Your Free eBook

So Bob, you’ve been here since November 2007, give me one good reason why I should move to Australia.

Crikey mate! I can do better than that, here’s…..

20 Reasons Why YOU Should Move to Australia.

Yes, you can read the magazines, you can watch the TV, you can speak to migration agents, you can get a bucket load of information from the Australian government’s immigration website and you can talk to all the relocation experts you can find, but……

If you want to know what it’s really like to live in Australia, grab your free copy of my e-book now and gain incredible insights to so, so much, like….

  • Who Bert is.
  • An unusual Australian sales technique. Don’t let this one catch you out!
  • How to put an end to irritating telesales.
  • The joys of stress less holidays.
  • Almost guaranteed to go soggy in the UK, here we love ’em. Lots of ’em. But what are they?
  • Does anyone live longer than the Aussies? I’ll tell you….
  • They’re a joke in England, but more fun than you can shake a stick at here. Great at Christmas too. But what is it?
  • What’s just around the corner?
  • The best place for a kid’s birthday party.
  • It’s this national replacement for a British tradition, but does it work?
  • The one thing Australia is short of and what that means to you!
  • The all important dress code. Break this rule and you be left standing outside!

Hey! And I haven’t even started on the top ten yet!

Yes, 20 Reasons Why YOU Should Move to Australia is essential reading for anyone considering the move. Over 90 pages, something like 60 of Bob’s top tips and who knows how many glorious photographs.What's Good About Australia

Am I nuts? Yes! Why? ‘Cos it’s free! Yes, that’s right, absolutely free. Nuffink. I don’t even want your email address, that’s how free it is.

Oh, and it’s also more than 10 years old now, so it may be an itsy-bitsy bit out of date here and there. So let’s just call it a good look at what life in Australia was really like sometime around 2009.

Some things have changed, some haven’t, so it is still worth a read. Did I mention it was free?

download
If you haven’t already got it, you will need a copy of Adobe reader to open and read the ebook. It’s free and you can get by clicking the PDF icon below…..

Adobe

C’mon, you don’t get nonsense like this from Barnes and Noble.

Testimonials:

G’Day Bob
I came across your site lastnight after browsing the net and wow I cant take my eyes off it – its a great read.. I love the E-Book thats put a huge smile on my face and I really want to move to Australia now!
Thank You
Jo :=)

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O my God!
Just read your e book and want to go to Aus now!  Am living in Ireland and have nearly finished the visa application process. Hope to move to Sydney in August.
Congratulations on your book. It is fantastic
Kind regards
Mairead

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I have been following your blog or a few weeks now. I really enjoyed your ’20 Reasons Why YOU Should Move to Australia’ and have found your posts to be very informative. I love the humour that you inject into your stories.
Sincerely,
Stephanie

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I live in Romania, me and my boyfriend intend to move in Sydney. We are 26 and 30 years old, I’ve read your e-book and I can say that now I am more exciting than I was about Australia.
Luciana

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Dear Mr.Bob,
Thanks for sending me the e-picture book. It is an experience in itself. The previous sunday we all family members had a memorable session going through your blog! You almost took us there..Hat’s off. Though i have not seen any official publication from the tourism deptt of Australia but i can bet your work would be a far exceeding..great compiling, fine flow of thoughts and a great effort. No wonder if you become a brand ambassador of the tourism deptt there someone like our Mr.Amitabh Bachchan.
Best Regards,
D.Mukherjee

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today i found your website and all day long i was reading your e-book! I really loved it! It was a pleasure to read it, because there was very good info whit a lot of sense of humor! I am 23 years old girl from Lithuania, thinking to move in Australia, so searching for more info about living out there. Your website gives a lot of it!
I just wanted to say for you – thank you for your book! I really love it!

Best regards,
Inga

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Hey, I have just been reading your e book for quite a while now, I can’t stop reading it. I thank God I have found your website. This is just a big blessing for us. You are answering all the questions I wanted to know. You gave me that opportunity to travel arond Australia through you ebook.

Hope

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My thanks to everyone who has taken the time to email me.

Cheers

Bob

Visa Assessment Service
{ 187 comments… add one }
  • Sumit Singh May 4, 2017, 11:33 pm |

    Hello bob,
    I am sumit from india. I am working as assistant professor from last 7 years in engineering college. I did Btech mechanical engg in 2008. Also i scored 7 in ilets and pte both. Can i apply for pr as university tutor? Some agent told me it is open in NSW on proactive basis. Is this true or not? Otherwise guide me what other options are available there

  • Di Smith March 3, 2017, 7:06 pm |

    Hi Bob
    Desperate for an answer! Our son and family r emigrating this year. We would love to follow in 2 years! We are aware of the visas.we have been to Oz and love it. We are now 65 and 67 and own a house. We have savings. We have national pensions and I have a small teachers pension. We would know the pension gets frozen.
    My husband is adamant that moving to Oz will crucify us financially. I have looked at cost of living etc we don’t have a grand lifestyle but are caravan nets and love travelling.bearing in mind the pound and dollar situation, can we have a good retirement over there?
    Di

    • BobinOz March 5, 2017, 9:46 pm |

      Well, it’s impossible for me to say, I have no idea how much money you have. The pound is incredibly weak, particularly so since Brexit, and as you say, your pensions from the government will be frozen.

      I suppose it all depends on how much you have available to bring here, how much you will be spending on accommodation and therefore how much you have left over. That said, getting a visa may be an even bigger problem as I know that these days is not easy for parents to follow.

      • Di smith March 5, 2017, 10:00 pm |

        Thanks Bob
        Well we own our own house here and have savings but did not realise it was so difficult for parents. Have had a look at the visas though. Perhaps things will pick up in the next 2 years

      • Di smith March 13, 2017, 7:14 pm |

        Love your pages Bob but found your comments on joining kids in Oz at our age depressing. We have a house to sell here and we have savings. Cost of living is a worry but there are lots of free things to do over there. Please say something positive to us pensioners

        • BobinOz March 13, 2017, 9:25 pm |

          Okay, here’s something nice. The government are currently talking about the possibility of temporary visas for parents, they have a discussion paper online. Google ‘Australian parent visas discussion paper’ to find out more.

          As the current situation stands, there are not many options, I was just letting you know that. What you really need to do is touch base with a MARA registered migration agent as they will be up to date with the latest developments and if these new temporary visas do happen, they will be the first to know.

          Good luck, Bob

  • Rahul February 6, 2017, 8:21 pm |

    Hi Bob, Thank you for the information you have already shared.I am a software professional trying to migrate to Australia in a State Sponsorship Visa.Here my queries are

    1. How likely to get a job in Adelaide in my profession ?
    2. If my state choice is not right, Which state I should go for ?

    Thanks in advance.

  • BobinOz January 11, 2017, 8:37 pm |

    Good to see that everyone has been having a good old chat whilst I’ve been away up the Sunshine Coast for the last few days, enjoying a beachside weekend. The way these nested comments work though is that they run out at a certain point, and there is just no ‘reply’ button available when it reaches its limit.

    So Mark, Ben and Christina, if any of you want to continue the conversation, just hit reply that appears below my comment.

    • Ben January 12, 2017, 1:30 am |

      Thanks Bob. Trust you had a great time over there. Forgot to mention it to Mark but the one thing we were told over that lengthy telephone conversation was that generally the large cities(Sidney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra) are quite saturated at the moment but as soon as you’re half an hour out, situation differs and there’s ample scope at least for Beth as a paediatrics doctor. They also mentioned that Western Australia is the least likely place to find a good prospect so we should concentrate on Queensland from purely a medical point of view. As for myself as structural engineer, that’s a secondary matter and hopefully I should be able to find a position either with a consultancy or contractor anywhere really. If not, I suppose I’ll have to consider switching from buildings to mining.
      Bob thanks for the opportunity to rant about our hopes for a better life for us as a family and outdoors childhood for our kids. I am certain there must be lots of people that are grateful for your page. All the best and God bless.
      Kind regards,
      Ben

      • BobinOz January 12, 2017, 7:22 pm |

        My pleasure Ben, and I do hope everything works out for you and your family.

        Now, I know I am biased, but I would go for Queensland as well, Brisbane if you can. Houses are way cheaper and bigger here than they are in Sydney and Melbourne, and the lifestyle here is much more laid-back. I’ve also heard that Queensland has the best pay structure for the medical professions as well.

        But, like I say, I’m a little biased. I’ve been living in Brisbane now for nine years and I love it. Good luck to you, how ever it pans out.

    • Christina Cunningham January 12, 2017, 1:00 pm |

      Thanks Bob for putting us on the straight and narrow – you might say nested comments becoming narrower and narrower in width ha ha! – will fix.

      • BobinOz January 12, 2017, 8:44 pm |

        Yes, I think the narrowing thing is why there is this limit. We don’t care though, we can just start all over again 🙂

    • Christina Cunningham January 12, 2017, 3:00 pm |

      Hi Mark, thanks for your great reply. You might say you’re a mere pup in Oz whilst I am a seasoned mongrel with a couple of convict ancestors. Oh well, them’s the breaks! You said you lived in Southern California for a while. I’ve always wanted to visit San Diego but was wondering what it is like to live there. On the subject of living in Melbourne I guess it would be very nice living on the Mornington Peninsula if there was no need to get work in the city, so if Ben is prepared to work on the peninsula yes I would recommend living there despite the weather. My auntie lives in Rosebud and loves it however my pick is Dromana for the lovely beach as it’s more of a swimming beach. I have been to London, in 1981, in winter and couldn’t believe how cold my hands were after a couple of minutes – had to go running back inside to fetch some gloves. It certainly was grey! We (my husband) went to the UK in 2015 this time in summer and saw so much of it by car including Wales and Scotland. As it was only June I had to rug up big time in Edinburgh as the wind was biting – loved their fish ‘n chips though at a place called Berwick on the coast. Getting back to Ben, and as he now will not be coming to Oz for about 2 years due to paperwork etc I think he would be best trying both places out (Sydney and Melbourne) before settling down, and trying them both in winter to get the feel of living there – maybe a month in one place and a month in the other. I am married to a civil engineer and for most of his life he has had to go away overseas and to Qld to get work. In Melbourne he worked in water supply and in Qld in the mining industry but he worked recently before retiring for an American company called Bechtel, in Brisbane. You may have heard of them. There’s not all that much work for civils in Melbourne but Ben’s wife will have no trouble. Many engineers have had to go to the Middle East to obtain work (Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) but we did one stint in Montreal in 2004 – for me in summer – which was a great experience as I practised my French. Simply beautiful architecture in Montreal. We actually live on the north side of Melbourne in North Essendon. Anyway I’ll stop raving on for now Mark. All the best.

