Guest prman Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Hello eveybody, we are brand new to this, turned back from the brink last year moving to Adelaide, wasn't right for us, now thoughts return again & we are considering brisbane, sorry for all the questions but here goes... & thanks for reading.. we have 2 children, 15, 13, my wife works in Local Goverment & I'm an Electrician & Guitar Teacher, its last chance decision time for me as I'm 43 shortly & I understand 45 is the cut off date for skilled workers, could any one tell me that once youve been granted your visa does it matter if you then drift over 45? & how long does the visa last before you have to that flying out & then back thing just to get your passport stamped? Adelaide didn't seem to have much work for Maintenance Electricians however Brisbane seems to have more work for me, looking at the Australian papers I notice Australia is suffering from the downturn as well as the UK, one of the main reasons for us wanting to go is to give my Kids a better chance in life, are there good opportunities for our Kids or are jobs/careers scarce? things here are now dire for youngsters leaving school, I know a lot of young people out of work with no training & not much hope, it can't be worse than it is here, also what are the secondary schools like?. could anyone tell me the rough cost of getting out here now, things have changed since we last priced it all up, we estimated about £15k for flights/removals/visa application process/ agent fees & the dog, could anyone who's just moved here shed any light on that issue? & give me some names of removal companies/ pet flights/ Immigration agents ( I would probably go with Go Matilda as they seemed very helpful & reasonable last time) how long before you can get a mortgage out there? we would rent initially hoping to buy once in full time work finally....how are you finding it out there? we will not miss family so much as most people as we moved from scotland to England years ago & got over the missing family thing, but that aside, whats it like? the weather must make a big difference to morale, how similar is the life style if at all? whats the aussies attitude to us? they all seem a decent bunch to me but I don't live there, is there lots to do for families/Kids?, any input would be most appreciative, thanks for reading folks, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karen Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Help at hand We have been in Brisbane nearly 5 years and it has taken me the best part of 3 years to fully settle. My daughter was 18 when we came over she had no problem settling just like my partner. In my opinion you are looking in the right direction QLD is a great place with the best climate and location. AT the moment jobs are ok here and I wouldnt say the credit crunch has got us just yet but it could come. We came on a sponsored skilled visa and it took about 9 months from start to finish. Yours make take a little longer it just depends on how urgently they need your profession. Working for the governement is a good job here well paid in Ozzy terms as is working for the council. Electricians also are on good pay so if you land the right jobs your income will keep you in a good lifestyle. I live on the north side of brisbane in a place called north lakes since we first moved here alot of brits have taken up residence. I am sure north lakes must be adversided over there!!! Why dont you check out the following websited www.realestate.com.au you just put in the suburbs and whether you want to buy or rent and bobs your uncle. Also look at www.northlakes.com.au this is North Lakes very own website so you should find interesting info on there. My daughter never attended school here but she teaches kids that do. They can leave at 16 but often stay on till they are 18 to get there exams. They are aloud to work from 15 and locally there are lots of jobs for them in the local shopping centre and food areas. I must say australia is the better place to bring up your children far better things to offer than the UK. Moving fees is hard to advise on we used a shared container and it took a good 3 months to get here. I wish I had brought more stuff and had my own container as it would of got here alot quicker. furniture etc can be pricey and hard to find so bring the best bits to give you a good start. If you rent first you can rent furniture and often rental places have ovens and dishwashers you just need beds and a fridge plus something to sit on. Flight costs are pretty much the same in the Uk as when we left a return flight is aroun $800 even cheaper if you come from the london airports. Dogs I dont know but I do know people that have brought them and i dont think its that pricey. Take out insurance on your delicate items as the may get broken in transport. Renting first is the best idea it gives you time to find the area that you want to be. If you have money in the bank a mortgage should be no problem here the rates are good at the mo lowest since the 60's around the 3 percent mark I think. Try www.seek.com.au too its the best job website to look at it will give you an idea on whats around. Hope this helps you let me know if I can answer anything else for you and good luck. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prman Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 thanks Karen, I have repsonded before but not sure if you go the messages, whats it like for Golf there? my son is into it big time, & football-though I'm not sure if the Aussies are into that, my Daughter is a Ballet/Tap Dancer, do they Dance schools out there?, I wouldn't want them to have to give up what they enjoy doing, the main reason for considering going to Brisbane is I'm getting increasingly concerned for their working futures, here things are getting pretty dire, are prospects good for youngsters good leaving school? are there plenty of apprenticeships? with the skills shortage out there I would have thought there would be, but what do I know, I'm not out there,hopefully you could shed some light on these matters, thanks for all your help, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karen Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Help at Hand Hi Paul No I did not get your message I am new to this site so not sure how to use it!! I understand you can send private messages which sometimes is a good idea. Now to answer your questions believe it or not I can see the golf course from my house and the club is 2 mins walk away so yes golf is big over here. The course we live near is the North Lakes golf resort and its one of the best in QLD. My partner plays there when he can and there are walking paths along side it so its a pretty picture. It is affordable as well but I wont go into it at this stage. There are lots of courses around here all different prices. Now for dance schools again believe it or not my daughter runs her own dance school locally but she teaches hip hop, caberat, funky jazz. There are lots of dance schools all over brisbane and locally. Steps in Rothwell and conroy in Brendale are just 2 I can think of you should check them out on line. Football I assume you mean Soccer footy here is rugby!!!! Soccer is becoming big here and there are lots of local clubs that play on weekends and nights I could find information out for you if you want to go into further. Australia are not in a recession as yet so employment is doing ok there are apprentiships available here and yes there is still a skill shortage. A friend of mines son is at the TAFE college in brakenridge, Brisbane doing his electricians apprentiship but they will have had to pay for the course. Brisbane North Institute of TAFE will have a website you should check it out. I do not know how old your children will be when you get here but the schools here expect them to stay at school and finish year 12. I understand they will be around 17-18 at this stage. They have to get the right grade in their exams to be able to go to uni although saying that a few years down the line anyone can go to uni. I have friends who are mature age uni students and they didnt get their year 12. Paul from what I hear Australia is the best bet at the moment as the UK are struggling so I believe there are much more opportunites here all round at this moment in time. By the way once you are granted a visa regardless of your age you have about a year to come over and get it stamped once it is stamped you have about 4 years left to relocate over here. This information was correct at the time we applied over 5 years ago so not sure if anything has changed since. You would be wise to apply soon as you only have a couple of years left for it to be granted I am sure you would have to be under 45 when they process it so you must take this into consideration. Our visa took about 09 months from start to finish but I know other peoples who's has taken 2 years. I would say the average time is 18 months but it depends on your skills and points we had sponsors as well. I hope this information helps! Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prman Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hey Karen, once again youve been Excellent with your info, I can't thank you enough, sorry to be a pest but Ive been watching "wanted down under" & was a bit suprised at the Stamp duty that had to paid -$20k for a $400k house? this was in perth, ive gone on google & for a $350k house in Brisbane it comes out at @$2k if youre a first time buyer, which I supposed we would be over there, @$5k if youre not, great if you could shed some light on this as i would have to think hard if it was $10-20k stamp duty, also on finances Ive noticed a lot of people on other sites whinging abot the cost of living, whats youre opinion?, thanks Karen...you have been ace, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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