Moving to Australia Relocation Guide

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Costs for Relocating to Australia

While considering relocating to Australia, there are four major costs to consider:

Migration application costs
Physically moving items and people to Australia (air fare, validate the visa, costs of shipping to Australia etc),
Settling in Australia (rent, buying cars etc)
Other discretionary and miscellaneous costs.

On average, the total costs involved in moving to Australia are estimated at:

AU$ 12 – 18 000 for a single migrant
AU$ 20 – 24 000 for a couple
AU$ 30 – 40 000 for a family of 3 or 4
AU$ >50 000 for a family of >4

Shipping to Australia can cost anywhere between AUD 6000 – 10,000 varying based on differences in the country of origin. Most shipping agents agree that the norm one can base the approximate cost is on the fact that the content of a typical three to four bedroom house will fit into a 20 foot container.

As with with shipping to any overseas destination, it is important to avoid holidays and beginnings and ends of months to avoid delays.

Planning the exact list of items you intend to carry along and negotiating with shipping agents is also of utmost importance. It is a good idea to utilize the Australian Buddy system where your buddy can help you with locating accommodation, schooling, banking, apart from get you acquainted with your new surroundings.

Australian Customs

As with any other country, moving to Australia calls for stringent screening of formalities by the Australian Customs Service. They undertake immigration clearance on behalf of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) at Australian seaports.

All persons arriving in Australia onboard a vessel need to be immigration cleared. On arriving in Australia, your Passport and Incoming Passenger Card are scrutinized first; a Customs officer will then direct you for further clearance.

Goods brought into Australia may call for the payment of Customs duty and sales tax, however travelers are allowed to bring into Australia certain goods duty and sales tax free when the goods accompany the passenger; some of these are AUD400 worth of personal effects, limited amounts of alcohol and tobacco for passengers above 18 years of age, etc.

Personal effects imported for your own use and owned and used by you previously do not attract duty or other taxes on arrival; it however has been seen that it is more worthwhile to purchase new ones in the case of many electrical and electronic items or vehicles.

For your pets to be able to accompany you stringent health and certification requirements must be met and each animal must be accompanied by a certificate of inspection by an official veterinarian. Usually the animal will need to be identified by a microchip or tattoo. Dogs and cats from approved rabies-free countries which meet all other requirements for import are currently quarantined for a period of 30 days.

Visas to Australia

For those interested in moving to Australia, there is a transparent and efficient system for acquiring a visa.

The Skilled Visa is exclusively for those specializing in skilled labor of any sort, falling into categories identified by the Australian Government as skills found lacking among natives. With a healthy economy that boasts of very low inflation and lower unemployment levels, this economy is one of the best to be part of.

If you are a tradesperson, skilled professional, or a student graduating from an Australian university, you can qualify for unrestricted Australian working rights for you and your dependents. You can easily secure employment without the requirement of sponsorship. In order to qualify for skilled migration, you (or your partner) must be able to satisfy the basic visa requirements like the requirement to meet specific age requirements, English language ability, minimum qualifications level, selection of a nominated occupation, recent work experience etc. In addition to this, you are also required to satisfy a current points test. These points can be claimed for several items including skill, age, English language ability, specific work experience, skills your spouse possesses and so on. Skilled work requirements are broadly classified into Managers and Administrators, Professionals, Associate professionals and Tradespersons, and related workers. The approximate processing time for Skilled Migration applications usually ranges from 6 – 12 months and can cost AUD 200-64,000, the government fees for a family moving to Australia is AUD 5000 on an average.

Business Migration

The Business Migration program encourages successful businessmen and entrepreneurs to settle permanently in Australia and develop new or existing businesses. As per the new two-stage Business Migration scheme that has been introduced, business migrants are granted a Provisional Visa for up to four years, and after establishing the required level of business or maintaining their eligible investment, they can apply for a Business Skills Residence Visa.

The Investor Retirement Visa is a temporary visa for retirees over 55 years of age with significant assets to support themselves in Australia. The initial Investment Retirement Visa allows for a four-year period of stay, following which it can then be renewed for further terms of 4 years each.

A large portion of the Visas offered by the Australian government are allotted to the Family Migration Program wherein migrants are selected on the basis of their family relationship with their Australian relative. The Family Migration Program is divided into several visa subclasses which include visas for spouse, fiance, parent, dependant and others.

The Overseas Student Program or OSP encourages non Australian citizens or permanent residents to study in Australia.

There also is a The Working Holiday Program which provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for people between 18 and 30 from certain countries to holiday in Australia and to supplement their travel funds through incidental employment. The Working Holiday Visa the guest to stay on for up to 12 months from the date of first entry into Australia, regardless of whether or not you spend the entire time in the country.

General Information

Australia is divided into 8 geographical regions namely, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

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In spite of its massive area, Australia has the lowest population density with only two people per square kilometer and the current population stands at a little over 20 million. This is an important factor in the huge influx of immigrants into this country.

The low population density gives the people of Australia the luxury of ample space around them in residential areas. So also, most civic amenities are available within easy access of people making life here truly enjoyable. Most of the major cities of Australia are situated around its coastal region, with most of the population clustered around the South East corner and along the coast of Queensland.

The capital city of Sydney is one of the most vibrant cities in the world, with the world famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Queensland, known for its great weather and beautiful beaches ideal for surfing, is a very popular tourist destination. Further north of Queensland is the Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. Further south is Melbourne, with a milder climate and a popular resort for shopping enthusiasts. Ayer’s rock, a striking rock red formation rising high into the sky, in the heart of Australia is another popular tourist attraction.

Climate

Australia is the world’s sixth largest continent, covering five different time zones ranging from GMT +8 to +11. Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it is the proud custodian of some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, cities with amazing night life, stunning and unusual landscapes, and also vast expanses of smoldering hot outback. It is often referred to as a land of contrasts, from harsh deserts to huge grazing lands, tropical rainforests to modern cities, and beautiful golden beaches and exotic coral reefs to mountain ranges. It is also famous for its stunning landscapes as well as abundance of animals and plants, many of which are unique to the continent.

Many term it as the ‘Lucky country’ because of the general feeling of well being experienced by people who have successfully carried out relocating to Australia in search of better prospects. This is essentially due to the country’s spacious surroundings, pleasant climate, good standard of living, economic stability, friendly and unassuming people and an overall excellent quality of life. The popularity of Australia among immigrants is obvious from the number of applications received by the Department of Immigration & Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) Migration Program every year. It has been estimated that the trend is expected to carry on and possibly even see an increase in the next few years, further enhancing the existing multicultural population.

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