Emigrating to Australia

Whether because of the climate, lifestyle, pay, or any other reason, many people want to move to Australia, temporarily or permanently. However, the process isn’t simple, and even if a visa is granted, any potential immigrant has numerous hurdles and uncertainties before they can feel truly settled. For anyone it may be useful, I have outlined my process and experiences below. For context, I’m a 39-year-old British teacher on a 189 visa and made the move in January 2024. To the best of my knowledge, this information is correct as of October 2024.

Quick Navigation:

• Visa Application
• Professional Skills Assessment
• Before Emigrating
• Job Hunting for Teachers
• Housing & Furniture in Your Home Country
• Australian Bank Accounts
• Staying Connected at Home
• Getting Settled in Australia
• Housing
• Broadband and Utilities
• myGov
• Medicare
• Travel & Driving
• Work & Finances in Australia
• Fair Work
• WWCC and NESA Accreditation
• Tax File Number
• Taxes on Investments & Property Outside of Australia
• Saving Money in Australia
• Final Thoughts

Visa Application

Broadly, there are three main routes to visa application: sponsorship, applying independently or taking a paid route via an agent/consultant who will walk you through the process. Sponsorship needs to be arranged by and with the company sponsoring your visa. For many professions, including teaching, this is relatively uncommon. Applying through an agent has advantages, saving time and stress as they guide you through the process. This is particularly helpful for those with larger families and less free time. The obvious downside is the expense for something you can do yourself. I applied independently.

With so many people wanting to migrate, the Australian government can choose the immigrants it wants and where they want them to settle. As with any country, there are a range of visas available, depending on variables such as family status, length of visa, sponsored or unsponsored routes and whether the applicant is offshore or onshore. Onshore visas might apply for people who have visas to work in specific areas of regional Australia or Working Holiday Visas. Find out about the different visas and points required here.

Australia’s immigration assigns points to candidates, depending on various characteristics including age, qualifications, language proficiency and work experience. I had to do an IELTS test to ensure I reached the points I needed. As a native speaker, I would suggest lengthy preparation is not really required, although the evening before, it would be wise to familiarise yourself with the test format. Be aware that subsequently, all points will need to be evidenced (e.g. with an IELTS certificate, scan of passport/birth certificate etc.). Different numbers of points are required for different visas. Some visas grant more benefits and freedoms than others but it all depends upon which visas you are eligible for and how your points stack up for each. You can check the calculator here.

For those hoping to settle long-term, your best bet is having a skilled occupation currently in demand in Australia. This opens up a range of different visas you can apply for. You can even apply for multiple different visas and hope to receive an invitation for one of them. The list changes periodically depending on skill shortages. Your skills will be assessed by the relevant assessing authority for your profession. As a teacher, the relevant assessing authority was, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited (AITSL).

Professional Skills Assessment

The professional skills assessment can take weeks, even months. My experience with AITSL was expensive but relatively positive. When AITSL felt that one piece of evidence I provided needed additional specific details, they informed me what was required and allowed me time to submit it. This was a relief as I had initially feared that any errors or missing documents would result in a rejected application. Some of the documents required might be ones you have to specifically request from your institute of higher education or former employers. In my case as a British teacher, this was an Official Supervised Teaching Practice Statement. When I asked UCL, my PGCE provider, they initially seemed unsure about this. Upon finding a template they had and filling it in for me, it was initially rejected by AITSL for not specifically addressing the number of hours I taught while training. I was notified and had to ask UCL to redo it. Whilst this added time and stress, AITSL quickly approved me after updating the documents.

Once your Professional Skills Assessment application is being processed, you can begin your visa application. This starts with an Expression of Interest (EOI) which is essentially you telling the Australian government that you’d like to be invited for a visa. To do this, you must make an ImmiAccount to complete an application via Skill Select. The EOI takes some time. You can start this and save your progress. You can only submit your EOI after receiving a certificate of your Professional Skills Assessment.

I submitted my Expression of Interest in early April 2023. By the end of May, I received an invitation to apply for a visa with a link to Skill Select. Again, a load of information is needed including supporting documents (evidence), many of which need to be certified by a professional. This includes a specific police check, in my case as a Brit, the ACRO police check. The standard DBS did not suffice. Finally, in mid-June, I had gathered all my documents, paid the (sizeable) fees and officially applied for my visa. Once this is done, you are able to apply for a medical examination. Through the Skill Select website, you will be able to access a link of certified/approved doctors which do these. The list of certified doctors is short and for the relatively simple tests they do, you end up paying a steep amount. At Knightsbridge Doctors in London we had to pay £360 each! Next came more waiting. The Immi Australia website does provide some guidance on processing times but this changes from month to month.

