Moving to Perth, Australia from UK

[Moonlight34]

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

Currently WA borders are closed to the entirety of the rest of Australia. Nobodies getting in there.

Australia is very union based for trades and various job roles. You even need registration/certification to be a painter! I don't know about bricklaying, but your DH might need to do a whole apprenticeship there, over several years to qualify!!! Without the certification, he could maybe do labouring, but the pay will obviously be much less than a qualified tradesman.

Do any of your have any medical needs? This may hinder your prospects of going. Its not a quick process either, and I don't even know if they are accepting students currently. DH is an Australian resident (but in the UK currently). The online system he has used for years to re-apply for his visa has been shut for 2yrs. You'll generally have fulls medicals and thorough checks for TB etc also.

Healthcare is a mix of NHS and private. Most people pay for private which is expensive, and doesn't cover everything- there is often a gap. When I last looked, you needed to be in a health fund with maternity cover for 2yrs, to claim anything maternity related- incase you were considering having more children there? There is of course the public health route, but I have no idea if someone on a student visa would be covered, or NEED to pay for private healthcare?

Have you looked at applying for 'wanted down under'? In all honesty, it would at least show you the place, costs etc before you make such a massive move.

Are you active in immigration forums? Sounds like you actually know very little on prices, locations, job prospects, health for someone who has been planning to go for 11 yrs!

You can’t just go and live with your husband’s family 😕 and expect them to pay for heating/food/fuel/transport/medical care etc. Try watching ‘Nothing to Declare’; that should give you some idea about how tough their immigration rules are. And your kids will be of school age soon, surely? How do you have no costs?

As PP have said, it's very expensive but it depends on a number of things. What's your job role? How old are you both?
With the borders being closed for so long, there's a backlog of visas anyway so even if you applied today, it would be a while until it was granted, so you have time to train/get experience. I wouldn't kill the dream until you have to.
Maybe you should speak to a visa agent, there's a few out there. FWIW, me and my DH are currently going through the visa process with the help of the Down Under Centre, with the aim of moving to Perth with our two children. Good luck!

That’s a mad plan, there’s no way you can survive. Oz is not cheap, and if you get caught working illegally you’ll get deported and banned for good.
Also - Western Oz? Do you realise they have been in lock down even from the rest of the country for most of the pandemic - unable to leave the state and no-one has been able to enter?? What if they go back to that, which isn’t that unlikely.
You need to look at what WILL qualify you
to work and live there and get the experience you need, and save while doing the qualifications so you have money to fall back in.
TBH I’m surprised if they’ll let you all in on one student visa - you must have a lot saved up.

You can’t live with the family either unless you mean on a student visa as either way you’re going to need a visa to enter. You’d be far better off looking for trades with a shortage and one of you training up here in the U.K. Join some forums and find out all the facts before deciding

@Mooloolabababy's advice is really sensible but unfortunately an employer can only sponsor you if you're on the skills shortage list.

OP the only way I can conceivably see this working (it sounds like madness, sorry) is if you live with Melb family, husband works 20 p/w as a brick layer WHILE studying. It is possible that by the end of his degree he'd then have the requisite work experience to get a skill shortage visa (which still wouldn't be permanent visa, but might be a pathway to one, assuming they don't take brick layer off the skill shortage list while he's graduating - they might and that puts you back at sq one).

Look into the rules on transitioning out of student visas.

Please also look up uni fees - they are not cheap. More than the UK, I believe. Aussies can take out loans as in the UK but as an international student on a temp visa who is expected to leave the country after graduation (in government's eyes) you would presumably need to fund it in full, every year, upfront. Do you have that kind of money? Say £20k minimum a year to sink into fees to get a qualification in an area that might be whipped off the skill shortage list by the time he graduates?

A much better plan is for you both to study and train in the UK in specialised, in demand fields where you know your skillset will be in demand - if not in Australia, then elsewhere. Canada, the EU, NZ.

Nursing, engineering, IT, trades, accountancy - do something solid and dependable that will enhance your warming potential even if the move to Australia falls through.

They’re not going to let you buy a place on a student visa - they want you to leave after your studies.

This is madness. There is no way one person can support a family of 5 on 20 hours a week work.

Look at realestate.com.au for an idea of Perth property prices.

The major supermarkets are coles and woolworths. Have a look at their websites to get an idea of food costs.

How much would flights etc cost you. I think all your money would be gone in 6 months.
And why Perth? If you really want to move to Australia you would be better off trying a smaller place that is trying to attract workers

OP really has done her research

Could your relatives accomodate a family of five indefinitely?
Over the last 11 years, have you been planning for Perth for any particular reason, bearing in mind your relatives live in Melbourne?

