We're about to apply over the next week, so I'll post a comment here once we've done it.

OK, we finally got around to doing this today. It turned out to be very simple - all you need to do is fill out the Medicare enrolment form (available at any Medicare office, or online from this page: http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhealth/our_services/medicare/about_medicare/enrol_eligibility.shtml). Take the form along with your passport(s) (one for each person who will appear on the card), and two supporting documents to a) prove your Australian address and b) to show that you intend to reside in Australia to your local Medicare office (you can find your local office online here: http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhealth/where_to_find_us/mol.shtml). We took along our tenancy agreement and a contents insurance letter, and this made it easy to meet the requirement. Hope that helps!

We wanted to do this as soon as we arrived (as it is a handy form of identification) and were living with family so hadn't signed a lease or got insurance yet. What we needed in this case was a letter acknowledging our resignation from work and evdience of closed bank account in New Zealand. We managed to get all our ID - medicare card, drivers licence, bank cards, Tax file number, etc all sorted in the first week of arriving.

Some people make it hard for you to get your Medicare card - if you have trouble, you might want to try another Medicare Office. Someone I know was refused even when their application was sent for processing at head office, but tried a different medicare office the next time and got approved on the spot. In general, the more documentation you provide, the easier it is.

While we are talking about applying for Medicare etc, can anyone tell me what this "blue card" business is all about please?

There are 2 types of "blue cards" in australia, 1 is a "general safety induction card" which every person intending to work on any construction site must have, it is quite simple to obtain and only involves sitting a halfday course and correctly answering questions at the end, but because there is a fee (usually $80-$100) they do not let u fail. The second "blue card" is a "child safety card", any one wishing to deal with children either working(daycare, teacher etc..) or volunteer(little athletics, coaching...) must first obtain 1 of these cards, it is basically a police backround check on you to make sure you're not dodgey or have any previous bad history working with children, there is also a fee with this card usually around $30 and just requires you to fill out a form stating your name and 3 previous addressess

For Perth: Make sure that when you apply for a medicare card that everyone you register for is present for ID verification. I went in on my own to apply for hubby and myself and was told he had to be present. Documentation we took: drivers license/cashflow cards/wage slips & passports. You also need to have a stat declaration formed filled out and signed. We went to our bank to witness the declaration for us. Also make sure that the address you fill in on the medicare form is the same address as your drivers license/wage slips etc.

Hi Abby, to find out whether or not you are (or will/will not be) a resident of Australia for tax purposes you will need to refer to the ATO criteria. You can find a few examples here, which will help you apply the guidelines to your personal situation: http://ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/36280.htm. Hope that helps!

Also, you can find a good overview of the residency test here on the ATO site: http://ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/64131.htm

Also, get an accountant once you're here. There is a Tax incentive for NZ'ers (not sure of other countries) where if you can show that you are not intending to stay over 3 years (or planning to return home after 3 years) then you can get a certain portion of your income tax free (or tax back). Also check the site as mentioned above by kiwi_in_oz - as if you keep all of your receipts/log book etc you can claim back from teh govt expenses such as clothes required for you to do your job. My partner is a labourer working all day in teh sun, so we claim right down to sunscreen and sunglasses.

From what I have read about this, new migrants from NZ (since 26th Feb 2001) generally need to become an Australian permanent resident to receive any social security payments, and then there is a two year waiting period from the point of becoming a resident. Here is a link to a one page PDF information brochure from Centrelink Australia (the NZ equivalent of Work and Income): http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/filestores/int024_0607/$file/int024_0607en.pdf

Im a kiwi looking at the move, and have contacted centrelink re: family support, and yes, kiwis still qualify for this payment, both part a and part b, its called family tax credit in oz.

heres the link to centrelink that explains residence requirements
http://myaccount.centrelink.gov.au/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4g38nUDSYGYjvqRaCJGvk6YYj5IYr4e-bmpQJlIc6CAaVCIfoh-pLN-kL63foB-QW5oaES5oYWjo6IiANMgdgc!/delta/base64xml/L0lDVE83b0pKN3VhQ1NZWW9LVVEhL29Gb2dBRUlRaENFTVloQ0dJUUlTRkNJQWdBR2Nad1dFQVFCZy80QjFpY29uUVZ3R3hPVVRvSzc5WVE3RG1HNFJBLzdfMF81UlQvMTY4L29yaWdpbmFsQWN0aW9uLyUwaW50ZXJuZXQlMGludGVybmV0Lm5zZiUwcGF5bWVudHMlMHF1YWxfcmVzX2Z0YmEuaHRt#7_0_5RT

To qualify for family support do you have to be on a low salary?

