Moving to W Australia

[anon990]

I want to move to Perth next year with my then year and a half old son. I've a degree in social care which I've been looking up there seems to pay roughly 38AD an hour? I know the rental market is crazy and I'll only be able to afford to rent a room out I'm assuming. I've also a friend who would come with me. My baby's dad lives over there already but we are not together. I'm on the skills list for PR but it's so costly . Anyone have advice? I'm so sick of Ireland there is nothing here bad weather and also bad pay. My only concern really would be the high prices of childcare over there and I looked at the nanny route that also looks so expensive. Any advice or anyone done this before as a SM? Tia

[StrangerYears]

WA is a pretty isolated state- closer to Bali than other Australian. Some people love it but others loathe it.
Personally I could never live there but enjoy visiting.
Flights anywhere starting in Aus are horrendous and have been since Covid- about 50pct more than in 2019.
Childcare is horrendously expensive. More expensive than private schools!
Obtaining rentals apparently is very hard (don't rent so no first hand experience) and everyone is complaining. This is a country wide problem.
Pay is definitely better but the cost of living is also way higher. Have a look for standard shopping needs at coles online.
For prices of rentals look at realestate.com.au

And be careful what you wish for weatherwise- I am pallid (very Celtic skin tone) and spend the hotter months dodging for shade and trying desperately not to burn. You can be stuck indoors with too much heat as well as too much rain

[anon990]

Thanks for the advice. Do you think I would get the childcare subsidy being a single parent and do you know if it would help much or would I struggle? Also is there much to do in Perth city for children growing up etc? Thank you

[windybay]

@anon990

Thanks for the advice. Do you think I would get the childcare subsidy being a single parent and do you know if it would help much or would I struggle? Also is there much to do in Perth city for children growing up etc? Thank you

You have to be a citizen to get the subsidy. With PR only and not citizenship you won't get the same rebates and subsidies so things will cost more (i.e. medicare rebate).

Why Perth and not Eastern states?

[NotChristmasAlready]

Can you look into an employer sponsored visa? That might be helpful.

PR gets the same Medicare rebates but you may not qualify for other kinds of funding. Check all this stuff very carefully.

[Talulah29]

We are in Australia on a provisional visa so won’t have a PR visa for another couple of years however we have Medicare the same as if we were PR or citizens. We are not eligible for childcare subsidy and childcare is very expensive, however in our state children can go to government preschool from 4 and they are currently talking about introducing it from age 3.5. We do not pay any extra fees for school, just the same as residents/ citizens.
We know of many families living in different areas of Perth who are very happy with their choice.

[Flatandhappy]

In the nicest possible way (as a fellow Irish woman) you need to work out whether you can get a visa before you start thinking about things like childcare costs etc. We moved in 2007 (we were living in England then), DH’s job was on the occupations in demand list, it took 18 months and thousands of pounds to get PR. Even if you manage to come in with PR it is five years before you will be eligible for citizenship. You cannot be a “drain on society” so no, you won’t be eligible for any government help as a non citizen. In your position I would have a chat to an immigration agent to see what your chances are. You mention that your baby’s dad is here, I’m not sure if that would give you any options but an immigration agent would know. I know single parents who have moved successfully but generally with school age children and high paying professional jobs (doctor, IT specialist etc.). Good luck.

[StrangerYears]

One other thing to think about- if your baby's dad is here, and you want to move back to Ireland, the dad might be able to block you (legally) leaving Australia. It depends how he views the whole situation and how difficult he might become.
I have heard of a few women, whose marriages break down, and are stuck as kids have to stay in Australia.

[anon990]

I don't think he'd stop me leaving he would definitely let me go if I wanted to & I am the sole guardian anyway we were never married.

[anon990]

My ex is on a WHV and working in construction is there anything he can do to get us over? I don't want to go down the expensive PR route if I don't even get childcare subsidy anyway I'd go on a different visa. Also I'm on the skills list

[savoycabbage]

Quite honestly, emigrating to Australia is really expensive. As is living there. If you are worried about a relatively small amount of money like childcare subsidies then you might not be in a good position yet to do this move.

I'd really look closely at the money side of this. Rent, transportation, food, ambulance, school costs etc.

[anon990]

I'm on the skills list my occupation pays around 38AD hr from what I've seen I think I would manage fairly ok money wise but if I could get the cheapest way of affording childcare I'd obviously take it

[ToootTooot]

There's a bit more to it than what your hourly pay will be though. WA is expensive.

We've just been looking at rentals in Perth as my SIL is moving there with the US Navy. She's on a good wage and she's getting relocation but she was still worried about the rental prices.

[owloak]

Okay hi there OP, fellow irish living in Perth! Firstly, you should know that SO MUCH info that has been mentioned on this thread so far is incorrect!! Mainly- you ABSOLUTELY DO get childcare subsidy (CCS) as a PR!! You just aren't entitled to many of the other gov services. But that's fine. Basically as long as you have CCS, you can afford it! You'll also be entitled to Medicare as a PR holder.

The visa you want is either the 189,190 or 186. These are the PR visas. Although the 186 is an employer sponsored one, so not ideal. Generally being sponsored by an employer is absolute hell, but considering you'd actually be PR, it's not toooo bad, because at the end of the day you do actually have the freedom to just quit. Absolutely avoid any other sponsored visa though. You absolutely will not be able to afford childcare unless you have PR.

I think you will be able to afford to live here given the info you've stated. You would probably be able to afford an apartment, maybe even a Unit/Villa. It will depend on the actual salary you get. I think you could get a small rental for $400-450 pw. Yes the market is sooooo tough right now, but if you are only looking for a 2bedroom place, you will be avoiding the most sought after 3/4 bedroom listings. Cost of second hand cars is quite expensive too right now, but you can always find something.

