Lauren Close Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Hi, My husband & I are looking to move to Australia with our two children 4 & almost 2. My husband’s a qualified electrician but is also a regional facilities manager at the minute and I am an administrator/contract support. We have looked into each area and are quite keen to try and set up a life in Brisbane. We like the idea of being close to the Gold Coast but also being near the city. Would you all say this would be a good choice for raising a family in Oz or would other areas be better? What sort of areas outside Brisbane would be a good start to look at for trying to pinpoint an area we would like to look into? How many months would it take whilst renting to build up a credit score to be considered for things like a mortgage and car etc? also does anyone know if when you are granted a visa you then need to leave and enter the country within a certain timescale or can you stay in the UK for as long as you need? any advice on locations, jobs, houses, life in general with two small kids and moving would be excellent Lauren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 People raise kids all over the country, so anywhere you settle will be fine for the kids. The bigger issue is what do you want as a family. If you want fine dining, great nightlife and loads of culture them its city centre Sydney or Melbourne if you want beach then anywhere near the coast If you want to experience what Sydney was like 50 years ago go to Brisbane (that's not an insult to either city, just a reflection on how much more cosmopolitam and built up Sydney is now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 (edited) 9 hours ago, Lauren Close said: Hi, My husband & I are looking to move to Australia with our two children 4 & almost 2. My husband’s a qualified electrician but is also a regional facilities manager at the minute and I am an administrator/contract support. We have looked into each area and are quite keen to try and set up a life in Brisbane. We like the idea of being close to the Gold Coast but also being near the city. Would you all say this would be a good choice for raising a family in Oz or would other areas be better? What sort of areas outside Brisbane would be a good start to look at for trying to pinpoint an area we would like to look into? If I posted on a UK forum and said, "we're coming ot the UK and we're liking the idea of moving to Manchester. Is that a good area to bring up kids?", what would you say? It's very difficult for us to tell you what would suit, because we know nothing about your preferences. For instance, some people love London, so they're likely to love Sydney. Other people would hate to live in London and they'd hate Sydney for the same reasons. Where are you living now and what kind of lifestyle do you like? The Gold Coast wouldn't be my pick because although there are great beaches, a lot of it is too tourist-y or me. I also can't handle humidity so I find the height of summer really uncomfortable there, but not everyone finds that a problem. The winters in Queensland are just beautiful if you can handle the summers. With a young family and a liking for the beach, I'd be avoiding all the capital cities and aiming for Newcastle in NSW. Booming city, gorgeous beach right next to the city centre, on the doorstep of the wineries and good job prospects, with reasonable house prices - and two hours from the "big smoke" of Sydney. Edited June 30, 2020 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 9 hours ago, Lauren Close said: How many months would it take whilst renting to build up a credit score to be considered for things like a mortgage and car etc? also does anyone know if when you are granted a visa you then need to leave and enter the country within a certain timescale or can you stay in the UK for as long as you need? Credit scores don't rule your life in Australia the way they do in the UK. You'll be able to get a mortgage once you've got a secure job and enough for a deposit. I would strongly advise against getting a car on a lease or hire purchase. If you have to go back to the UK before the end of the contract, you'll be stuck with a car you can't sell and a big debt to pay off. Much safer to buy a second-hand car at first, until you're sure you'll be staying for the long haul. (and yes, I know you won't migrate unless you're sure it's what you want, but everyone feels like that when they fly in - and you'd be surprised how many of them head home after a year or two, usually because homesickness hits them hard or their family needs them). Once you get the visa, you'll have about twelve months to activate the visa. All you need do is for all of you to arrive in Australia and go through Immigration, then you can leave again. After that, you have almost five years to make the permanent move. The bigger question is whether you can get a visa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Close Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 Thanks Marisa for your advice and info! It did cross my mind similar to what you mentioned about the peak Summer in Brisbane being too humid and hot! We currently stay in Scotland just outside Glasgow kind of between Glasgow & Edinburgh actually! We enjoy eating out as a family, going to parks and safari’s etc with the kids on the weekend etc...shopping, cinema that type of thing. I think the big thing for us would just having that opportunity to take the kids to the beach or come home from work and have dinner outside together and plenty of opportunities for them growing up. Thats interesting about credit scores and mortgages you’re right it does have a huge impact in the UK i didn’t know it wasn’t as big a thing over in Oz. i’ll have a look at Newcastle and NSW too we are hoping to either apply for the 189 visa but we have also enquired about staying with our company and having a move to Australia if possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Lauren Close said: I think the big thing for us would just having that opportunity to take the kids to the beach or come home from work and have dinner outside together and plenty of opportunities for them growing up. Again this is just me, but as a Scot myself, one of the problems with Queensland is that it gets dark so early. Even at the height of summer, sunset is about 8 pm. So heading to the beach after work isn't as practical as you might think! Of course, you have the whole weekend to play with. However, I prefer further south in NSW where the evenings are that little bit longer, but the weather is still warm. We're in Melbourne now, where the summer evenings are a decent length, but of course the weather isn't your typical Aussie weather! I prefer it because I'm not good in hot weather. As for opportunities - I'm in two minds whether living in Australia will give them better opportunities. You may be surprised to hear that before Covid, unemployment in Australia was about the same as in the UK. There may be less competition for jobs but there are also fewer jobs because it's such a small population. Edited July 1, 2020 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade&Dan Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi I'm also moving with 2 young children and looking at the gold coast but unfortunately I atm we only have enough points for 190 NSW state sponsored visa. I found 2 nice areas in north gold coast and about 40 mins drive from Brisbane, Helensvale and Pacific Pines. Schools look good and lots to do for young familys. Now I'm looking at Newcastle in NSW which has been reccomend so many times so would reccomend looking there if you have to go for a NSW state sponsored visas. My husband is a floor and wall tiler and it is no longer on the skill shortage list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Close Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi Jade, what visa is that one? We were looking at the 189 skilled workers visa but also know it we could stay within the same company and there be a potential opening in Australia we could do the 186 visa if there was a job offer. Have you submitted your expression of interest/ applied for your visa? I tried to message you directly rather than on the thread it would he good to speak to someone in a similar boat with the kids and things but I couldn’t work out how Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 10 minutes ago, Lauren Close said: We were looking at the 189 skilled workers visa but also know it we could stay within the same company and there be a potential opening in Australia we could do the 186 visa if there was a job offer. Have you submitted your expression of interest/ applied for your visa? I tried to message you directly rather than on the thread it would he good to speak to someone in a similar boat with the kids and things but I couldn’t work out how The 189 is very difficult to get. However if you get a visa through an employer, it's more likely to be a temporary one, that only gets you 2 or 4 years. There is a "direct entry" 186 visa but it takes several months to process, and not many employers are willing to wait that long. If you're up for an adventure, you could go for the temp visa and then look into getting a permanent visa once you're in Australia. However, there's quite a high risk that you won't be able to get one, so you'd have to be sure you can afford the cost and upheaval of moving countries just for a few years. The quickest way to find out what visas you could get is to book a meeting or call with a migration agent. The good ones will give you the first consultation free, so it's not going to cost you anything. Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matilda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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