      • Mark January 13, 2017, 4:52 pm |

        Cheers Bob thanks for letting us use your bandwidth up 🙂 I guess though folk can sometimes glean more from a conversation like this than three questions answered. Sorry now as I do Bob in Cali (doesn’t have the same ring) Christina yes its a lovely place to live is San Diego I actually lived in a place called San Clemente or The home of the West Coast White house ‘trciky dicky’ Nixon had a retirement home built there surprisingly a little like 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…Anywhere down the coast is great from say Huntington Beach right down to San Clemente just after that its mostly rugged terrain and I5 interstate down to San Diego Its a lovely place to live but and thus is my reason for leaving when I grew up there was some gaps between San Clemente and LA now its included in the sprawl. I moved to the UK where small villages still exist but the population of the UK is now ahhhhhh too many people on the little island. Ben glad to hear you have some progress. I am with Christina plenty of medical work on the peninsular with the new Frankston hospital and its getting bigger and your over half an hour from the city but if they say go for Queensland then give it a go,,,the thing is get yourselves here and then move later if need be…As said Rosebud and Dromana both great places in fact I dont think there is a bad place on the peninsular It feels like half of Australia has come for a holiday at times. i would put good money in it being the part of Australia with more diverse state car plates than anywhere All the best and God Bless

  • Ben January 7, 2017, 12:59 am |

    I know your book online is a bit dated but wow. Man did it strike a chord with me !!!
    My wife and I live in Oadby just outside Leicester, UK. I am a structural engineer working for GCA(UK) Ltd. and my wife is a paediatric doctor at Leicester Royal Infirmary. We have a 3 year old daughter and a 10 months old sun. We were considering Australia especially for the little one’s sake. We want to try it out for a year first and if everything is indeed as you described them, we might consider a long term move. In terms of where about in Australia, my thinking is Sidney and anything bellow that would have the seasonality too similar to what we already have here so there’s no point moving in that respect. Darwin and anything round there seems ok verging however towards too hot and crocodiles seem to be an issue. Queensland seems to be ideal.
    The other thing to consider is location in terms of rural or urban. We are definitely pro rural but with access to the city. Sort of the typical converted barn in the middle of the countryside but still half an hour from town.
    The info on schools, sports, safety and pretty much all of the 20 items were brilliantly presented. Short and sweet.
    Few questions for you:
    What do you do for a living in Brisbane ?
    Any regrets regarding your move ?
    Apart from our local tennis and shooting club we are involved in a small evangelical church in the village/town here. Anything you can share in that respect ?
    Thank you again for your input so far and enjoy your life over there.
    Kind regards,
    Ben

    • Mark January 7, 2017, 9:43 am |

      Hi Ben Not Bob but one of the contributors. Church You could easily argue Australia is more religious than many places on face value.certainly You could also argue its not but you will here daily devotions on many regular radio stations. Id believe far more percentage of people go to church or other buildings of worship. The Evangelical church here is quite strong google feca.org.au not as much as USA where I grew up but there again it hasn’t the population by a long way. Its also a great way to meet friends like minded as well As Im here now and writing Regrets….Didn’t do it sooner !!! One other thing though dont rule out south of Sydney its eggs in one basket The weather in Melbourne whilst its true can be four seasons in one day its a great place to live far better than UK weather chances of seeing snow is nil and id say gives as many job opportunities for you if not more than Sydney. One slight difference with most areas of Australia is coastal so you only arguably have three sides of any city to find the rural or semi rural part unlike say Leicester where your surrounded by it Its pretty hard to find the equivalent …If you do put Melbourne back on you list have a look down the Mornington peninsular…The area would easily give anywhere down to Market Harborough a Australian run for its money.

      • BobinOz January 8, 2017, 1:35 am |

        Mark has covered you for most things, but for me, have I had any regrets since my move? None whatsoever, I really do love it here and I’ve never looked back. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my life in England, I did and it is a fine country. But I’m loving the change and the new lifestyle I have here in Australia.

        As for what I do for a living in Brisbane? I’ve been here over nine years now, I’ve done a few things. All of them as a self-employed person, I’ve not worked for anybody else or even applied for a job with anyone. Me and my wife jointly ran a business, I run a business on my own, and my wife used to run a business on her own as well, all three of those at the same time at one point.

        None of this is really relevant to your potential move here though, you need to do what you need to do when you get here, but if you are concerned about work, then I would suggest you thoroughly research potential opportunities in Australia that was so you before coming here, because jobs aren’t falling off trees at the moment.

        • Ben January 8, 2017, 3:18 am |

          Thanks for the reply. There seem to be quite a number of things to consider which is why we are looking at making plans for the next 2 years and having everything sorted at this end so if anything goes wrong there, a return would not be a terrible thing.

        • Ben January 8, 2017, 3:44 am |

          Thank you both for your reply. I appreciate your genuine answers. Bob I am not that worried about work as Leicester Royal has links with a number of hospitals over there so my wife could sign up for one of the programmes. One question though would be if I’d need a separate visa if I were to apply for a job in engineering with a consultancy or contractor over there or could I work just by going on her visa ? Over here aside from my structural engineering career I am also a property developer so I suspect that could be something I could do over there as well depending on the market. Anyway, we have 2 years to plan and sort things out so thanks for getting us started.
          Kind regards,
          Ben

          • Mark January 8, 2017, 10:09 am |

            Ben I’m not sure the programmes as you speak of are that great for visa purposes certainly for staying on a more permanent basis ..things will likely have changed but my brother in law came out from the very same hospital in 2003 and it was..’A difficult experience’ in his words. He is a gas and air cons in UK still… he has commented how much easier (he thinks ours was easy !!! ) our visa process seems to have been. Things will have no doubt changed and hopefully got better. I say all that as you are evidently at the real start of this… .As we all have been at some point. To explain my comments Yes you will apply for a visa as a family. So your wife gets it, your included of course, you have to be named. Its likely your wife would still be the main applicant. That’s to get a permanent residence visa then you can both work quite easily. If you come out on a sponsored visa on the programme if that’s what they still do then you can also work on that visa eg its still a joint family one. but and its a big but The only downside is there is a bit of a ‘kickback’ call it what you will against 457 visa holders…some have reported in/on here as ‘my husband was turned down for a job because we are 457 holders’ . This has not been the norm in the past and I have no experience of it, but it does exist. Id say get your own PR visa get a MARA agent and don’t rely on the hospital, that way your in control and more secure… One other thing…Dont leave to many ties to make a return too easy…Good luck with it all

            • Ben January 9, 2017, 8:17 am |

              Thanks Mark. We scheduled a phone conversation with an agency for tomorrow evening and we jot down a series of questions for them. But all info from you is much appreciated as I know you’re taking from your beach time 😉 to try to guide some strangers on the right path. The way we look at it even if we’re not better off financially over there but have the benefit of the lifestyle changes Bob was talking about, it’ll be worth it. At the moment my wife is on 58k per year and I’m on 30k per year. Pounds that is. But from properties( minor property developments) on the side I get much more than that. So purely for financial gains I doubt Australia would offer more but in terms of lifestyle…well that’s what really matter.
              Anyways, thanks once again and I’ll be looking forward to hear what the agency has to say tomorrow.
              Kind regards,
              Ben

              • Mark January 9, 2017, 9:09 pm |

                Hi Ben Your salary would be better out here I am sure, property development may prove a bit tougher to get into. Your comment about climate originally, prompted this reply.. We choose Melbourne as it was work related and climate OK My car dash was saying 40 on Saturday so no beach but shopping in the massive Chadstone ‘air conditioned’ mall. I’m sat there trying to get my phone to switch the air con on at home….Technology is great when it works mmmmm Still haven’t fathomed it out. Came back home to find the dog lying in the pond. As you can see its a ;touch’ better than UK…. We were helped by total strangers when we came out. My thanks to them was met by “say thanks by helping others”. Just old fashioned Christian values!

                • Ben January 10, 2017, 12:01 am |

                  Nice one Mark. Thanks.
                  If it was by me we’d be there already but my wife is more down to earth and wouldn’t let one stone unturned. I think she will be reluctant to even let the MARA agent prepare the paperwork for us as she might say they won’t be thorough enough. She planned near enough down to the months when we were going to have our children, when would she graduate and progress in her career, when would I give up my carpentry job and start the engineering career etc. So hopefully we will be able to draw some conclusions tonight after the phone call with the agency.
                  Just to paint the bigger picture here: I was born in Romania under a comunist regime(awful times), move to UK in 2007 when I married my dear wife and despite the fact that I already had an economics degree I had to start from scratch so while she was studying medicine I started working as a carpenter to pay the bills(used to be a carpenter before my studies back home and got to work in Tennessee, USA as well for a few months just before our wedding). 4 years later she qualified as a doctor and I went back to uni to study civil/structural engineering. Got a few distinctions there and won a few prizes for outstanding structural design and got my job almost a year before graduating my masters degree. Been working for the same company for 2 years. Largest project -60 million pounds(steel structure for power station in Herefordshire); smallest- simple house extensions. Love the British Standards, Eurocodes and NHS but hate the weather. Running out of ideas for indoor games for the little ones so just like Bob, initial thought was South of France where we spend our holidays every year but Australia although it is so far seems to be in some ways more straightforward at least career wise both for my wife and for myself. Anyway..I’m derailing. Point is I am not as phased by this move and you rubbing it in with your 40 degrees only aggravates things 😉 (in a good way obviously).
                  Kind regards,
                  Ben

                • Ben January 10, 2017, 12:53 am |

                  7 degrees and chucking it down with rain, dark grey skies – 2:50 PM Leicester, UK. Just drains you regardless of how exciting the projects you’re working on are.

                  • Mark January 10, 2017, 7:00 am |

                    If your using a MARA agent let them sort the paperwork it can be endless…I have to soend hpurs looking at paperwork fine print and I could not be bothered navigating the EOI for that sort of money Trust me let them do it. Its like hiring a removal company and then packing yourself. . I cant explain it fully on here as too long winded but they are worth their money…Treat it like an investment for a better return in future was my view. If you need anymore just ask, if its too detailed Bob has my email.

                  • Christina Cunningham January 10, 2017, 8:16 pm |

                    I have been following Bob’s “20 Reasons Why You should Move To Australia” website for quite some time and have made a couple of comments since it started. I stumbled on Mark and Ben’s comments last night and couldn’t help adding my two-penneth worth. I get the impression that Ben doesn’t want to live in a cold place as that is the primary reason why he is moving here. Well Ben, Melbourne is COLD 75% of the time and windy! You wouldn’t like it here. I know as I live here. Okay, the Mornington Peninsula is beautiful in summer but it is about 90 minutes drive from the City of Melbourne and Ben I read where you wanted to live about 30 minutes out from the city. My advice to you is to go live in Sydney if you can afford it in the eastern suburbs. If not the eastern suburbs then NE or SE of Sydney would be my pick. I have to be here in Melbourne because of my elderly mother but you have a choice. I am 5th generation Australian and know what I am talking about so thought I would chip in here. Good luck Ben anyway wherever you live.

                    • Mark January 10, 2017, 11:07 pm |

                      Hi Christina… I notice your 5th generation Aussie wow and here is me a mere pup in comparison. Yes to Aussies Melbourne gets cold but and here is the big but I have lived in Southern California and UK near Ben. Southern California rarely drops low in winter its about the same as Melbourne at times. What the big difference is In 2010 I got in my car one morning in January in ‘blighty’ and it registered minus 17 yes that’s minus 17 and that was the same for a few days but every year the temperatures drop below 0 in UK to minus 4s 5s 6s The lowest recorded in Melbourne ever was minus 2.8 nearly -3 and that was in 1869 If you can imagine Melbourne at a real low of 6 degrees in winter it is positively warm compared to the UKs winter of minus 6 and in 2013 July it registered 23 degrees here in Melbourne The peninsular has perhaps a greater density of wineries than people, try finiding a winery near Leicester. As neither of them want the CBD for work I had said take a look at the peninsular for the hospitals that way, which even in my worst traffic day ever, has never took more than an hour.to the CBD In UK being near Leicester is probably no different to living near Chadstone so for the folks thinking the city is the thing to be near when they live near Leicester as the city, Melbourne in comparison is like living near London….Yes it can get windy but again in the UK they started naming shall we call them severe storms of weather fronts just over 12 months ago when winds are 70 miles per hour so around 110 KPH plus and they are already through the alphabet once and back round to C…Im not saying don’t go for Sydney but dont rule Melbourne out. whilst they look, the more options you have the better. if your ever tempted to visit UK in January Christina take several beanies with you (woolly hats Ben) If you are ever tempted to visit Ben’s homeland as I have before the political unrest came in, your looking at (and Ben please correct me) an average high of around 2 or 3 all day if your lucky in winter. though some lovely summer days of 30’s A once lovely country slowly being ruined by corruption on high.

                    • Ben January 11, 2017, 12:37 am |

                      Thanks Christina for your input. I guess we all(or at least I do) have that utopia of 20-30 degrees all year round. Having said that, Mark is on the money with regards to the reality I was faced with both in the UK and Romania. Where about did you live Mark when in the UK? Was it Market Harborough ?

                    • Ben January 11, 2017, 12:42 am |

                      Hey Mark, what’s your brother in law’s name?

                    • Ben January 11, 2017, 9:28 pm |

                      Hey Mark and Bob. Thank you both for your info. We had a nearly one hour telephone conversation with the medical recruitment agency and they were very supportive. The process however will be quite lengthy so realistically we need to think more down the line 2018-19 rather than this year. Still, it clarified further the steps we need to make and gave us something to aim for.
                      Kind regards,
                      Ben

                    • Mark` January 11, 2017, 9:48 pm |

                      Glad to hear it went well yes 11 to maybe 20 months is realistic we think where very fortunate and from initial enquiry to landing was 10 months. and Phil Buckley. which is rather unfortunate here as in England you may say not a cat in hell’s chance in USA ‘No way Jose’ sadly in Australia its ‘Buckley;s chance’ That’s like your surgeon introducing himself as Dr Blunt. hello Im Mr Buckley your anaesthetist

                    • Christina Cunningham January 12, 2017, 9:55 am |

                      The saying was originally “a Buckley & Nunn’s chance” originating from the store name in Melbourne.

