Hi guys,

Desperately in need of some advice!

We're in the middle of saving at the moment to emigrate to Aus as soon as we can on a 175 visa. We haven't actually applied for it as yet though. A few people have suggested that we visit Australia first (neither of us have been there before) before we emigrate there for good. Only problem is, if we were to go for a holiday, it could put our move back a couple more years as we'll have spent our savings on the holiday!

I'd like to know how people have found it when they've moved. Just how many people have moved without even having been there before, and has it worked for them? Would people recommend visiting beforehand, or just taking the plunge and going for it?

I know it may be a bit of a general question, but any advice is appreciated!

We guys are in the process of doing the same thing. We are validating our visa's and will be back. We also plan to save for our move to Australia.

Sorry cannot provide you any information on how it is there..

I think I will probably go thru this:

-Check my status 10 times a day to see the approval
-Cannot believe I have a "Grant" Email
-Happy and excited
-Suddenly realise OMG there is so much to do
-Face the realities that everything we have made here is going to be gone
-Feeling on insecurity
-Book out tickets
-Quit your job
-Move
-See the challenges
-Realise Aus is good but not a "dreamland"...it is a country with normal people and real life problems
-Think on why I made the move
-Search for a job
-Get a Job
-Start loving it!!



PS: Our Validation trip is "short" 2 days...I cannot afford to be out for long..no vacation

Im sure in a ideal world we could all do with going to australia for a month and seeing what its really like!
But still then,ya gotta give it longer for day to day living to get a proper idea of what its like,so with that we are just going for it!!!

Whats the worst case scenerio?,want to move some where else if ya dont like it?

Some peeps have spent £10k on validation trip and didnt like oz,so a good move,but also some havent ever been before and loved it!!

My parents just went for it wherever they went and we went a lot of places.

I think if you forget what the UK is like and accept the fact that Australia is very different you will be ok. If you compare everything you will be unhappy right down to the tin of baked beans which does not taste the same.

Everything in Aus is far apart, what an Aus calls going down the road could be a two hour drive. The cities are large and sprawling and living close to the centre of any of them is very expensive. An hours commute to work would be an average I believe.

Climate in each State is very different so you need to decide whether you like four seasons of the year in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, warm and dry in Perth, hot and steamy in Queensland, Mild and steamy in New South Wales. Just a generalisation you need to look right into the climate of each place.

Each state is like living in a different country we have different laws, different ways of doing things etc. Some have daylight saving some do not.

Lots of things to think about good luck

I just took the plung sold up and came money kids and suitcases,

Never looked back, this place is awesome everday I am proud to live here and soon proud to be Australian.

Each to thir own, if you can afford a trip first do it, if you cant them don't

No need for a reccie, Oz is pretty much like the UK but with more northerners.

If it is just the two of you and you can go back if you dont like it here then dont bother with a visit. If OTOH you burn all your bridges when you leave then yes, do come and see what it is like first - bearing in mind that a holiday is nothing like actually living here. As long as you are flexible then whichever way it turns out you should be OK

I would never consider migrating to the other side of the world to a country that I haven't visited. That's entirely a personal thing.

Whilst a holiday here is far removed from living day to day, this is not the UK and is very different in terms of its culture, pace, ethos and facilities. Some people don't get on with it as can be demonstrated by a few vocals on the point who post here.

Personally, I love Australia and its my home, others the same who have never visited before migration. Ultimately though the decision to vacation here is a huge financial decision for a lot of people and will no doubt drive the ultimate choice. Have realistic and not totally dreamy expectations and a genuine desire to make it work and no doubt it shall whichever you decide.

SA is closer to WA's weather than Vic or Tas. Adelaide is dryer than Perth, actually. Just for the benefit of the OP.

The pros of coming out for a holiday before migration are clear in that you can get a feel for the lay of the land and a sense of place. However a holiday is unlikely to tell you whether or not you'll like it in the long term anyway. A holiday won't involve job hunting, finding a place to live, trying to work out how on earth to get things done, sorting a car, phone lines in, broadband hooked up, containers delivered, children into schools, trying to make a few friends, the list goes on!!!!

I think if you can afford the holiday or reccie before migration and it isn't going to put your plans back too long then it's a lovely idea and will probably make the whole process seem like less of a leap into the unknown.

However if going on a holiday means you will be either short on finances for the actual move or that you will need to put your trip back, possibly for years then both of these scenarios could be even more damaging. When you are waiting to migrate your lives are on hold, your job or career can become a little "stuck" as you know you won't be staying, life doesn't tend to be too much fun as you are saving up for Australia so shopping and travelling take a backseat, if you have children they are getting older and more ingrained in their own lives. Your family and friends will all know you are going and it drags things out for everyone.
The alternative of coming to Australia with less money doesn't bear thinking about....it is definitely no cheaper than living in the UK and the set up costs are astronomical. Whatever you think it might cost it's always that little bot more!
So if finance is an issue I'd look to learn more about the place in Australia that you plan to settle through research from the UK end. There is such a lot of good advice on forums like these that may end up being more practical and useful in the long run than a holiday. The only thing I would say is set yourself a timeframe for Australia on how long you are going to give it and stick to it (we said 2 years minimum to make the outlay worthwhile) and have enough money put away that you won't need to touch but that will get you back to the UK and get you restarted out there if things don't work out in Oz. Good luck with your plans! (We love it by the way!)

I would say if it's just you and your OH go for it if you can't afford a holiday first, if it doesn't work out hey, you're grown ups and can decide what to do next.

However, it's a much bigger decision if there are kids in the equation. OH and I met in Oz 20 years ago and spent a year here before settling in the UK, when we decided to come back we had three kids ranging in age from 3-13 so we thought it was too much to ask to move them to the other side of the world without at least showing them first where they were going. Luckily 2/3 fell in love with the place on holiday, and the third could see the attractions. We've been here two years now (about to go for citizenship) and it's the best thing we've ever done. Good luck.

Thanks to everyone who have responded so far.

As far as where we'll more than likely end up, it is probably be WA, around the Perth area maybe as far south as Mandurah (I know I know, largest search area ever!). However, seeing as we haven't even put in an application yet, this could all change

The advice people are giving is great - we already kinda knew a lot of it - but it's always good to have people who have been through the exact same thing confirm your thoughts.

Been doing so much research on here and looking at various posts every other day. As Rosewater stated, we'll probably learn more from here than spending 10k on a trip over, especially as a holiday will be nothing like day-to-day life once we're there for good.

At the end of the day, it's not forever, and if we don't like it we can always return home. I know it'll have been an expensive experiment, but I think it's one that needs to be carried out just to satisfy curiosity.

Any more advice though is welcome!