Should you need more advice than the above on this, I would suggest checking the Facebook group: Australian Visa & Immigration Discussion Group which has an associated website.

If anything, I was expecting a much longer wait. From what I gather, sometimes a whole tranche of visas for specific professions gets released at once. My visa came through just as I was going to bed on September 19th. Excited, I barely slept as my to-do list exploded overnight.

Before Emigrating

The next few months felt like a mad dash. Emigrating creates a lot of personal admin. Informing and cancelling utilities, subscriptions, selling the car etc. I also had to resign from my UK job and start job hunting in Australia. If you have investments or property in your home country, it may also be worth considering the implications of Australian tax regulations.

Job Hunting for Teachers

Many teaching jobs are advertised on seek.com, Australia’s largest job-searching website. However, I suggest you register with, TES Australia and ANZUK. It was the former who found me a job in Sydney, but I recommend both. Although there’s a discussion to be had about the role of recruitment agencies in education, these two can get your CV noticed by recruiting schools and spare you the individual applications you would have to do otherwise. There is no fee for you, and the schools pay them. You will have a first interview with the agencies who will discuss various options with you: what sort of school you are looking for, which subjects you can teach and of course, where you want to work. Go into these with confidence, being clear about what you want, noting that you expect a level of pay commensurate with your teaching experience. Both agencies followed these up with a few calls to update me about the jobs they were putting me forward for. Being in the UK, these calls and the interviews themselves were always early in the morning or late at night, which was not ideal and disrupted my sleep patterns for a time. In total, I had three interviews, the third being a success.

Once I was offered a job, I had to provide several pieces of information which I couldn’t immediately do, including a bank account number and a Tax File Number (TFN). Both of these are addressed below. I also had to prepare more documents required by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Info for foreign teachers can be found here. Though this felt somewhat arbitrary given I had already completed the AITSL assessment and received my visa, these were the hoops I had to jump through. Most states allow you to do all of this online, but for New South Wales, before completing the online application you need an Australian phone number and a Working With Children Check (WWCC) reference number (more below) which can only be obtained once in NSW. Fortunately, I found the online guidance relatively clear and any clarifications were swiftly answered by NESA staff. In addition to providing documents, I also had to get them certified. By email, they confirmed that my UK Headteacher was able to do that, which made things somewhat easier.

Housing & Furniture in Your Home Country

Besides this, I tried to tie up as many different loose ends as I possibly could. I painted & renovated my apartment then advertised it for let. As most of my furniture was not especially valuable, I let it out furnished meaning storage wasn’t required, although my Mum’s loft has been put to good use! For those committed to a permanent move, you may wish to send out your furniture. I didn’t do this, but I have heard good things about Seven Seas, from several people. Click here for a 10% discount code. One tip from a friend who used them: as you are packing everything, complete the paperwork for Australian customs at the same time as doing the inventory is a hassle.

Australian Bank Accounts

A bank account can be set up before actually arriving in Australia. After reading through the advice from the Currency Shop: , it seemed that the Commonwealth Bank was the bank which made it easiest to apply. I also set up a card with Wise. You can set up an account and get a fee-free money transfer by clicking my Wise referral. Wise is a money transfer service I have used for years and remains one of the cheapest around, but they also have a debit card. The card is particularly useful because they can set bank accounts for you in various different countries including the UK and Australia, all using only one debit card. The card also has low charges for commission and withdrawals etc. Highly recommended.

Staying Connected at Home

I wanted to keep my UK number so I transferred to Giffgaff who only require the line to be used once every 6 months or so. They send you emails if you don’t use the line, and these serve as a reminder to turn it on and keep it active. Usage alone seems to be required, not topping up, unlike with some other phone networks.

I also signed up for the Royal Mail’s redirection service so that any important mail could go to my Mum’s house. For 12 months it’s £7 a month to redirect to a UK address or £25.21 a month to redirect to Australia.

Getting Settled in Australia

Getting Connected

A SIM card was easily obtained at the airport and I’m sure this goes for all of the International Airports in Australia. The ‘big three’ Australian mobile network operators (MNOs) are Optus, Telstra and Vodafone. The former two are supposedly the best for national coverage, but apparently, there is not much in it these days. There are also a large number of smaller Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) including Lebara, Circles Life and others. Often, these MVNOs are much cheaper and still use the infrastructure of the big three. Both MVNOs and MNOs usually have excellent deals in the first few months before moving to a higher cost. It’s worth shopping around to find the best option and relatively simple to switch between providers.