  • MANISH MANKOO December 22, 2016, 3:28 pm |

    Sir i am a electrician, electric motor winder having 16 year experience . so pls advice me how can i get state sponsor work visa Perth Australia.

    • BobinOz December 23, 2016, 9:23 pm |

      No, I can’t help with that, you would need to speak to a MARA registered migration agent to find out how to proceed. See Migration agents..

  • Jonah October 11, 2016, 8:35 pm |

    Hie Bob I would like to find out, I’m a diesel and petrol mechanics and I want to apply for PR is it possible, am still single

  • Bill June 17, 2016, 3:25 am |

    It’s “Crikey”, not “Crickey” Bob. Get it right mate 😉

    • BobinOz June 17, 2016, 7:19 pm |

      Yes, it is, and I know it is so I’m not sure how this has happened. I’ve just searched my entire website, because that’s the kind of nerd I am, I’ve used the word ‘crikey’ and spelt it that way more than 50 times.

      When I searched for ‘crickey’ that came up five times, which is ridiculous. It is unacceptable and I really need to blame somebody for this, unfortunately there’s only me here.

      But I do use dictation software, so I’m going to blame that 🙂

      Thanks for pointing it out Bill, a spelling mistake on my website is like a dirty fork in a restaurant, it’s just not good enough. I am now going to correct those misspelt crikeys.

      Cheers mate!

  • kajal May 18, 2016, 2:39 am |

    How much total cost of pr visa…. One thing I also want to ask to u dat is there good job opportunities in Australia for electrical engineer and accoountant?
    plz tell me abt it

    • BobinOz May 18, 2016, 11:20 pm |

      All that information is here on my website, you just need to have a look around and read some of the pages. Good luck, Bob

  • Anoop Nair April 2, 2016, 6:14 am |

    Hi Bob,

    I am an Instrumentation engineer (from India) with an overall experience of 10 years in FEED / detailed design engineering for Upstream and downstream oil & gas projects. Please advice on taking PR in Australia. Will I have good job opportunities there?

    Moreover, my wife is a dentist by profession. Will she have good opportunities there ?

    Thanks & Best Regards,

    Anoop Nair

  • raman March 20, 2016, 5:24 pm |

    Hlo bob.am from india .i have done my +2 with medical stream in 2014 with 67.7%.i got 6.5 bands in ielts.individually(5.5,6,7,and7).which are the colleges or universities i am eligible for..to apply in any medical course.in australia.melbourne or sydney

    • BobinOz March 21, 2016, 9:01 pm |

      I have no idea, but you might be able to get some help from my resident expert on my page about Student Visas

  • PAULA March 15, 2016, 7:15 pm |

    I am a Nigerian, got admitted into a school in Australian for a masters program ,got married and I am pregnant, can I get visa to go for my studies with my husband?

  • gulshan March 15, 2016, 12:37 pm |

    How much minimum salary I can get in Australia if I am an electrical engineer having experienced of 6 year in india?

  • kajal March 12, 2016, 6:44 pm |

    I am from india…i have complete my m.com nd b.ed..my hubby is electrical engineer from last 6 year in a govt job. I hv a child of 2 year..can I apply for PR for Australia..

  • oli. February 27, 2016, 9:51 pm |

    hello Bob. can you tell me please, we would like to move australia in bristane. but we are hesitating for our age. my husband now 45 years and me 48 already. is it possible to go australia . we have together 2 kids(10 years boy, 8 years girl) also. we want go there because the future of my kids.,, thanks you.

    • BobinOz February 28, 2016, 8:28 pm |

      Qualifying for a visa is not based on age alone, but age is a factor. You have left it a bit late, but I couldn’t tell you whether it’s possible for you or not, you would need to discuss your situation with a MARA registered migration agent.

      You can find one of those through my page Migration agents..

  • anna February 25, 2016, 5:55 am |

    how embarassing

    this is what makes me tell people that I am from “Austria” not Australia

    There must be a big difference between the way the east and west speak, because I certainly dont speak like that. It makes me cringe. People may talk like that to tourists and foreigners to give them teh feeling of being a tourist and the americanizations make it worse.

    But have fun, I can only laugh at you and cringe and say I come from Austria, not Australia. And dont get sunburnt, I got malignant melanoma and there are no treatments in Australia, but there are in Europe (I am a doctor).

    • BobinOz February 25, 2016, 5:03 pm |

      Anna, I have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever, but I can tell you that your claim that Australia has no treatment for melanoma is really quite ridiculous.

  • sree kumar September 27, 2015, 4:16 am |

    Hi Bob,
    I am a civil engineer with work experience in India for more than 2 years. I got an offer from Deakin University to pursue Masters. I just want to know about the day to day expenses like milk, meat, groceries, vegetables etc.. Is there any particular website which updates succh information. The location of the campus is in Geelong. Give me some tips to secure a part time job in Geelong. Is it true that after a 2 year course in Australia i can get a work permit visa for 2 years ? If so after four years in Australia what is the procedure of applying PR. Please kindly give your comments on the Construction Industry of Australia.

    Thank you

    Regards
    Sree kumar S

    • BobinOz September 28, 2015, 5:33 pm |

      -I’ve written about all these subjects at various times, you should take a look around my website. Use the Google search function on the top right hand side to find the information you are looking for.

      Good luck, Bob

  • Sushila August 30, 2015, 3:35 pm |

    Hello,
    I am 32 years old woman.I have been facing through different health problems since 2010.I am tiring to take medicine every day. One night I saw a dream , on that dream I went to Australia and stopped all the medicine and I became healthy. Only that reason I am dreaming to go Australia for few months with my hubby and 5 yrs old son.

    Is it possible for me???? Please provide me a good guidance !

    Sarima

  • vaishal saheba August 22, 2015, 11:32 pm |

    Hi Bob,

    Thanks for your time. My name is Vaishal saheba. I studied from Carrick Institution Of Education( campus-Sydney) in hospitality management (pastry chef). I complected studies on 27-3-2009 and moved to India. I am married and 6 months old daughter.

    Am I eligible for permanent residency?

    Waiting for your reply.

    Thank you,

    Regards,

    Vaishal Saheba

  • nikki m July 19, 2015, 10:40 pm |

    hi there bob .. i stumbled across your page here after searching for the necessary requirements in moving to oz, like others, we feel the uk is becoming a terrible place to live, & is only going to get worse! my google search in why exactly is needed is far more complex than i thought! me & my partner are now in our mid 40s with a business, & we also have a dependant .. we are also nowhere near to retirement age, & neither are we wealthy enough to do that, so.. this makes it even trickier for us.
    just to mention, i really cannot see why a lot of australians are opposed to us ‘poms’ starting over there, its not as though we can milk their system, or reside there as ‘ex criminals’ etc, as people can do here in the uk! ..australia has the very right idea about things when it comes to getting into the country! .. bit late for the uk sadly.
    i’ve enjoyed reading the comments here to get a little bit of insight, & if only i had thought about moving there YEARS AGO when i were much younger, & when hairdressers & barbers (which is what we are) were more needed than they are now, in fact, in the list of professions needed, my profession isn’t even listed there! haha
    anyway, nice to hear its worked out for you & thanks for putting all this info on the net, only a small number of us people reading this site will be fortunate to enrich our lives.. but the best of luck to those of you who manage to get out!! 🙂

    • BobinOz July 20, 2015, 6:16 pm |

      Hi Nikki

      Thank you for the kind words about my website, it’s very much appreciated. Australia is indeed a very tricky country to move to, and as you have noticed, it does get even trickier when people are in their 40s and beyond.

      As you say, it is a pity you didn’t decide to move here years ago, you certainly would have had a better chance back then. I personally don’t keep up to date with the skills lists, I’m not a MARA agent, but if you say hairdressers and barbers have now been removed then I will take your word for it.

      Just be sure you have checked all of the lists, I believe there are some regional ones as well that may be different.

      Good luck, Bob

      • nikkim July 20, 2015, 8:52 pm |

        thanks for your reply bob
        i hadn’t actually thought that the SOL could vary in different areas, i will certainly have a quick look through them anyway, if not just for my own curiosity.
        i think a lot of us here in the uk didn’t foresee how the country would wind up, & of course the wiser ones that did, got out a long time ago!
        but it isn’t until you have children, that you begin to entirely re-assess the future, I’m not going to begin talking about which direction the uk is headed for as this is not what your site is used for! .. but a life created by a move to oz (or anywhere for that matter where you cannot simply jump on the next boat/plane or lorry!) sounds from your ‘ebook’ a far better way to live our lives! which I’m sure is actually what we were all put on this planet for in the first place.. to ENJOY life!! ..
        so anyway, until i exhaust all possibilities (if any) of starting over in oz .. i’ll just keep dreaming about your blue skies & spiders! 😉 thanks bob.

    • Irfan December 1, 2015, 1:55 pm |

      Its really is late for Poms to do something now about milking the colonized lands and breeding criminals there who now qualify for Brit Immigration on financial basis.
      On the other hand ordinary decent folks from these lands work hard within your system after paying twice as much for no good, fancy & expensive higher education with no job prospects in UK or back home. They pay a higher tax rate with no benefits to claim even after an unfair dismissal and are constantly under racial abuse.
      I personally dont like to misuse any system but then you brits make it impossible for anyone to survive with honour.
      Its only fair to have it on your door step what you sowed overseas long ago. You wish to escape it by moving to Oz land but its not that easy for you out there as well.
      Still there are places you can go. South America for instant. Just stop bleeding your heart about the problems at home. Face it or leave it.

      • BobinOz December 1, 2015, 10:54 pm |

        A bewildering rant which appears to be simply a moan about somebody else having a moan. Hopefully it made you feel good about yourself. I’m sure the rest of us have no idea what you are on about though.

      • nikkim February 25, 2016, 9:08 pm |

        Ifran, WHAT are you ranting on about! ?? you seem extremely ignorant in EVERYTHING you have said. where did you hear, or read about how our system works? have you lived it? NO. & as for us ‘poms’ to be breeding criminals’ .. you must surely be living under a rock to not know that ‘criminals’ are bred in EVERY nation! .. & let me tell you something else, there is NO racial abuse anymore than there is elsewhere! .. if foreign people actually bothered to learn our language prior to coming here, & actually EARNED to deserve sucking up all our benefits, then the uk would not be in the dire situation that it is now! WE are the nation which gets abused & milked, & if you actually knew what you were talking about, you would not have posted such a ridiculous comment. And we sowed our own seed overseas a long time ago did we?? & we deserve it on our own doorstep do we?? How very very ignorant you are. that is just the same as saying that each country that has its problems is down to us here, living right now that deseve it. And i don’t bleed my heart out on someone else’s website, thank you. .. but you sure have!! .. stop whining about ‘POMS’ & resolve your own issues elsewhere, where somebody actually gives a dam. But before then, i would advise you to first KNOW exactly what you are preaching about! .. have a good day.

        • Irfan March 4, 2016, 3:42 am |

          Now now Nikki dear aren’t you the one now bleeding your heart on someone’s website. The reason I posted it was in reply to a comment on Bob’s website ranting on about migrants in UK.
          Here’s the conversation that took place afterwards with Bob
          ————————————————————————————————————
          12/2/15
          to Bob
          actually that comment was intended for that hair dresser’s who couldnt or wouldn’t migrate to oz land but ranted about migrants at brit home land milking the system. apparently you didn’t advice him not to moan or even tell him it was moan. never mind. btw it didnt made me feel good but I am sick of such moans at every yahoo news with comments about migrants stealing jobs from locals. if this sort of thing dont happen in oz land then you are really living in a heaven. that could be another count down in your e book as far as some migrants are concerned.
          12/2/15
          Okay, yes, I get it now. Fair point. Thanks for clearing it up 🙂 Bob > ____…
          12/3/15
          to bob
          Thank you Bob. Please understand that comment wasnt intended at you or for that matter all the britons. I have lived in UK.
          Yours is a good website. Them EOI tips are great. I had problem with Canadian Immigtation EOI. Now I know why 🙂
          12/4/15
          to me
          Thanks for clearing that up, it’s appreciated, all good 🙂
          Cheers, Bob
          ————————————————————————————————————

          I usually dont go to all that trouble trying to explain myself but today i am in the mood and as I explained to Bob I have lived in UK for 3 years as student and with a post graduate work permit. I returned to my home country because I realised I could not fit into the UK system.
          I have had first hand experience of your country in a way that you cannot possibly imagine. I know it better than my own.
          While I admire many good qualities about Brits / Pos / Limeys/ Fruitcakes ( yes I said all that to Britons on face). I know them as fellow students, mates, teachers, co-workers, bosses etc and as lovely dates I also know them as ugliest racist ranters from places like Fleetwood, Lancs to Wimbledon village.

