Another 'I'm looking to emigrate' Question
Discussion
Hi guys/girls; I'm afraid I'm going to pollute your forum with another emigration question. Sorry.
I'm currently in the process of deciding whether to emigrate to Australia, temporarily initially, but I may look at permanent citizenship should I love it enough to stay.
I've done my general research on the main points; visa applications, restrictions, health checks, English tests etc. I'll provide brief points in case it proves relevant to my question.
I work in Construction, M&E services to be precise. I have a potential sponsor lined up, so I would be coming over on a temporary work 457 visa. I'd be coming over with my partner and will probably be based in Brisbane. I've done a few skill point checks and I get 70 without doing the English test, so I think I'm pretty safe on that front. Hopefully that is enough insight.
My main question is to those that have emigrated already.
You get your job lined up before you leave, arrange to have stuff shipped over, get on the plane, land and then....?
What I mean is how do I go about renting somewhere? I'm assuming I can't just land, walk to an estate agents, pick a house to rent and pay the deposit in cash? I'd need a bank account or something; so can I set one up from the UK or would I have to do it when I get over?
Will I need to stay in a hotel for the first 2 weeks to get everything set up or can I sort everything from the UK and then just fly over?
It sounds like a simple issue, but I can't quite fathom the order in which I would need to do things
Secondary question; I don't suppose any ex-pats have any advice or things I should probably be aware of before I make my decision? I'd like to think I've covered all the angles, but I won't really know until I get over there.
Thanks
I'm currently in the process of deciding whether to emigrate to Australia, temporarily initially, but I may look at permanent citizenship should I love it enough to stay.
I've done my general research on the main points; visa applications, restrictions, health checks, English tests etc. I'll provide brief points in case it proves relevant to my question.
I work in Construction, M&E services to be precise. I have a potential sponsor lined up, so I would be coming over on a temporary work 457 visa. I'd be coming over with my partner and will probably be based in Brisbane. I've done a few skill point checks and I get 70 without doing the English test, so I think I'm pretty safe on that front. Hopefully that is enough insight.
My main question is to those that have emigrated already.
You get your job lined up before you leave, arrange to have stuff shipped over, get on the plane, land and then....?
What I mean is how do I go about renting somewhere? I'm assuming I can't just land, walk to an estate agents, pick a house to rent and pay the deposit in cash? I'd need a bank account or something; so can I set one up from the UK or would I have to do it when I get over?
Will I need to stay in a hotel for the first 2 weeks to get everything set up or can I sort everything from the UK and then just fly over?
It sounds like a simple issue, but I can't quite fathom the order in which I would need to do things
Secondary question; I don't suppose any ex-pats have any advice or things I should probably be aware of before I make my decision? I'd like to think I've covered all the angles, but I won't really know until I get over there.
Thanks
We came over on Working Holiday Visas 11 years ago - had nothing lined up. And before you think that's what any teenager would do, we were both 30 - rented out out house, sold the cars, quit work and went travelling.
Finding work then was easy, and we went through all the visa types...!
Not sure I can help with non-specific questions right now, but we had no probs with nothing arranged beforehand.
Finding work then was easy, and we went through all the visa types...!
Not sure I can help with non-specific questions right now, but we had no probs with nothing arranged beforehand.
My circumstances were slightly different - my wife is Australian so we went to the in-laws first. However they are on the Sunshine Coast so we flew to Melbourne and found a house. We came without jobs to go to.
I think the big banks (ANZ, Commonwealth etc) will let you set up an account from the UK. Check their websites.
You'll need references for renting, so make sure you get someone from home to agree to being phoned by an Australian agent before you leave.
Check realestate.com.au or similar for rental prices/agency locations etc. Maybe worth contacting a few before you leave to find out what sort of info they need from a new immigrant when it comes to renting.
The Melbourne rental market was very tight when we arrived - we were lucky to find an agent who actually owned the house we rented and wanted it filled asap. They were okay with us both being unemployed because we could prove we had lots of cash in the bank (sold the house in the UK before moving over).
In general everything here is pretty well set up for immigrants, so most banks/agencies etc understand your circumstances and allow for it.
I think the big banks (ANZ, Commonwealth etc) will let you set up an account from the UK. Check their websites.
You'll need references for renting, so make sure you get someone from home to agree to being phoned by an Australian agent before you leave.
Check realestate.com.au or similar for rental prices/agency locations etc. Maybe worth contacting a few before you leave to find out what sort of info they need from a new immigrant when it comes to renting.
