Each year thousands of people make the decision to relocate to Australia. Many Australian cities sit atop the Top 30 Cities around the world for quality of life. This article isn’t meant to convince you of why you should move to Australia, but to provide practical tips on how to make your move as seamless as possible.

Determining Where You Want to Move

Unless you have a job offer in your hand, weather may be a big deciding factor on where in Australia you want to live. It’s not all dry, hot outback and there are six different climates to consider. The northern coast is hot and humid, there is a small area of humid and warm climate on the eastern cost, in the northern inland you can expect a hot dry zone with warm winters, a hot dry area with cooler winters in the southern inland and sections of the west coast, warm summers and cool winters on the south coast, and warm summers and cold winters in Tasmania and areas of New South Wales and Victoria.

Your Visa Application

You need a Visa to visit Australia, even if it’s not to work. You may want to consider getting a vacation visa to check out how you feel about various parts of the country before moving.

All visa applicants are assessed for their English proficiency (if their native language is not English), skill qualifications, screened for their health by government approved doctors, character (like a police check), and must sign the Australian Value Statement agreeing to follow local laws and live as locals do.

If you have a job offer in Australia waiting for you, your employer will be completing your sponsored migration visa for you with most Temporary Skilled Visas being for a maximum of four years.

Those who want to move Australia without a job offer can apply for the SkillSelect Program and prove that they have the right professional proficiencies to find a job on the Skilled Occupations list. Points towards being awarded a visa are based on the skills you and/or your partner will bring with you to Australia.

Backpackers, adventurers, and anyone who is 18 to 30 and wants to go to Australia can apply for a Working Holiday Visa. This visa provides entrance for 12 months in Australia, but has restrictions, like you can’t work for the same employer for more than six months (which isn’t that hard if your primary reason for being there is to travel around the country).

Items to Sort Before You Move

There are items you’ll need to attend to before you leave on your adventure. These are a few of the things you’ll want to take care of:

  • Get a relocation checklist and follow it (this includes items like getting a migration agent, setting your budget, finding a job and place to live, and hiring a team to help move your things overseas)
  • Redirect your mail
  • Cancel all subscriptions and pay off any outstanding bills & debts in your home country before you leave
  • Go to the doctor and sort out any potential health issues (make sure you get copies of your prescriptions for post-move, and that your vaccinations are up to date)
  • Rent or sell your home and/or give notice at your rental of your intention to move
  • Set up an Australian bank account to avoid monetary delays and international fees
  • Sort out living arrangements for pets when you’re away, and/or determine applicable quarantines for your pets to allow them to travel with you
  • Put anything you don’t want to move into storage

    • Things To Bring With You

    Bringing the following items in paper and USB form to Australia with you will make the transition of your move exponentially easier:

  • Taxation Documentation
  • Your resume and references
  • Your Visa Approval/Visa & Passport
  • Insurance Documentation
  • Rental reference letters
  • Your children’s report cards and educational records
  • Your up-to-date will
  • Current prescriptions

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