          The new comers to UK may be blessed not to the language properly because as opposed to someone like me who spent precious time learning the King’s English they dont know how it hurts to know the inner feelings of your creed about migrants on your land.
          I know these migrants very well and much as I deplore their benefits I wasnt one of them yet your system supports them and not the honest temporary worker paying the higher tax rate.
          Yes every country has problems and every country have their share of criminals but we in our country dont breed them for other lands and this the legacy of your ex colonist country that has come to haunt Britain.
          UK had supported ecomomic immigration until recently without giving a damn how that money was earned. That was blood money and whether you like it or not it matters how it was made. Now you have them on your land.

          I am afraid you miss the point as Bob had repeatedly said on this forum. Australia has got multicultarism exactly right while UK had it totally wrong.

          You have to open your eyes. Its not me living who is living under a rock.

          Have a nice day.

  • Cass January 22, 2015, 2:19 am |

    Hey Bob, love yer work mate! I was just tooling around, searching articles about relocating children overseas & found you! Living in Germany for 2yrs but have reached my limit, fortunately my darling (German) husband agrees & we head home later this year. Lots of sadness around the decision, as Germany is a fantastic country, so I was happy to find your site! I’m a FNQ (Far North Queenlander, husband an honorary one as he did 5yrs there) so GEEZ it gets on my goat that Sydney gets all the glory? People are either moving there, or the people I’ve met here, come from there? Pfffft. The Old Girl is okay, but nothing on the mozzies, mud crabs & mango madness of The Mighty North! (Just kidding Sydneysiders..) Maybe see you at the Newfarm Markets round Christmastime, Bob. Thanks again for cheering me up. Great info all round, well done!

    • BobinOz January 22, 2015, 6:27 pm |

      I know what you mean Cass, I’m doing my best to big up Brisbane here but it’s hard to compete against the might of Sydney. Sydney this, Sydney that! There is more to Oz than Sydney as you and I well know.

      Anyway, thanks for the kind words about my website and may I be the first to welcome you back home and your husband back to his (what sounds like) second home. The sun and the beaches are waiting for you and no doubt I will see you around New Farm Markets as I do like to get out and about a bit as it gets close to Christmas 🙂

      Good luck with the move, catch you later. Cheers, Bob

  • Mimi Hnamte January 16, 2015, 10:30 pm |

    Hi Bob,
    My name is Mimi Hnamte from india. Im a 28yrs old baker and i set up my own bakery here in my hometown. My siblings are in perth western australia where one of them hold a citizenship and the other two are still studying. Im planning to sell off my business here and want to move to Perth where i can live and work with my brother and sisters.
    Right now im preparing for my ielts exams to be held 15 days from today and would like to ask for working visa. What are the possible steps that i can take?. If im lucky enough to get a visa to move and work there i have a little problem. My fiance had a phd in management and would like to join me soon , get married and settle in Perth.. What is our chances? Plz guide us as we are very much in need to make a proper decision… Please help

    Mimi Hnamte

    • BobinOz January 21, 2015, 2:45 pm |

      You and your fiance would need to speak to a MARA registered migration agent about your options, it’s not something I can help with. If you need professional assistance, check out my Visa Assessment Service.

      Good luck, Bob

  • Helga January 3, 2015, 1:08 pm |

    Hi
    So happy that i found this site. I have been thinking for some time to move to Australia from Iceland. Lived in QLD for a year while back as a exhange student
    This site is great and gives very good inside on how to apply and go through the jungle of paperworks
    Thank you

    • BobinOz January 5, 2015, 2:15 pm |

      Glad to have helped Helga, hope to see you here in Queensland sometime soon. Good luck, Bob

  • Nicolas October 10, 2014, 7:26 pm |

    Hello,

    I own a permanent resident visa (189) and I’ll settle in Australia next August. My girlfriend and our daughter will follow me with a tourist visa, so I have to organize a private insurance for them.

    – Am I elligible for medicare as soon as I settle in Australia, or is there a waiting period?

    – In any case my girlfriend is pregnant from a second child (before or after we enter Australia), could we benefit from medicare assistance for maternity issues, if I justify that I am the father?

    • BobinOz October 11, 2014, 12:35 am |

      Yes, you can sign on with Medicare as soon as you get here, in fact it is almost mandatory. I don’t think it’s possible to even see a doctor here without a Medicare card.

      Your girlfriend I think will be different though, she will be on a tourist visa, I’m pretty sure she will need to arrange her own travel/health insurance, as you have said. In that case I don’t think Medicare have much to do with it, it’s between you and the insurers you choose.

      I’d look into that very carefully if I were you because pregnancy is obviously a known condition, so I’m really not sure how that will work out. I would seriously seek advice from somebody who knows how all of this works if I were you.

  • Maureen September 24, 2014, 9:34 pm |

    Bob, thank you for work you’ve done on this site. I am an American who has been residing in regional QLD for a couple of years . I have had to take a “slow” pathway to PR via independent skilled migration and I can say that your information and advice is accurate and well thought out.

    I can definitely agree with some of the comments and say that for an American, things in general ARE a “lot less” convenient here. To make it worse, some Aussies tend to insist on retaining their individuality, and dislike being sucked into the whole “American domination” mentality. Shocking. Really terrible.

    More than any other people I’ve met– they DO appreciate hard work and being “game”. They’re the first people to give you a clap on the shoulder and a “good on ya”.

    I can definitely see how a lot of Yanks would have problems with this.

    Like any other nationality coming here– Yanks need to learn to assimilate. Common sense, end of story. Please come back when you have VALID complaints about this wonderful country and its people.

    • BobinOz September 25, 2014, 6:29 pm |

      I’m not sure why you think that Aussies wanting to retain their individuality and not getting sucked into American domination mentality is shocking, but maybe I misunderstand what you are trying to say.

      By and large, I think your comment is a thumbs up for living in Australia, and I’m really pleased to hear that you have found my information accurate and well thought out.

      You sound happy here, that’s the main thing, and yes it is a wonderful country.

      Thanks, Bob

      • Maureen September 25, 2014, 7:35 pm |

        Well perhaps I’ve picked up a bit too much Aussie sarcasm- because it was meant sarcastically 🙂 Plainly said– I find it refreshing that a lot of Australians don’t care to kowtow to mainstream American culture.

        There was a fair few negative-ish comments from other Yanks on this page so I thought I’d speak up, and yes my comment was a “thumbs-up” for Oz and Queensland. I have lived here the past two years both as a student and a worker and found it very easy to adjust. It’s important to remember that cost of living is very relative. To an American yes, things are twice or three times as expensive, but you have to also remember that minimum wage is typically around $18.00 an hour here– working at a typical fast food place in QLD is commonly $20 an hour, which is considerably better than a lot of US entry level positions. Personally I think it levels out in the end.

        I’d scarcely know what to do without sunshine and lush green vegetation and “G’days” and open spaces. And, I might add,miles upon miles of beautiful, CLEAN, uncrowded beaches.

        Definitely not all positive, of course, the process to get here is indeed involved and costly what with medicals and documentation and other red tape but I have found it to be worth it. I appreciate that someone else feels the same 🙂

        • BobinOz September 26, 2014, 8:03 pm |

          Ah, sarcasm, good on ya, sometimes it’s difficult to convey that in print, thanks for clearing it up 🙂

          Glad to hear you are loving it here in Queensland and adjusting to our way of life and our sense of humour. As for the cost of living, I really couldn’t agree more. People from other countries make the mistake of converting their currency into ours and checking prices and then yes, it does look expensive.

          But when you get here and you work in Australia, earning Australian dollars and getting those higher incomes, it is really not much in it.

          Thanks again, Bob

  • michael kerr August 30, 2014, 9:30 pm |

    hey bob,

    right i might only be 12 but i am already wanting to move to australia. i love australia its amzing even thugh i have never been i would really like to live there when i am older. ur blog/website is amzining i am on it everyday thx

    from michael

    • BobinOz September 1, 2014, 6:32 pm |

      It’s good to hear you are planning ahead Michael, I’m sure you will make it to Australia one-day. Glad my website has helped to, see you here sometime in the future 🙂

      Cheers, Bob

  • jen July 24, 2014, 1:24 am |

    sorry for the messed up message. first part of it goes like…

    thanks for the immediate reply. i am currently in the process of completing my requirements for AHPRA application..

    • BobinOz July 24, 2014, 9:04 pm |

      Hi jen, sounds exciting, but please also be cautious about who you deal with. Whoever says they can get you a 457, be sure they are MARA registered. As for your nursing qualifications, my understanding is that there are only a handful of countries whose training is recognised here in Australia and the Philippines isn’t one of them.

      So registering for AHPRA may not be straightforward. Please understand I am not an expert in this field, I only know bits, but I’m just trying to say make sure everything is above board and be cautious, particularly if you are asked to part with money.

      Please read my page about Nurses, doctors and dentists in Australia. and especially click on the link to the government’s website about the information for nurses.

      Good luck, Bob

  • jen July 24, 2014, 1:22 am |

    sorry for the messed up message. first part of it goes like:..
    thanks for the immediate reply. i am currently in the process of completing my requirements for AHPRA application..

  • jen July 24, 2014, 12:29 am |

    pplication which is a pre requisit for the iron program for nurses in australia. However, my australian mentor who used to review me for my recent exam lined me up for an interview to a potential employer. He is the director of chadwick group who provides nurses for some aged care/hospitals in VIC, SYD, WA. he is actually in the philippines now and will be having an initial meeting with him on the 29th. Then, a formal one on one interview with him will be scheduled thereafter. He will be providing a visa 457 for successful applicants. I hope to get a spot! 🙂 will get back you for an update. Again, thank you very much!

  • jen July 23, 2014, 10:20 pm |

    i meant.. HE finished computer prior to his navy career..

    • BobinOz July 23, 2014, 11:51 pm |

      Yes, I get what you mean jen, before I answer you though, have you actually looked into how to get a visa yet? You will both need one of those you know, and they are not always easy to get. I think you should sort those out first before you decide which state to move to and wonder how easy or hard it might be to find work.

  • jen July 23, 2014, 10:18 pm |

    hi there! i am a nurse from the philippines and i am applying work there in autralia. i was wondering what state should i consider? i was thinking of sydney as i am not really familiar with each state, although i am a worried of not getting a job as quickly as i can. also, my fiance is an ex-navy from the US. im kinda worried also of possible jobs that he can get there? i finished computer prior to his navy career, and now (after navy) he’s back in school refreshing his computer course. but he’s not really picky when it comes to work. he can do anything and everything. pls advise. many thanks!

    • jen July 23, 2014, 10:21 pm |

      i mean HE finished his computer class prior to his navy career..

  • Ef July 23, 2014, 12:35 pm |

    Are you serious, you’re not even an Australian. You’re a bloody pom.

    • BobinOz July 23, 2014, 11:47 pm |

      Proud of it too. I’m also proud of my Australian citizenship. And I’ll write books about whatever I jolly well like old boy.

      • David March 3, 2017, 7:13 pm |

        Good for you Bob. I’m an Aussie ( born in Melbourne ) and I second your comments. I’m also proud of my UK passport – ( my dad was Pommy immigrant way back in the day ) Although I don’t think that I’ll be using it any time soon, in light of how things are over there at the moment. Cheers.

        • BobinOz March 5, 2017, 9:48 pm |

          Ha ha, yes, thanks David. Like yourself, although I am very proud of where I came from I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon either 🙂 cheers

    • Josey January 5, 2015, 10:41 pm |

      Well! whether a Pom or an Aussie or an American, who knows
      may better than being a “half-Breed” like myself, when i’m in the UK i’m
      a foreigner & when i’m in Australia i’m also a foreigner, so in Sydney i
      couldn’t be more at home – there’s plenty of us – from all over the world.
      To be honest, i gave up caring from whence or where i came or any one else
      for that matter over three decades ago, at the end of the day what does it matter.
      Best wishes to all from ?

