Marisawright

Is that what you meant to say? I thought we'd had this conversation before and you felt that people DID do their homework. I can understand if the people you know well HAD done their homework. After all, you know them either from PomsinOz (which is part of that homework), or they are migrants who are fairly happily settled wherever you live. Let's face it, where would you get the chance to meet and become friends with people who didn't do their homework? They've gone home with their tails between their legs, or they're posting bitter and twisted opinions of Australia on forums. We've all heard the tales of people who get off the plane in Australia and are ready to jump back on it. And I've seen plenty of people on these forums who have arrived and were clearly unprepared - they thought they'd walk into a job, or the price of housing caught them by surprise, or they hated the heat or the food or the lack of pubs. A lot of people either don't do their research - or sometimes they do, but they resolutely close their minds to any facts that don't gel with their dream.

I think you give people too much credit. People DO believe reality shows all the time. I am constantly amazed by it.

Of course it would. A mattress is 20 to 30 cm deep and a divan base about the same, so the bed would be sticking out from the wall by 40 to 60 cm. That means you would have less than 90 cm left (in other words, about the width of a doorway). Whereas if you have a frame instead of a divan, you're much better off.

The dimensions of a large Movecube: Length 2.264m Height 1.871m Width 1.464m So your bed and mattress (which are 1.8m x 2m) will fit, but consider how much width you'll have left by the time the bed is in place (measure the height of your bed/mattress and deduct it from 1.464 metres). I wonder if the lounge suit would fit in? And you wouldn't have much space left for boxes.

I'm a bit confused by your answer, not sure why you'd think being rural is "silly", or is that a typo? I think you mean Sydney or Melbourne (Victoria is the whole state). The bottom line is that house prices (renting and buying) in Melbourne is about two-thirds the cost of houses in Sydney. That's across the board. So I'd say, if you have no driving reason to go to Sydney, you've got a much better chance of a comfortable home in a good suburb if you choose Melbourne.

That's what I mean. Based on my time living in the UK a couple of years ago, I found my total living expenses (except housing) in both countries much the same. There are swings and roundabouts, of course, but it all balances out. So if you have your house paid off, it's easy - just look at your current household expenditure, convert it to dollars, and you have your figure. Then you have to calculate housing, and you need to look at two figures. The first is, what will it cost to rent a place? Be aware that Australian estate agents shamelessly photoshop pictures, so you have to assume the property isn't as good as it looks. Realestate.com.au has a section which shows the median rental price in different suburbs, so check that out and assume you'll need to pay somewhat above the median. Then look at how much you can sell your UK house for, and check what you could buy for that money in Sydney. You need to consider it now, because you don't want to get settled somewhere and then find you can't possibly afford to buy.

The trouble with commuting to Sydney, as VeryStormy says, is that Australia is not like the UK. NSW doesn't have cute villages within commutable distance from big cities. If you want to live rural you won't be commuting to Sydney. One hour's commute from Sydney is still in the middle of the suburbs. Rural towns are a long drive from each other and are often lacking in facilities, and unemployment in many of them is very high. Victoria is the most densely populated state and therefore towns aren't quite so far apart. Many people live in Ballarat and commute to Melbourne, and there are some pleasant small towns in between. I would just caution that the states are very different in their culture, so don't assume that Victoria will be the same as Perth.

Most Sydney people would kill to be 25 minutes from the beach. But as LKC says, it's only for weekends anyway. We don't get the long summer nights in Australia, it's dark by 9 pm even at the height of summer, so unless you're an early riser, there's not much time to enjoy the beach after work.

But that is assuming you’re living in an area of the UK where housing prices are similar to Sydney

Oatley is gorgeous, I used to live there. Like a little village, which is highly unusual for a Sydney suburb. The only thing is you might find it hard to get your child into the primary school, as it has such a good reputation people are always lining up to get in.

That's an almost impossible question to answer, because so much depends on what kind of lifestyle you lead. Moving to Sydney is a bit like moving to London. You're going to earn much the same salary as the rest of the country, but your housing expenses (either renting or buying) will be up to three times as expensive as anywhere else for a similar standard of housing in a good suburb. As in London, the average resident lives out in the distant suburbs with an hour's commute. Unlike London, those suburbs aren't necessarily little communities in their own right - many of them are faceless dormitory suburbs with little in the way of cultural activities. Many don't even have a pub or club. We've seen a few members heading home because they've found it impossible to have a good lifestyle in Sydney - but like I said, it depends on what your expectations are and whether your budget can accommodate that. With a uni age child, I'd be looking at Newcastle or Armadale, both of which have good universities and affordable housing - but it depends what kind of work you do.

If it's not quite a year, it would be worth trying to get it done. Check the date on your decree nisi.

You'll certainly get warmer weather in Rouse Hill, but be careful what you wish for! Take a look at the annual weather forecast for Sydney and you'll notice that those far Western suburbs are always two or three degrees hotter than the coast. When it's 30 degrees in Bondi, it can often be 35 degrees in Kellyville. Plus there's no sea breeze, so it's high humidity as well. Everyone reacts differently to humidity, so you may not be bothered by it, whereas others (like me) would find it unbearable. If you can find work around Parramatta then another option is to live in the Blue Mountains, where the altitude brings more pleasant weather, more rural surroundings, and a breeze. Personally, I find the suburbs you mention depressing. The vibrancy of Sydney itself is like another world, and you're about 50 kilometres to the nearest beach. They are basically dormitory suburbs, because most people are commuting so far, and it's a very long way to any kind of cultural activities. However, it may be a different story for someone with a young family, where your social life would probably revolve around Sunday braai's and networking with other parents.