The Melbourne rental market was very tight when we arrived - we were lucky to find an agent who actually owned the house we rented and wanted it filled asap. They were okay with us both being unemployed because we could prove we had lots of cash in the bank (sold the house in the UK before moving over).
In general everything here is pretty well set up for immigrants, so most banks/agencies etc understand your circumstances and allow for it.
Get a Tax File Number:
http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/tax-file-number/...
Get a Medicare card:
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/forms/310...
As part of your 457 your employer is (or certainly used to be the case) responsible for medical expenses, you'll probably want to get private health cover and your employer pay.
You can drive on your uk licence while on a 457 though, and I can't recall the details, it can be a pain registering a car.
Do get in a hotel for a couple of weeks while you find your feet, as with any move to somewhere unfamiliar you could end up in a s
tty area.
Don't read diary of a Brisbane summer.
http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/tax-file-number/...
Get a Medicare card:
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/forms/310...
As part of your 457 your employer is (or certainly used to be the case) responsible for medical expenses, you'll probably want to get private health cover and your employer pay.
You can drive on your uk licence while on a 457 though, and I can't recall the details, it can be a pain registering a car.
Do get in a hotel for a couple of weeks while you find your feet, as with any move to somewhere unfamiliar you could end up in a s
tty area.Don't read diary of a Brisbane summer.
We set up our account with Westpac you get a fee free account for a year as well as some other perks, there are other banks out there though!
We had a place rented within 3 weeks of moving, one rental company wanted every bit of information about us including bank statements etc! The place we have now was done through the property developer and they just accepted what we put on the form pretty much, don't know if they even called our references.
We are in WA though not sure what its like on the other side.
What you might find is the times for viewing are ridiculous, all during business hours so how you are supposed to view anywhere if you are working I have no idea.
We had a place rented within 3 weeks of moving, one rental company wanted every bit of information about us including bank statements etc! The place we have now was done through the property developer and they just accepted what we put on the form pretty much, don't know if they even called our references.
We are in WA though not sure what its like on the other side.
What you might find is the times for viewing are ridiculous, all during business hours so how you are supposed to view anywhere if you are working I have no idea.
If it were me, I'd rent a camper van/mobile home for a month or so. There are companies specializing in renting to Brits, so can be done from there. It would allow a bit of a holiday as well, unless you have an employer to start with immediately.
This would allow you to chose an area at your leisure, & with a bit of an idea of what you were doing. It can be most annoying to have to move soon after establishing, & often leases have minimum time.
A move of 40 kilometers is almost as much hassle as 400 or even 4000, so could avoid disruption while partly settled.
This would allow you to chose an area at your leisure, & with a bit of an idea of what you were doing. It can be most annoying to have to move soon after establishing, & often leases have minimum time.
A move of 40 kilometers is almost as much hassle as 400 or even 4000, so could avoid disruption while partly settled.
Thanks guys, all very interesting.
I should have an employer lined up prior to moving, as I will be coming over on a sponsored visa. Good points regarding hotels for the first few weeks; hopefully that will give me time to scout a few houses prior to settling.
I'd be moving over with my GF and another couple, as me and my mate are both HVAC Engineers with extensive offsite fabrication experience. I've been reading through a lot of the paperwork and there seems to be a lot of hoops to jump through, thankfully it looks like the employer does most of the difficult bits.
I suppose my main concern is getting myself setup and legal. I have this horrible vision that I forget soemthing vital or unknown and end up getting hit with a massive bill (like not setting up tax properly).
Still, I'll keep doing my research. If anybody has any experience with Eastern Australia (Brisbane), I'd love to hear it.
Thanks again
I should have an employer lined up prior to moving, as I will be coming over on a sponsored visa. Good points regarding hotels for the first few weeks; hopefully that will give me time to scout a few houses prior to settling.
I'd be moving over with my GF and another couple, as me and my mate are both HVAC Engineers with extensive offsite fabrication experience. I've been reading through a lot of the paperwork and there seems to be a lot of hoops to jump through, thankfully it looks like the employer does most of the difficult bits.
I suppose my main concern is getting myself setup and legal. I have this horrible vision that I forget soemthing vital or unknown and end up getting hit with a massive bill (like not setting up tax properly).
Still, I'll keep doing my research. If anybody has any experience with Eastern Australia (Brisbane), I'd love to hear it.
Thanks again
Brisbane is physically a pretty big place. Try a Google earth look at the place. Also have a look at realestate.com.au for an idea of house prices, & rental costs.
It & the Gold Coast run together these days, so it can stretch for a hundred kilometers, & the sunshine coast is almost running into them, adding another 100 kilometers or so.
Much of this has pretty limited public transport between areas. Most transport is into the CBD area.
