ImmilBees Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) Hi all, So after bringing the idea up. and sticking a pin in it, and going back to it and delaying the decision, we have decided to take the leap and emigrate. Our chosen destination after research on the net, is Perth. From what we have read and seen on docu programmes, there are longer days, and a less humid climate which we think we'll prefer. From what we have seen, it's a younger city, which is still growing, so we figured had scope for growth. Please correct me if i'm wrong here though. For now we are focusing on the south of Perth. I am a nurse, and my husband has a business degree, and experience in engineering. we have a 4yr old and a baby (2wks). My husband has recently got in touch with family that live in the Bibra Lakes area, so we may end up there to start with. We are hoping my husband can find work, and will travel over as a family on his visa. My question(s) are: We plan to save up first for a year, as much as we can, but how much would you recommend to bring with you? Just an estimate (I know it's quite a vague question, i'm prepared for vague answers) we rent over here and are looking to rent once we arrive. But is it possible to set up a rental from the UK, so we have a house to go into from arrival, or would we need to actually be in the country? In that case how long does the whole rental process take? So we know how long we may be living in a hotel for! I have so many questions I think the easiest thing would be to ask if anyone had an itinerary they used or followed to make things more manageable. I haven't even got a clue on what Visa we go for. Is it a partner one, or a parent one? Would you recommend using an immigration representative who can help with all these things, or cheaper and just as easy to do it alone. And then there's the whole telling family and friends bit. How long did you leave it until you told everyone? Did anyone have issues with a certain family member? As i'm pretty sure the decision is going to really affect my mum. I've broached the idea with friends before who are all supportive which is nice, but there's a line between telling them too early and they think it's just a pipe dream to them realising you're serious! And lastly being that you are all living in Perth, I may get a biased reply, but what is life like in Perth honestly? We can handle crime etc, it's everywhere, but from a schools, work, way of life point of view, can you tell me the good the bad and the ugly. We want to come over with our eyes well and truly open!! How easily did you settle? Did you make friends easily? what are the pro's and cons you have found? And also one of my concerns is my daughter, by the time we come over she will be at least 5, I know kids make friends easily, but it will be so new for her, did anyone make the move with a child that age? how did they cope? with making new friends, being away from their grandparents, new school environment etc?? Many Thanks in advance. Claire Edited June 7, 2014 by ImmilBees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocolevi Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Hi Claire welcome to PP with regards to telling people it's just personal choice some feel that telling them from the beginning is best so that they have time to get used to the idea, some family's react better than others ( mine weren't great) some tell parents when they have some deffinate news. It is hard to tell parents it just depends on you when you feel like breaking the news. Everyone is so helpful on here so keep asking questions someone will come along to help you Good luck Toni x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Hi Claire welcome to PP with regards to telling people it's just personal choice some feel that telling them from the beginning is best so that they have time to get used to the idea, some family's react better than others ( mine weren't great) some tell parents when they have some deffinate news. It is hard to tell parents it just depends on you when you feel like breaking the news. Everyone is so helpful on here so keep asking questions someone will come along to help you Good luck Toni x Claire there are a few previous post on telling family and friends, again as Toni and others will tell you, only you know your family and everyone has different experiences of telling family. There doesn't seem to be a set rule of thumb. Some people will recommend an agent and others have managed without. I am manic running my own buisness so I went with an agent (Go Matila) hey have been great and check all your documentation before it is sent off to ensure everything is right and in place to save you time and money. Some agents also have a obligation free chat and you can always do a point test on websites to see if you need any additional. And also the dreaded IELTS English test..... If you go with an agent make sure they are registered.you have come to the right place everyone has been really helpful and there is loads of info posted in the forums so a good search you can find pretty much anything. post away any questions and someone will come back with awnsers for you. Welcome to PP and hope your journey goes well. jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkabout Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Hi Claire, Welcome to PP! there are lots of questions here that everyone will have different answers for, but I am happy to share my 2 pennies worth worth you! We did something similar with picking Perth as a destination, from research we did felt that Perth would suit us as a family, and so far we havent been disappointed. We came with our eyes open though and didnt come hoping for it to be England with better weather, we wanted something different. Savings - bring as much as you can, people recommend 3- 6 months living costs and to be honest I would suggest that is about right, although it does depend on whether you are coming out to a job or not as to how much of your savings you will eat into. Be aware though that immigration is not a cheap process, the cost of the visa application is expensive if you are not sponsored by an employer (skills assessments, english tests if necessary, medicals, agents fees if you use them, the cost of the actual visa) you then have the flights, shipping, insurance etc. Dont get me wrong people can, and many do, do it on a shoe string, but its worth doing the research to understand what you are letting yourselves in for. You escape many of these costs if you get sponsored, but there are many down sides to coming over on a sponsored visa that you need to consider. House wise, most people go into a short term holiday let when the arrive, fully furnished for a few weeks while the decide on the area that they want to live and find a long term rental, if you have family over here many people stay with them if they have the option. The rental process is actually pretty quick once you know where you want to be, most properties are advertised as being available now or very soon. For long term rentals you generally need to be in the country and apply in person. As for an itinerary, everyone is different, but generally people get the visa sorted and then plan the rest, there are lots of people on here that can help you with each step. Lots of people do the visa process themselves, lots use agents, it depends on personal circumstances. I would recommend talking to an agent initially to work out if you are eligible / what visa etc most good agents give an initial consultation for free. We thought our case was going to be very complicated and so chose to use an agent, it ended up being pretty straight forward, but that was only thanks to the help of the agent and their help on the best way forward. It is cheaper to do it yourselves, it just depends how confident you feel about it all. Telling people - again everyone is different, I told my parents once we knew we were serious about the process, although I did phrase it that we were going to try to do it, but didnt know if we would be able to and kind of kept them up to date through the process, my husband though didnt tell his until we were pretty much about to get on a plane! Friends, again I told a few good friends as we were going through the process, it was nice to have someone to talk to, but most we only told once we had the visa and had booked flights. Living in Perth - for us, we love it (we have only been here 7 months though!), it depends where you are coming from and what you are hoping for. We love the ease at which we can get around Perth, we have been very happy with the schools, work - hubby says its not been as interesting as the work he had in the UK, but its easy and not stressful! His hours- he works just the same as he did in the UK, but he is less stressed, financially we are probably not quite as well off as we were in the UK, but our outgoing have also changed so its swings and roundabouts! We have settled well and (having kids) have made friends pretty easily. We moved with a 7, 5 and 3 year old and to be honest my 5 year old adapted the best, she was the quickest to settle in, going to school really helps that. They all miss their grandparents, but we didnt live that close to them anyway, and they skype with them, we talk about them and missing them and make it OK to have those feelings. We also talk about when we will see them as my parents have booked a trip to come out next year, and although its a long way off I think it helps them to know that they will get to see them properly again. I have probably waffled on for long enough, but if you have any questions just ask, there are lots of us that have made the move and will gladly answer any questions as best we can. Good luck! Hi all, So after bringing the idea up. and sticking a pin in it, and going back to it and delaying the decision, we have decided to take the leap and emigrate. Our chosen destination after research on the net, is Perth. From what we have read and seen on docu programmes, there are longer days, and a less humid climate which we think we'll prefer. From what we have seen, it's a younger city, which is still growing, so we figured had scope for growth. Please correct me if i'm wrong here though. For now we are focusing on the south of Perth. I am a nurse, and my husband has a business degree, and experience in engineering. we have a 4yr old and a baby (2wks). My husband has recently got in touch with family that live in the Bibra Lakes area, so we may end up there to start with. We are hoping my husband can find work, and will travel over as a family on his visa. My question(s) are: We plan to save up first for a year, as much as we can, but how much would you recommend to bring with you? Just an estimate (I know it's quite a vague question, i'm prepared for vague answers) we rent over here and are looking to rent once we arrive. But is it possible to set up a rental from the UK, so we have a house to go into from arrival, or would we need to actually be in the country? In that case how long does the whole rental process take? So we know how long we may be living in a hotel for! I have so many questions I think the easiest thing would be to ask if anyone had an itinerary they used or followed to make things more manageable. I haven't even got a clue on what Visa we go for. Is it a partner one, or a parent one? Would you recommend using an immigration representative who can help with all these things, or cheaper and just as easy to do it alone. And then there's the whole telling family and friends bit. How long did you leave it until you told everyone? Did anyone have issues with a certain family member? As i'm pretty sure the decision is going to really affect my mum. I've broached the idea with friends before who are all supportive which is nice, but there's a line between telling them too early and they think it's just a pipe dream to them realising you're serious! And lastly being that you are all living in Perth, I may get a biased reply, but what is life like in Perth honestly? We can handle crime etc, it's everywhere, but from a schools, work, way of life point of view, can you tell me the good the bad and the ugly. We want to come over with our eyes well and truly open!! How easily did you settle? Did you make friends easily? what are the pro's and cons you have found? And also one of my concerns is my daughter, by the time we come over she will be at least 5, I know kids make friends easily, but it will be so new for her, did anyone make the move with a child that age? how did they cope? with making new friends, being away from their grandparents, new school environment etc?? Many Thanks in advance. Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 First thing first. I am unclear about your current visa status. You mention partner visa - does your husband have a valid visa already or is a citizen? I am assuming not. In which case, you might actualy be the stronger applicant for the visa and your husband and family as your dependents on that visa. The reason being is I suspect your husband may have difficulties with the skills assessment. But nurses are usually much more straight forward. It may be worth speaking to a good agent to get this assessed such as Go Matilda. With regards some of the other questions: Most people book temporary accomodation for a few weeks for when they first arrive. Savings - as much as possible. Remember as well that the visa is not cheap. For the 4 of you, in total you are not going to see a lot of change from £10k. Then factor in shipping furniture, flights, living costs for the first few months until you have work, rent and bond for several months and a range of other things. As for Perth, yes I think most of us love it. The things I love are being next to the beach, spending summers in the ocean, watching wildlife, the city feels very clean and modern. The diversity - within easy reach I can be in desert, a national forest, in green rolling hills to the beach. Just one thing. Perth doesn't have long days. We are very close to the international date line, so summer nights only last till about 7:30 and winter 5:30. But, summer nights are still plenty warm to sit outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Hi and welcome to PP. Your questions are no different to anyone else in your position and there have been many who've stood in your shoes before. I'd advise browsing through similar threads from the past and gathering info from there and that might help you with questions that are more specific to you and your circumstances. There's lots of help and advice on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7cdb Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Hello and welcome As you can see there are loads of people who can help you on here,good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akasully2 Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Hi and welcome to PP. Your questions are no different to anyone else in your position and there have been many who've stood in your shoes before. I'd advise browsing through similar threads from the past and gathering info from there and that might help you with questions that are more specific to you and your circumstances. There's lots of help and advice on here. Hi Claire, welcome to PP! You have asked masses of questions and it made me laugh reading it because many of them are the ones I asked myself on here. I started a thread where I just asked everything that came into my head. I received fantastically helpful and entertaining responses and as a result, I have got to know lots of great people on here too. It ended up being a huge thread. It was titled something along the lines of, 'Moving to Perth and have lots of questions...help!" Have look at that, I think you will find it very helpful. It has disappeared from the main current listing as I haven't used it for a while as we are here now. Been here for 4 weeks and loving it. Porty, do you think I can take you up on your offer of making that thread a sticky thread? (Claire, that means it appears at the top of the thread lists and doesn't fade away and get lost over time. It will make it easy for newbies (and even me!) to find). I know it needs a bit of editing to tidy it up a bit but I'm sure it will help lots of people, as it really helped me. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocolevi Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 That would a great idea i have gone back to reread it to get info a couple of times. It was a great thread x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImmilBees Posted June 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 Hi thanks so much for all you replies. I figured my questions have already been asked and answered at some point, and hoped that someone would point me in the right direction of where to go, which you all have. At least I know i'm in the right place. Thank you for the tip on holiday lets, thats something we hadn't thought of. And as for telling parents, I know it's a personal thing, but as a guide, when I told my mum I was moving out at 19...she cried....when i told her My husband and I were moving away, (we lived about 15mins from her at the time) 1hr away from where we lived at the time, she cried for about a month! To tell her we're re locating, to the otherside of the world... I seriously don't know how i'm going to drop that kind of a bombshell! Sorry for the delay in my reply I had problems logging in (forgot my password, and then didn't realise, new password request was being sent to junk mail!) Anyway, I am now going to sift through the threads and see what answers I can get. So thanks again to you all x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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