How to Move to Australia
The Process.
One of the most common questions I am asked is “I want to move to Australia, where do I start?” And I suppose the answer for everyone is slightly different.
But I do know what the answer was for me was and I have documented the process that we went through to move to Australia, from the initial idea right the way through to finally arriving in Australia with permanent residency status.
But I have realised of late that most of these articles have disappeared into the archives and if you can find them, the titles aren’t very descriptive. Titles like Moving to Australia Part Three and Moving to Australia Part Four.
Yes, very helpful…..
So I have now created this dedicated page called “How to Move to Australia” describing each step I went through along the way to secure my move. Hopefully the short descriptions under each title will make it easier for you to navigate around this category and find what you are looking for more easily.
To read any of the articles in full, just click on the title above it. So, let’s start at the beginning……..
Moving to Australia – An Idea
13 March 2009
The Idea
This is where it has to start with everyone, with an idea. That idea is simply “I think I’d like to move to Australia”.
6 Ways to Emigrate to Australia
19 March 2009
Types of Visa
Here I take a look at six of the most popular kinds of visas to get you into Australia.
Moving to Australia – Part Three
27 March 2009
The Application Form
Now it’s time to take a look at the dreaded paperwork and some of the costs involved in moving to Australia.
Moving to Australia – Part Four
2 April 2009
The Points System
Deciding on which kind of visa you will apply for and a look at the Australian Skilled Immigration points calculator.
Moving to Australia – Part Five
16 April 2009
Backing Up Your Application
More dreaded paperwork. Gathering together the proofs you will need for your Australian migration assessment depending upon the type of visa you are going for.
Moving to Australia – Part Six
23 April 2009
Bringing Your Dog or Cat
You’ll probably want to read this if you are hoping to bring your dog (or cat).
Moving to Australia – Part Seven
30 April 2009
Finalising the Application
Now it’s time to fill in the application form and provide even more proofs.
Moving to Australia – Part Eight
7 May 2009
Waiting
Finally your application is complete and it is in the post. What next? I’ll tell you, waiting! Is there anything you can do?
Moving to Australia – Part Nine
14 May 2009
And More Waiting
This is waiting part two if you like. Here I explain stasis and exactly what you are waiting for.
Moving to Australia – Part Ten
21 May 2009
The Medical
Nudging ever closer, it’s time to take your medical examination.
Moving to Australia – Part Eleven
28 May 2009
Nervous Waiting
The results of your medical examination have now been sent off but you really don’t know if you have passed or failed. More nervous waiting.
Moving to Australia – Part Twelve
4 June 2009
Selling Up and Planning Your Move
With your visa now granted, how do you validate it? Also, selling your house and planning your departure.
Moving to Australia – Part Thirteen
11 June 2009
The Removal Company
With the house now sold, it’s time to call in the removal company. It’s also time to start saying goodbye to people and places and book your flight to Australia. But where are you going to live when you get there?
Moving to Australia – Part Fourteen
18 June 2009
The One-Way Flight
Finally, it’s time to board the plane on a one-way ticket to Australia! This is when your visa gets validated.
Moving to Australia – Part Fifteen
25 June
Where’s My Furniture?
More waiting, this time for your furniture to show up. Also, what’s it like settling in?
The End. Almost…..
And that does conclude our story of how we moved to Australia.
But there are many more posts in the Moving to Australia category, please do check them out. Clicking that link you will see the most recent posts at the top of the page. But I just want to bring your attention to a few more articles that may be very relevant to you if you are seriously concidering moving to Australia.
Moving to Australia: Baggy’s Story
2 July 2009
Collecting your dog (or cat) if you brought one. What can possibly go wrong!
What About My Friends?
And finally I have three articles about missing your family and friends and making new ones……
Goodbye Sam, Goodbye Samantha
17 July
First I look at who out of your friends and family are likely to come and visit you in Australia.
Leaving All Your Friends Behind
23 July 2009
Second, making new friends, a radical new approach.
The Rules of Making New Friends
30 July 2009
And third, the simple rules of making new friends.
And Finally….
It’s a long process, I know. Sometimes you will get frustrated with it, I know we did. But I can assure you that from our experience it is well worth the effort. The time it takes is not so important as the “Yes” at the end. As long as you get in, it’s all worth it.
If you are begining or going through this process now, I wish you well. Maybe I’ll see you here in Australia soon.
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Hi Bob, thank you so much for your website, it’s like a bible for My Boyfirend and I!
We’re heading off to WA in August this year (2nd visit) for a reckkie before we start our Skill visa application in September. We’ve got a little list of things to find out while we’re there; banking, housing, motoring, utilites etc (Please let me know if there’s anything especially that we should looking into!)
