Moving to Australia (advice needed)

[PAPPACLART]

Hello guys

Around October or November time I will be making the big move to Australia and will be staying for a minimum of a year.

I have a working Holiday Visa that I applied for sometime ago and need to use it while it is still valid.

My girlfriend lived in Australia for 1 year and has fallen in love and has been trying to convince me to go and to find an avenue to stay permanently.

The idea would be that I go first and she joins me once I have found work where she will study with the aim of obtaining a full Visa once she has completed her studies. While I am in Australia I will also look for sponsorship but I am not a skilled worker but have many years of hands on experience in the Logistics/Transport industries at a middle management/operations level.

I am not sure where exactly to go but Perth is top of the list thus far and seems like a nice place?

I would like to live somewhere where property rental is not too expensive as well as there being work available for me. I am happy to any kind of job at the start and am very flexible.

Any advice on location choices, where which parts of each cities offer good value property rental prices as well as good job/property renal sites would be a great help.

Transport/logistic/courier company links would be good as that would be a start for me for the job hunting.

Also need advice and info on medial insurance as well as docs/info I need before I am actually legally allowed to work.

Also, I will need some new GT5 friends as I race with a big group and run my own successful league but this will obviously end due to time differences. More on that later though and closer to the date when I move.

So any advice thoughts suggestions please offer up.

Many Thanks

Ryan

 

[F1 fan]

Hi. First, I'd like to say good luck with the move. I went to Canada on the working holiday visa program and now I'm married and living in Japan.

There is a website I used for advice when it came to my Canadian visa. It's called british expats. If you're not british, then lie as they can be quite touchy about that. The site is full of people who've made the move themselves. There are a lot of members in oz and they can help you with just about any situation that can arise. Just a word of advice, I found quite a few of the members to be very unfriendly, so take it with a pinch of salt. The advice will be worth going through the registration progress.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Brave move, but I wish you the best.

What makes you pick Perth - is that where you're girlfriend is studying? Perth is an extremely spread out city, and the CBD is tiny. You'll need a car to get around as public transport there is not that convenient nor does it service every nook and cranny.

If you are an EU citizen, you might get reciprocal health cover from Medicare, you should confirm that on their website. If you plan on driving, you should also check whether you can convert your licence over the counter here or need to arrange an international one (states may differ on treatment here).

Not sure what rentals are like in Perth, but Melbourne and Sydney can get extremely expensive if you want to live within sight of the CBD.

Bare in mind if you stay in Perth, a flight to Sydney or Melbourne is $600+ if you're thinking you can use it as a base to see the country - it is rather pricey for what it is.

I am not sure where logistics centers are concentrated, but remember, if you are going on a holiday visa, you are restricted in terms of what kind of work you can do. I think you need a higher class of visa to do anything more then casual type jobs like waiting/ shop assistant kind of stuff. To get one of those higher visa, you'll need a job offer....a company might do it for you, but dont bet on it.

I would suggest you do some homework and set a budget - there are tons of forums out there for expats on just this - how will it work re cost of living etc. I'm not sure when you're planning on going, but equip yourself with knowledge as much as you can beforehand.

It will be a great adventure though

 

[PAPPACLART]

Thanks for the advice guys

@ Mike Rotch I am British so speak fluent English and have some basic Italian language skills also.

I think you may be right about the restrictive jobs so will have to look into it a little closer. I am not to fussed about what I do so that is not a problem but I would like a means to network/build a relationship with a company who would be willing to sponsor me but it will be tough as there are a ton of hoops/requirements that have to be met.

Perth is just something we are thinking about but that may change. My girlfriend lived in Melbourne and loved it, but that was back in 2008. It seems that everybody wants to go to the more popular cities so this drives prices up/cost of living up etc, so really looking to find the next (if one exists) up and coming city that offers opportunity as well as good value.

@F1 Fan where in Japan do you live? I will be stopping off in Saitama on route to Australia to see an old friend of mine. Some advice on cheap accommodation would be good as well.

(edit you live Mikata,tokyo)

As for the Forums, I have tried some of those expat forums and I have had little or no response to my questions but will give them another go and see what I learn.