      • BobinOz January 7, 2015, 12:36 am |

        We are all foreigners at some times in our lives, or we just haven’t lived and enjoyed this world as we should 🙂

  • ingrid May 15, 2014, 11:54 pm |

    Hi Bob, what a great site. If you don’t know where to start than start here!!! My partner wants to start a new live in Australia. Also, like many, because of the current situation in the uk. My question is Is the grass really greener at the other side of the fence, would the way we live improve so much more? Yes less rain, more bbqs etc. But what if you like sitting indoors. You make your house your home. Are people really so different? We have great friends here, they are all nuts. I am not against the idea of moving, I moved from the Netherlands to the UK and you will have to give yourself time to adjust. Is my life better know I live here? Its just a new chapter. I would expect to still have to work hard and still not be able to live in a big house. My main thing is WHERE. I grew up in the countryside and would love to do so again. I don’t care much about beaches but the rest of my family does. And also I love a small village lifestyle (having said that, having Ikea on my doorstep is rather nice (smile)) Where can I find out what would suit us best to live?
    Thanks for listening, and to every other reader, please bombard me with suggestions ;))

    • BobinOz May 16, 2014, 4:51 pm |

      Hi Ingrid

      I can’t guarantee your life will improve if you move to Australia, but I can guarantee you that mine has 🙂

      Please do spend a lot of time looking around this website, I’ve written about everything you mention. I’ve written about the people, the time it takes to adjust, what life is like here, reams and reams of stuff on where to live, it’s all here for you.

      Please use the Google search box on the right hand side towards the top of every page to help you find everything you need.

      And do be sure to have a good read of your free e-book (you did download a copy, didn’t you?) it’s still as relevant now for me as it was when I wrote it.

      Good luck, Bob

  • Eloise May 4, 2014, 5:32 pm |

    Hi Bob!
    Nice website and crazy story about your redback bite!
    After reading a few comments here from people who are thinking of moving to Oz, I thought I’d add my 2 cents 🙂 I’m European but I moved to Oz 2 years ago. All my British friends love it here, and all my American friends hate it. My German friends mostly like it here but criticize a lot at the same time. Coming from the US, I found the lack of culture (I’m in Brisbane) and the cost of living (cars, housing, daycare, food, public transportation restaurants) terrifying. Everything is SO expensive. Moreover, there is no customer service here when compared to the US, which is very frustrating when you want to buy or do anything. Online ordering is not very developed. Taxes are super high, and if you’re not permanent resident, you get zero benefits.
    Very difficult to have a US-kind of quality of life in these conditions. The culture is also different, which makes it difficult to make good friends. But I guess anyone can adjust to anything if you really want to!
    Some things are funny here, like the baby talk for adults (breakie for breakfast, chipies for chips or fries, …) Most Australian are really nice and there is barely any crime. It’s a good place to raise kids if you don’t value academics too much or if you want them to become athletes. The nature is breath taking and you have tons (TONS) of paid holidays to enjoy it!
    So my advice: if you come from the UK, you’ll love the beaches and the vacation-like pace. If you’re from the US: come and enjoy too, but just brace yourself for a cultural shock and be ready for some serious changes! I didn’t expect it and had 2 really rough years starting here. Now, getting used to it and I’m enjoying the new life. My kids and husband love it here.
    Good luck everyone, don’t forget the sunscreen and G’day mate!

    • BobinOz May 5, 2014, 7:25 pm |

      Hi Eloise

      That’s more than two cents worth 🙂

      Anyway, thanks for giving us your views about life here in Australia, always good to hear somebody else’s thoughts.

      There’s not much I agree with though, I have to say. You’re saying everything is SO expensive, not sure what you’re comparing it with, but there are quite a few things here in Australia that are much cheaper than they are in the UK.

      I’ve written loads and loads of posts comparing costs of all sorts of items, and I’ve even written posts comparing taxes, Australia compares quite favourably in most and in quite a few this country is actually cheaper. Have a good look through my cost of living category.

      And of course online ordering isn’t so developed, there are only 23 million of us in a space about 60 times bigger than the UK.

      With “if you don’t value academics too much or if you want them to become athletes”, you appear to be suggesting that our education is substandard and maybe we are more interested in being good at sports.

      I’ve written a couple of comparison posts on education and it may surprise you to hear that Australia outperformed both the UK and the USA in NAPLAN.

      You are right about the beaches though 🙂

      Cheers, Bob

  • Jacob Mathews December 31, 2013, 4:40 pm |

    Dear Bob,
    my daughter has applied under sub clause 189 independent skilled migration and she has succeeded in the skill set , she is an IT engineer of age 29 with 6yrs exp. And received Expression of Interest for submitting application for PR subjected to Medical check up clearance, she is along with her application, her spouse an MBA retail now working as operation manager in a leading retail corporate in India and for her daughter of 3 yrs age, what is the time for getting the PR and what is the prospects for herself and her spouse in Australia, kindly advice

    • BobinOz January 2, 2014, 1:33 am |

      Hi Jacob

      I can’t predict the prospects for your daughter and her husband, that’s too difficult. Depending on her visa, she should be able to apply for PR after 4 years.

      Cheers, Bob

  • brenda ann hernandez December 31, 2013, 11:36 am |

    HI Bob,
    Pls send me an e book of 20 things why u move to australia my folks lives
    there for more than 30 yrs…now..thanks mate
    cheers

    • BobinOz January 2, 2014, 1:28 am |

      Just fill in the form above and it will be sent to you automatically.

  • Anuj December 10, 2013, 9:34 pm |

    Hi Bob/ and others

    I will be starting my application process for an Australian PR soon GSM- state sponsorship. Based on the profile, i was told that NSW & Northern territory are the sponsoring states for this particular profile.

    I have two questions:

    1. Will i have an option to choose which what state i want to apply for sponsorship, and will this jeopardize/ lessen my chances for obtaining PR?

    2. Is is true that once the skill assessment result comes out positive, it sort of (almost) assures that PR will be done? (some say once Skill assessment comes out positive, there are as much as 90% chances of getting the PR)

    Will appreciate any responses/ suggestions.
    Thanks in Advance !

    • BobinOz December 11, 2013, 12:24 am |

      You will find quite a lot of talk in the comments about this sort of thing in my page on EOI.

      As for your second question, I would say no, there are no guarantees, getting a positive skills assessment is just the first hurdle of many.

      Cheers, Bob

  • sagar December 3, 2013, 7:29 pm |

    I bob good evening.I just read your news letter.Thanks for information.
    I want to ask you that my wife, a advanced diploma in hospitality and commrrcial cookery degree holder from victoria and bacelor in business from my home country and currenly working in age care as a cook is looking for emloyer sponseship in any part of australia.Can you please help in finding sponser? What is the right way to find employer for sponsership?Please reply me ASAP

    • BobinOz December 4, 2013, 12:46 pm |

      Well sagar, that’s exactly what was explained in the newsletter. You were given the option to purchase the guide How to Find a Sponsored Job in Australia, that shows you the right way to find employer sponsorship.

      I am not a recruitment agent and therefore cannot help you directly.

  • ganesh November 24, 2013, 9:17 pm |

    Hello..

    We are in 2013. I do not know when was the last question answered here. I want to move to Australia. How much would I need to live a “Just comfortable” life?
    Could you please help? I am earning INR 60000 right now.

    Ganesh

  • Blessing Chikotosa November 10, 2013, 5:45 am |

    Wat a site.

  • Chantal Piscopo October 16, 2013, 1:57 am |

    Hello Bob,
    Thank you for sharing the information about Australia. It’s awesome and very interesting.

  • lara simon June 4, 2013, 11:08 pm |

    Bob
    i am currently in a Geography lesson and at the moment we are doing about emigration. our task was to choose a county and i chose Australia and i was wondering is you could reply and send me things that are good about Australia

    thanks Lara
    p.s. i only have 5 mins left so if you reply can you do it NOW!!!!!

    • lara simon June 4, 2013, 11:11 pm |

      i’ll be online aswelll later when im at home so please replyyyyyyyyyyyy

      • lara simon June 4, 2013, 11:13 pm |

        home time is 20 to 4 over here and its about a 10, 20 mins walk home and i’lll be online at 8 cos we have free internet then[time = pm]

        • BobinOz June 5, 2013, 12:50 am |

          Hi Lara

          So, sounds like you want me to do your homework, is that right?

          Anyway, I have a question for you. If it’s 8 PM in the evening in the UK, what time do you think it would be here in Australia?

          Sleepy time, that’s what time!

          And what’s all this surfing the Internet whilst you’re in your geography lesson?? I’ll let you off though, being as you were on my website 🙂

          If you want to know all about emigrating to Australia, I have a 15 part series and you can read all about it here…

          https://www.bobinoz.com/how-to-move-to-australia/

          Good night.

          Bob

  • mukesh May 13, 2013, 5:24 pm |

    Hello ! Bob. my name is Mukesh .I would like to ask you one question..my wife has 3 years of expereince in tailoring (the occupation which is in demand list of ACT )
    Open 393211 Apparel Cutter
    Open 393212 Clothing Patternmaker
    Open 393213 Dressmaker or Tailor
    she is working in garment manufacturing company in india.
    so wht’s sort of chances for permenant residency and how she can get employer sponser from australia. and i m sure that she’ll get over 7 band in ielts..so plz send me ur reply..i’ll wait for it..and can she apply for job from india?

    in addition.. i will be completing 49 years of age on 1st September 2013. is it possible for me to apply as a partner after 49 years of age.

    • BobinOz May 14, 2013, 12:00 am |

      I couldn’t tell you what your wife’s chances are of getting a job or a sponsorship or even successfully applying for a visa, but I do have a Visa Assessment Service which can answer some of those questions for you.

      As her partner though, it doesn’t matter what your age is, you can be included on her application, if she qualifies, you will too as long as you pass the medical and the police checks.

  • Maria April 17, 2013, 9:58 am |

    Hi Bob,

    I tried downloading the ebook, but my computer says the PDF is corrupt… Could you email it to me? I’m coming to Brisbane in January, and I really want to read it.

    Thanks

    • BobinOz April 17, 2013, 6:04 pm |

      Hi Maria

      Sometimes a download can be interrupted and therefore the resulting PDF on your computer is corrupted and will not open. Downloading the book again will often work fine, but no worries, I have sent you a copy by email.

      Happy reading 🙂

      Bob

    • lara simon June 4, 2013, 11:04 pm |

      OMG i love you so much Bob. you are so amazing.

  • Tracey October 3, 2012, 12:44 pm |

    Hi Everyone
    I’am moving to Melbbourne very soon and I look Melbourne on the map and I like to live Ashwood. Is this area safe for young children ( my children one 14yrs and other 6 yrs) because i heard some area has high rate of crime. Any one helps?

    Thanks
    Tracey

    • BobinOz October 4, 2012, 12:24 am |

      Hi Tracy

      I can’t help you with that one, but maybe you’d be better off posting this comment on my page about Melbourne, there’s quite a few people talking about the different suburbs there. Good luck!

  • Dan June 4, 2012, 2:17 pm |

    Hi bob,

    I’m a 20 year old guy and I’ve honestly been thinking about moving to another country. I know I’m young and I’m probably ‘not thinking straight’ when I say that, but I’ve been thinking about moving away to another country from the US because of all the bad things going on over here right now like Heath said with the crime rate rising, the terrorist threats, the trillion of dollars of debt we’re in. I just don’t feel like United States has too bright of a future now. I know I would have to be able to save up at least 5 thousand dollars to get a work visa over there.
    I’ve been thinking of movie to Australia or another country because of that. I was wondering how difficult it would be to find a daily retail job, or some type of job where they would be willing to train you so you could grow in that profession. Do you think it would be difficult or do you think I should try to stay here in the US for a couple of years until I get licensed or certified in a job like welding before I would try to move to another country. I would also like to go to college but I wouldn’t want to abuse the generosity of the Australian people and/or government and interest rates here in the United States are crazy and there’s plenty of horror stories where students end up building hundred of thousands of dollars in debt that they can’t repay because they can’t even find a job in their selected careers. If you could reply and answer some of these questions I would greatly appreciate it.

    • BobinOz June 4, 2012, 9:46 pm |

      Hi Dan

      Firstly, I’m not really qualified to answer your questions, I am not a MARA registered migration agent. Getting a working visa with permanent residency here in Australia is very difficult, Australia usually only accepts people qualified in skills which are in shortage here in this country.

      Because of that, it’s very unlikely that you could come here and train as you had hoped. So I would think you’d be better off training in USA, being careful to choose a skill that you know would be in demand here in Australia and then applying once you have your qualifications.