My boyfriend is Self-Employed here in the UK and I’d be grateful for any info / direction to info on how he’d let the UK Tax man know and how the Aussie tax systems works please?
Thanks once again and best wishes!
Unfortunately leaving the country does not mean the UK taxman will leave you alone. All you can do is give him your new address and he will still pester you to do tax returns, and I believe he can continue to do so for about seven years after you’ve left the country. It’s a real pain.
Last year I did finally get the taxman to stop sending me returns to fill in, but he has given me a list of circumstances that would require me to write to him and ask for a text form.
Here’s my rough guide to tax in Australia.
ok here’s my situation.
I have a master in metallurgy and a bachelor in chemical engineering but my work experience is less than a year. I’m not sure but just guessing that my best bet is to get a work and come to Au. so what’s the main engineering job data base in Au? another relevant question would be “is it common place for Au employers to hire from abroad?” I’m in Sweden now, 27 and single.
thanks
You need to look at my page called Getting a Job or a Sponsorship
Hi Bob,
I would love to move to oz, i spent a year there a while ago and experienced enough to know it’s for me. I am currently training to be a mental health nurse, i finish in two years. I have heard that i may need to work in the UK for at least two years after qualifying before i can apply to emigrate. How true is this? I would like to move over as soon as possible.
Thanks,
Dominic.
Yes, I’ve heard that too. Most prospective employers do expect you to have a couple years or so of postgraduate experience. But there’s nothing to stop you applying as far as I’m aware, it’s just less likely that you’d be successful whilst other applicants do have the work experience.
Hi Bob, I found your articles very useful. Thank you! however I am finding that as a US citizen it has been really trying to get my visa on my own. I have found a migration agent but its such a risk spending 2500$ for jus the visa fee, and no real guarantee that it will get approved. Is it this difficult for everybody?
Hi alethea
Well, there is no way around paying for the visa fee, that has to be sent in with your application. I assume you are at the stage with your migration agent where he is confident you have a very good chance of getting approved?
If you do not feel comfortable with your migration agent, check out my Visa Assessment Service.
hi Bob,
firstly i would like to congradulate you on what your doing here… its awesome!
My girlfriend is a qualified accountant with 2 years experience and i am hopeing to study for my career in Aus. we are both 25 and have a 3 year old son. we would love to move from ireland to australia but are unsure of the best way to go about it and the amount of money it will cost! any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated
Hi Daniel
Read part three, the link is above in this post. It’ll give you some ideas about costs and also there is a link on that page to my page about visas which is the best place to start.
Good luck!
hi there,
i am moving to Joondaloop in Perth on 18th April 2012. ive been trying to get as much information as possible from various websites but cannot find the info i need. im 17 and finished secondary school in may last year with 11 GCSEs. i really want to know what type of school/college i need to attend in Perth, weather they have colleges/sixth form or do i resit year 11 etc. i was wondering if it was like education in the UK. i have been looking at school websites but neither of these tell me how old i need to be, what grades i need etc.this would be so much help if you know, thankyou!
mercedes
Hi mercedes
Sorry, I really can’t help you with this one, although I believe the answer as to whether you start college or resit your final year depends on whether your birthday is before June 30th or after. As you say you are 17 now, I “think” that you will need to finish your final year when you get here and start college in the New Year which will begin in January 2013.
But as I say, I only “think” that to be the case. That’s based on my own post about the Australian school system.
Hello there Bob, Firstly I’d like to compliment you on your website it’s amazing!, secondly I’d like to ask for your advice on me making the move! I’m a 18 year old living in the UK at college studying; Advanced diploma in Manufacture engineering (level3). I want to move to Australia and start my working life out there. At present I am thinking about applying for a Working holiday Visa, coming out and experiencing it out there (working 88 days picking) granting me a second year. Would I be able to get residence after the WHV expires, such as a sponsored job or could I get an apprenticeship?
Hi Jo
There would be no guarantees that you would get permanent residency after your WHV expires, only the possibility that it might happen. But I still believe your plan to come out here on a WHV is sound, as is doing the agricultural work to get yourself a second year.
This will give you the chance to find out first hand if Australia really is for you. If you decide it is, then regard getting PR has staged two.
Above all, enjoy your visit to this wonderful country.
Thank’s Bob!, I have friends in Aus, They’ve already offered to help me out, my only worry is actually being able to get residence after the WVH+Extension. Do you know anyone who has gone through this route, without having a Degree or having the work experience. Thanks, once again!
Joe.
I don’t know anybody personally Joe, but I’m sure it does happen, there are just no guarantees. Good luck!
Hi bob could you please advise me..my son has sponsorship in Perth has he got to have residency before he can claim his parents?? Also my other son is coming to oz to work in sept 2012 many thanks dam..
