I've decided to pack it all in the UK and head for a new life in Australia, so thought I would post on here and get some tips from the many expats that have already done this!

First of all I'm heading over on a working visa but with any luck I'm hoping to get sponsored by a company once i start work. Has anyone else done this, and is it hard to changeover to a 457 visa?

Next question is bank accounts! which bank is best for an expat so that i can open an account??

driving....how does this work with insurance, rego etc?

tax from wages. do we get taxed more or less than locals? also i think i've read or maybe dreamt i read that if you get sponsored by a company you get a tax exemption to a certain degree???

if there is anything else you think i should be prepared for then please feel free to add it to the list!!!

thanks

Stu

No one seems to be offering you anything so I will start. Banks has been discussed a million times and everyone will say something different but for what its worth I opened an account with Westpac from the UK and they have been excellent.

As for tax, on a WHV I am led to believe that at the end of the tax year you may apply for a rebate but an accountant here would advise and sort it.

Sponsor....I reckon everyone wants one so good luck with finding yourself one.

Best thing to do is turn up with as much money as you can and have fun and see where it takes you.

Best of luck.

We opened an account with Commonwealth Bank in the UK before we arrived.

Try using the search facility too. The advanced search is much better for narrowing things down.

Good luck & have fun!

NAB - No monthly fees on bank accounts from next month, better interest rates than the others and more branches. Easy choice at the moment.

thanks for the info on banks is it not better to open the account when you arrive...i have something from my past i was hoping to forget about, so thinking that if i open an account while still in the UK they might see this?!

any input on the other questions too??

thanks

Great to see someone going for it.

I can clearly remember being this excited about moving to Aus a long long while back. (circa 1980)

Read as much of these forums as possible.

Try and imagine yourself 3-4 years time in Aus.... Not many people do this.

Best of luck and good wishes.

.

Thanks Ozzie....that's what i'm aiming for!

Be very careful about banking on a 457 visa. First immigration are now being tight on awarding them, second, most companies are avoiding them - it will very much depend on hat you do and at what level. Even doctors are strugling to get them. Lastly, remember the down sides of the 457. You would have used up your working holiday visa, so if youlost your job then you would have 28 days to find another sponser or leave the country. Finding another sponser in 28 days is not easy. I know i am on a 457 and was suddenly faced with redundancy. I was lucky, but wouldnt want to go through it again.

well that wouldn't be good!

i do understand i'm taking some big risks, but the bigger the gamble the bigger the reward.

in the event that i did get a 457 visa does that automatically void my working holiday visa? also how long do you have to be in the country before you can be class as a resident?

thanks

I came over on working visa then applied for perm once here, the only thing you should know is you can only work for a company for 3 months at a time, technically, although some bend the rules

veichle wise you dont need any insurance to drive here, as the goverment gives you a basic one, but its good to take one out anyway

you can apply for a tax file number which you will need to work here. regarding tax its not like in the uk, each year you will have to submit a tax return and claim some back, everyone does

as for aus bank accounts you can set one up through the HSBC, i did this at a high street branch and still use it now as it is far cheaper to use than the aus ones that charge high fees.

Good luck, your on the first step of a great adventure

You have to have a residency visa!
How soon your sponsor would support your residency application is variable & some employers can be quite difficult from what I have heard.

Dave when you say applied for a permanent visa once you were in oz...did you do this through an employer or just on your own? plus what qualifications do you have, which may have help with their decision?

thanks

To the OP: Have you checked out the immi website at all?

hi sally

yes i have been on the immi site but i think it's better to get the opinions of people who have already done what i'm aiming for.

thanks

Then just be aware that you may be given information that is out of date & inaccurate & biased by others opinions!

Good luck