      But that in itself is a problem. The skills list changes every year, so there really is no way of knowing what shortages Australia will have when you complete your training.

      But, as I say, I am not an expert in these matters, this is just what I think. Check out my page about Visas for more information.

      Good luck!

      Bob

      • Luan Berisha September 21, 2015, 7:31 pm |

        Hi Bob,

        Could you please explain what MARA stands for, how do i get serious registered migration agents, moreover is it possible to communicate with you privately i have some needs to be addressed i would very much appreciate it.

        Rgds,
        Luan

        • BobinOz September 23, 2015, 12:06 am |

          Yes, it’s Migration Agents Registration Authority. And yes again, it is possible to communicate with me privately, my wife and daughter do all the time 🙂

          No point in you contacting me though, I simply wouldn’t be able to help you with anything to do with getting a visa or visa advice, only MARA migration agents can help you with that. See Would I Qualify?

          If you do want a reliable MARA migration agent to help you, I have one who works with me here, see my Visa Assessment Service.

          Good luck, Bob

  • Heath November 6, 2011, 8:22 am |

    Hey Bob, just came across your site and I hope to get some insight about moving to Australia. I currently live in California USA. I have a wife and four children. My wife is a school teacher and I am a cable technician. We do not know if we should move to another country or to move to another part of the USA. We are getting really tired of the society as a whole for our youth, crime rates, taxes, the failing dollar and judiciary system. I am from Louisiana, moved to Colorado, and now California. So far, no matter where I have lived we have the same problems as mentioned. Its becoming as a society, everyone is for themselves and every year it seems worse. “What is in it for me” mentality (especially in the corporate world). A simple example, you know when you walk down your neighborhood the curt-icy thing to do is wave when someone goes by, BUT you get that stare (you know what I’m talking about), like why the hell are you looking at me look. It’s crazy. I have 5 friends that are in law enforcement from patrol, to corrections and tell me how bad our youth is becoming and not getting better. That there are actually 14-17 year old kids in prison that are serving life sentences. The prison system in the United States as a whole is getting larger and more money is going to prisons then education. I’ve always heard about Australia and the people who I talk to that went have always loved it. They say the people are very nice, laid back, willing to help you, great place to raise a family, good schools, and the kids still have respect for others. I know there is crime everywhere, but I want to go to a place where the economy, crime rates, hospitality, and people are good. I will admit I would be scare to actually leave the United States, but the way how things are going here, especially with terrorism threats it may be safer to go to another country like Australia. I have not heard in the news about terrorism there. If you have any thoughts please let me know.

    • BobinOz November 6, 2011, 7:31 pm |

      Hi Heath

      I have plenty of thoughts.

      I know where you’re coming from, we moved here because we wanted a better environment for our young daughter who was just 3 1/2 years old when we moved. Now that we are here, we think it’s a fantastic place to bring up children, much better than the UK.

      It’s not just that we feel safer here, or that we don’t get those “stares” that you mention as we walk down the street, but also that Australia is such a great outdoorsy kind of country. Being as you are in California, perhaps the outdoor thing is not one of the big advantages that you’ll immediately benefit from.

      I haven’t met too many Americans here, but I did meet one old retired couple who had been here for quite a few years, can’t remember how many, but came for the exact same reason you’re thinking about. To get away from the increasing crime levels in California. They too felt far safer here in Australia.

      But, as you say, we do have crime here, crime is everywhere. But I’d rather be here than in the UK and I think you’d probably benefit as much as we have if you moved here from California.

      But it’s a big decision, there’s more to take into account then this, including how much you might earn here, the cost of housing and the general cost of living. There’s quite a few debates about that all over this website, just search for California, or USA, or America and check out some of the comments.

      Good luck whatever you decide to do.

    • Diana August 30, 2013, 2:15 am |

      Hi Heath,
      I’m Romanian, married to an American. I lived in NY for almost 11 years and decided to move to Australia with my family. We wanted to move here, because we were impressed with how beautiful the houses were, brand new construction and modern. We wanted something new and beautiful. We have children and they go to public schools here. You mentioned your wife is a teacher, so I’m sure she will love to hear this. Public schools here cost between $250-$380/child/year for primary schools, as opposed to $0 in USA. The government gives EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) which pretty much covers the cost, BUT….there is a constant need to pay for different programs that schools bring in. They are NOT cheap. You mentioned that you are not happy with the education that your children get in the USA. Well, I honestly believe you will be shocked with the education system here. I don’t even know where to begin…. We changed 2 schools already. They are all the same, no use for moving.
      The school year is divided into 4 Terms. It starts usually around Feb.28 and ends just before Christmas. The schedule is as follows: Term 1( aprox.10weeks), then 2weeks vacation. Term 2 starts (around 10weeks again), then another 2weeks vacation. Term 3 (the same no. Of weeks, or a little less) , then another 2weeks of vacation. Term 4 and then the summer vacation.
      (Between the end of Dec. and end of Feb.)
      Days at school are divided into 3 periods as follows: from 9am-11:30am (1st period), 11:30-12:00pm recess, 12:00-1:30pm (2nd period), 1:30-2:30pm -Lunch, 2:30-3:30pm (3rd period).
      I’m saying “days at school” because they organize 5 day camps away from home every year, every grade starting 3rd Grade. They are going different places with busses and even plane. Parents not allowed, only 3 or 4 volunteers, you can’t even communicate with your child through a cell phone. Not permitted to bring any devices. All camps are VERY expensive, depending what mode of transportation is used. If going by plane, 5 days would cost around $950.
      They also organize 2 weeks of Swimming lessons as part of the curriculum. It costs $80 for that. 2 weeks of school are completely wasted, because they go by bus to the local Aquatic Centre. When they come back to school, they just play games for the rest of the day. All grades go through rotation. No homework is given during those 2 weeks.

      In Australia primary schools have no textbooks, no workbooks, teachers get together and plan what to teach. The planning happens every term, so a whole week is wasted, because teachers miss those days, when students are doing Arts, PE and playing lots of games and having substitute teachers. They gather materials from Internet from UK and USA, they photocopy books that the school has already and that’s how they teach. They teach VERY little. The curriculum is a suggestion, teachers pick and choose what they will cover that year. There are TONS of material not even touched. Frankly, they have no time to teach, since there are so many other events and activities at school.
      Homework is given once a week. All 4th grades( for example) get the same HW in all classes. There are different activities that are completely unrelated to each other and concepts that were never taught in class. Why is that? Because classroom teachers have a HW format that they give from generation to generation and sometimes the new teachers teach something different, or because they miss a lot, the substitutes are not covering anything.
      Schools are fun here. Your children will probably love it, PE is every day in some form or shape. There is NO SCIENCE in primary schools. Our school has a Science teacher, we are blessed, because the majority of schools don’t have one. Unfortunately, she is doing more than Science. She is doing Extension Math, Robotics and many other projects with just a few students, not the whole school. Every grade gets 1 term of Science/year. Only a limited no. Of students (around 10 from a whole school of 900) get to do a certain project. Robotics is just for a term, once a week. She is very busy doing all this.
      The state tests here (NAPLAN Test) are only given in grades 3,5,7, and 9. They are not mandatory. They are not accepted by teachers and there is a movement against them. Parents and students are encouraged to ‘Say No to NAPLAN’. Nobody fails a grade in Australia. They believe that failing a year doesn’t make the student do better the following year and their social life and being with their peers is important. New Classrooms are made each year according to friendships. School is supposed to be fun. That’s exactly how they make it.
      Halloween is not celebrated in most schools, I only heard of one school who did it. They absolutely dislike the American tradition. Costumes are worn though, for a Fairy Tale unit, in the lower grades, or a special day that each school decides for celebrating the Book Fair. The costumes have to be a character from a book.
      Schools are graded against their will, on http://www.myschool.edu.au/ .

      The results are honestly not reflecting if that school is good or not, they only reflect what kind of students go to that school. I’ll explain. Schools mainly don’t teach. If they have good results, it is because most likely Asians(including India) live there, who come home and go to tutoring, work hard OUTSIDE school. In our school, where we moved because we were fooled by the great NAPLAN results, almost 90%of the students go to tutoring. Parents realized that schools are not doing anything, so they pay a few thousand $$ / year for that. These are not children who need tutoring because they are behind. On the contrary, going to their Saturday Chinese schools and tutoring schools during the week, makes them be advanced compared to the Australian standards.
      My son, now 6th Grade was advanced a year when we first came here. We left in the middle of his 4th Grade from NY, where he was in the Gifted&Talented class since Kindergarten. He was tested for a whole week every day in Math, Reading and Writing. His reading was determined by the school to be at the end of 6th Grade level, Writing at the end of 4th Grade and Math at the beginning of 7th Grade level. Based on these results, they placed him straight in 5th grade. They explained that they didn’t recommend him to skip 2 years because of his maturity level. They were wonderful people. ALL Australians are wonderful people. I wish things were better here, but unfortunately for us, they are not. My son didn’t improve his level at all since we came. He is year 6 now and at grade level. We chose not to go to tutoring because it’s so expensive. We do Math at home using EnvisionMath and other American materials. We plan to return to NY, because we simply don’t fit in. Again, I’m a Romanian, and I’m telling you, there’s no place like America! Australia is for people who come from inferior countries, like Romania, not if you come from America.
      I have many things to say, but I only talked about education, since you have 4 children, and your wife is a teacher, you should know these details that you will never find just browsing the Internet, or asking Australians who can’t compare. I lived in both countries and I suffer here in all aspects. The system is all wrong, people are wonderful!! Yes, it’s beautiful, yes it’s peaceful, it depends what you want.
      Just as a last note, Medicare is a public health insurance free for all Australian residents and citizens, but has limited coverage. No dentist, no orthodontist, no ophthalmologist, and no ambulance cover. Patients who need surgery for different reasons, if not an emergency – they have to be put on a waiting list that could take even months up to a year. This is NOT OK, but Australians don’t mind that. They are used to the system and live like this. Additional private insurance can be bought, for around $300/ family, but even that doesn’t cover everything. It kicks in after Medicare, it doesn’t replace it. It doesn’t skip or speed up the waiting list. As for doctors, we had only found bad doctors so far. We are desperate for that reason, too. I will kiss JFKs floor when we go back. Yes, NY is crowded, is dirty in many places, but has the best education, the best doctors and hospitals and I miss the freedom of speech, I miss my voice to be heard. Here nothing can be changed, nobody is ready for it and they think it’s the most livable city in the world!
      I apologize if I upset anyone, I was just trying to give out the facts from a Romanian- American’s perspective.

      • BobinOz September 1, 2013, 8:40 pm |

        No, I don’t think you’ve upset anyone at all, you’ve given quite a few of us a jolly good laugh though! The highlight for me is, without doubt, “Halloween is not celebrated in most schools…”

        I can’t speak for all Australians, but personally I quite like it that my daughter will not be taught how to throw eggs at an old lady’s house because she didn’t give her any money or treats when she knocked on the door after dark dressed as a vampire. But maybe that’s just me.

        Enjoy your return to New York and that “freedom of speech” you’ve missed so much, if only we had that here.

        Heath, if you’re still tuned into this conversation, please don’t take any notice of Diana, there are so many false statements in her rant that I would not know where to begin.

        Thanks, Bob

        • Diana September 1, 2013, 11:06 pm |

          Bob, I thought you don’t answer to people who don’t write to you directly. Why are you so upset? This is what I’ve experienced since I came here. If you don’t like my comment, please feel free to erase it, but you don’t have be mean or advice Heath not to take notice of what I wrote.

          • BobinOz September 2, 2013, 2:00 pm |

            Diana, I am not upset at all, I thought I made that clear in my answer. And if people want to talk to each other through these comments I am more than happy to let them do so, but when somebody gives hugely misleading information to one of my readers, then I do feel I have to get involved.

            You say this is your experience since you came here, and maybe it is, but in your comment you make many claims about all of Australia in general that simply aren’t true. I am not being mean to you, I am simply disagreeing with your point of view. I only you erase comments that are abusive.

