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Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Old Jun 29th 2015, 12:36 pm
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Default Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Hi

Firstly, apologise for the vagueness of the post, but my partner and I have been discussing the possibility of making a break from the UK to pastures new for ourselves and our 2yo.

Australia is one of the countries on our current shortlist, as an English speaking country, but there are lots of things to take into consideration and I wondered if you could offer some advice:

1) Locations - we have a 2yo and all enjoy walking, countryside and visiting sites of local interest. We would need somewhere with good schooling options, somewhere in a safe neighbourhood with local parks and shops. Budget wise - I'm not sure, my husband is a programmer and I have an administrative background.

2) I'm interested in your experiences of integrating a toddler into a different country's education system. Our daughter currently attends nursery and is fairly adaptable to new situations.

3) What are the average property prices for a 3 bed house with parking and garden (I realise that is dependent on 1 above)
- rental initially, I would imagine

4) Moving costs? We are planning to use the smallest possible container option for essentials (clothes, toys, electrical items and a select few items of furniture, the rest we are planning to sell)

5) How much would you recommend as a 'float' to have available after the move? We would obviously be looking for work as soon as we could, my partner probably sooner than myself so that I can help our daughter adjust and settle into childcare.

I think that's everything for now - as this is something that we are looking at for a couple of years time.

Thanks for your help :-)
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Old Jun 29th 2015, 1:53 pm
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by purpleangel
Hi

Firstly, apologise for the vagueness of the post, but my partner and I have been discussing the possibility of making a break from the UK to pastures new for ourselves and our 2yo.

Australia is one of the countries on our current shortlist, as an English speaking country, but there are lots of things to take into consideration and I wondered if you could offer some advice:

1) Locations - we have a 2yo and all enjoy walking, countryside and visiting sites of local interest. We would need somewhere with good schooling options, somewhere in a safe neighbourhood with local parks and shops. Budget wise - I'm not sure, my husband is a programmer and I have an administrative background.

2) I'm interested in your experiences of integrating a toddler into a different country's education system. Our daughter currently attends nursery and is fairly adaptable to new situations.

3) What are the average property prices for a 3 bed house with parking and garden (I realise that is dependent on 1 above)
- rental initially, I would imagine

4) Moving costs? We are planning to use the smallest possible container option for essentials (clothes, toys, electrical items and a select few items of furniture, the rest we are planning to sell)

5) How much would you recommend as a 'float' to have available after the move? We would obviously be looking for work as soon as we could, my partner probably sooner than myself so that I can help our daughter adjust and settle into childcare.

I think that's everything for now - as this is something that we are looking at for a couple of years time.

Thanks for your help :-)
Welcome to BE

The first place to start is Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection I suspect your husband would need to be the main applicant, even then from what you have posted I can't be sure he would qualify for a visa.
Make sure you will qualify for visas first
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Old Jun 29th 2015, 10:50 pm
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by Pollyana
Welcome to BE
I suspect your husband would need to be the main applicant
As a woman and successful skilled migration applicant I didn't appreciate this comment at all.
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Old Jun 29th 2015, 10:51 pm
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

The first and foremost is the visa to see if you qualify.

Some general advice.

1 Australia is a huge continent - bigger than the whole of Europe. So, before you look at individual suburbs, you need to decide at least which state. They are all very different. For example, QLD is tropical to sub tropical. While Tas is closer to the UK climate. Even then, you need to remember each state is enormous. I live in WA and going to work is the commute as London to Athens.

2. Don't have children, but I imagine a 2 year old isn't going to know any difference.

3. Varies dramatically by state and city. For example, Sydney is close to $1 million. Some cities a fraction.

4! Visa costs, medicals, flights and move costs isn't going to see much change from $30k minimum.

5. You need at least money to last you for at least 3 months after arriving. Ideally 6 months. That means enough to pay all day to day costs such as rent, utility bills food travel and everything. Also enough to buy a car.

This is an expensive process.
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Old Jun 29th 2015, 11:20 pm
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by msmyrtle
As a woman and successful skilled migration applicant I didn't appreciate this comment at all.

my husband is a programmer and I have an administrative background.
She says her husband is a programmer, that tends to indicate he would probably need to be the main applicant. If an administrative background makes her a better applicant, then so be it, but on the small amount she has written there programmer seems the most likely. Had she been the programmer I still would have said the programmer was the more likely to be the main applicant - the sex is irrelevant, I was referring to the skill.
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Old Jun 30th 2015, 12:17 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

OK, I see you have been splurging across the Canada, NZ and Australia forums - so I'll assume English speaking countries are in your sights. But not the US it seems.

