gets much bigger the older you get. 

If you can afford it and want an adventure, then why not. But do factor in the what's if of being a fairly large percent who end up returning. 

[LKC]

1 hour ago, VERYSTORMY said:

It comes down to what you think it will offer. That and how much you can afford. 

You are moving from one first world country to another with pretty similar pluses and minuses. Many seem to think they will have loads of time laying on a beach without understanding that people in Oz generally work longer hours with less holidays. People think, ah, but the sun, without understanding that it can get so hot you end up hiding in air con or can be severe in other aspects - we had near misses of bush fire more than once. Then, depending on state, others, such as cyclone.

For us, we were a bit different, as Oz wasn't even on the top 100 places we wanted to visit, not that we had anything against it, we just hadn't even thought about it as there are so many places we wanted to see and experience. Then, I was made a job offer and thought why not. We left after eight years thinking nice enough place but a bit "meh" 

Do not underestimate the financial impact if you find yourselves coming back. It is huge, particularly when older. Not so big a deal for someone in their twenties, but it gets much bigger the older you get. 

If you can afford it and want an adventure, then why not. But do factor in the what's if of being a fairly large percent who end up returning. 

Completely agree with VS here.  You would be moving from one first world country to another, and there are pluses and minuses to both.  We enjoyed living there, but we enjoy living in Scotland too, which probably says more about us as a family than either Australia or Scotland.  Money is a consideration, it is very expensive to set up in a new country, and it is very expensive to move back to the old country.  Of course it can be done on a budget, but relationships often become strained when finances are under pressure.

As VS suggests, always factor in the what if's, because it is those that can come as a surprise and send things off the rails.

[Parley]

14 minutes ago, LKC said:

Completely agree with VS here.  You would be moving from one first world country to another, and there are pluses and minuses to both.  We enjoyed living there, but we enjoy living in Scotland too, which probably says more about us as a family than either Australia or Scotland.  Money is a consideration, it is very expensive to set up in a new country, and it is very expensive to move back to the old country.  Of course it can be done on a budget, but relationships often become strained when finances are under pressure.

As VS suggests, always factor in the what if's, because it is those that can come as a surprise and send things off the rails.

I thought you made a fortune in Australia.

Didn't you say your house doubled in value in a fairly short time ?

[LKC]

9 minutes ago, Parley said:

I thought you made a fortune in Australia.

Didn't you say your house doubled in value in a fairly short time ?

Yes it almost did (bought for $835k, sold for $1.52mil after eight years), which is why I mentioned in my first post that WE were very financially secure.  I was pointing out the expense to others who may not be in the very fortunate position that we were.  I said that money is a consideration (meaning generally), and would always recommend that people have a contingency fund in place.  OH and I have been in situations in our marriage where money has been very tight and it can be stressful, so we are very careful with money.  I don't think there is anything wrong in pointing out that migration and repatriation is expensive.  A pound is a pound, and if money is tight each pound spent has a greater impact.

[Parley]

21 minutes ago, LKC said:

Yes it almost did (bought for $835k, sold for $1.52mil after eight years), which is why I mentioned in my first post that WE were very financially secure.  I was pointing out the expense to others who may not be in the very fortunate position that we were.  I said that money is a consideration (meaning generally), and would always recommend that people have a contingency fund in place.  OH and I have been in situations in our marriage where money has been very tight and it can be stressful, so we are very careful with money.  I don't think there is anything wrong in pointing out that migration and repatriation is expensive.  A pound is a pound, and if money is tight each pound spent has a greater impact.

You did very well.

I expect you are a lot better off now financially because you did move to Australia. 

There is luck and timing involved of course with house prices and exchange rates. No one can assume someone doing it now would be so lucky.

You were very wise moving to Sydney rather than Perth as so many seem to make the mistake of doing.

[LKC]

1 minute ago, Parley said:

You did very well.

I expect you are a lot better off now financially because you did move to Australia. 

There is luck and timing involved of course with house prices and exchange rates. No one can assume someone doing it now would be so lucky.

You were very wise moving to Sydney rather than Perth as so many seem to make the mistake of doing.

We are definitely better off financially, but we appreciate that it's more due to luck than anything.  We lost quite a bit of money when selling our UK house when we moved over to Australia, due to the GFC, but luckily we invested wisely in Australia and made it back up and more.  I would advise caution these days, which is why I tend to set the tone of my posts to negative.  I love Australia dearly, and we had a great time there (and will probably go back for holidays at some point), but I am aware that things are quite different there now to when we moved over in 2009.

[Quoll]

If it’s just the two of you and you can afford to gamble around £50k on an adventure then why not? If you aren’t prepared to lose that much money or you have kids who are attached to extended family and doing well where they are and you’re living in a house you love then don’t bother!

For the most part (ie the bits that migrants tend to frequent) you could be anywhere in any first world country and notice only the most peripheral of differences like the car parking spaces are bigger and the coffee is stronger (and getting cream to go with it is a nightmare) and the cappuccinos are Luke warm. Having just driven 10 hours down through country NSW and Victoria and on our way back, driving even longer through places that are struggling out in the a**e end of nowhere, that’s where you’re going to see the quintessential Australia. But whether any migrant in their right mind would fancy Clunes or Corryong (or any of the other thousands of small hamlets) is another point altogether (I wouldn’t! Canberra is about as good as it gets for me, albeit too PC and rather too expensive). The DH and I (he’s an Aussie) have quite a different perspective on the bush - even just driving through sq miles of bugger all yesterday, I was almost at wrist slitting he was relishing the bush, the scenery, the smells. However, out here in nowhere NSW, the motel we are at actually had Benedictine on its liqueur shelf so maybe not all is lost!

Simple  answer for you though - who knows whether you’ll love it or loathe it!

[Marisawright]

TBH I often wonder why people still migrate to Australia at all nowadays.   I like living here - but when I came to Australia (thirty years ago)  it was a no-brainer.   The job opportunities were much much better than the UK, the housing was cheaper, the economy was booming,  the whole country had a can-do attitude that was very refreshing.

Nowadays, the job opportunities are the same or worse than the UK in most places. The housing is more expensive and the economy is on a downward trend.  There's no financial advantage in coming to Australia any more.  So why do people keep coming?   It's not really that much of an adventure - would you call moving to Ireland an adventure?  The only real difference is the distance, you're still moving to another English-speaking country with very similar roots and history.  It's not like you're moving to the wilds of Africa.  

Edited April 20, 2018 by Marisawright