angela33 Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hi we are a family of 4 with children aged 8 and 4 currently. My husband is wanting to get on with applying where as I am on the cautious side. I don't want to sell our current home and pay rental for ages but we don't have spare cash to pay visa applications without it. Do you have to pay visas up front? Also how much money do you need realistically to get by over there. I'm thinking £5k for removal £3k for flights I don't know about rent of properties. We would want to work ASAP to fund bills etc. I am scared to give up over here then go to australia and find we can't afford to survive and won't be able to afford to get back either. If I need to give more info please let me know but any financial info is very welcome. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayloal Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hi anglea33, It is scary to be giving up everything to move to the other side of the world and not knowing how it will turn out. First thing to do would be to check the skills occupation list to see if either of your are eligible for a visa. If you are then you want to check out what the visa costs are and also whether you are going to complete the process yourself or seek help from a migration agent (this can cost almost as much if not more). Skills list link: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/skilled-occupation-list.htm Visa types and charges list: https://www.immi.gov.au/fees-charges/ Once you have the list of costs just to get the visayou can start to investigate how to get your possessions and yourselves over there. Good luck with your move ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela33 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 My husband is a cnc machine operator. Working with metals etc. His skill is on. Its around £6k for visas. Do they have to be paid at point of applying? Its thar money we dont have without selling our house. Our house would have to fund everything. Thats the worry. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayloal Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 (edited) By the looks of it your husband will have to have his skills assessed by TRA (trades recognition Australia) so there will be the cost of that, then there is the possibility of having to sit the IELTS test depending on whether enough points are awarded for his skills, age etc. Do you know which classification of visa you would go for, Skilled Independent, Regional state sponsored , State sponsored each has there own associated costs. If you go the State and Regional sponsored visa route it is only after you have been accepted by that State that you can apply for your visa, it is at the point of applying for your visa that you have to pay for it, depending on the route you take and the skills assessing process will determine the timeline to get to the point of submitting your visa application and paying for it. If for any reason your visa application is refused you will forfeit the visa cost that you have already paid. Edited October 10, 2013 by tayloal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela33 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 He looked at skills independent. How much is it for skills to be assessed please? Can they reject after assessment? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkm Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hi Angela we have just gone thru this process and are moving out to Perth end of November on PR visa 190. This is what we have spent to date approx!! visa £2000 agent £2500 skills assessment £1600 ielts £135 medicals £800 police checks £90 flights one way!!! £2400 removals £4000 but it will be worth it!!! john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayloal Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 He looked at skills independent. How much is it for skills to be assessed please? Can they reject after assessment? Thanks Yes they can refuse after assessment, skills assessment is only the beginning of the process, you also have to get your police checks, medicals etc. For more info on the costs and the skills assessment process have a look here : http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/skilled-occupation-list.htm The process can be confusing and only you know your skills and application route, do as much research as possible and be prepared for what can be a stressful, confusing process. If you're serious about doing it then you will get through it, unfortunately if selling your house is the only route then you really do need to research thoroughly. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela33 Posted October 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Does everything have to be paid up front please? It's the selling of the house thats worrying me. I don't want to give up my house to rent something that might not be as nice to pay visas etc because if they were rejected we'd be back stepping. Why do they make it so hard lol. (I know really). A nice win on lottery would come in handy right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 we arent using an agent so 1 less cost for us, the first thing to pay is the skills assessment which varies depending on occupation. once you pay for this and send off application you will have between 1 and 3 months waiting for the results. while waiting for this you can do your IELTS which is £130. Once you get possitive results for these you can put in your expression of interest and wait for an invite, once invited to apply for the visa thats where the big money is spent. Our family of 2 adults and 2 kids was £3600 approx. then another month or two after lodging the visa you will have to do medicals which will be another £800 approx. So it is spread out quite a bit but not sure when you pay agents fees if you go down that route though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkm Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 We started the process in march ielts, april skills assessment, june medicals, in between this we had instalments for visa and agent fees. received our visa in July,then booked flights August, deposit paid for removals balance due 7 days prior to leaving. It is spread out but I would recommend saving for the bulk of the cost as it is a stressful but exciting time! Also factor in initial holiday let if required! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 You need to remember that the visa fees are only the beginning. This is an expensive process. You say your husband will go to work when you arrive. But realistically you need to assume it will take at least 3 months to find work. So you need enough money to live on for at least three months - many people will advise at least 6 months. So that is rent, bond, bills, food, transport, costs associated with schools, temp accommodation for when you first arrive and day to day living costs. It is a risk in selling your house before being granted a visa as there are a huge number of reasons why a visa may not be granted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Personally, I wouldn't sell my house to fund the initial states, there are a lot of hurdles and getting the visa isn't guaranteed. Straight to the Point - has a spread sheet that people have found really helpful - start up costs etc., send them a private message with your email and they'll send it to you. The finances of the move are massive and you're right to be cautious about them. We brought a reasonable amount of money with us and had shipped all of our furniture, but found we were spending loads those first few months. Car, other furniture, school uniforms, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancslass Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 It probably cost us around 30k stirling, if not more. Visa costs, skills assessment, agent fees, medicals, police checks, flights, container, holiday let (4 weeks over Christmas..not cheap), hire car, furniture (not much but you would be surprised how much you need to buy especially if your furniture doesn't turn up until 6 weeks after you arrive), car, driving licences, insurance, car rego (tax), rental bond and first 2 weeks rent, new school uniforms, shoes and text books/stationery. We arrived in December so had at least 8 weeks with no income coming in so had to cover Christmas presents, birthdays, rent, food, bills etc. It is really not cheap to move here but it is worth it but you need to be prepared for all the costs involved. We sold our house, applied for the visa and moved into a rental in the UK for 12 months, the visa took about 9 months. We couldn't have funded any of it without selling our property. Good luck it is a great place to bring up young kids and a great experience if not a little expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest10912 Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 (edited) My husband is a cnc machine operator. Working with metals etc. His skill is on. Its around £6k for visas. Do they have to be paid at point of applying? Its thar money we dont have without selling our house. Our house would have to fund everything. Thats the worry. Thanks Yes it has to be paid up front, nobody is going to pay it for you. I find that you are considering selling your house to pay for a visa application, really quite alarming. This is your hard earned capital, you should be keeping capital for your long term financial security, not blowing it on visa fees. Put these plans on hold for now and save up for your visas. By that time the house prices and FXrates might have recovered more and your capital here can be used as capital to help you establish yourselves in Australia. Edited October 11, 2013 by guest10912 Clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs O Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 We are a family of 4 & with skills assessment, medicals, etc & using a agent the visa process will of cost us £8000 by the time we finished. I worked out we would need another £15-20k for everything else & that was beef careful. If you couldn't find work for a while or depending what sort of car you would need/want you would need quite abit more. all I can say is thank goodness my husbands work are opening up over there & offered him a transfer as its a very expensive process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela33 Posted October 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 It probably cost us around 30k stirling, if not more. Visa costs, skills assessment, agent fees, medicals, police checks, flights, container, holiday let (4 weeks over Christmas..not cheap), hire car, furniture (not much but you would be surprised how much you need to buy especially if your furniture doesn't turn up until 6 weeks after you arrive), car, driving licences, insurance, car rego (tax), rental bond and first 2 weeks rent, new school uniforms, shoes and text books/stationery. We arrived in December so had at least 8 weeks with no income coming in so had to cover Christmas presents, birthdays, rent, food, bills etc. It is really not cheap to move here but it is worth it but you need to be prepared for all the costs involved. We sold our house, applied for the visa and moved into a rental in the UK for 12 months, the visa took about 9 months. We couldn't have funded any of it without selling our property. Good luck it is a great place to bring up young kids and a great experience if not a little expensive. Thanks lancslass. We'll look into it and see if we can save some money in the meantime but it is good knowing someone followed that path. Unfortunately we can't all live in a house with£50k equity and another £20k in the bank can we? