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Living in Australia – A Guide to Moving and Living in Australia
Moving to Australia from any other country is easy. As long as you have beneficial skills to offer, you have a good chance of securing your residency.
Not sure where to start? Here is a comprehensive guide to moving to and living in Australia.
Why Move to Australia?
If you’ve ever watched an Australian series or a movie set in the country, then you would probably have the impression that the people and lifestyle in this country are generally laid back. Sydney, its poster city, is known for the Sydney Opera House’s unique architectural aesthetic and wonderfully warm beaches.
In addition, Australia is seeing a progressive construction industry and a stabilising mining economy. If you have relevant skill sets and love the Australian lifestyle, culture, and environment, then you’re good to go!
Should You Just Stay in Any Australian City or State?
If your first choice is Sydney, then you have to be prepared for higher costs of living compared to the other cities.
Here is a breakdown of each city’s respective cultural and industrial characteristics:
- Sydney: Sydney is the bustling, cultural, yet one of the most laid back of all cities. It has over 780 national parks and is the capital of all IT and finance-related jobs.
- Perth: Even if it’s smaller than most of Australia’s cities, Perth is where anyone with mining-related work experience will want to stay. It is also one of the most relaxed locations in the country.
- Brisbane: The third biggest Australian city is also a hub for mining. However, if you’ve also got what it takes to help Australia’s agriculture and tourism sector, then this is your home.
- Melbourne: The centre of culture, arts, and finance. Internationally, the world recognizes Melbourne as one of the best places to live.
- Cairns: Love hot summers along the beach? Then Cairns is the city where you should consider living. Cairns houses several of Australia’s powerhouse tourism companies. In fact, you’ll find the Great Barrier Reef just a stone’s throw away.
Part 1: Preparing for your immigration
To immigrate is to move into a new location or country permanently. Therefore, the primary aim of this immigration process is to get a Permanent Residency Visa.
The requirements to get a Permanent Residency Visa are:
- Submitting an expression/letter of interest to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs (through SkillSelect)
- Submitting documents that support relevant industry experience and skill sets. Note that this can cost about AUD500
These requirements indicate that only those who can contribute to improving the skill shortage in different cities will earn Permanent Residency visas. There are different ways to go about this:
- Regional Sponsorship
If an employer nominates you, and the occupation is on the skill shortage list in Australia, you can quickly get a Permanent Residency visa as long as you’re under 45 years of age.
- General Skilled Migration
This scheme is for employees without a sponsoring employer but have extensive work experience and skill set. Unlike regional sponsorship, SkillSelect will prioritise highly-skilled employees and grant them a Skilled Nominated Visa.
Over time, if you have lived and worked in Australia for more than a decade, the government gives you the chance to apply for Australian citizenship. This gives you the opportunity to vote and use government-sponsored healthcare and other benefits.
Part 2: Where to live
Real Estate Costs
While your employment in an industry weighs heavily on your residential location, it pays to know how much properties cost in different cities across Australia. Here are some rough market figures for the major cities in Australia:
- Sydney: AUD 780,000
- Melbourne: AUD 605,000
- Perth: AUD 550,000
- Brisbane: AUD 475,000
- Cairns: AUD 450,000
Education
If you have children, then you can choose to enrol them in a state-run school. The quality of Australian public education is similar to Britain and Ireland’s educational system.
However, third-level or college education is also as expensive as British or US tuition fees. You may find a bachelor’s course ranging from AUD 15,000 to AUD 40,000 in fees excluding day-to-day costs.
Cost of Living
Every city in Australia has varying costs of living. Australians spend more than AUD 3,000 monthly on utilities, groceries, and other expenses alone.
According to Expatistan.com, these are the median values of common monthly expenses in Australia:
- Monthly Rent/Payment for Home: AUD 2,780
- One-Month Gas/Electricity: AUD 298
- Internet: AUD 59
- Cleaning Help: AUD 30
- Everyday Spending for Food, Drinks, and Other Consumables: AUD 2,500
Part 3: Moving your possessions
If you have plenty of stuff you’d want to move, it is best to use a shipping company. There are dozens of international shipping companies that offer great migratory services. The most notable ones have the following characteristics:
- Can service immigrants from different countries: This is a testament to their logistical capabilities and experience in the field
- Full service from old to new location: Good companies will make your moving seamless from packing your stuff in your home country to unpacking them in your new home.
- Transparent and accommodating: They will give you a full quotation on how much it costs to move anything, from your biggest furniture to your smallest figurine, without any hidden costs.