I live just south of the southern suburbs, & have lived in some inner suburbs in the past. If you can advise where you would be working, I may be able to help.
It & the Gold Coast run together these days, so it can stretch for a hundred kilometers, & the sunshine coast is almost running into them, adding another 100 kilometers or so.
Much of this has pretty limited public transport between areas. Most transport is into the CBD area.
I live just south of the southern suburbs, & have lived in some inner suburbs in the past. If you can advise where you would be working, I may be able to help.
I live in Brisbane, a south west suburb, have done for just over 8 years. I like it but my wife reckons its bat-st boring. I'm now back in HK on a short term contract, maybe never to return, due to the down turn in engineering/construction of major projects. Cant get a job for love nor money, so the Australian dream may well be over. Good luck OP, hope it works out for you. Any specific Brisbane questions, I'd be happy to answer.
t boring. I'm now back in HK on a short term contract, maybe never to return, due to the down turn in engineering/construction of major projects. Cant get a job for love nor money, so the Australian dream may well be over. Good luck OP, hope it works out for you. Any specific Brisbane questions, I'd be happy to answer.Thanks guys. Insightful.
Here in the UK we are doing some work on a large hospital on the Sunshine Coast for a MC. I won't go into details, but it should be pretty obvious
The employer we are looking to work for is based in Tennyson, so I'd like to live within a commutable distance. An hour by car or similar would be fine.
In my mind, I'd be looking for a 3 bed house with pool, reasonably modern, nice area, like to be near the beach but not essential. Would $600-700 a week seem realistic or am I well off the mark? It's difficult to judge without knowing roughly where things are located.
You've got me worried now Wanchaiwarrior; how quiet has it gotten? I was under the impression that Australia was still building pretty strongly...?
If you don't mind me asking, what field are you in?
Here in the UK we are doing some work on a large hospital on the Sunshine Coast for a MC. I won't go into details, but it should be pretty obvious
The employer we are looking to work for is based in Tennyson, so I'd like to live within a commutable distance. An hour by car or similar would be fine.
In my mind, I'd be looking for a 3 bed house with pool, reasonably modern, nice area, like to be near the beach but not essential. Would $600-700 a week seem realistic or am I well off the mark? It's difficult to judge without knowing roughly where things are located.
You've got me worried now Wanchaiwarrior; how quiet has it gotten? I was under the impression that Australia was still building pretty strongly...?
If you don't mind me asking, what field are you in?
Tennyson is not a bad area to get to, from a large range of areas. You should find something to suit with in half an hour, at those prices, but perhaps not by a swimming beach.
There are many nice areas on Morton bay with great views & boating but not many offering swimming in that area. There are also some nice areas quite close, with the Brisbane river near by, but not suitable for swimming. Then again, with a pool, why swim with sharks.
The Gold coast would offer all you want, with something like an hour drive. I find that drive rather painful, but I guess it depends what you are used to.
I think you would want to give yourself a week or two to get a feel for the area to the east, & the Gold Coast, before committing to making a choice.
There are many nice areas on Morton bay with great views & boating but not many offering swimming in that area. There are also some nice areas quite close, with the Brisbane river near by, but not suitable for swimming. Then again, with a pool, why swim with sharks.
The Gold coast would offer all you want, with something like an hour drive. I find that drive rather painful, but I guess it depends what you are used to.
I think you would want to give yourself a week or two to get a feel for the area to the east, & the Gold Coast, before committing to making a choice.
The Beaver King said:
If you don't mind me asking, what field are you in?
Im a Structural Drafter, 30 years experience in UK, Hong Kong and last 8 years in Brisbane. All on major infrastructure work, from airport facilities to gas piplines. Was laid of last July, after 7.5 years of being quite busy. Everything ground to a halt begining of 2013 when election was called. Or thats what it felt like. Have not had a sniff of anything in Australia, hence my return to HK, thanks to an old mate. Almost got a job in NZ, but not local enough and dont have any Revit expereince. Almost got a job in Manila, but not enough Architectural experience to be a team lead for a sub contractor.Got a job lined up in Singapore, but money is not good and expensive to live there. Better than nothing though.
Like I said, good luck if you can make it work. Not everyting is down the tubes.
In a similar vein to WanchaiWarrior's comments, there's been a considerable downturn in activity here over the past 18 months. I work for a large multinational engineering consultancy, and we're about 20% smaller in Aus/NZ than we were in mid-2012. Until that time, we were bringing in many from UK and elsewhere.