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo and scott Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 Hi we are a family of 4 with children aged 8 and 4 currently. My husband is wanting to get on with applying where as I am on the cautious side. I don't want to sell our current home and pay rental for ages but we don't have spare cash to pay visa applications without it. Do you have to pay visas up front? Also how much money do you need realistically to get by over there. I'm thinking £5k for removal £3k for flights I don't know about rent of properties. We would want to work ASAP to fund bills etc. I am scared to give up over here then go to australia and find we can't afford to survive and won't be able to afford to get back either. If I need to give more info please let me know but any financial info is very welcome. Thanks hi, just wanted to share with you, we have sold our house to fund it all, and we are lucky enough that my mum in law is letting us live with her so we can save money, we are not sure how long its going to take, but for 1 1/2 - 2 years which may feel like going backwards, but better in the long run. it is risky, we have sold our house, its the only house our girls have ever known, and scott will be pretty pissed off if we don't get the visa, but what if we do ? how fab will that be !!! we can buy another house or rent one, I don't see it as a big deal, im quite excited to wonder what our next home will be, if its in England then fine, if not, Australia, nice and hot :-))) don't think I can take much more of this pissy weather to be honest !! good luck. jo. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted October 11, 2013 Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 Thanks lancslass. We'll look into it and see if we can save some money in the meantime but it is good knowing someone followed that path. Unfortunately we can't all live in a house with£50k equity and another £20k in the bank can we? Thanks No, not everyone can live in a house with large equity/savings, I don't think people are having a go, just being realistic and commenting that it's a risk to sell the house to fund the visa. I'd personally have to have a little more surety e.g. passing the skills assessment knowing there was then a pretty good chance of getting a visa. There will be a lot of success stories of people who have followed the path you are, but equally, having been of the forums for some time, we know that some people struggle to find work and the money they bring gets eaten into very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 Hi Angela everyone will have different thoughts on your situation. I am with Rupert on this one - I would not sell my house to fund visa fees. I would wait and save up. As Rupert says house prices and exchange rates may also improve. Also Perth is not booming as it was and employment is on a bit of a slow down. Hopefully in a few years it will pick up. Don't think it will go back to boom times but the economy should improve and it will be easier to find work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chardy Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 We arrived with $65k and it's all but gone and I got a job in 3 days ! $25k as house deposit , the rest on car, house bits, rent bond and get by money when I changed to a monthly paid job from weekly. And trust me we are careful with money ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odies Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 it seems times have changed in Perth when reading these posts. jobs were plentiful you could arrive and buy your house outright if you did not mind the area,visas were easy to get. Angela I would use the wealth of knowledge on this forum and maybe ask around. the excitement could easily wear off when you have no money.that old exchange rate would be great if it came back. Also I have an older head on my shoulder and look at things differently , but NEVER give up on on your dreams, if you want it to happen I do not know how but you you young ones make it happen . you can only do your best with whatever way you want to fund your way there, I think what everyone is saying, is, really be careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancslass Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 Thanks lancslass. We'll look into it and see if we can save some money in the meantime but it is good knowing someone followed that path. Unfortunately we can't all live in a house with£50k equity and another £20k in the bank can we? Thanks No..your right, people just don't have the huge amounts of equity in their property at the moment due to house prices falling. Some are even into negative equity. It must be heartbreaking especially after saving hard for a deposit in the first place. We made the decision to sell our house not only to free up the money but also get the stress of selling out of the way, didn't want that stress on top of the drama of applying for the visa. We knew we could book flights, container, holiday let etc. without any worry about a house sale going through or not. We knew it was the right decision because the house had fallen through twice, imagine if we'd booked flights, sent our furniture and then the house fell through a few days before departure...nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chardy Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 We only put the house on the market once we had the visas, but still stressful trying to sell in a tight market last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela33 Posted October 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 We had our house valued out of curiosity and we have around £35-£40k in equity at the moment and houses are sell quite quickly where we live as it is a desirable location. We are thinking of saving for visas though and then deciding if it is what we want. Thanks for all responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted October 12, 2013 Report Share Posted October 12, 2013 My visa has just been lodged and my house has just gone on the market. It's a risk but hey, I'm a risk taking type of girl. I got the money for the visa by saving like mad with a little help from the bank of mum (love ya mum). Now that my visa is lodged I'm not too worried. I have no convictions or major medical problems and neither has my son so I think we'll be ok. Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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