Moving to Australia- decisions, decisions and decisions

[mimi1717]

I need some advice.

My husband and I decided to apply to relocate to Australia a year ago. We have a 18 MO boy.

Our reasons at the time was to have a fresh start, prosperous future for our son, seeking sun and adventure.

We have no family out there, except he has an aunt who he isn't very close to.

I am a legal secretary and he works as a teacher. We are not well off but we do ok.

Our current situation is that I'm no longer working. I am a full time mum to our son and he works full time. We have no family living locally in the UK, I have family up north about 2 hours away. We see them during holidays and birthdays. My husbands family are not reliable and in fact are one of the reasons why he is adamant to move away and have a fresh start. My husband has had some bad memories and experiences here in the uk.

We went on holiday to Australia New South Wales in August last year. It was a lovely 4 week holiday, but it didn't give us a true insight on what life would be like living permanently there.

Recently I have been feeling confused about the prospect of moving out there. My doubts have caused an obstacle in or communication and we are often left upset or in tears. We have spent around £2000 on the immigration process so far. My husband is annoyed at me for having doubts at this point.

We are still waiting to hear back from the Australian embassy. I'm secretly quite happy that we haven't heard from them sooner.

I just don't know what I should do. Do I go with the flow and migrate? Selling everything we own here and living even further away from my family at the possibility of a better life? Or is this a massive risk that will end in disaster?!

Please help. Any advice, or if anyone is or has been in a similar situation, I would be grateful for some views.

Thank you

There is a "living overseas" topic, which might be worth a look through, and maybe a post.

You are right, a 4 week holiday is very different to living somewhere. We are in the middle east, so much closer to the uk, but it can be tough being away - and I have the luxury of bring able to go home once or twice a year.

You can't know what it is going to be like when you move. But you can do what it sounds like you have already done, and research it, and make a list of pros and cons.

Where in Aus are you thinking of going? Sydney is £££. For us, the money and the work life balance is great. But I want to go home, be closer to my parents (we were 2 hrs away in the uk), and (this shouldn't be an issue in Aus) get back some of my freedom.

And you can always come back to the uk!

It's honestly the best thing we did, you're also not prisoners when you get here - you can go home again if you decide it's not for you after a few years

We moved to sydney and life is great. We can't imagine ever moving back to the UK. The cost of accommodation is high but we both earn twice what we did in the the UK.

It is normal to have doubts. Moving over here is a huge wrench. But it is also the best thing I have ever done. I have lived in North Queensland (too hot and humid for me) and now live in country Victoria and am moving to Adelaide at the end of the year. My husband is in the RAAF so we will move every 3 years or so. I have no family over here at all and miss them terribly but most have visited us and my parents are due again next year. I used to live around the corner and see them most days so it is odd.

Yes, you can always go home to the UK but if you make the initial move you must give it a fair go. 3-5 years is how long it took me to feel at home. And that was when we moved to Victoria as there is more of a british feel to the countryside and history. Keep an open mind. If immi say yes, it doesn't mean you have to move.