Recent analysis shows that NSW is likely to be the centre of infrastructure spending over the coming 5 yeaars or so as the large projects being given the go ahead are transport related, and therefore publicly-funded, rather than mining and private-funding reliant. Can;t remember the exact figures, but it was something like WA and QLD will have about $50Bn in projects each, NSW will have about $80Bn. Its not dead, but its not a boom either.
I'm only guessing, but HVAC might not be a sought-after skill set right now, unless you've got something special on your CV, perhaps tunnel vent - we like building tunnels over here!
And that little medical centre being built up at Kawana, I worked on one of the plans for it about 7 years ago - its a big project.
Recent analysis shows that NSW is likely to be the centre of infrastructure spending over the coming 5 yeaars or so as the large projects being given the go ahead are transport related, and therefore publicly-funded, rather than mining and private-funding reliant. Can;t remember the exact figures, but it was something like WA and QLD will have about $50Bn in projects each, NSW will have about $80Bn. Its not dead, but its not a boom either.
I'm only guessing, but HVAC might not be a sought-after skill set right now, unless you've got something special on your CV, perhaps tunnel vent - we like building tunnels over here!
And that little medical centre being built up at Kawana, I worked on one of the plans for it about 7 years ago - its a big project.
I've been following this topic with an interest. The girlfriend and I are on a one way flight come November this year. We've applied and have been granted a permanent visa through the skills route. She's a teacher and I'm In plumbing and heating. We're starting off by heading Coffs Harbour way. It looked nice on paper, but we'll have to see how it all pans out once we arrive and start living there.
We know nobody, have no jobs lined up as of yet and no where to live currently. We're starting to look into places to rent when we land. As cheap and as basic as possible it seems.
We're looking into shipping mainly personal belongings (no furniture) and my car. All quite a big step but I'm sure we'll land on our feet (hopefully!).
David
We know nobody, have no jobs lined up as of yet and no where to live currently. We're starting to look into places to rent when we land. As cheap and as basic as possible it seems.
We're looking into shipping mainly personal belongings (no furniture) and my car. All quite a big step but I'm sure we'll land on our feet (hopefully!).
David
Hi David, Coffs Harbor is a great area. It's a mixture of sea change, retirement area, & tourist area. It has been growing for many years now.
I have an acquaintance there, who is a leading classic rally competitor in a Triumph TR7 V8. He introduced me to a number of people with club type competition cars, & the local club scene is quite strong.
I don't know how much heating there is in the area, it is a pretty gentle climate, but plumbing appears to be a licence to print money in Oz, if only in a moderate way.
Teaching is variable, & Coffs may be an area favored by teachers, so well supplied. Of course it depends what she teaches. A young lady my eldest daughter went through school with is a chemistry teacher. All math & science teachers are in short supply. This young lady was promoted to head of the science department, in a 1600 kid city high school at 27, so they are in demand.
Have a look at realestate.com.au for values & rental options. Don't be frightened to try a small beach town within 40 kilometers or so. The traffic is light, & the places can be very nice. A $250 a week should get you something livable around there, about 150 to 350 cheaper than a major city.
Good luck.
I have an acquaintance there, who is a leading classic rally competitor in a Triumph TR7 V8. He introduced me to a number of people with club type competition cars, & the local club scene is quite strong.
I don't know how much heating there is in the area, it is a pretty gentle climate, but plumbing appears to be a licence to print money in Oz, if only in a moderate way.
Teaching is variable, & Coffs may be an area favored by teachers, so well supplied. Of course it depends what she teaches. A young lady my eldest daughter went through school with is a chemistry teacher. All math & science teachers are in short supply. This young lady was promoted to head of the science department, in a 1600 kid city high school at 27, so they are in demand.
Have a look at realestate.com.au for values & rental options. Don't be frightened to try a small beach town within 40 kilometers or so. The traffic is light, & the places can be very nice. A $250 a week should get you something livable around there, about 150 to 350 cheaper than a major city.
Good luck.
Edited by Hasbeen on Sunday 27th April 05:20
Wanchaiwarrior, PomBstard, WeirdNeville; thank you for your responses, they have certainly answered some questions and provided me with some things to think on 
My offsite/modular experience is very niche (even in the UK), but I know there are a few big M&Es in Oz looking to get into it, so I'm looking to offer my services to one of them.
In your opinion, would there be a market for prefabricated pipework/multi-service modules in Oz? There seems to be a lot of companies doing modular building, but very few doing the services...
It's a big headache as well 
I'm hoping that the work we're doing on this will help me a bit when I apply for jobs.
PomBstard said:
I'm only guessing, but HVAC might not be a sought-after skill set right now, unless you've got something special on your CV, perhaps tunnel vent - we like building tunnels over here!