Housing

Finding a home can take some time, so booking a furnished apartment before you arrive is advisable. We found an apartment on the third weekend of looking. Some of the viewings, especially for cheaper properties had 30+ viewers, although numbers decreased for more expensive properties. Weekday viewings are available for some properties and have fewer attendees. The two websites main websites & apps for finding properties are Real Estate and Domain. Some people choose to contact estate agents directly from this to build up a rapport in the hope that they will get preferential treatment. Others still offer $5-10 extra per week to try and secure their rental property. Buying a property is possible for those with Permanent Residence visas, but unless you already know Australia and the area you wish to settle in well, this option is not for most. There is a property shortage in Australia and property rental and sale prices are very high, particularly in State Capitals.

Broadband and Utilities

There is a wide range of broadband and utility companies within each state. I would suggest using one of the comparison websites to find the best deal for you. Three of the most widely used are: finder , whistleOut, and comparethemarket. Note that the comparison websites tend to be connected to specific providers and may even have different deals connected to them. Similarly, your bank may provide offers with particular providers. Personally, I’ve been with Red Energy for gas and electricity and More for broadband and have been satisfied enough.

myGov

The Australian government’s hub for its various services, you will most likely find yourself applying for myGov when you try to register for Medicare or a TFN.

Medicare

The Australian taxpayer-funded universal health care insurance scheme in Australia. You will want to sign up for this ASAP. You can apply for this from outside of Australia, but you may not have all of the details you require. You can find out how to apply here. I applied using the Medicare Enrolment Form. I then edited this on Apple’s Preview application. Don’t. Make sure you edit this on Adobe Acrobat. Having emailed the Preview-edited version in January, I had heard nothing by March. I called up to enquire and was told the Preview-edited version encrypts the file somehow and Medicare’s staff can’t open it and don’t inform you. The same problem doesn’t happen using Acrobat. I re-did the form on Acrobat, sent it off and received my Medicare card six weeks later. Timescales can vary depending on when you apply for it. You will also be able to link your myGov account to it.

It should be noted that many Australians also have private health insurance plans. If you’re over 30 and a high-income earner without private health insurance, you will be charged a Medicare levy surcharge of 1-1.5%. You may be able to find discounts on private health insurance plans through workplace reward schemes. Again, make sure to shop around.

Travel & Driving

Public transport between Australian cities is somewhat limited, which is understandable given the country’s size. Australia is a very car-oriented country. For inter-state travel, most people fly, and WebJet appears to be the most widely advertised and used comparison website. However, I have found cheaper flights on Skyscanner and Booking.com.

Most cities have reasonable public transport systems but are less comprehensive than Western European and East Asian cities. Even if you live near a train station in Sydney, you will find the areas you can easily get to quite limited and journeying out of the city without a car isn’t easy. GoGet is Australia’s largest car rental/car share scheme (similar to Zipcar in the US & UK) whilst carsales seems to be the number one website for buying and selling.

Australia allows many immigrants to drive on their foreign licences for the first three months. After this, you must exchange your licence for a State licence. However, this depends on various factors, including which Australian State or Territory you live in. It also depends on the country your licence is from and even the visa you are travelling on. The conditions for permanent residents and working holiday tourists are different. More information is available here. For a permanent resident in NSW, you can use your UK licence for the first 3 months in Australia after which you will need to apply for your NSW licence at a NSW Service Centre. The length of your licence can vary depending on how much you pay for it. The good news is that you are allowed to keep hold of your UK licence as well.

Work & Finances in Australia

Fair Work

For those of you arriving on working holiday visas, you should be aware of the Fair Work Ombudsman where you can find advice and support if you are concerned about a job offer or the conditions you are working in.

WWCC and NESA Accreditation

This section will be more relevant to those working with children in New South Wales. As my new teaching job was in NSW, I had to submit my documents for the WWCC by hand. You can only do this in NSW and need an Australian mobile phone number and address. Not all Australian states and territories require you to do this. Having arrived early in the morning, I dropped my cases at CBD storage and then went to a nearby NSW Service Centre. This was all rather anti-climactic. Having had to fly to Sydney early and book accommodation for just this purpose, I’d essentially paid a huge amount of money to hand over some documents which could really have been uploaded online. The Service Centre said that the WWCC could take up to 28 days, but fortunately, it arrived about 8 hours later. Apparently, it’s usually even faster, but there was less staff in their offices at this time of year. I then applied for NESA accreditation on etams. Now possessing a WWCC and a phone number, I could complete the online application, however it wasn’t as smooth as I would have hoped. I couldn’t submit documents until they satisfied everything the website requested. One or more documents didn’t meet their requirements but the website didn’t tell me which ones. Finally, through a process of trial and error, I realised they wouldn’t accept the upload of my visa as I had clicked that it wasn’t certified. This was in line with NESA’s own guidance, but they didn’t accept it until I said it was certified (which it wasn’t). Finally, upon being allowed to submit the documents, I was told it would take them up to 20 working days to give me my Initial Accreditation. Unfortunately, their offices were shut down over Christmas and New Year, not re-opening until 8th of the January. The 20 days wouldn’t start until then. This wasn’t ideal as I was due to start teaching on 29th January. When term rolled around, my Initial Accreditation still had not arrived, meaning a colleague had to sit in on my first lesson. Consequently, the Headmaster contacted NESA to ask for the Initial Accreditation to be expedited, and the very next day, it came through. Subsequently, by Term 2, I had finished my NESA Proficient Teacher Accreditation. This was relatively easy compared to completing the PGCE and NQT portfolios I did in 2015-16. I recommend doing this early in your Australian teaching career; it may result in you being eligible for a nice pay rise from your school.

Tax File Number

Your Tax File Number (TFN) is the personal reference number you use for tax and superannuation. It is provided by the Australian Taxation Office Although you can work before receiving one, this should be one of your top priorities as you will be charged a much higher tax rate until you give your TFN to your employer. You can only apply for one once in Australia. Some of the top searches on Google are websites purporting to help you apply for one, at a price. Some look legitimate, but don’t be fooled. You can apply for your TFN for free here. The letter with your number will take about two weeks to arrive.

Taxes on Investments & Property Outside of Australia

Whilst preparing your visa application, and subsequently readying to emigrate, it’s easy to overlook taxation of your assets at home. You pay tax on them in your country, so surely, they won’t be taxed in Australia too, right? Unfortunately, they are. Whilst Australia does have double taxation agreements with various countries, when you become a resident in Australia, you can be taxed on profits from investments worldwide. As neither a financial advisor nor an accountant, I’m not qualified to go into too much detail about this. However, you should be aware that you can even be charged capital gains tax on holdings within tax-free investment accounts such as the UK’s ISAs. On the other hand, you can also qualify for tax deductions on rental properties abroad based on Australian tax laws, although first, you have to pay for a depreciation report from an Australian quantity surveyor. The good news is that paying for this report can be claimed on your tax returns the following tax year. The Australian tax year runs from 1st July – 30th June.

Most Australians consult a tax agent or accountant before lodging their tax returns. The good news is that several specialise in taxation in both Australia and other countries. PriceWaterhouseCooper advises on Personal International Tax for those relocating to Australia and there are various other companies specialising in both Australia and other individual countries. One example is bdhTax , who are registered tax agents in both the UK and Australia. If you have time, I would advise you to look into this before moving to Australia as it may affect what you do with your investments before making the move.

Saving Money in Australia

Australia isn’t cheap. Like many other countries, there are a variety of reward schemes linked to different shops. Two of the main ones are Flybuys (Coles and others) and Everyday Rewards (Woolworths and others). Aldi is a significantly cheaper option than both Woolworths and Coles but lacks the depth of product range of the big two and also has no reward scheme.

In addition to these Reward points, many Australians also use Shopback, a cashback reward system available online or as an app which can get you discounts and cashback for a range of stores and services, from Coles and Booking.com to your local coffee shop. Shopback does this by facilitating payments themselves or by offering discounts on coupons etc. You can use the link above get $5 off your first online purchase. Many chains and independent shops allow you to pay via Shopback and I’d recommend it. The cashback adds up.

Besides that, your employer likely offers an employee scheme such as Reward Gateway which can get you discounts on shop gift cards, restaurants, cinemas and many others. Again, these discounts can really add up, so always check before making large purchases. I was able to get a 5% discount on IKEA gift cards, 10% with JB Hi-Fi and have also regularly used it for cheaper cinema tickets with HOYTS.

Final Thoughts

Both the application and the move were stressful, not to mention expensive, but overall I’m enjoying it here. I think the above just about covers everything in my experience of moving to Australia. This was correct as of October 2024, but things change. If anything is incorrect, please let me know or if you have any other questions, I’m happy to answer in the comments below or by email.

Wishing you the best of luck in your move to Australia!