benobi Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Greetings all First post here on the forum - hoping to get a few thoughts from those in the know regarding a permanent move to Australia. I am a Brit who has been married to my Aussie wife for a year and a half. I will be applying for my spousal visa now - we plan to emigrate to Melbourne on a permanent basis, our initial thinking would be in about 18 months say around August 2014. There are 2 factors that I am unsure about, which could influence the timing of our move: - Baby considerations: Our baby is due to be born in the UK around Aug 2013. We plan to head to Oz perhaps within a year after that. We would like to take advantage of the Oz baby bonus scheme if available, but not sure whether we would be considered eligible? - Car considerations: We would like to take a car over to Oz. Depending on finances we could be in the position to purchase a car say around £30k for my wife now. I could also consider buying a 2nd car around the £30k mark, if I would be considered eligible to bring one over in similar fashion. I'm assuming this will be dependent on when I get my spousal visa though? So my questions are: - Would we be eligible for the baby bonus and if so, how long after the baby is born do we have before we need to move to Oz and register? - Does the 1 year rule for owning a car apply irrespective of my spousal visa status? (ie. if I buy one now, does the 1 year clock start ticking now, or only when my spousal visa is approved?) - With a £30k budget, any recommendations of what car to go for? First thoughts were second hand BMW X5 or Audi Q5. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Cheers Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandJon Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 - the time for the car starts from when you (or your OH) own it, doesn't matter if you've got the visa then or not - baby bonus, have a look here - I think you've got to be in Oz within 6 months of the baby's birth, but not sure! http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/baby-bonus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KZ1 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Hi Ben Cant answer re the baby bonus. Re cars, you will both be eligible for a car each. To get import approval you will need to have owned & used the car for 12 months prior (except for vehicles manufactured before 1989 when the 12 month rule does not apply). The cars you suggest are excellent options, but also maybe consider a Q7. My personal opinion is that they are a bit big for UK roads, but are fine (& popular) here. Something that depreciates quickly in the UK would represent best value, so maybe something that will be just out of warranty at the time of shipping. Stick with BMW, Merc, Audi or Range Rover & you will not go too far wrong. Get as close to Aust specification as possible (i.e. fully optioned with an engine that was available in Australia.) will make it easier to sell when the time comes. There is a great post by Kakimoto33 (from Iron Lady) about how to buy to maximise profit.. It is post #1055 on the following thread: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transp...-know-106.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benobi Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 JoandJon - Thanks for the baby link. My missus will write to Centrelink to confirm what the requirement is regarding the baby bonus. Will report back once we get an answer. I suspect we probably won't be able to take advantage of it if we need to be permanently settled in Oz within 6 months of the baby being born, but it will be good to know. KZ1 - Thanks for the car link - will read up and have a think about what to get. Our neighbour owns a Q7 and it looks huge but I guess the roads are much wider in Oz. Personally I like the look of the Audis but if BMW are in higher demand and are valued more in Oz then that's what we'll go for. We are planning to buy one for ourselves, and getting a 2nd car for selling on as an investment. Cheers Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 JoandJon - Thanks for the baby link. My missus will write to Centrelink to confirm what the requirement is regarding the baby bonus. Will report back once we get an answer. I suspect we probably won't be able to take advantage of it if we need to be permanently settled in Oz within 6 months of the baby being born, but it will be good to know. KZ1 - Thanks for the car link - will read up and have a think about what to get. Our neighbour owns a Q7 and it looks huge but I guess the roads are much wider in Oz. Personally I like the look of the Audis but if BMW are in higher demand and are valued more in Oz then that's what we'll go for. We are planning to buy one for ourselves, and getting a 2nd car for selling on as an investment. Cheers Ben Audis just as valued as Bimmers over here Good plan to buy two cars if you can afford the upfront costs (of the cars plus the shipping). It will pay off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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