We are not Australian Residents and recieved Family Tax Benefit. There are 2 types - Part A which is given if you earn under a certain amount - for 1 child it is about $95,000 per year (but check the above websites). We earned about $80,000 per annum and got around $17 fortnight Family Tax Benefit Part A. Part B is applicable where the income of one of the parents is reduced after the arrival of the child. My husband was a stay-at-home Dad so his income pre-kids to after kids is assessed to give you the amount of Family Tax Benefit Part B. You might be wondering why we bothered to claim such a small benefit - the big benefit for us is a thing called the Medicare Safety Net - if you are a receiptent of Family Tax Benefit and your out-of-pocket medical expenses are over $500 per year (only cetain expenses count) then the government gives you 90% of all your out of pocket expenses.

Hi, can someone help if Im getting a family assistance straight away if we move to Oz? or do I have to wait for how long? My husband is going there to find a job but I dont want to go together because Im not sure if we're gettng some support straight away for my 3 girls all under 5.
Should we go together or wait til my husband settle there??

So you are saying that you are an Australian citizen and you are moving back to Australia to live?

Exactly. Do you know where i need to go, or what i have to do to become a permanent resident again?

So long as you haven't renounced your Australian citizenship (or lost it in some other way) and your Australian passport is current, you don't need to do anything other than use your Australian passport to return to Australia, according to this page: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/95documents.htm. Because you are a citizen, you have automatic right of entry to your home country :)

Thanks for that. It's cleared up a lot for me. Do you know what i must do once i get to Australia
to inform of my new permanent address? Is it CenterLink? Thanks for your help. Great site.

You can search schools in the area you want on this link: http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/directory/

You can search by different categories,one being geographic area. This link is only for
Queensland schools so you have to try googling schools on google.com.au if you are in another state.

Some suburbs in the Ipswich area are dodgy. There are a few nicer ones, but have a good drive around before you settle!!

I also found that www.ourbrisbane.com.au has a good section on each Brisbane suburb and the schools there.

we moved to ausie about a year ago and we lived in ipswich for 5 mths and we found the schools there very bad we now live on the sunshine coast and the schools here are great my kids couldint be happeir

Hi Zack. If you haven't seen this already, check out this page of the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS): http://www.dotars.gov.au/roads/safety/bulletin/importing.aspx. It has a lot of info about importing cars to Australia and talks about New Zealand migrants.

My partner and I imported our Mitsibushi Evo 5, and it cost us an arm & a leg - BUT, over here there are not alot of preformance vehicles and the car value shot through the roof - only down side was finding someone to insure it!! Best thing to do before importing would be to look online at purchasing a vehicle (secondhand: www.drive.com.au - sites also have pre-lease cars and show cars) or the respective brands sites, and work out whether it would be adventageous to bring the car in - or to sell and buy here.

WARNING - There are alot of DODGY car salesman, and ads in the paper promoting to "new arrivals" - BEWARE, friends of ours got sucked in by horrible people at TOYOTA FRANKSTON! These guys will do anything to get a sale - even if it places you in a situation where you cannot afford repayments!

i have a car here and would be very interested in moving it over... what happens if there is still security on the car? i dont mind paying it by putting money into my NZ bank account every month. could somebody who has actually done it email me about how exactly u moved it and how much it cost? i would really appreciate it.am moving to sydney in about a month - courtsjoe@gmail.com

You will have to check with your finance company, but because the security (vehicle) is not in New Zealand, they will not let you take it with you without first paying out the debt. This is because if you miss a repayment they cannot repossess the vehicle. We looked at taking our BMW with us and the cost was around $10,000 plus luxury vehicles tax. Our bank said we would have to refinance against our mortgage to take the vehicle. In the end we have decided to sell. The cost to replace the car in Oz was less than the cost of the car plus transport.

