LondonDan

Hi,

Me and my family are looking to come over to Australia for 6 months to see what it is like and hopefully move out there at a later date. Im 25, an electrician by trade, but now work in the distribution side of things (11Kv, overhead lines, Sub Stations etc) and currently live in West London. My partner is 24 and is currently a stay at home mum looking after our 5 month old baby girl. My partner however recently left a job where she was an account manager for a perfume company so would probably be looking for work in the same field.
We are both very excited at the idea of coming over to OZ but we have no idea of where to look to rent while we are over there. We would ideally like somewhere that is close to a big city like Sydney/ Melbourne, but not right in the thick of it. Somewhere along the gold coast would be good


Could anyone give a list of some places to look at which you think would persuade us to live there?

Thanks in advance,
Dan

DEEDEE01

Hi Dan,

Have you spoken to a migration agent about your plans at all ?

It may be worth asking a few questions as far as what visa you can apply under as there are many visas.

Donna.

DEEDEE01

Also, will it just be you that is working ? If, so, it may be worth looking away from the city for a place to live as the house prices can be quite pricey the closer you get.

Try looking on realestate.com.au this will give you ideas of house prices. Also, the job sites may be a good place to start, just to see whats about.

With you having a trade that is in demand, you probably won't struggle finding a job, athough the wages do vary.



Donna.

LondonDan

Thanks DEEDEE.

Spoke to someone over the phone last night from thinkingaustralia.com and she said that the best visa for me would be the skilled independant visa. That way my partner and child can comewith me on the same visa. Jobs would be no problem as she found about 300 jobs for my line of work which is good to know. I think we would probably go for somewhere in Melbourne, or between Melbourne and Sydney but I have no idea of which areas to check out.

Was surprised at how much it will cost to get a visa and medicals etc sorted out. Have thought about getting sponsored now, which would save a few quid.

Has many people on here been sponsored? If so, would I be tied in to them?

gazclaire

Hi Dan
from what i know as a plumber applying for a skilled independent visa the sponser route is too restricting compared to the S I V my costs for the application have been spread out a bit so it isn't one lump sum.
There is a immigration fair on in esher, surrey at the beginning of next month so it maybe worth getting some answers there as well as here.
If i can help any more just ask.
Gary

djamesburgess

Dan,
Good luck with the visa sponsorship.

As for places to live, please be aware this country is HUGE in comparison to the UK. You mention Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Spend as much time researching where you feel you would want to live before you come over for your 6 month recce.

All the cities have a different vibe about them and appeal to different people for differing reasons. Therefore, some of your own personal expectations need to be mapped to what type of lifestyle you are used to/expecting from potentially moving here.

There are a lot of discussions already posted on here about the pros/cons of most of the candidates. Read through as many opinions as you can to get a balanced viewpoint.

I live in Melbourne which, I think is great but I could also live in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth for different reasons. And believe me, they're a long way from each other!

All the best.

verystormy

From chatting to people on here I think you will struggle to find a sponser as a sparky. However, your partner is more the sort of role which might. I am going on a sponsered 457 visa. There are pros and cons. Mainly that if i lose my job i have 28 days to find another sponser, the plus is that they are paying all the immigration costs and part of the shipping costs as well as flights and things.
As for where you will live, if you go down the sponsered route then that will be dictated by where the company are based. We are off to Sydney, but would have been happy to have tried most places. Likewise if you go on a skilled visa you might need to think about what the commute times are likely to be. Dont forget not only is Oz a big country, but the cities are big. Imagine been at one edge of London and having to comute to the other side with no tube!
Good luck

moneypenny20

Ok, first off have a look in here which is the Electricians forum. It covers the world but there's a huge amount of help and advice for Aussie wannabies. Also here which is the immigration forum where you'll get all the visa help. There are a few agents (the cream of the crop) who post advice but it won't be totally specific, just explanation of DIAC rules. If you plan on getting an agent I suggest you use one of these guys and they are tried and tested and you know you're not going to be messed about.

Use this forum for advice on places to live - the search facility, if you type in the city, more stuff will come up than you can shake a stick at but feel free to ask as well. As someone said, the country is HUGE. The flying time between Melbourne and Sydney is over and hour and from Sydney to GC is an hour so whilst I understand you are still learning and exploring, you need to spend time working out which state you are more interested in - it's a nightmare We pinned our search down to climate mainly but other people need major bussle whilst others still need back of beyond.

Welcome and good luck.