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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Moving to Perth, Australia from UK

211 replies

Moonlight34 · 15/01/2022 18:14

Hi everyone

My husband and myself have been thinking for a long time to move to Australia. We have two little girls and another one on the way. We are looking to move in October, a few months after the baby is born. Although both me and my husband are educated and in really good jobs , we don't qualify for any visa. My husbands mum and sister live in Melbourne but it still does not give my husband any rights. Unfortunately the only way to get there is for my husband to become an international student, luckily we have savings behind us to fund this but we really think this is the best move for us as a family. We understand that our right to work is 20 hours only , I won't be working as I will be on Mat pay.
I doubt we can buy a flat outright there for 100k (house sale) but does anyone know if an international mortgage is possible ?
Can anyone guide us what areas in Perth are suitable for a young family ? We would like to be near the beach / city / amenities but realise that this is most likely impossible.
If anyone can provide any information about Perth , we would very much appreciate it.

Many thanks

OP posts:
Darbs76 · 15/01/2022 18:17

How are you going to survive on such low earnings? Via a student loan? Have you checked out the cost of living in Australia? It’s pretty high for housing & bills. Can you transfer to a work visa following a student visa etc? I wouldn’t be considering it unless going for a settled job

Cakequeen1988 · 15/01/2022 18:19

100k is not very much to buy in Perth.

How will you live? You say you have savings but is the hope to move from a student visa to a sponsored role.

I’ll be honest this sounds madness.

Perth is a lovely place and great for families but the cost of living is high and you won’t be ‘in’ Perth buying with £100k deposit

2ducksandI · 15/01/2022 18:22

Some of my family live in the Quinns Beach area and they love it, very family friendly. But to be honest your plan sounds crazy.

Notimeforaname · 15/01/2022 18:23

How can you survive on that wage ? How long will he be studying for? What happens when the student Visa runs out ?

Lola528 · 15/01/2022 18:45

As a non-resident you will have to pay for schooling for your kids too (if any are of that age) - used to be around $4500 per year per child but that was some time ago (we left in 2014). I loved Perth, but sadly only really discovered that AFTER we’d left :( we stayed South of the river in Secret harbour and then Baldivis. The property market for renting in WA right just is super competitive and very hard to get anything and priority will be given to those with rental history too which won’t help you (I know you said you’d like to buy but don’t think very feasible based on your situation, sorry).

I think you need to look more carefully at costs and options to be honest so you go armed with knowledge - best of luck! It’s a beautiful place!

Dita73 · 15/01/2022 18:48

My brother and his family did this and everything turned out to be so much more expensive than they expected. They were in Perth for just over a year but came home in the end

BucketOfPlumbers · 15/01/2022 18:50

Why Perth? It is a VERY long way away from Melbourne!

arethereanyleftatall · 15/01/2022 18:51

Why on Earth do you want to move to Perth?

coogee · 15/01/2022 18:52

Why Perth and not Melbourne?

over2021 · 15/01/2022 18:52

That £100k will be gone in a year. What do you do then? Come back to the Uk having spent all your house equity on a year long jolly?

This sounds like madness. You'd be better off qualifying in a field that qualifies for a visa and making a proper plan.

P.S Perth and Melbourne are FAAAAR away from one another.

SwedishEdith · 15/01/2022 18:53

I've family who've lived there for about a decade. They will have a much higher budget that you and they still live about 50 minutes south of the city.

I think your plan sounds crazy and seriously underfunded but you will be hard pressed (I think) to get all of "beach / city / amenities".

PatriciaHolm · 15/01/2022 18:53

Do you think Australia will actually believe he intends to leave after his studies? His application will need to persuade them he does, and will take into account his existing family ties as evidence he does not, as well as relevancy of course, historic employment etc.

immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500/genuine-temporary-entrant

Sheabutterisdelish · 15/01/2022 18:53

Perth, the most isolated city on the planet.

HaroldMeeker · 15/01/2022 18:54

I have friends in Perth and honestly, they both had to spend around $1million aus to get a family sized home with a wee garden. What research have you done?

CurtainTroubles · 15/01/2022 18:54

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at the user's request

BucketOfPlumbers · 15/01/2022 18:56

Also, what mat pay are you going to claim? From aus or uk?

Keira36 · 15/01/2022 18:58

So you've never been to Perth OP?

Please don't uproot your young family to the other side of the world without at least having a vacation there first. Granted your mother and sister in law are in Australia but they're a whole 4 hour flight away.

I say this as someone who intended on emigrating to Australia permanently but quickly discovered it wasn't for me.

Best of luck with whatever you decide but please consider testing the water first.

ChrissyPlummer · 15/01/2022 18:58

I listen to a podcast from a DJ that moved from here to Melbourne. He wasn’t allowed to buy property for two years, I doubt you’d be able to at all as a student.

As pp said, it’s VERY expensive there cost of living etc. My old boss moved out there (Perth) about 20 years ago. Hated it, he wasn’t qualified in anything so ended up doing casual work on building sites (they got in as his DW was a nurse), the reason he bought the business I worked for him in was because he was unqualified and hated doing casual work on building sites….They came back after 5/6 years as he couldn’t settle.

Perth is also one of the most remote cities in the world, so I guess you’d need to travel a long way to be anywhere else.

FamilyAreEverything · 15/01/2022 19:02

Having lived in Perth I can confirm it’s an amazing place to live, especially with kids. But you’d be out of your mind to move there with no serious job prospects and importantly no working visa. The cost of living in Australia is huge compared to the UK and 100k will buy you nothing within a commutable distance of the metro area. Rental prices are also very high. You’d also need to consider health care and schooling for your children (neither of which will be free).
Sorry to be so negative, but you really need to research this a lot more.

Aprilx · 15/01/2022 19:03

I moved to Australia and ultimately became a citizen although I am back in the UK now. I was very active on the immigration forum at the time and there was nothing that caused us regulars to bang our heads on the table more than a new poster coming along thinking that they can emigrate to Australia on a student visa!

Student visas last as long as study lasts and it is very usual for it to lead to a path to a further visa. In the meantime the student is limited in the work they can do and school needs to be paid for. This is a pipe dream at the moment.

If you want to move to Australia then you need to make this a long term goal. If you do not currently qualify for a visa then one of you probably need to career change. Even then the immigration rules can change and you may find yourself qualified in a new career and still not able to emigrate, so make sure you only career change into something you would be happy to career change into in the UK too.

AmberLynn1536 · 15/01/2022 19:06

I think you have been watching too many old episodes of Wanted Down Under.

Fluffy40 · 15/01/2022 19:07

It was a great place to visit, but do loads more research.

bucketsoflove · 15/01/2022 19:09

Are you allowed to buy property on a student visa?

potter5 · 15/01/2022 19:12

My son lives in Alkimos on the beach but near Perth Bought plot of land, builders built house to their spec then once finished it was converted to mortgage. He's been there 3 years now. He has a skills visa as Electrician but it cost thousands to get the visas. I think you need to investigate more. It's not as easy as you think.

WinnersDinner · 15/01/2022 19:15

Sounds like an incredibly stupid idea

£100k won't get you far in Perth

Why Perth as it's so far from the family you have in Australia

As non residents you'll be shelling out a lot of money for schools

What if it takes ages for your DH to find a job?

Since 100k won't get you far you'll be stuck renting, as getting a mortgage on anything other than a resident visa is a no go, along with having 0 payslips or earning credentials from the country itself