- Responsible: They fulfil everything they state in your working contract with them. In addition, the better ones offer delivery insurance too.
- Knows the Australian customs procedure: Choose a moving company that streamlines this process efficiently so you won’t have any headaches when you move.
Even though their involvement is primary during the first year of your immigration into Australia, the moving company you choose will affect your initial immigration experience significantly.
Final Thoughts
Moving to Australia is simple if you follow these steps. As long as you have the skills that match the skills shortage and are willing to live in select regions for employment, you can secure a Permanent Residency visa in no time.
However, take note of all major costs of that come with your visa application, living in your selected Australian city, and the use of moving services. Once you have all of these covered, you’ll have no problem moving to and living in Australia.
Author Bio: Jessica is the head of content for Hire A Mover – her father’s removalists Sydney company. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling around the world to different surf spots and tasting the local cuisine.
Top Tips on Using Self Storage over the Winter
Winter is an ideal time to put summer items into storage. All those bulky items you only use during the warmer months need to be put away somewhere, and self-storage facilities can be a better alternative than trying to find room for them at home.
Cramming them into your garage can mean there is no space for your car, and you can easily end up regularly having to defrost the windscreen on cold winter mornings. Garden sheds don’t always have much room either.
At Hamiltons Removals we offer a range of self storage options for people in Suffolk and Norfolk. Here we look at the kinds of items commonly put into self-storage, how to wrap them up, and how our Safe N Stored facilities will give you peace of mind and a good deal more room.
Items to Put into Winter Storage
The average family has a lot of items it only uses during the summer months. Your garden furniture and barbecues are prime candidates for putting into a self storage facility; you are unlikely to be cooking outdoors in the middle of winter, and outdoor seats can easily be blown about if you leave them outside, particularly if they are made of plastic.
Some sports and activities need a lot of bulky equipment. If you or your children play cricket or tennis, then putting pads, bats and rackets into storage can free up a lot of space in cupboards. If you enjoy water sports, you will know that canoes, kayaks and boats can also be quite valuable as well as large. The same applies to motorbikes, if you don’t want to risk using it in winter. Using a self storage facility will keep them more secure than they would be at home.
Another advantage of having a self storage facility is that it is like having an extra room all the year round. So all your winter-only items like skis and snowboards, Christmas decorations, electric heaters and winter clothing can be brought out of storage and replaced with your summer ones.
Prepare Everything Properly
Before you put any items into self-storage, it is worth taking some basic precautions. If it is a mechanical item like a lawn mower, then give it a thorough clean and test, and make any repairs now, not later.
Clothing should be washed, and dry cleaned if appropriate, before it is stored away. Put the items either in clear plastic containers so you can find them again easily, or use wardrobe boxes if the item is normally hung up. Lavender can be used to keep them smelling fresh.
All your possessions earmarked for self-storage should be wiped down thoroughly and dried out. This means there is less chance of being them becoming infested with mould and bacteria over the next few months.
Store all items at ground level and not stacked one on top of another, to minimise the risk of damage from falls. Where possible, put a cover underneath the item as well to prevent any damage to the underside. Putting dust covers on top of furniture is also a good idea.
Following these simple precautions mean you should be able to use them straight after you take them out of storage. You won’t want to spend valuable time repairing lawn mowers and other mechanical items.
Pack Items Carefully
Smaller items can be packed in cardboard boxes or cartons. Don’t put too many items into one box, as it can quickly become too heavy to carry. Equally, don’t put in just one or two items, as they can easily move around and suffer damage during transportation. If you are packing any fragile goods then consider using bubble wrap.
Try to make sure that similar items are packed together, and that all boxes are clearly marked so you know what it inside each one. And make sure you leave plenty of room inside your storage room or unit so you can get to everything easily.
Safe N Stored
Hamiltons Removals operate Safe N Stored facilities at two sites, in Harleston and Aldeby. Both are ideal for people needing self storage in Suffolk and Norfolk, particularly from Diss, Halesworth and Stradbroke.
Our Harleston site offers complete rooms with top-of-the-range security features including around-the-clock CCTV and an alarm system which is linked to Norfolk Police. There is also an on-site shop which sells a range of items, including cartons, tape and bubble wrap, to help you with your packing.
At our Aldeby premises you can store items in a range of differently-sized containers, from 35 square feet to 150 square feet. They are also protected by CCTV cameras and are also easily accessible, meaning you can drive your van or car right up to them. The site includes boat and caravan storage facilities. If you would like to know more about our self storage facilities, click on the link above.