While I'm very much a Mech engineer, currently I'm in an Estimating Managers role. Couple that with CAD experience and having spent the last 5 years in offsite/prefabricated service manufacturing; I'm hoping I can fit myself into a role. My offsite/modular experience is very niche (even in the UK), but I know there are a few big M&Es in Oz looking to get into it, so I'm looking to offer my services to one of them.
In your opinion, would there be a market for prefabricated pipework/multi-service modules in Oz? There seems to be a lot of companies doing modular building, but very few doing the services...
PomBstard said:
And that little medical centre being built up at Kawana, I worked on one of the plans for it about 7 years ago - its a big project.
Indeed It's a big headache as well I'm hoping that the work we're doing on this will help me a bit when I apply for jobs.
The Beaver King said:
Wanchaiwarrior, PomBstard, WeirdNeville; thank you for your responses, they have certainly answered some questions and provided me with some things to think on
No problem. I hope it works for you. I really enjoyed my time there and would prefer not to leave, but have a motgage to pay, so go where I can get work. Hence why I kept my HK permanent resident status going (by visiting every 3 years). Have accepted a permanent job offer last Friday, so looks like Im staying in HK for a while.I'll miss the generally great weather, laid back lifestyle, mr Astra SRi and the cat. Anyone want to rent a house in SW Brisbane with free cat ???
The Beaver King said:
Wanchaiwarrior, PomBstard, WeirdNeville; thank you for your responses, they have certainly answered some questions and provided me with some things to think on
My offsite/modular experience is very niche (even in the UK), but I know there are a few big M&Es in Oz looking to get into it, so I'm looking to offer my services to one of them.
In your opinion, would there be a market for prefabricated pipework/multi-service modules in Oz? There seems to be a lot of companies doing modular building, but very few doing the services...
It's a big headache as well
I'm hoping that the work we're doing on this will help me a bit when I apply for jobs.
You're welcome! No idea if anyone's looking for your skill, but if you can demonstrate that the design/build cost comes down, then you might talk your way into a role. Be wary of saying things like "They all do this in the UK/Europe/US" cos in my experience, Australian companies don't accept that as proof of anything. The ones that do often have a link to a global company somewhere. If you can reference any good-sized projects you've worked on where you can demonstrate cost saving in some way, then that'll work for you, esp if you can bring a client ref with you.PomBstard said:
I'm only guessing, but HVAC might not be a sought-after skill set right now, unless you've got something special on your CV, perhaps tunnel vent - we like building tunnels over here!
While I'm very much a Mech engineer, currently I'm in an Estimating Managers role. Couple that with CAD experience and having spent the last 5 years in offsite/prefabricated service manufacturing; I'm hoping I can fit myself into a role. My offsite/modular experience is very niche (even in the UK), but I know there are a few big M&Es in Oz looking to get into it, so I'm looking to offer my services to one of them.
In your opinion, would there be a market for prefabricated pipework/multi-service modules in Oz? There seems to be a lot of companies doing modular building, but very few doing the services...
PomBstard said:
And that little medical centre being built up at Kawana, I worked on one of the plans for it about 7 years ago - its a big project.
Indeed It's a big headache as well I'm hoping that the work we're doing on this will help me a bit when I apply for jobs.
What sort of industry does this experience lend itself to - housing, commercial, mining, industrial? That'll help narrow the potential employers.
Gingerbread Man said:
I've been following this topic with an interest. The girlfriend and I are on a one way flight come November this year. We've applied and have been granted a permanent visa through the skills route. She's a teacher and I'm In plumbing and heating. We're starting off by heading Coffs Harbour way. It looked nice on paper, but we'll have to see how it all pans out once we arrive and start living there.
We know nobody, have no jobs lined up as of yet and no where to live currently. We're starting to look into places to rent when we land. As cheap and as basic as possible it seems.
We're looking into shipping mainly personal belongings (no furniture) and my car. All quite a big step but I'm sure we'll land on our feet (hopefully!).
David
What Hasbeen says. Coffs is very nice however.... it is semi rural so be prepared to feel a little insular. I'm not sure where you're based in the UK but it'll be a SeaChange for sure.We know nobody, have no jobs lined up as of yet and no where to live currently. We're starting to look into places to rent when we land. As cheap and as basic as possible it seems.
We're looking into shipping mainly personal belongings (no furniture) and my car. All quite a big step but I'm sure we'll land on our feet (hopefully!).
David
Having said that I love the Northern NSW Coast, it's just got this great 'feel good' factor about it (and no, not just Nimbin).
GL with the move.
Gassing Station | Australia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff