looks like we really are moving to Australia

[MardyPig]

Dp and I have been talking about it but now he has had two job offers. So the ball is rolling... I just have to deal with my mum, who is very upset and taking it as a personal insult that we want to move all the way across the world just as she is retiring and will have more time to spend with her grandchildren. I will miss her too, and my sister. I am trying to tell mum that it's a great opportunity for dp and me and the kids, and it's not necessarily permanent, and we will pay for her to come and visit, but she's still feeling quite raw.

And there's all the other stuff to sort out, although the companies are big enough that I expect the relocation package will include sorting out visas and hopefully paying something towards shipping container and rent when we arrive.

I wanted to check how long the whole process takes, and what the limiting factors are - I read somewhere to allow a year but surely if you have a good agent and an employer sponsored visa it wouldn't take that long?

I'm sure I'll have more questions soon...

Not sure how senior your DH is, but when moving overseas for work, it doesnt hurt to start by asking the company to pay full relocation costs, possibly including serviced accom when you arrive, even if they don't pay housing allowance, and then barter down from there as part of the contract negotiations. They should also sort out visa admin etc for you and offer relocation agent services at the other end to help you with schools, short list houses etc.

All that said, you cant really generalise on expat packages because it depends on so many factors which boil down to the balance of power between you and them.

Definitely shouldn't take a year if you have a sponsoring employer. I know people who have moved to Oz within weeks.

Tell your mum it's great she's retired as now there are no time restrictions on her coming to stay (although you might end up regretting saying that!)

I agree, drive as hard a bargain as you can because emigrating is very very expensive, and it is a good test of how supportive they will be should you hit any troubles in Australia. We moved to the US with dh's company, they were very tight about costs and then closed the office he moved to after three months leaving us having to pay our way out (in the States if you lose the job you've moved for you have to leave the country). They said it was our choice to move (because dh had asked the HR department several months before the job offer came) and they had no responsibility to us

So get everything you want from them agreed and written into your dh's contract. Hopefully everything will go smoothly for you, but don't assume too much.

You are only a day away from your Mum.

There is Skype and Webcams. If she isn't IT literate, help her get up to speed, and get her a laptop or PC if necessary. I think its a common reaction, and she'll accept it in time.

Try and make sure you get a permanent residency visa and not a temporary one such as a 457. Way too risky being here on one of those at the moment, especially with children. If your husband is paid off for any reason on a 457 visa you have 28 days to find another sponsor or you have to leave the country.

We moved over initially sponsored by DH's employer (so 457 visa, but with our perm res application in).

From DH being offered the job and signing the contract, to us moving took about 4 -5 weeks I think (DH went first and I followed on as I had a longer notice period).

They sorted visa for both of us, paid for 2 flights (First Class), paid for DH's accommodation for 2 weeks, paid for our shipping costs. It was pretty generous.

Next time I would ask for a month in accomodation though as it was hard to find somewhere to live (although that was because DH was working).

It depends on what visa you get though, our permanent residency took 11 months to come through from initial application. But TBH, I can't see any employer providing a PR visa, but I may be wrong about this.

I would imagine that they would offer a 457 (temporary business) visa then possibly employer sponsored PR after 2 years, that's the norm. A 457 can go through in a few weeks however, as others have said, the main drawback to this is the fact that if you lose your job you have 28 days to find another sponsor or leave the country. The company should definitely cover all your visa costs. Check out private health care - in theory the employer should provide it as you have to have it as a temporary resident, in reality a lot of people have to fund it themselves and you have limited, expensive, options on that visa. Some people rely on the "recipricol agreement" medicare but it doesn't cover everything and technically you shouldn't.

The most important thing is where are you moving to? Sydney is EXPENSIVE so you really need to get everything you possibly can get included, other cities are rapidly catching up. The "usual perks" of big companies are a lot less in Oz so make sure it's a real expat package. You will also be entitled to LAFHA (living away from home allowance) on a 457 but you MUST make that part of the contract - it's not an automatic entitlement but it's worth a lot to you. However, if you do go for PR further down the line you lose LAFHA the day you apply. If you are coming to NSW on a 457 you pay $4,500 per child in a public (State) school so you should try and get the company to cover the cost. In other states you don't pay for public schooling. If you have school age children and you will be in NSW on a 457 I can give you further information on your schooling options. Remember, because of the different school years and starting age (compulsory school age in NSW is 6) your children may well go "back" a year. Not a problem if you're staying long term but it does cause problems if you are only here for a couple of years.

Pre-school (generally age 3-5) is expensive - there is no such thing as subsidised pre-school here. School is easy - your local catchment public school HAS to take you, it can be difficult to find pre-school places though, especially if you are coming in the middle of the year (we're on Winter holidays at the moment which is half way through the school year).

Rentals here are generally totally unfurnished. Your stuff will take approximately 12 weeks to arrive so you need to either get the company to pay for a furnished let while you wait (highly unlikely, even at the most senior level - if you get 4 weeks you'll be doing well). It is however possibly to rent furniture - everything you need basically - but I would try and get the cost covered in the package.

Australians have a strange idea that it is really cheap to live herre and if you come from the UK are minted - unfortunately not ture. Do your research on the cost of rent and remember the costs are quoted weekly not monthly. If at all possible I would try and get a relocation service included as that will save you competing for rentals without a local track record. In general the higher end of the market you are gong for the easier it is, but someone who can help you find a rental, schools etc. is useful if you can get it. Finally - good luck, Australia is a fab place to live. We got our citizenship last week after three years here and we are all really happy.

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful comments. Wow, seems like it could move really fast if we want it to - but I will show dp this thread and get him to insist on lots included in his relocation package, like visas, flights, LAFHA, medical insurance, 4 wks rental, hire of furniture while we wait for ours to come over etc.

Nooka, sorry to hear about your situation. The costs do pile up and it really sounds like you were left with a bad deal. He will be on a 457 so it's worth knowing about the 28 days thing but we can't really do much about that. We are planning to rent out our house here in the UK so at least we would have something to come back to - and it will help mum and me get our heads round it too, if it's not permanent at this stage.

Thanks again. There's loads to think about and to get sorted, and I waver between feeling very excited and feeling that it's moving very fast for such a huge change.

Good luck with it! It's a great country to live in. It's proper mid winter here at the moment (Adelaide) and yet it's a beautiful sunny, vaguely warm day, really perfect for a nice walk on the beach (I am stuck in office though....)