I have no idea what you mean by “claim his parents”. As far as I am aware, (not knowing your full situation) if you are hoping to join your son living in Australia, you will have to apply in your own right, irrespective of whether your son has sponsorship, permanent residency or even citizenship.
I am a Canadian citizen and want to move to Australia. I am thinking of travelling to Australia on Working Holiday Visa. The issue is that my wife and child are Pakistani citizens and I want them to accompany me on a Visitor visa. My plan is to go to Australia and find an Employer sponsorship. But the website says that I cannot accompany my child at any time during my stay to Australia. Please recommend me what can I do?
I’m not sure, I’m not qualified to give advice on which type of visa is best. I do have a Visa Assessment Service though, maybe you like to give it a try.
Hi BobinOz
I’ve been thinking about migrating to Oz from the UK. I’d like to get casual work in the mining industry. I understand that there are shortages in that field?!
From reading articles on the net, I gather the best way is to just turn up at the labour offices and ask. As well as network with any people you can find who works in the industry.
As a 34yo UK citizen what visa options are available to me? i cant get WHV as i’m too old; I cant get ‘highly skilled visa’ as I dont have any required skills.
Any advice much appreciated.
Cheers
Same answer as Saad above I’m afraid Harbs, being properly assessed is really the only way to find out if and how you can get.
Hi Bob,
My husband is a joiner/carpenter & I’m a hairdresser we have been told we will have no problem getting approved for visa’s but it’s the cost you have to go through first, we were wondering if it’s possible to sell up buy one way tickets & arrange jobs & visas once we get out there ???
Please get back to me we really really want to get out there but the only way to fund it is to sell up as all our money is tied up in our house.
Thanks Louise & Craig
Well you will need some kind of visa or other before you can come here and I’m not even sure it’s possible to buy a one-way ticket without having a visa to support it. So I’m not sure it’s a good plan, or even a workable one. But I don’t know for sure, I’m only guessing, I’m not an expert on visas.
Hope things work out though.
Hi bob,
I am 39 years old married male from Pakistan, i want to move to Australia permanently. I do an olnine business with USA clients. What should i do to move and what would be the cost of moving with my family of 4 persons. (me, my spouse and 2 kids.
Rumi, you have asked me impossible questions, surely you know that?
Please read my pages Visas and
Questions I can’t answer… and follow all of the useful links within those pages. If you still have any questions after that, take a look at my Visa Assessment Service.
Then if you still have any questions, do come back to me.
I have worked for westpac and st george banks at australia which was being outsourced to one of top indian MNC i would like to work at austalia for few years atleast plz help me .. as how to go about it
Help is all around you on the hundreds of pages of this website, you should take a read. Start at Visas
i have to say that your story is just as good as a good movie
you give us so many good advises and explanations.
personnaly, i spent 2 years in australia with a working holiday visas and would never go back home ( france ) if i had had the possibility.
oz is the best country in the world and you definitely made the right choice. i guess the whole family is in heaven.
good on you mate
enjoy, cheers!
Hey Albe
Thanks for that, much appreciated. Yes, I do think we made the right decision. It’s not exactly heaven here, no angels playing harps or anything like that, but it’s pretty close to paradise.
Cheers!
I am from Sweden and visited OZ many times. I liked the country and the friendly people, but I am still cant´t understand why all the papper-work to get a Residence-visa!!!!!!!!!!
Alot of work to do and alot of money to pay. I think that OZ should make it a little bit easier for high skilled people who do really good things for the Au economy.
Australia without high skilled immigrant will go under, oh it is already down under.
Chears!!!!
Yes a lot of paperwork and a lot of money. But still Australia has a lot of people who want to come here and who are prepared to do all the paperwork and pay all the money.
Maybe it’s Australia’s way of weeding out the time wasters and the tyre kickers. Look on the bright side, you only have to fill in the paperwork and pay once, then it can last a lifetime.
Worth the effort in my view.
Hi Bob,
I actually have a permanent resident visa which expires in September. I am currently in the UK and had originally planned to come back on May 7th of this year. I was also pregnant, my dute date was 18th June 2012 meaning my baby would have been born in Oz.
Unfortunately I developed a really rare and potentially fatal pregnancy complication 2 weeks ago and I had to have an emergency cesaerean section in the UK and my baby was born 10 weeks premature and extremely ill. He is in Neonatal intensive care and we are both still in hospital. We obviously cannot come to Australia on the date originally planned and it is unlikely either of us will be fit
and well enough to even make it in time for the deadline in September.
I really don’t want to lose my Visa and was wondering if immi would under these extenuation circumstances be able to grant me an extension of around 6 months to a year in order to get my baby’s health taken care of before we return?
