Originally Posted by Panspeep

Thanks very much for the info Margaret, I have loads of questions. We are looking at regional sponsorship where we have to stay in Victoria for 2 years. I haven't been to Melbourne before so don't know anything about the area, I have visited Sydney before and have relatives in Nowra. We both have good jobs here but since we had our little boy I have been feeling very unsettled, just looking for a better lifestyle and think that maybe Oz can offer it. Maybe I am kidding myself on and would be mad to pack our jobs in, also in the current climate houses here just are not selling. Yeah we have a new Grange and a new St Josephs but shops are shutting all over and King Street is beginning to look like a ghost town. I have lived here forever and just find it all so depressing now, it worries me that we would give it all up to go there and find ourselves worse off in all respects, it's a tough one and hats off to all of you who have taken the plunge!

Originally Posted by Margaret3

depends on what you want outta life, i had lived in kilmarnock most of my adult life and for some reason love it, i love the fact we have family and close friends there, its a case of you dont know wot youve got until its gone, i lived across from the dean park for 14 years (albeit tiny house but nice area and i love the dean park, but not a night),

I now work more, travel more, am lonely more, and certainly stressed more, live in a 70's dump and see my husband10x less than i used to,

Been here 2 years and can apply for citizenship now so at least some good can come of it.

Both my girls and husband love it here and i am mentally preparing myself for break down of the family due to bloody immigrating, this is the worst part , i long to go home but love my family, so , basically am between a rock and a hard place, but i think i would feel alot better knowing i had a little bit of property in scotland (just a teeny weeny x-council flat would do it).

Best advice i can give to anyone and i know people have gotta find things out for themselves, things that are wrong for someone may be perfecet for someone else. We earn more, but due to cost of living and unexpected expenses (like schools), we are worse off financially, and its looking more and more likely that we wont be able to afford a house here,even though the prices have dropped (in some areas, slightly), but try your hardest to get p.r, dont risk sponsorship if you can , at all , avoid it, especially in the current climate, the gov here may change the goal posts at any time, however i know sometimed due to circumstances it has to be a spnsorship visa or is it a p.r state visa you are going for, which is you have gotta live and work in vic for two years??

Also if finances allow keep your propety in scotland , it will at least give you a plan b if it all goes tits up, lol

If you need any help give us a shout, i pop in here most days. Also do you have kids, have you thought about schools?? the state schools here are a ****** dump, and my teens at one of the better ones, she used to attend the grange which was like four star accomm compared to where she is now, and i have just recently been to scotland and was gobsmacked at all the gorgeous new schools around, the private ones here could not compare with those buildings. Be VERY careful about areas and schools in melbourne, for example i was reading in the paper a couple of weeks ago that one of the state schools here has 77 different languages spoken,

Fortunately my teen met lovely friends and is doing really well at school (its her last year), and will go onto university, another point here, you have to be a citizen in order to pay the same univerity fees as the aussies, or your child will be an international student, also if you are outta the u.k for 2 years, and want to return with older children, they will then be classed as an international student in the u.k, (until they have resided there once again for 3 years), so there is no way now we can affor for her to go to university in scotland.

From what i have found people who are not financially rolling in it from big cities souch as birmingham, manchester, london, love it, scots who are not financially rolling in it (like us), dont like it so much, i would say they are more likely (and , obviously i dont mean everyone), to have had a better standare of living for themselves and their family in scotland.

Well am glad i've got that off my chest , lol