I'd tend to suggest you are looking at things from the wrong viewpoint, at least at this stage. Questions that could help you narrow things down include
  • Do you want warm weather, or cold weather, or somewhere similar to whatever part of the UK you are from? Obvious Canada is going to be colder than the UK (trending to bloody cold in places). NZ is comparable to the UK, and Australia, being a continent, goes from similar to the UK, through, 'south of france', to tropical.
  • You say you like walking and outdoors life. Most of the alternatives to the UK are going to have more of this than the UK, but it depends on what type of countryside etc. Obviously what weather you are looking for drives the countryside thing, but in the end I'd suggest this is unlikely to be a big determinate - they all have countryside up the wazzo.
  • Safety. I'd tend to say, once again, that you're unlikely to have a big problem with safety anywhere. Obviously there are bad spots in all countries; the answer is just not to live in them! Generally, not an issue.
  • I'd suggest that culture and entertainment might be a bigger determinate. By virtue of being a crowded country, the UK tends to have something happening wherever you are (even in the north!). In Australia, Canada or NZ this is less certain and you are more likely to need to be near a big city to access them. If you like going to gigs, etc. you are looking at Sydney or Melbourne in Australia; similar in Canada. NZ gets bugger all. Of course if you aren't really one for having stuff happening, you get to pick other locations.
  • Housing is a bugbear is Australia, with some frankly silly prices going for some houses (eg $1m+). It's connected with the above. Some areas are sort after because they are in the heart of the action and thus people want to live there (aussies cluster around city centres like moths to a flame). It's like London in that regard - people living in Chelsea because it's up market and closer to the action. However, if you move a bit out from those areas, the price tends to moderate some - still in need of a correction - but achievable. In particular the standard tends to be different - the detached 4 bed as opposed to the semi-detached 3 bed. To give you a rough idea, I wound up my friend, who had just bought an 88sq metre 3 bed shoebox on the south coast by telling him the same money here would have bought a 230 sq metre 4 bed a stone's throw from where I am (which is still only 30mins from the centre of the city).
  • Kids, particularly very young kids, will fit in without issue.
  • Moving costs isn't a player till you know you can get a visa. Just assume you'll need more money than you think no matter where you go.
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Old Jun 30th 2015, 10:16 pm
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Smile Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by purpleangel
1) Locations - we have a 2yo and all enjoy walking, countryside and visiting sites of local interest. We would need somewhere with good schooling options, somewhere in a safe neighbourhood with local parks and shops.
The bigger the city, the more schooling options. There are plenty of safe neighbourhoods in the bigger cities but obviously property prices are higher in nicer neighbourhoods.

Originally Posted by purpleangel
2) I'm interested in your experiences of integrating a toddler into a different country's education system. Our daughter currently attends nursery and is fairly adaptable to new situations.
We came with twin 2-year olds. 2-year olds are completely adaptable. They are not really in the education system here until they are over 5 years old. Teenagers are harder.

Originally Posted by purpleangel
3) What are the average property prices for a 3 bed house with parking and garden (I realise that is dependent on 1 above)
- rental initially, I would imagine
I would allow between $500 and $1500 per week rental, between $500,000 and $1.5 million to buy. You need to narrow your city/state/area down a bit before we can be more specific.

Originally Posted by purpleangel
4) Moving costs? We are planning to use the smallest possible container option for essentials (clothes, toys, electrical items and a select few items of furniture, the rest we are planning to sell)
This is not a good idea. A full 20ft container costs around 4000 pounds, a 1/4 of a container around 2500 pounds. So you may as well bring everything you can fit into a 20ft container. It will cost you SIGNIFICANTLY more to replace everything. I would even consider buying new things in the UK to help fill the container (childrens clothes and shoes is one example) as they can be a lot more to buy here.

Originally Posted by purpleangel
5) How much would you recommend as a 'float' to have available after the move?
Depends how long you think you will be unemployed, but I would suggest around $20,000 to get set up, and then on top of that whatever you need to manage on a monthly basis until you replace your UK income. Don't underestimate one-off set up costs.

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Old Jul 1st 2015, 9:55 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Thanks everyone - very helpful :-)
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Old Jul 1st 2015, 10:19 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by purpleangel
Thanks everyone - very helpful :-)
Do you knwo whether either of you would qualify for a visa?
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Old Jul 1st 2015, 10:35 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

I think my husband mentioned that we would qualify for a NZ visa, and I think someone on another thread mentioned that this would cover us for Australia too?
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Old Jul 1st 2015, 10:52 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by purpleangel
I think my husband mentioned that we would qualify for a NZ visa, and I think someone on another thread mentioned that this would cover us for Australia too?
If you get New Zealand citizenship then you can move to Australia on a temporary basis but it won't give you the permanent right to live here. To live here permanently you would still have to qualify for an Australian visa itself.
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Old Jul 1st 2015, 9:05 pm
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

A New Zealand visa gives you no rights at all to come to Australia.

New Zealand citizenship (which you can apply for after living in New Zealand for 5 years ) allows you to live in Australia as a temporary resident.

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Old Jul 3rd 2015, 2:05 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

"Temporary" is rather misleading - there are plenty of NZ passport holders who have been living and working here for decades. There is no need for them to apply for or renew anything in terms of an Australian visa. Other than in terms of welfare entitlements, Kiwis in Aus enjoy pretty similar freedom of movement/work rights to EU citizens in other EU countries. In fact, the latter is arguably more "temporary" the way things are going...
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Old Jul 3rd 2015, 2:30 am
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Smile Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by DC10
"Temporary" is rather misleading - there are plenty of NZ passport holders who have been living and working here for decades.
Yes, although any who arrived in Aus before Feb 2001 and stayed have PR.

I was referring to their visa status. They may be able to stay in Australia indefinitely, but every time they return to NZ their visas are cancelled, they then have no visa for Australia at all, and they get given a new one when they return.

This doesn't happen to people with PR, and it's an important difference, quite apart from the day-to-day items.

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Old Jul 3rd 2015, 2:59 am
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Default Re: Looking for advice regarding a potential family move to Australia

Originally Posted by purpleangel
I think my husband mentioned that we would qualify for a NZ visa, and I think someone on another thread mentioned that this would cover us for Australia too?
This is not correct as has been written above.

Your husband may have felt you were eligible , however as written to you in the NZ thread, there is no certainly at all that you could gain NZ residency . Having an MA in an area of shortage means just that. I believe you would be looking at an NZ job offer to improve any application. I did link to the NZ points indicator and await your further response .

Please note that NZ citizenship takes 5 years .
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