I want to contact Sydney Lee St office directly instead of the Australian High Commission office in London because previously they have given me a lot of wrong and conflicting information compared to the actual office in Sydney.
The issue I have is that immi.gov.au only has national contact telephone numbers available to people calling from inside Australia (13 numbers) there are no advertised numbers that I can contact them from the UK. Would you happen to know of any international telephone numbers that I can contact the Sydney office on, or indeed if you could offer any advice or tips as to how I may be able to obtain this visa deadline extension I would be so extremely grateful.
Many, many thanks for your time and all the wonderful information on your site. I have given yourlink to many friends who have asked me about living in Australia as you have so much quality info on there.
With kind regards,
Jo McCormack
Hi Jo
Wow! Sounds like a nightmare. I hope you and your baby are well and recover fully.
I believe it is possible to telephone 1300 numbers in Australia from overseas. Have you tried dialling the overseas code for the UK + Australia’s country code (61) + the 1300 number? Give it a try, as I understand it, it works from some countries but not others.
Or have you tried contacting them electronically?
If none of that works, maybe my MARA agent could act on your behalf, although I am sure he would need to charge you a fee. Let me know. I assume you didn’t use an agent?
Under the circumstances, I’d be surprised if the immigration department did not grant you an extension, but obviously I can’t speak for them. You really do not want to lose it.
Oh, and thanks for spreading the word about BobinOz
Cheers
Bob
Dear Bob,
I am a Canadian passport holder and want to immigrate to Australia. I have done my BBA (4 years program) and I have 4 years work experience in Sales / Marketing. I have 2 questions:
1) Can I apply for Skilled – Sponsor visa? I have my uncle living in Sydney. who can sponsor me. I have doubt that being an unskilled worker I might not be eligible to apply for this visa.
2) After applying for this visa if I go to Australia on working visa and if I am able to find an employer who can sponsor me as well, can I apply for Employer Sponsorship visa as well? Meanwhile, my skilled – sponsor visa remains in process.
I’m afraid to admit I don’t even know what a BBA is, but I do know that my wife applied for and was successful in getting a permanent residency visa thanks to her skill as a marketer.
She had to be assessed, as she had no recognisable qualifications, so on that basis you probably do have a chance.
If you get some other kind of work visa, then, again, it is possible you could be successful with your plan 2 as well. But of course, there are no guarantees and this is only my opinion. If you want a more valid view, you’d really need to speak to a MARA registered migration agent.
Good luck!
DEAR SIR,
GOOD DAY
I AM A INDIAN WORKING AS A MIDDLE EXECUTIVE IN A KRAFT PAPER MFG. INDS. ARROUND NIGERIA, WEST AFFRICA, WITH MY FAMILY.
I WANT TO SWITCHOVER MY JOB TO AUSTRELIA, WHAT ARE THE PROCEDURES BE FOLLOWED TO GET A EMPLOYER, VISA etc. AS PER AUSTRALIA GOVT. LAWS.
KINDLY ADVICE.
All procedures are documented well on the pages of this website, maybe you should read some of it? Start here …
Migration Advice
Hi Bob, Thank you for an informative website! Could you help us pls? Situation-my husband and i are planning to move to OZ, with 4 children aged 6-12. I have a BA HONs in education, but no experience as yet as a teacher, my husband is a singer. We don’t have any skills on the skill shortage list. What are our chances of getting a visa? What way in would you suggest we try? Thank you xxx
All I can suggest is that you try my Visa Assessment Service which is offered at very low rates by my MARA registered migration agent.
I think it might be difficult for you to qualify, but if it is possible, my guy will find a way. Good luck!
Bob,
Great website, has been very useful and enjoyable! So just a quick thanks, that’s all!
Seems like I have gone from The Idea (part 1) to Selling up (Part 12) in a matter of weeks. Been offered a job on 457 visa, visa was submitted last week and I received info that it was granted today, YIPEE!
That’s right a whole week worth of waiting!
I know now it’s going to be 100 mph (or should that be 100 kmph?) to get everything sorted so that i can be starting work in Brisbane in July. Hopefully all goes smooth!
Congratulations John!
Yes, coming here on a 457 visa can be so much faster than applying for permanent residency straight off. Even so, one week is pretty fast!
I hope everything goes smoothly, yes it is going to be 100 mph. You can’t use kilometres per hour until you get here, you are still in the UK
Hope you get to love Brisbane as much as I do. Cheers
Whoa??!! a 457 visa? I am trying to get a more permanent visa and I have a visa agent too and he never gave me this visa as an option. Can I get this visa and work on getting my permanent visa while there? or even citizenship? Seriously, paying 250$ and getting it quicker and then paying up the 2500$ to get the permanent would get us moving lots quicker.
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