Traveler20

Hi all,

I’ve been in contact with a recruiter for possible relocation from Toronto, Canada to Australia in 2022. If it all works out, I’ll be moving with my wife and four year old daughter on a 482 TSS visa. For families that made a similar move in the past from the UK, Europe or North America were you successful in transitioning to PR in 3 years? Any pointers/advice on migrating/settling in Australia is highly appreciated. Anything I should be concerned about?

Just to add, I am 39 and I specialize in financial risk management. My target future employers are consulting firms (PWC, Deloitte…etc) or Banks (Commonwealth, Macquarie..etc)

Thanks for all the help

verystormy

Just be certain you understand the risks. It is a temporary visa which is tied to the employer. If you were to lose your job for any reason, you would have 60 days to either find another sponsor or leave the country.

You our and your family would require private health insurance as you would not be entitled to the public system and you may also be required to pay school fees.

Traveler20

Thank you

rammygirl

It is possible for the employer to sponsor you for a permanent visa from the get go if you qualify look up direct entry 186 and 187 visas. The TSS is quicker but no need to delay a PR visa after that. Even better do you qualify to apply independently?

Traveler20

rammygirl thanks! Unfortunately my points are not enough for 189, and given that i will be relocating to Sydney the only other option, that i am aware of; is 186 direct entry but i am not sure if that’s feasible. I will bring it up with the recruiter and go from there.

Do you by any chance know how the education system compares to the UK? Also, how is health system in general?

brits1

Education is not at all similar to the UK system and some Aus states have differences from each other)or they did when we lived in Aus) at state schools you pay for uniforms and you have a “book and equipment list” you receive before the start of each school year which you have to buy and pay for this equipment yourself plus you pay a school fee each year as well. Health system is either private or what I class as semi private Medicare. Depending on which visa you arrive on you may have to pay much higher fee’s than say someone who arrives on a permanent visa …. I would ask your agent exactly what you would have to pay for when you are living in Australia (it can be very expensive) so maybe factor that in when you talk about salary. Good luck

Pollyana

I believe NSW charges school fees for TSS holders, so factor in a few thousand dollars per child for that.

Traveler20

Thanks all. From what I can gather school fees would be around AUD ~6K per child annually in NSW for primary education - my daughter will be going into grade 1 when we move. For health insurance, I estimate $275 per month for the family, which comes to around AUD ~3.3K annually. Please let me know if i am way off.

My salary expectation is anywhere between 140k-160k. Is that enough to live comfortably in Sydney with all the additional Education/Health expenses that i have to pay?

rammygirl

Mmm depends what you mean by comfortable! Generally you will need at least around 2.5 times in dollars for similar lifestyle. So if you earn 70k gbp then look for at least $175k. Better if that is split between 2 and not just one earner (less tax). Also check if salary includes one excludes the super contributions employers make.
It isn’t hard to compare prices on the net these days, if you regularly eat out look at menus, if you travel look at air fares and accommodation, cinema tickets etc etc
In Sydney housing will be your biggest cost.
Also check that health insurance quote, temporary visa holders cannot buy the same products and it is generally more expensive.

quoll

Also, bear in mind that the partner on a temporary visa often has considerable difficulty finding a career based job because employers doing really want to train up someone who is likely to leave at the drop of a hat. Something like nursing might be OK once through the AHPRA hoops but other occupations not so much. So hoping to get two incomes to meet the lifestyle can be tricky when temporary. I agree re health insurance, probably going to be a bit more expensive than for locals - heck, even I am paying more than $275 a month (and we dont have the age related penalty either)

Traveler20

quoll rammygirl all good points to keep in mind, thank you!

The wife is a great cook and loves home cooking so we are not big at eating out, but we do average around once a week and usually at family restaurants like Nandos. She is also a pharmacist, but has been working on her masters for the last two years, so we’ve been on one income. The plan is to continue on one income if we move at least for first 1-2 years while she works on her pharmacist license. If she does work, it would likely be as a pharmacist assistant, if possible - not sure how challenging that would be. Let me know what you think.

Regarding health insurance, i got multiple quotes for 482 visa holders online e.g Allianz. quoll how much are you paying?

thanks again - cheers

quoll

$187 a fortnight from memory. Top cover, admittedly (and we are an old couple but no age related penalty) and extras.

Just another thought about education - people on temporary visas arent necessarily allocated spaces in their local schools in NSW - they do say that somewhere in their blurb. However, chances are that they will be offered the local school unless it is one which is in high demand - for permanent residents they are obliged to find a place within their priority enrolment areas but not temporary residents.