msn81

Hey Claire, - sorry you're thread is getting hijacked into a discussion about the merits of an agent!

I've recently emigrated to Sydney, before I came for good I came to Oz on a WHV to get a feel for the country, investigate work, the people, the lifestyle and see if I would be getting something better than the UK.

This first trip was an eye opener, I originally planned to settle in QLD but swiftly changed my mind to NSW or VIC as QLD felt too remote for me. Brisbane just seemed like a big town and to get anywhere else took forever. I'm not from a big city in the UK (Bournemouth) but it really helped me decide where I wanted to live.

Between the WHV and migrating for good I returned to the UK to confirm I was making the right decision. My wife and I did the pros and cons comparison, the main factors on the cons were 1) being so far away from friends / family and 2) Not having Europe on our doorstep for weekend breaks / small holidays - Oz + surrounds doesn't really offer cultured weekends on a 1hr easyjet flight. We miss this.
The pros obviously won, being more bang for your buck, weather which both = higher standard of living.

My advice would be to come to Oz first to scout it out, confirm your doing the right thing and research all aspects of how much you can earn / afford out here, house prices, lifestyle etc. This forum is a good place for this but get second opinions, listen to the bad as well as the good.

Sorry I can't help much with the British Gas / 176 application process
Mark

rinkerdink

Merits of an agent is a pretty big decision Mark, it can mean a smooth process with no worry at a cost vs low cost, diy and wondering.

Great shout on the recce though, it may not be strictly necessary prior to visa issue depending on their situation regarding state sponsiorship or otherwise

angnfrank

Hi Claire, as mentioned earlier many apologies as I do feel responsible for the Highjacking of you 1st post and making it into a discussion about agents, so I am sorry about that

I hope you and your young family will go through the transition process smoothly and your dreams are met in Oz. It is a dunting prospect but hopefully worthwhile and I hope some of these 'old pros' (pardon the phrase) will be forthcoming with lots of advice re:Gas Engineer and best suiited locations for the trade.

Best Regards and Good Luck with everything
Angela

Smartinis

I agree about using an agent 100% as well, we wouldn't be here without ours I'm sure of that, we used Acacia, based in Sydney and Mark was nothing less than fantasitic. We would email questions when we got home from work, go to bed and by the time we got up we had the answers, also they were very happy to chat on the phone when we got nervous or needed that final reassurance.

Back to the original thread though, don't necessarily just base your choice of state on the weather. All states here have their good and bad as far as that is concerned. Melbourne is cold in the winter but nothing like the UK, but has very goog waether in summer with some really hot days of 35-40+, but you always get a cooler spell a day or too later 25-30, which is really nice. In Queensland (our eldest is at uni there) its a steady temperature all year more or less 25-30 ish but its very humid (100% in summer) which makes it feel even hotter and can make it uncomfortable to "live" outside and it gets dark early all year roun which I would find irritating but its what you get used to I suppose.

You'll find loads of people on here who rightly love Brisbane, Sydney, perth and Melbourne etc so look at each as a different entity and try and choose one that suits you, your work etc. For example many people love Perth, we visited last year and travelled down to Margaret River and thought it was beautiful, but I wouldn't want to live there as its so cut off from the rest of Australia, but those that live there often wouldn't choose anywhere else.

We live in Melbourne, and we love it here it suits us and although Sydney has its harbour (which I was blown away about!) I think Melbourne rightly has its "liveable" tag and it is slightly cheaper than Sydney, but then everything is relative as I'm sure salaries are probably slightly lower as well.

We have been here nearly 4 years now, so may be a bit out of touch with the economy in the Uk but don't think that your money's going to go a lot further here, it really doesn't seem to, not once your earning an Aussie salary. Our mortgage is much, much higher than we had in the UK, but then our house is also bigger, we have a pool and have put our kids into private education. (We came, hoping that they would go to state schools as in the UK but where we live very quickly decided because of our kids ages and school levels that we had to do as nearly 40% of the Aussie population do and send them private, so don't necessarily rule out this expense if you have kids! You may be lucky and get them into one of the many excellent state schools but there are far more mediocre ones and some quite poor as well, just like the UK I suppose, it all depends on your catchment.)

Even in Melbourne when its cold in winter though, one thing I like is seeing the sun shine. It may not be very warm but seeing a blue sky makes me happy and I think thats what a lot of being over here is about. The little things that come with the package of living in Australia. We socialise far more with our neighbours than we ever did in the UK because we see them! We aren't cooped up indoors most of the year and Barbies are cheap and easy and its a lot easier to do things spontaneously.

Our boys were 12, 16 and 18 when we came, not necessarily the easiest ages to move them 12000 miles from friends they know, but they have all loved it here from the day we arrived and seeng them (now 16, 20 and 22) all so settled, happy and enjoying life in Oz has made all the sleepless nights wondering if we were doing the right thing worthwhile. Even the leaving the elderly parents behind (which was hard) has been OK (so far) they have been out twice for 5/6 weeks each pop and arrive again in November for 3 months this time, they love it now and we will spend more quality time with them then than we would have in the UK.

If your considering it, then you should do it, you only live once.

BonnieH

Hi Claire!

So you and your family are making the big move too! Don't blame ya!

You probably made your mind up now about agents but if your still looking then another agent I can recommend is Zeke Bentley... we are using him and the web address is www.ihblaw.com My sister went with ihblaw when she emigrated 4 years ago and as she had good things to say about them thought we'd use them too. Zeke is based in Woolloongabba in Brisbane and there are a number of staff who deal with this sort of stuff in the company. Although its extra £££ to spend, i think its worth it.....especially now that the MODL list has changed. Agents tell you how much documention you need and are more knowledgable in this field. Just make sure they are MARA registered.

If you want Zekes email then its [email protected]

Good luck in the application!!

Chelle66

Agree 100%. except my recommendation is www.migrateaustralia.com.au

msn81

Seems I've been outvoted on using an agency - that extra cost must be worth it?!!

When I applied I read the Brochure and decided how I would get my points, filled in the application form (yes it took a bit of time, probably 4 hours gathering the required information).

Then started collecting the supporting documents. - Easy - on the immi website was a Document Checklist. This told me exactly what I need (nothing ambigious) and how to present it.

I submitted the application, bang on 12 weeks later I got the confirmation my application was received + case reference number by email. Patients was a virtue, I was confident things were being processed behind the scenes.

Next I get the email asking for Police and Health checks, in this email they explained where I could find the authorised medical examiners and what documents to take. Did this, and the medical examiners processed everything - easy. Sent the police checks to the immi by email - fine.

Then I got my grant letter - easypeasy.

I just don't think the DIY process is difficult at all and happy I chose this option. I had a friend who had used a migrating agency to do this process for his wife migrating to the UK. He told me the cost and it sounded bad value for money as they didn't do much apart from reviewing the documents he had to gather anyway.

Again, just my opinion, but I just think any considering the DIY option should have the confidence to do it as it is pretty straight forward if you're organised.

Hope this helps also.
Mark