scarlettcate

Hi,

Have found this site after googling like crazy. My husband has possibly been offered a job in Sydney (north sydney I think) - pay is 70K.....he is flying out to meet the MD and see the company and to discuss the job/ formalities etc next week(at the companies expense).

Emigrating has always been a bit of a pipedream for us but now it seems there are real possibilities. Anyway - have load of questions:

1- It looks likely that company will want him to start asap - how does that work re:visa etc. Also, we need to sell family home before we can fund a permanent move so is it possible for him to go over for work and mysel and children to stay in UK and sell the house then join him at later date?

2- Is 70K enough to live on? We have 4young kids and I'm not working but could look at p/t work after we move. We'd want to rent for a while then buy but are happy to live further out of Sydney

3- How long did you think about emigrating seriously before starting the process and how long does it take to actually get a via

4- Although we have equity in the house, it probable that after we have sold and settled outstanding debts, bought flight tickets, got visas etc, paid for shipping we will not have that much left over so is it wise to move with not much savings??

Sorry if I sound totally naive about this whole thing but it all seems to be happening so quickly.

Thnaks for any advice/ support - even if its to say 'stay put'

Scarlett

shoshana

Hi

You dont say what your husband does?

The company would be (have to) paying for the visa (which includes you and the kids) if they are sponsering him. Also if they are paying for him to come out for an interview then I would assume his package would extend to relocation costs? I would push for that.

To be honest AUD 70k is not a lot to live on for a family of 6 in Sydney - but that is my opinion only (I lived there 1997-2005). Did you mean AUD or GBP?

If the company wanted him to start asap then there are short term business visa options (I am no expert mind) that they may look at while the sponsership is being sorted out.

Sorry I could not answer all your questions

verystormy

Visas for Sydney, according to my sponser are some of the quickest to get, (they vary by which immigration office is being used). There also seems to be a difference in if the company have sponsered before. If you look at the threas "who applying for a 457 visa" in the immigration forum you will get some ideas of legnth of time, but it will probably be at least 2 - 3 months, as there is a lot to do such as medicals / chest x rays, police checks and lots of documentation to send. It is though, all done on line.
You should get at least some relocation costs from the company which will help.
Good luck

Wolfman

Hi,

We are in pretty much the same boat, but heading for Brisbane. We had no intention of emigrating to Oz, OH just sent his CV ''just to see'' and 4mths later we are off...aagh! It has happened extremely fast for us, going on a temp457 from lodging of visa app on 18/12 to grant took 5weeks got approval 22nd Jan!! & that was with xmas hols in between, we were told anything from 4weeks to 4mths & I was banking on the outside bet...typical.I think it will depend on if the co. sponsoring your OH has sponsored b4, and where your visa application is lodged, some have bigger back logs than others. Ours went to Sidney. They took 1week to turn our meds around!
We have removal co. in 28/29 feb and we fly 4th march oh starts work 17/3! Our heads are still spinning. Spent most of xmas in the attic clearing out all the junk we had accumulated, ebaying and giving it away.
We like u toyed with the idea of him going 1st and me & kids following later, but have you thought how you will cover mtge here and living costs & oh's rent and living costs in Oz, on Oz pay? We were worried about that. As it could take months to sell the house. Plus its a massive move so we thought we should do it as a family and face the stress together.:-).
Our house is not sold, we have 3 children 16,13 & 9, if we dont sell in next few mths we will have to rent it out until the market picks up. We are still not sure its the right move for us, but we thought it was a golden opportunity too good to turn down & spend the next 10yrs wondering 'what if'. So we are going with open minds & no expectations, and if we love it, great, if its not for us then we come back having spent a few years in the sun in what looks like a lovely city (no, we've never been to Oz).
~Life's short, take the risk & enjoy. IMO. I have many WTF moments, and probably will do for the next few mths/yrs.
Been reading threads on this site constantly for the last few mths, there is loads of info on everything, people of very friendly and helpful in the main. Do a search on living costs, there's plenty there.
Oops, sorry gone on more than intended, hope this helps.

BadgeIsBack

70k would get you across the line in Sydney - just - dependant on tastes and housing. That line is drawn fairly close to not being able to do all you want to do apart from exist.

deryans

70K Gross with 4 young kids and a wife that works part time (ensure that is on the 457) is not enough for anywhere near North Sydney. You'll spend 60 aud per week commuting alone.

Because you are on a 457 , you will not be eligible for state assistance, childcare etc etc

It is an employees market here in Oz at the moment, if your OH does anything "special" or unique or unusual, then I'd put this down to experience and start again at 120 or 140K.

scarlettcate

Thanks so much for your replies. OH is in Sydney as we speak and has come to conclusion that 70K is not alot there! Will have to see if he can negotiate a better deal as he does have a 'specialist' skill so to speak.

So all up in the air at the minute - but I can't help being excited!!!

mad city fan

I take it then that is $70000 AUD and not £70000

scarlettcate

yes 70k in australian dollars

asprilla

If the company are going to the expense of flying him over to discuss formalities, I'd suggest that he might be able to negotiate a much higher wage. Get him to call around Sydney recruitment agents and get them to tell him how much he should be looking to earn....

Rosscarbery

I don't know how young your kids are, but don't forget that on a 457 you will have to pay approx $4,500 per annum per child in school fees (that's state schooling). Some employers do pay this, so make sure it's part of your negotiations. Ditto health insurance. Also, there is nothing like the nursery funding for 3 year olds you get in the UK so if you want to send your kids to pre-school you will pay. Don't want to put you off as Sydney is a fantastic place to be, but maybe have a look at the many cost of living threads on here so you can get a realistic idea of how much you will need to live on.

deryans

10 days from Australia House with paper work from employer, don't sell the home yet, wait until your OH has tried it out, and more importantly until you've tried it out. He should go first, then once he is set up, you should follow for at least a 4 -6 week reccie to have a good look around, as you will basically (or should) have final say on where and how you live, the cost of an airfare for him out should not influence you opnion of the employer.


No. Commuting cost will kill you and you'll end up in a burb miles from anything. 4 young kids mean you will also have to purchase a 6+ Seater vehicle which becomes expensive. School Fees/Childcare/Pre School fees per child can be around 3-4K per annum. We pay 3600 aud for our 3 year olds pre-school.

457 can be issued within single figure days, i.e. 9 days. My wife has personal reasons for coming to Oz, she said she wanted to do it on the 2nd Jan, we were here on the 23rd April same year.

We came out with very little and it was a struggle, altough we had no kids then, I would not feel comfortable taking the leap without having at least 2-3 months finance up my sleeve.

this charming man

£70 id understand in Sydney but $70k? I worked in Perth on $80 and had a comfortable life kinda.

Sydney on £30k? with kids? in your wildest,im sorry to say.