            Cheers, Bob

            • Diana September 4, 2013, 1:44 pm |

              Thanks for your reply, Bob! I live in Victoria where teachers and principals claim is the best education in the country. I explained everything that we experienced in schools here, because both Americans and Europeans would understand the difference.(the 4 terms, vacation in between, no textbooks, workbooks, once a week HW etc.) The same with Medicare. Some things when they are so different, hurt people. That’s all. If someone doesn’t like what I wrote it’s going on, at least they can investigate before moving here. It was very hard for us
              to move and now to go back again. I think I wrote it’s a beautiful country and if I didn’t I confirm it now, but just because we speak the same language, watch the same movies and have the same stores doesn’t mean it’s ‘the same’ like we expected. The systems are VERY different. I just wanted to make sure people know that, especially Americans. I would just like to make a short comment about Halloween – it’s not how you described it, it’s celebrated in schools with parades, Halloween fair in school yard, candies- it’s beautiful! It’s very important to Americans, my kids suffered so much for not having it. After school, families and friends go together Trick-or-Treat and are not disrespectful to those houses where no one answers. Candies are extremely cheap sold in bulk in the stores at Halloween. Almost everyone participates, it’s big.
              Good Luck with your website! You did a good job and I respect that!

              • BobinOz September 4, 2013, 5:06 pm |

                Yes Diana, I do understand all of that and I do thank you for your contribution. As I’ve already said though, I think the vast majority of what you have said is incorrect and misleading to my readers. That’s why I said what I did.

                You are entitled to your views, I am entitled to disagree.

                • Ben March 4, 2017, 3:15 am |

                  I have a feeling Diana might be close to my generation who grew up in communism and cought the fall of it as well. Her comments are pretty much what you here over here in the UK as well from my fellow compatriots. Just to paint you the picture as to where this grudge/discontentment/always seeing the glass half empty attitude comes from. We grew up having to memorise entire book commentaries by heart and got graded on them. We had to memorise all the formulas, equations, coefficients etc. and got graded on them. Mechanicaly learning incredible amount of info which is great if you are aspiring to become a successful robot 🙂 I am partly joking as I did get some benefits from that educational system. Didn’t do any maths for 5 years and worked as a chippy on construction sites in Leicester (while my wife was finishing her degree) and after that period I decided to go to uni to train as a structural engineer. By this time I had nearly 10 years since I’ve done any education back in Romania yet every year in uni along with a group of romanians managed to win international competitions in civil and structural design. The reason why romanians do so well over here though it’s because here the focus is on understanding principles and having an inquisitive mind doing your own research on things that really fascinates you. So instead of memorising all the useless stuff we did in Romania, over here we were encouraged to find the thing that really fulfil us and do that with enthusiasm at the best of our ability. Sort of have you hobby as a career. A concept totally missing from my good’ol Romania. Trying to explain to my parents to this day that my wife not knowing the capitals of all the countries in Africa or a basic bernoullis equation is not a catastrofy as long as she knows only her medicine but that she is an expert in and loves practicing it day in day out for a living. It also frustrates me when I hear romanians complaining about NHS here. They don’t have to pay squat and they still complain. Back in Ro you have the bribe ready for every member of staff from the security guard to the surgeon on top of the fact that your taxes are already paying their salaries. One other thing, we all used to live in those grey old communist blocks of flats and we are going to extreme lengths to bash anything that is not the exact opposite of those as we hated them so much, hence Diana being attracted to Australia by the size of the houses rather than the lifestyle. Even now if you go to visit Romania, every single house being built there regardless of the owner is going to appear as a mansion to a regular brit. Oh and most likely is going to be painted in a bright orange or similar colour just to paint a picture as opposite as possible to the communist blocks. It will take a few good generations until that stressed mentality is going to change. Lack of political correctness is also an enharitance of the communist era. Similar mentality to 70s in UK when italians were thought of as the lowlife of the society (see “Yes, minister” and “Yes, prime minister”). Sorry for the rant Bob but I am a Romanian with a different perspective in life.

                • Ben March 4, 2017, 3:26 am |

                  Also what’s up with the festival of death in which you happily involve your children as a parent ? I tend to celebrate life and that’s been working like a charm for my little ones

                  • BobinOz March 5, 2017, 10:12 pm |

                    Not sure what you mean by ‘festival of death’ Ben, but like yourself, celebrating life and making our children as happy as possible are probably the best things we can do with our lives here on this planet.

                    Thanks for the Romanian history, it is interesting to read. I think each and every country has its own ‘personality’ based on its history and its leaders, which can have as much bearing on people’s lives as their own parents. I feel lucky to have been born and raised in the UK, because I know that in many other countries things have been a lot tougher.

                    • Ben March 6, 2017, 1:42 am |

                      Can’t imagine a better description for dressing little children as zombies or vampires ..albeit somewhat sarcastic. It’s borderline child abuse in my book.

              • Mistral October 27, 2013, 5:55 am |

                Diana,
                I am sad that you had that experience. I’m a teacher and while some of your comments about length of term and NAPLAN were accurate I think you missed the point. All schools aren’t the same. Teachers aren’t forced into cookie cutter standardised education but we do have curriculum guidelines which must be adhered to.

                Our professional judgement is used to determine how best to teach that particular group of students based in their interests, abilities and previous knowledge.

                We believe that young people deserve a well rounded education and that rote learning and strict adherence to text books doesn’t teach young people to enquire, explore and develop strategies for learning. That was an approach that suited the needs of the workforce around the time of the Industrial Revolution. The workplace has changed somewhat since then as has the way we love our lives.

                Good luck on your return to the states. You may cross paths with friends of mine who are disgusted at the impact of standardised testing on education and plan on heading to Australia as soon as they are able. Isn’t it great to be able to make choices? 🙂

              • Brett Courtenay January 20, 2015, 1:35 pm |

                Diana,

                I am also sorry you did not /do not enjoy your stay.

                However, I completely agree with Bob in that a lot of what you said is simply not true!

                Here is just one : Private Health insurance “It doesn’t skip or speed up the waiting list”

                Of course it does! If it did not, one of the main reasons for taking out Private Health Insurance would not exist.

                Additionally, any waiting lists in our UNIVERSAL COVERAGE health System are for things that are not urgent or requiring immediate attention. ALL surgery or treatment of emergency or life threatening conditions is Immediate.

                By the way, Diana what say you to the 40% of ALL Americans who have no health coverage at all? Or the thousands of Americans who go BANKRUPT every year due to their inability to pay costs of health care despite being insured?

                NO Australian has ever been bankrupted by failure to pay medical expenses.

                Lastly, I find this comment you made APPALLING…

                “I’m telling you, there’s no place like America! Australia is for people who come from inferior countries, like Romania, not if you come from America.”

                “Inferior Countries”? I think that tells anybody more than enough about where your issues may lie, and which microscopic area within the vastness of the country you call America, sums up your totality of an entire country.

          • Josie August 20, 2014, 8:23 pm |

            I agree with you Diana, I am born and bred in Australia and your observations are very correct. Our education is sub-par (especially public), doctors are not as highly trained because without pay as you go, there is no motivation. And yes, freedom of speech, especially since the Howard era, has gone out the window. Australia has always been one of the world’s most conservative countries, but the laid back friendliness of the place masks this very well. But don’t be fooled – we have our proverbial heads in the sand. And i love my country, but it takes itself for granted SO MUCH!

            • josie August 20, 2014, 8:27 pm |

              If I can add to my last comment, I was too harsh about education. I had some great state school experiences in Perth and Brisbane. And standardised testing is awful, I agree!

        • Rajiv September 12, 2013, 4:24 pm |

          Hey Bob, I’m a 33 year old guy and have lived in Christchurch, NZ for over 12 years and am a New Zealand citizen. (Fun fact: Like Ireland, and possibly Bahamas, there are NO snakes in NZ, NONE. You would get so depressed out here, eh?) Below is the link to my post “Reptiles Freak me out”. It’s strange, the youtube link in my post– written on 23rd of June– of that guy getting mauled by Goanna came from your website… but I never really read any of your pages. Anyway here’s the post

          http://rajivthind.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/reptiles-freak-me-out/

          However, today I was reading and freaking out about reptiles that you can “commonly” meet in and around Brisbane homes, and so I came to read pages from your website. Why was I reading about the “common” reptiles in Brisbane?? Because there is a possibility that by March 2014 I will move to Brisbane to complete a postgraduate degree at UQ, St Lucia.

          I am absolutely horrified by the abundance of reptiles in Brisbane itself. Carpet Snake facts turn my guts to jelly! I mean, how on earth can any sane human being make peace with the fact that this Python Snake lives in your ceiling!! Or roams around in your garden and pays you a visit while you’re sitting in your backyard drinking your tea and reading a newspaper? The Gardener guy’s video was so silly. He says if you find these “beauties” around in your house, just leave them alone. Really? What if you or any small kid trips on this thing? It will give you a bite, but it’s not like it’s fatal. Right?

          Any what if you have a small cat or a dog who crosses paths with this Python that you have just decided to leave alone. Won’t this python grab your cat or dog, choke it to death and then swallow it whole? Yes, it will.

          It is one thing to admire reptiles and snakes, but it’s another to welcome and hug and kiss any reptile who wanders onto your property.

          Meanwhile, please keep suggesting to me any fully-concrete ugly student apartments near St. Lucia. There should be no tree, bush or grass around at least within a mile! 😉

          • BobinOz September 14, 2013, 3:19 pm |

            Sounds like you need my mate Geoff’s e-book, check out Living with Snakes.

            Anyway, I have now lived in Brisbane for nearly 6 years and I live out in the western suburbs, which is basically snake country for Brisbane. St Lucia is much closer to the city, you’ll be fine I can assure you. I don’t even worry about it out here in the sticks.

            Cheers, Bob

          • Chris Cunningham February 28, 2015, 1:13 pm |

            Just wanted to say I lived in Mt Isa, Queensland and Brisbane for a total of 20 years (now live in Melbourne – my home town) and only crossed paths with 2 snakes the whole time. The first time was when I was hanging clothes out on the line this skinny yellow banded black snake came sliding towards me. I dropped the basket of clothes and ran inside. I never saw it again. The second time I was driving down my street at Mt.Cootha and at the bottom of the road there was this huge long python stretched across it from one side to the other, about 5 metres long, making its way into the bush. I just let it pass over then kept driving with no problems.

            A good tip for protection is to wear jeans and boots when you go bushwalking. Never wear sandals or thongs in the bush – always wear boots. The chances of seeing a snake are extremely low anyway! Having said that, my neighbour over the road had a python come through her toilet window one day (must have had it open) and wrap itself around the bowl and cistern. The Council helps in cases like that but yes if you are not quick enough it will live in the roof! Just on the subject of living in Sydney, Perth or Brisbane, why not a smaller city like Coffs Harbour in NSW with no congestion, lots of fresh air, open spaces and bush, employment opportunities, beach and lifestyle. Nice warm weather too. Nobody ever suggests the smaller cities like Coffs Harbour or Newcastle. I am living in Melbourne because my elderly mother and siblings are here, but it’s a cold place most of the year! If I had my choice I would live at the Gold Coast in Queensland, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, or Casuarina on the coast just south of the Gold Coast. Better to swim at the Gold Coast than in northern NSW however because the Gold Coast has protective shark netts. But that’s another story!
            Having said that I lived in the semi-tropics with no problems at all. You just need to wear the right clothes, have fly-wire or mesh on doors and windows, swim between the flags and wear sunscreen, that’s it.

            • BobinOz March 1, 2015, 9:49 pm |

              Yes, good suggestion, some of the smaller towns are well worth a look. I was very impressed with the whole area around Casuarina when I went there the other week, I could even see myself living there at some point in the future.

      • Observer July 11, 2014, 11:18 am |

        “They absolutely dislike the American tradition.”

        But yanno what? No-one’s stopping you doing that in the privacy of your own home.

        Yeah, we Aussie go out of our way to sure it doesn’t snow at Christmas and we don’t celebrate a foreign nation’s declaration independence on the 4th of July just to annoy Americans.

        You came to another country and you expected it to be just like America Diana? You must be disappointed that we do not execute the poor and disadvantaged with glee, that teens do not carry guns in the streets, that your employer cannot determine who your health insurance provider will be, that people can expect a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour, that a suburban residence that is not cheek by jowl is affordable, that inner-city living is not ghettoised, that every October 31st ordinary people are not subjected to culturally-sanctioned criminal vandalism…how awful eh?

        Go back if it makes you happy.

      • Simona June 19, 2016, 5:57 pm |

        Hi Diana

        I havent been in contact with neither Medical system here nor in Uk( where previously lived for 7 years) for which I am more than thankful.however here without a medical insurance i would have to pay an enormous amount of money
        I am Romanian just like you, been to America several times, lived in London and moved here recently.Australia is Overrated, people need to realise this and stop praising this country.I actually find people here not too helpful, not willing to go the extra mile to help you, and ironically they are makeing it harder for you to find a job stating you dont have the right qualities for the position. We moved to Queensland and i can confirm that is not such an amazing place, cant even compare with Florida, USA.I dont want to offend anyone but there are more amazing places to live, with great balance quality of living and career wise than Australia.