I would chat to a migration agent, Go Matilda is a good one and will help you investigate options.
Australia isn’t currently accepting tourists so you wouldn’t be able to travel to family in Melbourne on that visa.
Also WA currently has its borders closed to the whole of the rest of Australia, and it seems doesn’t plan to open them for a long time. I’d think very carefully if you want to move to what is effectively a prison!
I’d also suggest you want to set yourself up for a successful move. What are your current jobs? Start having a look at Seek and see if a sponsored visa would be an option, and see what the pay is.
Jump onto a poms in Oz type Facebook group to get an idea of cost of living. It can be very expensive here, although if you’re both working you can live a really good life.
All the best with your plans

Surprised this has been a dream move for over a decade and neither OP nor her DH have not even once typed ‘immigrating to Perth’ in to Google. Very odd.

@Hb12

It sounds a bit nuts tbh. Moving across the globe, unable to work, no visa opportunity, hoping to get a mortgage with no job and only a student?

With a newborn

This thread is bonkers

Are we trolled or what

Honestly your plan is insane. Have you all lost your minds? Move as a family of 5 to the other side of the world on a student visa and £100k? Wtf!!

Perth is probably the cheapest large cit in Australia for real estate atm. But still very expensive. I’d echo the above thoughts..your plan is mad. If you really want to emigrate, get qualified and experience in the UK I something that will allow you to get a residency visa. Please don’t move your family over on a student visa!

We lived in Perth from 2006 - 2010, both nurses, both got visas with no problem. Got senior positions relatively quickly. Two DC aged 6 and 9.

Rented south of Perth in secret harbour then north in ocean reef. Bought in Kingsley. The newer suburbs offer affordability and may be close to the beach, but will be MILES from Perth itself unless you are a millionaire and can buy in Hilary’s boat harbour or such likes. Many of the new suburbs/housing developments have very little in them - no shops, schools etc. Perthites rarely walk anywhere indeed lots of places have no pavements. It’s too hot in summer/too many flies and too wet in winter (Perth gets more rain than London but it falls in two months).

State Schools are poor - most local people we would call middle class send their kids to private school.

The cost of living is astronomical. It was bad when we were there (£1 for a banana) but our friends who are still there tell us it’s eye watering now.

That said - IF you can afford a decent area it’s a great place for young DC and retirees. Teens tend to be just like here - drink, drugs, attitude.

I laugh when I watch down under - people go out saying they want more family time, outdoor life etc then they end up saying “if we both work full time and put DC in nursery we will be able to eat”.

Sorry OP, but unless you win the lottery or get a visa and work, your plans are unlikely to come to fruition.

You have been wanting to go for 11 years - so what steps have you taken to realise this dream?

You've wanted to go for eleven years but you don't know anything about mortgages or that a house costs three times what you have.

You won't have 'no costs' living with your MIL. Melbourne is very expensive. Children's shoes are expensive, ambulance insurance is expensive, going to the doctors is expensive.

Completely bonkers.

@Moonlight34

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

Fremantle is a lovely area

we live in Melbourne- came here ages ago. If we came now, no way could we afford a property. House prices are amazingly high. I am highly skilled and getting PR was a tough, laborious, expensive process even with that behind me.

People are superficially very friendly but deep friendships do not spring forth. After 15 years I realise I have one Australian friend. Everyone else is a foreigner (not necessarily Brits, but migrants to Aus). It is very hard to establish a friendship circle.
We had no support with our kids- that was hard.

Your dreams are very unrealistic.
WA is still on a massive lockdown to try and keep Covid free (haha) so that is another issue.
Plus Covid has shaken a lot of migrants- an astonishing number have returned to UK in 2021 (I think 90,000)

Im doing this next month!!

On a TSS visa arranged very quickly via agent by our sponsor. A lot quicker than it states on the website!!
Special papers to allow us to travel into WA even if borders are closed.

Australia has a massive skill shortage atm, hence we have got this visa / sponsorship for 18 months. The whole process was very quick, I thought it would be month's and months but in reality it was very fast!! Look into their skills set shortage?

Yes you will need private health care, we have to rent as only permanent residency allows you to buy property.

It's cost of living is expensive!! But the jobs pay more.

Friend out there said its miles and miles of coastline and beaches are stunning, then an amazing modern clean city and short (hour) drive from the city to the mountains there are many vineyards.

Rottnest island has the cutest animals -google it.

2.5 hour flight to Bail. -yes its 'their' Spain but there really is some amazing places in Bali away from the tourist hot spots.

A TSS visa will not automatically lead to permanent residency but we are going to have 18 months of living in Australias sunniest city's.

Btw is 5 days on a train to get to Melbourne.