With regards to your child's father- you 100% should engage in a migration agent for all this. It's long and complicated. But it should be fine as long as your ex cooperates. But of course you need to make the decision for you about the what ifs. What if he actually forms a relationship with the child over the next few years. But at the same time you get homesick and want to move back to Ireland. Would you be strong enough mentally to manage through the homesickness if you are forced to stay in Australia? Of course up to you to make the decision, and it might all work out nicely. Australia is a lovely place to raise children :)

With regards to your ex's visa. You need to check with an migration agent to find out if his child entering the country will affect his visa. WHV holders are not allowed to have dependents. At present, his child is overseas, so no issue, but if the child enters the country, there could be. Defo need legal advice on this. Just an fyi, You and your ex won't be able to do any sort of joint visa either if you can't prove ye are together (having joint bank accounts, rental agreements etc. over the course of the last 12 months). Having a child together isn't enough. Just in case you were thinking of trying to add him to your application.

You should join the Irish Families in Perth and Irish in Perth pages on Facebook. Also join Poms in Oz page on Facebook too. There's a million other fb pages too, for all the different visa subclasses. And maybe even one for social care workers in particular. Just use the search bar on Facebook to see! You will get a LOT of ill advice though, like here, people say things as if they are fact and correct, when really the information is wrong or at least outdated. So my advice would be to use these Facebook pages as a guide, but NEVER trust them without doing your own follow on research/consult an agent.

Perth is great to raise a young family, and I think you'd love it here

[anon990]

Thank you for your great advice. I'm doing my English test on the 25th of November for the PR visa. My child's father is in Perth as a WHV but as we weren't married the law in Ireland states I have full rights. I don't think he would ever stop me going back to Ireland with him but I didn't think he'd do a lot of things 🙈 I am already in the Perth families fb group and moving to aus 2024 one. As a social care worker I would hope all going to plan I would be able to afford living there: if I earned 38 dollars an hour would I be entitled to much childcare subsidy do you know? I did the online calculator but I'm confused by it. Thank you, as childcare is my biggest concern.

[SophW89]

@anon990 Hi there. What did you decide to do in the end? Australia is beautiful country - we went on our honeymoon last year :)

[anon990]

Hey. I'm still here unfortunately 😂 it's not been that long since I posted but my English exam is Saturday. I did the academic one twice now and didn't get enough points so I'm going to try the general as it should be easier. Then it should take about 20 months before a visa is processed

[owloak]

Hi again

As a single parent with PR working full time you should be able to afford daycare no problem I would imagine. The subsidy is very generous. I currently do not have PR (applied but not granted yet) so I pay full price for 5 days a week. It's a little over $700 per week. And I send my child to one of the cheaper priced places too!! once our PR is granted im expecting CCS to be around 70%. so it makes a huge difference!

You may not be absolutely rolling in it $$$, but you should be able to manage! just note that from what I've heard, it takes a few weeks foe the subsidy application to be processed, so you would have to pay full cost upfront for a few weeks at the start, but once the subsidy is processed, they will refund it to you in form of credjt to your account. i think anyways, im not an expert, this is just the gist of what my daycare and friends have said to me.

which english test did you do before and which one are you doing now? I did PTE and found it not too bad. i got full marks first time. I've heard IELTS is harder.

[PivotPivotmakingmargaritas]

Honestly I live in Perth and if I didn’t have family here I would be gone.. I have an 18 month old and at the moment it’s impossible to do anything with her… it’s way too hot , can’t go for a walk can’t go to a playground beach is too far ( unless you are far away or rich) and hot

I get 83% childcare subsidy so only pay $27 a day which is fantastic but it’s the heat …. Honestly come on holiday in January February and see how you feel I’m pale and can’t handle the heat

[anon990]

My child's father is there so I know the heat is really bad at the moment I'm pale and not good with the heat but I'm willing to get used to it 😅 I did the ielts one to answer the first question and its definitely marked hard. The PTE is about a 3.5 hour drive away to do but if I don't pass this time I'll do that one. At the minute I will never get a mortgage for a house here I'm hoping and praying I'll make more and be able to save while in OZ. The quality of life is just boring here and the weather is a downer as well I'm ready for a change

[SophW89]

I couldn't manage this either. One thing I've heard is that the heat keeps you from doing stuff the same way the rain does in the UK!

[StartupRepair]

You said 'the law in Ireland says I have full rights '. Just a reminder that when you are in Australia you are subject to Australian law so make sure you get good advice on possible future scenarios with your child and ex from the perspective of Australian law.

[TheWestIsTheBest]

@SophW89

I couldn't manage this either. One thing I've heard is that the heat keeps you from doing stuff the same way the rain does in the UK!

It doesn't really. I'm in Perth and do heaps more outdoorsy stuff because of the glorious weather. I hate the cold and the rain, so I wasn't inclined to go out much in it. Its only if it gets very hot that we stay home and stick to pool and aircon. And I'm a pale Irish person, I just use heaps of factor 50!

As for the OP, you should talk to an immigration agent for advice. It's a big decision to make and it's good to be aware of all the implications, but good luck! Moving here was the best decision I ever made, wish I'd done it years ago.

[SophW89]

Good to hear! :) still think I would die in anything about 25°c though 😜

[anon990]

I have failed or not gotten enough points in the IELTS English exam three times now I feel so defeated. Does anyone know a way around this instead of doing it again like a different visa route? The ACWA skills assessment accepts English if you were studying in an English speaking country instead of having to have 7 in the IELTS but without it I don't have the points for the visa

[SaltySoo]

What score did you get?

Is it worth getting a tutor for the test?