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My wife and I are both US citizens in our early/mid 40s and we are pondering immigration to Australia. We would like to settle in a eastern coastal area and start a business at some point in the future.
Even though we work hard and get paid well here in US (<100k combined) trouble is neither of us has formal high level education which Australian immigration points system prefers.
I am a certified automotive mechanic and surprisingly I see that occupation on the government list of trade skills Australia currently needs.
I see two types of visas listed as possibility, question is would we be better off:
1) Finding a business in Australia that can request a work permit for me through the government visa program (I have acquaintances that have automotive shops needing technicians) or
2) Applying for a work permit simply based on profession then moving and finding employment once there?
If you have any words of wisdom or experience with US citizens immigrating to Australia please share.
Minimum wage is good though, but only if you're employed as such. Tradies do well too.
$6 gal gas, $17 for a six pack of crappy beer.
$25 movie ticket.
Average home prices.
● Australia: $658,608, up 2.4 per cent (vs ~190K in the USA)
● Sydney: $929,842, up 4.9 per cent
● Melbourne: $688,000, up 3.5 per cent
● Darwin: $625,000, up 6.8 per cent
● Canberra: $560,000, up 0.7 per cent
● Perth: $535,000, down 2.7 per cent
● Brisbane: $475,000, down 1.5 per cent
● Adelaide $425,250, up 0.1 per cent
● Hobart $382,500, up 6.3 per cent
Mortgage rates are higher and you can't even get a FIXED loan for more than 5 years.
In a nutshell you'll likely have 1/2 the disposable income and that money will only go 1/2 as far.
Minimum wage is good though, but only if you're employed as such. Tradies do well too.
$6 gal gas, $17 for a six pack of crappy beer.
$25 movie ticket.
Average home prices.
● Australia: $658,608, up 2.4 per cent (vs ~190K in the USA)
● Sydney: $929,842, up 4.9 per cent
● Melbourne: $688,000, up 3.5 per cent
● Darwin: $625,000, up 6.8 per cent
● Canberra: $560,000, up 0.7 per cent
● Perth: $535,000, down 2.7 per cent
● Brisbane: $475,000, down 1.5 per cent
● Adelaide $425,250, up 0.1 per cent
● Hobart $382,500, up 6.3 per cent
Mortgage rates are higher and you can't even get a FIXED loan for more than 5 years.
In a nutshell you'll likely have 1/2 the disposable income and that money will only go 1/2 as far.
lol. $25 movie tickets. where are you going, gold class all the time?!
aaaand if you're not employed, or industry is not required, chances of immigration are pretty low.
Minimum wage is good though, but only if you're employed as such. Tradies do well too.
$6 gal gas, $17 for a six pack of crappy beer.
$25 movie ticket.
Average home prices.
● Australia: $658,608, up 2.4 per cent (vs ~190K in the USA)
● Sydney: $929,842, up 4.9 per cent
● Melbourne: $688,000, up 3.5 per cent
● Darwin: $625,000, up 6.8 per cent
● Canberra: $560,000, up 0.7 per cent
● Perth: $535,000, down 2.7 per cent
● Brisbane: $475,000, down 1.5 per cent
● Adelaide $425,250, up 0.1 per cent
● Hobart $382,500, up 6.3 per cent
Mortgage rates are higher and you can't even get a FIXED loan for more than 5 years.
In a nutshell you'll likely have 1/2 the disposable income and that money will only go 1/2 as far.
It would probably help if you picked a currency and stuck with it, instead of quoting certain things in AUD and others in USD.
Crappy beers like VB and New are usually ~$AU40 for a case. That's $US7 for a six pack, not particularly different to what you'd pay in the US. I agree the way they sting you for buying an individual six pack is a bit rich.
It would probably help if you picked a currency and stuck with it, instead of quoting certain things in AUD and others in USD.
Crappy beers like VB and New are usually ~$AU40 for a case. That's $US7 for a six pack, not particularly different to what you'd pay in the US. I agree the way they sting you for buying an individual six pack is a bit rich.
Everything was quoted in AUD. I quoted petrol in gallons (but in AUD) to save the OP the math.
You can get cheap beer in the us by the case for 50c to 70c a can.
Most really good beer is sold by the 6 pack in both countries.
Usually $9 in the US and $18-19 in Oz
The exchange rate is largely irrelevant if the OP is going to be earning AUD and living in Oz.
....anyway, nit picking is to miss the point. Australia is a VERY expensive place to live.
Here's another site with a comparison between Adelaide and San Francisco, with Adelaide being far cheaper (and there are cheaper cities in Aus than Adelaide)
We are not worried about the cost of living, we are quite happy with just basics. Actually I think we are happier without many material belongings and we already have property in Europe where we plan to retire someday, hopefully.
We are mostly worried about how do we get in AU? We are after the experience of living and working in Australia, the culture, way of life, people and nature.
I've lived some expensive places like San Francisco and Vienna and that experience is really the only thing to keep! Everything else is best left behind, imho.
Go for the General Skilled Migrant visa, that way your residency is not tied to one particular employer. If you qualify in your own right, that's the way to go. I don't imagine you'll have too much difficulty finding work, mechanics never seem to, and it sounds like you have some contacts for work initially anyway. The most financially successful people I know in both Australia and New Zealand are all tradespeople (plumbers, mechanics, electricians, etc) who started their own businesses and employed others.
In terms of cost, it looks like you live in the Seattle area, so you won't really experience sticker shock re house prices or rent. And if you go out of Sydney or Melbourne, house prices generally come down considerably. I agree that once you are there earning Australian dollars, the exchange rate isn't really relevant in terms of cost of living, but it's pretty important when you first arrive, especially if you have sold/plan to sell property to fund a house purchase. It has shifted considerably in your favour over the last 12-18 months, although the Aus dollar has gained ground in the last few days. My point is if you plan to move largish sums of money, pay attention to movement in the exchange rate. Just a small shift can cost you a lot of money in the conversion.
Lastly, have you been to Australia before? I wouldn't consider migrating without first visiting. It's a great place, but it's not for everybody.
Minimum wage is good though, but only if you're employed as such. Tradies do well too.
$6 gal gas, $17 for a six pack of crappy beer.
$25 movie ticket.
Average home prices.
● Australia: $658,608, up 2.4 per cent (vs ~190K in the USA)
● Sydney: $929,842, up 4.9 per cent
● Melbourne: $688,000, up 3.5 per cent
● Darwin: $625,000, up 6.8 per cent
● Canberra: $560,000, up 0.7 per cent
● Perth: $535,000, down 2.7 per cent
● Brisbane: $475,000, down 1.5 per cent
● Adelaide $425,250, up 0.1 per cent
● Hobart $382,500, up 6.3 per cent
Mortgage rates are higher and you can't even get a FIXED loan for more than 5 years.
In a nutshell you'll likely have 1/2 the disposable income and that money will only go 1/2 as far.
10 year home loans are available even with 2 of the 4 big banks as well as other small lenders. Rarely used though for very good reason.
Why do you assume they would halve their disposable income? Wages are higher here.
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