        Same as you i dont feel like i fit in and already planning to move back to Europe.It can be a great country to live in but not as great as it is advertised.

        • David March 3, 2017, 7:53 pm |

          So you think Australia, and especially Queensland is over rated? And Florida is much better. Well that’s an interesting observation. I actually stayed in Boca Raton and Sarasota on the other side of the peninsula, and yes, sure it is nice. But SUPER expensive. And it has some pretty high crime figures once you get out of the rich enclaves.

          But I think I’ll take Magnetic Island in FNQ any day of the week. Especially sitting at the Marlin Bar on Horseshoe Bay overlooking the beach and the amazing sunsets ( Google it and you’ll see what I mean. ) In our winter, it’s around 26 celsius ( about 80 degrees Fahrenheit ) and what’s more, I can order my drink in English and still be understood.

          Oh, and I don’t have to worry about copping a stray bullet from some crazy gang-banger hood rat in a drive by shooting. Funny about that. Of course you could always go back to Romania. I’ve heard the health care there is second to none.lol Although Mr. Ceauscesu and his missus did suffer a fatal dose of lead poisoning back in December, 1989 so you might want to be careful. Just in case.

      • rob richardson September 26, 2016, 3:39 pm |

        ambulances ARE free. All emergency care is free. Private insurance gives you immediate access to all medical care. Halloween is irrelevant to us. Ophthalmologists are covered by medicare. Even all organ transplants are free. Many Americans and Canadians etc are studying medicine in our medical schools. I have an American and Australian medical degree. We don’t shoot as many people “per head of population” as in US, less than a fifth. Your ” facts” from a Romanian American point of you are opinions. Facts are facts and can not come from a point of view

  • David September 28, 2011, 6:38 am |

    Hi Bob:

    This answer is perhaps to help Alex and her concerns. I am originally from Sydney but have lived in the USA for many years. Come October, I shall be moving back to Sydney, as my family lives there.
    Not a lot of people really spend 2 hours getting to work on public transport. The Blue Mountains was mentioned as a possible location to live by Alex. There are express trains right into the heart of the city and is a lot more convenient than trying to drive and park in the city. This is probably true of any big city in the world and let’s not forget that Sydney is BIG!
    For the past 4 years I made trips from Cailfornia to Sydney twice a years and have looked into a lot of aspects into relocating. Not everyone lives in crowded apartments and I would say most live in nice homes. If you go a bit further out than the inner west, these homes have multiple bathrooms and all the modern conveniences and all suburbs have good shopping centres and malls.
    Rather than taking a look at all the negatives of a big city, look at the positives and adapt. Recently Melbourne was rated #1 as the most liveable city and Sydney was 6th, so it can’t be all that bad.
    Sydney has beautiful beaches and in my opinion, the finest harbour and facilities in the world.

    • BobinOz September 28, 2011, 8:37 pm |

      Well, I did try to help Alex as best I could. But I got the impression, especially from a few comments she’s made on other posts, that she has already decided Australia is not for her.

      But your comments and thoughts about Sydney may be useful for someone else considering moving here from California or anywhere in America, so thanks for letting us know about your experiences of the two places.

      • Jewel December 1, 2013, 11:28 am |

        Quite agree with you Bob and maybe depressed also! Ha..Ha

  • Alex September 15, 2011, 12:58 am |

    Thank you for the response.
    I am still evaluating trade offs. If Sydney is so crowded and people are doomed to live with mass transit and apartments, how come it is on the top of the list for quality lifestyle? From what perspective? Then again: what is lifestyle? Living jammed in apartments? Shopping? Dining? Bars and smoky night clubs? Opera? Museums? Public parks size of a backyard? Are they serious????? Sounds like a last resort and despair when nothing else to do is available. At least go play golf or something…..
    Of course it looks totally awesome, dreamy if you come from some places Asia, Latin America or Russia. But how is it against lifestyle in USA , Canada or Western Europe (Germany for instance)?
    So far my desire to relocate was based on great career opportunity without moving into crappy cold weather or dealing with total dump like New York or downtown LA, and possibility to reduce stress, long working hours and high tension between people in business. But the more I learn about details of living in Sydney the more concerns I have about sacrifices I have to make for that such as my living space, cost of living, privacy, comfort, and things I like to do for fun. I am just very curious: how do you guys deal with all this? Is it a normal thing for many?

    I am searching for every bit of information right now, as I still have time to back off if things are not right.

    As far as commute and parking: aren’t there parking structures/ lots reserved for employees in downtown Sydney buildings?
    What is the cost of insurance and registration for average SUV or midsize German car (that’s what we are planning to ship over there, or in worst case to buy). What about motorcycles? Is it easier? Is split lane allowed for motorcycles?

    As far as land and houses. I have been looking through every available listing offered online. Besides costal parts, Blue Mountains area and foothills got my attention. It seems to be less expensive than the beaches, lots are bigger, neighbourhoods are cleaner. Definitely there are nice houses in the range of 700-800K, primely located away from business and shopping mess.

    I also have a possible options for Perth. Do you think that Perth would suit my demands for lifestyle better? I absolutely don’t mind heat, especially dry. We ride our off-road motorcycles in 100F plus (is it like 40C or higher?) temps here in inland deserts of California and Arizona.

    The reson I have mentioned comparison to UK was because it seems like most of criteria, aspects and perspective mostly come from those who moved form UK. Not USA, not Canada or else, but UK.

    • BobinOz September 16, 2011, 9:49 pm |

      “how do you guys deal with all this?” – I deal with it by not living in Sydney.

      Alex, I have written about the cost of car registrations and insurance, I’ve got a page (the link is under Migration Advice, click on Prices), which ambitiously covers the price of everything. It’s all here if you search around.

      Having read your other comments though, I can’t help but think Sydney is not for you. I can’t even recommend Perth, personally I think it’s way too remote. People who live in Perth may have a different opinion, if anyone wants to chime in?

      I do recommend Brisbane though, which is no surprise, I live here.

      Australia is a fantastic country to live in, but if you need to be tied to somewhere like Sydney for work, perhaps not as good a place as you’ve got, considering the sort of things you want.

      Keep hunting though, let us know, although, again, from your other comments it sounds like you are going off the idea Australia?

      By the way, we don’t have smoking nightclubs, that’s so 90s!

      • RAJKUMAR. May 20, 2015, 12:56 am |

        Hai iam kumar

    • Josey November 22, 2014, 3:40 am |

      If you are from the UK / EU or anywhere in North America & wish to live in Sydney, some advise from some one who knows the place from back to front , inside out & upside down inner city or North or South as well as the Wild West for richer or poorer.
      1: make sure you are loaded, I mean bags of cash & a good proffesion,trade
      or business, alternatively if semi or unskilled see to it you’re young & very fit.

      2: If your of European decent & you are open minded & comfortable being the only one, would you also be comfortable in the knowledge that at work, most of your colleages would rather see you replaced by someone they can feel more at home with ie: one of their own.
      3:Look forward to living in one of the most segregated & inheretently racist societies of the developed nations on this Earth that permeates racism,stinks of racism & consequently has racist attitudes staring you in the face everyday all day from your morning newspaper till your six o;clock news in the evening.It mostly comes from the sickeningly politicaly correct sons & daughters of the Australian upper middle classes whom from from their deluded blinkered minds see every non-Anglo new settler to the country as some sort of saint as well as victim of white Anglo racist aggression, which is absolute nonsence as well as propagating a deliberate liein an attempt to destroy thhe lives & livelyhoods of those of us from a European heritage in Oceana as a whole, unfautunately they seem to be doing a pretty marvellous job to wit.
      4: For those potential immigrants from the UK who are dreaming of a new life in Sydney.Well enjoy the sunshine cause it’s goin to cost you a pretty packet.Look forward to the price of basic food items from your major supermarket, at present day prices being up to four times the cost of the same items you’d buy at your local Asda, Liddles or Sainsbury’s…. No I’m not kidding, I’ve done a number of professional price comparisons.
      4: That renting a Bed-box(studio) in close proximity to Sydney city is more expensive than an equivalent studio on the edge of Manhatton in New York City
      (exact words of an American I met from Manhatton who rented a studio in Ultimo, inner Sydney)
      5: Another myth, that wages are higher, irregardless of the pendulum swing of the exchange rates,many semi-skilled jobs are paid no more than equivalent jobs in the UK, I wouldn’t know about America, I do understand that unskilled jobs awards wages in America are lower, but then again the price of everything in the States, even in the capital cities ios considerably lower than in Australias major cities.I know this to be factual as I am in a position where I litteraly speak to people of all backgrounds young & old on a daily basis.Many thousands of folk in the Sydney metropolitan area work long hours for a wage that in considerably lower than the defined award wage for the given industry, many of these folk are also English speakers.IF one wants to work in todays competitive world then one may have to work for less, whether I like it or not.

      • BobinOz November 24, 2014, 4:42 pm |

        I suggest any of my readers looking for a more balanced view of Australia’s biggest city should visit my page about Sydney and read the (over 100) comments added to date.

        Josey, you are entitled to your views, of course, but I think many of the things you’re saying are hugely misleading or just downright wrong.

  • Alex September 14, 2011, 1:11 am |

    Hello,
    Although the site is very informative and very well structured, most of information here compares to UK.
    We, my husband and I, both professionals, are about to move from California, USA, we already have great job offers in Sydney and visas.
    I have been to Australia before just as a tourist, and the coastal parts look like coastal SoCal 30 years ago back when I was a child; it was less populated, more relaxed and definitely safer than now.
    Now I am trying to escape from rat race, crime, stress, constant fight for daily survival, angry people, excessively long work hours, market instability, and…. conditions where fluent English speaking people are a rare commodity (that’s LA for you, life behind the scenes, behind face-lifted, lyposucked phony Hollywood and Beverly Hills that amaze gullible tourists).
    Although all the major aspects of Australian living make me lean towards moving out there, few concerns and doubts still need some additional intel to be gathered.
    For instance, it appears a bit disappointing that with such large spaces so many people a jammed into apartment living, and while looking for a house I realized how many of them, including those in prime locations, have only one bathroom!!!! How do people deal with it if they have guests, family, children? Is it because of the old construction? Are there newer areas outside Sydney that offer more comforatble homes? Although our jobs are in downtown Sidney, we are looking to live outside the urban city area, away from business districts, apartments, shopping and noise. What are the quality suburbs of Sydney would you recommend? Obvously we are not looking to buy 7 figures oriced home, but likely something in north coastal areas.
    How difficult is it to find a piece of land and build a house we want?
    Second, everyone keeps bragging how close they are to mass transit. Are many people in the position when they can’t afford cars and forced to use public transit? What’s up with that? Frankly, it would terrify me if I had to live with daily use of mass transit. Very inconvenient. Carry on a train or a bus my laptop, purse, gym bag, lunch, fresh business outfit and then some? Really?
    Third, what is the access to outdoors? We prefer hiking, riding off-road motorcycles or mountain bicycles, or explore outback by 4×4 on weekends or holidays rather that getting couped up in the city. Is it easy to access wilderness areas? Any hard restrictions? Exploring Outback with its great hot weather, its magnitude, beauty and diversity of nature is one of our very exciting reasons to move. Can we really do that?
    Any answers are greatly appreciated.

    • BobinOz September 14, 2011, 7:06 pm |

      I think what you have to realise is that Sydney is definitely not typical of Australia. Prime locations in Sydney are expensive and the place is relatively overcrowded. I know of many people who have complained they have a two hour or more commute into the city because they can’t afford to live too close.

      I don’t think you will find too many coastal properties within reach of downtown Sydney that are not seven figures. Land is available to buy very easily almost everywhere, except Sydney.

      Again, with the transport things, are you talking about Sydney? Try driving your car into town and then parking. That’ll give you an idea of why people brag about being close to public transport.

      I have some good news though, outdoor access is easy. You can go virtually anywhere, just don’t run out of petrol.

      Having said all of that, I am not an expert on Sydney, so maybe somebody who does live there will pop by and help you out.

      Good luck.

      Oh, forgot. What do you mean by most of information here compares to UK? I can assure you, Australia does not compare to the UK.

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