 

[F1 fan]

@F1 Fan where in Japan do you live? I will be stopping off in Saitama on route to Australia to see an old friend of mine. Some advice on cheap accommodation would be good as well.

(edit you live Mikata,tokyo)

As for the Forums, I have tried some of those expat forums and I have had little or no response to my questions but will give them another go and see what I learn.

Not so sure about the accommodation as my wife came out here before me and got us a flat but I have heard that capsule hostels are quite cheap. I'm sure there will be a few regular hostels too if you're claustrophobic. How long will you be in Japan for? Let me know if you need any recommendations for places to go or if you want to meet up for a beer or something. Good luck.

 

[PAPPACLART]

I think they are quire pricey and I hope they have good ventilation as you would not want the let one loose while in there lol.

We could certainly meat up, that would be cool.

 

[F1 fan]

I think they are quire pricey and I hope they have good ventilation as you would not want the let one loose while in there lol.

We could certainly meat up, that would be cool.

A friend of mine is a sucker for all things sci fi. He is going to visit next year and wants to stay at a capsule hostel due to the capsule's similarities to many sci fi cryo chambers. Send me a pm nearer the time if you want to meet up for a few beers.

 

[Syntax error]

Perth is in the middle of a mining boom and the average wage for the miners is very high which has pushed living expenses through the roof. Cheap rent is non existent there. Actually cheap anything is non existent in Perth with the unfortunate price gouging going on.

I would suggest either Sydney or Melbourne.... Actually maybe just Melbourne. It's a beautiful city. I'd probably move there myself if it wasn't for family, friends and work keeping me in Sydney.

 

[SPhilli911]

I might be able to chime in here considering I was in a very similar situation myself... though I'm not in Australia anymore. Anyways let me tell you what went right and what went wrong with my attempt at moving there the first time.

Last November I packed all my things and moved to Melbourne after more than a year of not so careful planning. I went with a year long Working Holiday visa like you. I had just finished school, I was stupid, I was young and I barely had any money. With that being said, some things to consider:

Housing: Wherever you plan on living (I assume in or close to the cities), expect to pay a LOT, but it is very easy to find a place to live. I was able to move into an apartment in North Melbourne (fairly close walk to the CBD even quicker via tram) on the second day I arrived without any previous contact with the owner. Check out this flat share site. You can search for places to stay, whether alone or with your girlfriend. Pretty simple as long as you aren't too, too picky.

Work: Sort out interviews and job contacts well before you go. This is massively important. Unless you are set for a year of living without a job then you'll need one as soon as possible. With the Working Holiday visa it may be tough considering you can only hold one job for 6 months at a time (at least with my visa) and a lot of employers might not want that. BUT there are plenty of temporary jobs out there, but I highly suggest looking BEFORE you go. Otherwise it might take a long time to find a job and with the high cost of everything in that country you don't want to find yourself begging for change. Sorry I can't help with the medical stuff. My Visa wasn't the same as yours, as I was able to work at any time.

Transportation: I can only speak for Melbourne, of course, but Australian public transportation is fantastic. The tram system in Melbourne was simple and cheap to use, but I image the buses and rails in Perth or Sydney are just as good. Though, if you plan on living in the city, walking is just fine.

Currency/ banks: I'm sure you have already thought about this, but it's important. When you go to Australia, think about how you will use money whether it be cash, or cards. Before I went I opened up a bank account with National Australian Bank, because they let me open the account from overseas and make transfers right away. I also exchanged US dollars to Australian and carried some paper money before going, for buses and shops and so forth. I can't speak for you, but I was able to withdraw currency from ATMs without a fee because my bank in America has sister banks in Australia. Maybe yours does too, it's worth checking that out. If you use credit cards you might want to check international fees and that sort of thing.

I left Australia, because I knew that after one year my visa was going to expire and I would be forced to leave the country anyways. I also left early because I found no feasible way to become a citizen of Australia without sponsorship. No, I didn't quit... I'm going back to Melbourne in December for a sponsorship interview through the company I work for.

Best of luck man. I suggest spending all the time you can on forums dedicated to immigration and working holiday visas. Learn as much as you can before you go, trust me.