Kaalvoet oor die Tasman

[SAKOZA]

Hello All

I'm George 47 young and glad finding this forum as using Facebook for info is great but so many eyes and ears of people you do not want at this stage of our journey to see we planning to immigrate again. Because of the size of NZ we can't afford this information get out to soon as it will affect our current work, hence rather using a forum. We originate from Bloem in South Africa immigrated to NZ in 2007 and is also for a while now NZ Citizens. We want to immigrate to AU to WA somewhere one can in the future afford a house and not travel yourself to death for work maybe Mandurah, Port Kennedy or Secret Harbour. We have 3 children 4 years born 2010 in NZ and 2 older 15 and 16. You can imagine how scared we are doing this twice with children at this crucial stage of their lives and the same is true for us. We have since last year settled in and reached that typical comfort zone which makes it feel unreal to think of leaving again. I think we are weened and ready for the big move although financial we are much less fortunate and prepared but we have more knowledge although one is always worried. Not sure if one would get a job at my age I'm in IT and not a highly specialized field. We would want to bring our furniture and our cat also originally from South Africa over with us. We thinking of sending the 3 kids and my wife first which is the opposite of what we have done when we moved to NZ. This way my wife can work and I support them financially from here while I hunt for a good job.Schools is a high priority and they will have to go to a public school Ruben is not 5 yet only in September so not sure when 5 if he would go to a primary school similar as NZ or will he be in pre primary. We will not be able to afford private schools so need to get them in best possible public schools hence if it mean I have to travel more distances to my work so that we are in correct zone for good schools so be it. We want to use the forum to get in touch with other South Africans that moved from NZ to Western Australia. The more information we can have of schools, jobs, where to rent and where to buy a house, what to look out for and minimizing the risks "kissing frogs" the better. Hope some of these questions can be answered. Oh reason we want to move is for weather, AU has a better stronger economy with more opportunities, also it is closer to South Africa our parents are moving in their 70's. All the best from NZ George. People that made the same journey also with kids please share the love :-)

[Mara]

George, there are a number of reasons that I can think of as to why, at your age, you should think again about moving to Australia!

1. Your children would not be eligible for a student loan in Australia if they wish to go to university (unless this has changed), to my knowledge it is only open to Australian citizens.

2. Although as a New Zealand citizen you can live and work in Australia, you can not take out Australian citizenship unless you first get Permanent Residence. As you are over 45 years old the chance of you being able to do that is unlikely.

3. Have you checked the house prices for rent and purchase, in the areas you would like to live? I know the cities in Australia can be just as expensive, if not more so, than Auckland.

4. I think you need to do some more research on what the future will hold for you in Australia, bearing in mind, that although at this time you can live and work here, the rules and laws could change at any time, and where would that then leave you?

Sorry to give you the bad news, if I am wrong, then somebody will be sure to correct me.

[Avatar]

Hi George,

Mara is right in that it can be difficult for New Zealanders in Australia because, even though New Zealanders have the right to work and live in Australia indefinitely, they don't qualify for any of the social benefits and probably don't qualify for medicare, though I'm not sure. You could come as New Zealanders, and stay indefinitely, and even if rules do change to make it more difficult for New Zealanders to come here, normally the rules are only applied from that point onwards. Not being able to get student loans may be a problem, but many permanent residents have that same issue, unless they become citizens. You do have future retirement to think about and would you ever need government assistance with a pension? - that's when permanent residence or citizenship will be needed. If you find good jobs and are sure you could support yourselves, you should do well, but you did mention your finances aren't too great, so have you considered trying to apply for a state sponsored visa or another type of visa that would lead to permanent residence? What is quite good though is that if you come and live here for a few years and then manage to get permanent residence, all the time you have lived in Australia should count towards citizenship, and you will only need your last year to be as a permanent resident - therefore, for your kids to come especially, this makes sense for them.

I hope you find a way for this all to work out!

[SAKOZA]

Hi Mara

Thank you for your valuable feedback

Did you came to NZ in 1993 and 1997 go to OZ?

I guess things were a bit easier those days based on your answer, better economy and also after 3 yrs youcould be NZ Citizen

Although entering OZ after '93 you still had to apply for PR it did came mahala, what route did you follow?

I forgot to mention I did look at ENS (employee nominated scheme) to transition to AU PR this has no points and no age. Just need an employer to sponsor you

Ideal for NZ citizens over 45 with enough skills interested to get AU PR :-)

Regarding medicare NZ Citizens do qualify for this.

Pension I was always under the impression this is deducted from your salary and you will benefit from that once retired regardless if AU permanent resident

I see the studies at UNI the major drawback but my kids is willing to enternship and work and study so it is not going to break the camels back, also the 5 year old and 15 year old could get subsidies if we can get PR in time and then Citizenship.

My research around houses shows that one can still afford houses in areas in WA , Port Kennedy, Rockingham etc.

Maybe I'm too optimistic although the warning sighns I can see, we just need to make well calculated decisions and minimize risk as much possible and we can still make it. Not as wasy as the 90's but there is still a small gap for one determined to slip through. SA style :-)

Avatar, appreciate your feedback as well

Mara I meant did not came mahala you still had to work for as entering AU before 93 was different my understanding is NZ citizens in AU before 93 automatically received Permanent residence of AU and no need to apply hence faster and no costs

[Mara]

Hi George, you are right, when we came over permanent residence was automatic, lucky for us as we were also over 45. I think at the time we could have taken out Aus citizenship after 2 years, but we only did so after we had been here 10 years. Yes, we got NZ citizenship before we came to Australia.

Pension, or superannuation, as it is called in Australia, is not deducted from your wages, it is paid by your employer. If a company makes you an offer you must check whether the annual salary is plus super or whther your super is included in your package. At this point in time super is 9, 5% of your gross salary. I have no idea if this exists in NZ. You can, of, course also contribute towards your super and many people do. You are correct in the assumption that the super does not have anything to do with PR.

I cannot give you advice on visa's, it is not something I know much about. I also cannot advise you on the price of property in WA, I have no experience of the area.

I must tell you though, to be cautious about Perth, depending on what you do and at what level, as well as the demand for it in the area, as there definitely appears to have been a slump in the employment levels.

There are a number of migration consultants on this forum, it may be a good idea to speak to one of them, just to ensure that your assumptions are correct. If you would like there details, just ask, the forum members are always happy to give recommendations.

Good luck with your journey.

[Sunnyskies]

Remember there is a difference between pension and super. Super is self funded (including by employee deductions) whereas a state pension is paid by the state And only citizens are eligible.