Be careful what you wish for (though personally I'll be glad if it does). You can't be sure any other government will see things differently. Remember, the New Zealand closed its doors to parent visas completely for a while. It could just as easily happen in Australia.

I can see problems with that. For one thing, living on a bridging visa isn't easy and if they were automatic, I can see droves of people going for the bridging visa without doing their homework - and ending up in lots of strife. Especially people from countries that don't have any reciprocal health cover. For another, I wonder ifit would encourage people to make spurious applications, because they'd think, "OK, my visa will get rejected when it eventually reaches the front of the queue, but in the meantime I can get six/seven/eight years in Australia and that's better than nothing".

Just to add, a few people have said that moving to Australia and choosing Sydney is the same as moving to England and choosing London. London and Sydney are nothing like each other in size, culture etc. The similarity lies in the fact that London is ridiculously more expensive than most of the rest of the UK - and the same goes for Sydney in Australia.

The great majority of migrants don't get a job before they leave, unless they're in very senior positions or have a skill that's in desperately short supply, so don't get your hopes up too much about finding a job before you go. I can understand feeling attracted to Sydney because of better job prospects, but I would be worried if you take that route. We've seen a few PomsinOz migrants heading home because they can't afford a decent quality of life in Sydney. It can be done but at the expense of a long commute, and it's unlikely you'll be anywhere near a beach (did you know that the average Sydney resident lives way out in the west of the city, at least an hour from the nearest beach?).

Yes it is legal

I'm not that familiar with the Newcastle suburbs. However, I had two colleagues who got transferred to our Sydney office when the Newcastle office closed. They refused to relocate their families to Sydney, because they felt Newcastle was a much better place to bring up children. Both of them had a two-hour commute each way every day. One of them found a job locally after several months but the other one stuck it out for well over a year. It was a tough decision for him, because he loved his job, but he was adamant about not moving the kids. That has always stuck in my mind! Newcastle used to have a bad rap as a "working class town" but it has changed enormously in the last twenty years or so. Like I said, I don't have much recent experience, but Gordon lived in New Lambton and I think Eric lived in The Hill (those are the two men I mentioned). I've also heard people say nice things about The Junction and Hamilton. https://www.visitnewcastle.com.au/nobbys-beach

As others have said, your first step is to find out whether you can get a visa. To migrate to Australia, you need a visa. To get a visa, you must undergo a medical exam. Immigration will then look at the likely lifetime cost of your health condition. There is a threshold figure. If they decide that your lifetime cost will be more than the threshold, you can't be granted a visa. You can't get around it by offering to take out health insurance, because once you've got an Australian visa, the government can't force you to maintain your insurance. So Immigration has to assume you will be receiving all your treatment on Medicare (the equivalent of the NHS), i.e. at the taxpayer's expense. So, your first step should be to consult a migration agent experienced with medical conditions, who has probably done it all before and can tell you what your chances are. There may be a fee, but better that than spending thousands on a visa application that has no chance. To answer your original question, yes, once you are living in Australia on a permanent visa, then you will be able to get health insurance. Unlike the US, Australian health insurers can't refuse to cover pre-existing conditions. However you'd be well advised to take out health insurance as soon as you arrive, rather than waiting until your forties or fifties, because there are penalty rates if you join health insurance later in life.

What visa do you have? If it's for NSW, then you don't have to go to Sydney. There are several other large towns to choose from, where you could have a lovely house near the beach for that money. For instance, Newcastle is a large city with beautiful beaches (which you could afford to live near!), and its economy is doing well. It might take you a bit longer to find work - but consider, because your rental expenses will be so much lower, you wouldn't be under so much pressure to find work. Homely.com.au is the best place to find information about suburbs. Note that some of the reviews are written by estate agents trying to "talk up" the suburb, but you soon learn to recognise them!

For the average worker, the salary is usually quoted without the super (i.e. "salary is xx,0000 + super). For management, it is nearly always quoted with super inclusive, and perhaps other things as well, (i.e. "a salary package of xxx,0000"). However, as has already been said, there is no rule and no legal requirement for employers to express it in a particular way. So you have to check.

I didn't bother changing my name but I wish I had, as it was a lot harder to do it later! No, it won't impact your visa at all. Your first step should be to apply for a new passport (if you do it within the first year, it's free).

If you feel it's confusing already, then hire a migration consultant. It will cost you money, but it's worth it for peace of mind. There are several reputable agents who post on these forums regularly. It sounds as though you could qualify for either visa, so it's not a case of which one you are eligible for, it's a question of which one will suit your timeline better.

I haven't found that rome2rio site very accurate. @Stephen Jones, your best bet is to use Google Maps. In the "Leave Now/Depart at/Arrive by..." section, choose "Arrive by" and then select a workday and the time you need to arrive at work. I just tried it, and it gave me an answer of 50 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes. Obviously that depends on traffic. At peak hour, I'd expect it to be closer to the 1 hour 50 minutes. Roads in Sydney to get very congested at peak hour. I'm not too familiar with the roads on the North Shore. However, I lived briefly in Gymea, which is a similar distance to the south. On the weekend, I could drive into the CBD in about 40 minutes. In rush hour, it took about 2 hours. On a couple of occasions, it took me two hours to get as far as Arncliffe, where I parked the car in disgust and took the train the rest of the way.