Hi ya,my fam & i are relocating to melbourne very soon.My partners job is paying for all moving cost etc,included in that is our vehicle can also be shipped @ their cost...My question is, would we be able to get it financed frm there, to pay off the NZ finance company?

From what I have read you are not able to receive a benefit of any sort, other than family assistance until you have resided as a permanent resident for a minimum of two years. If you plan on applying for a job immediately then you will be able to apply straight away for some childcare assistance and family support payments. See the Centrelink website for details

You cannot get any benefit, but you can work and get family assistance. But, if you are getting child support from your childrens father, it is classed as income and you will get less family assistance.

Hi there.
Im a mother of one child and am pregnant at the moment. I hope to move over to melbourne to have my second child there. I am not with the father of my first child but i have a partner now that is going to support me, my daughter & our unborn child. Am i able to receive any benefit of some sort? Im not sure what to do and this is a big move for my family

I don't know where the above information came from, but it seems to be INCORRECT!! The dpb is not the same as an unemployment benefit.

Please refer to the following WINZ booklet "Are you going overseas" for more specific info - and let me know how you go!

We have just moved over, Feb 09, you are entitled to Family Assistance, which is kinda like a payment for the children. You are paid per child and it is dependent on how much income you have coming in. You may also be entitled to Rent Assistance (like accom supplement). You are not however entitled to anything else until you have officially been a resident in Australia for 2 years

even after 2yrs you won't qualify for any benefits. Kiwis can live and work here indefinitely but are not considered permanent residents. If you are not skilled you will not be able to get permanent residence unless you marry an aussie or upskill to a job considered good enough for permanent residence. You have to pay for any uni or polytec (tafe) courses upfront as we cant even get a student loan. We have been here for 5yrs and hubby is a truckie and I work in a supermarket and have been told by immigration to separate and marry aussies cause if we can't afford to upskill then we will never qualify as our jobs are not good enough to get PR. Even when we have been here all our working lives we won't qualify for a pension after retirement and will have to have all the money to support us in the bank as the govt won't help us even after paying taxes here most of our adult lives.

We moved over last December. We shipped our stuff over with NZ Vanlines. They were awesome. We looked at whether it was better to ship our stuff over of buy new. The majority of our stuff was new, so it was better to ship it over. If you have older stuff and will need to replace it in the next few years, you might be better off selling it and buying new over here. Most things are cheaper here.

We used Quantas air freight for excess baggage and valueables (photos, clothes, small house items) cost is all based on weight, and you pay a one off fee, in NZ, then a one off fee in Auzzie. We shipped about 110kilos and it was $1.98 per kilo. Then we brought over our bulk items (bed, Plasma, Lounge Suite, couple boxes of Kithen items) with ausmove by container - took 6 weeks, but only cost us $1,000. You wouldnt believe the price of furniture, and electronics here - so you will probably be better off selling your stuff on trademe and going throug the excitement of buying new!

So in regards to that comment i suppose it would be the same for a invilad parent as well wanting to transfer from new zealand? I just repled to centre link for a reply, and see how i go, i have one son and wish to move over to Aussie from nz

Hi we shifted to Brisbane from Napier in Dec, got three moving prices and went with Crown Relocations. As we had mainly new geaar, we brough it all over - we used a 20ft container -all up cost including insurance and unpacking at our end was $8600.
Fully recommned Crown
Peter

Hey all. We moved from NZ to Sydney Jan 09 and sent 200 odd kg through Qantas unaccompanied baggage which cost around NZD$500 and AUD$75 on pick up at Sydney international cargo. This is a super cheap way to get your gear over, but you must pick up the gear yourself as this is personal property. If you can use a company's adress as end address, then you can use a freight forwarder to send to final destination. You can take anything as unaccompanied freight, as long as one item/package doesnt exceed 32kg and it is not deemed to be for commercial use

If you want to pick up your unaccompanied baggage when you arrive at your destination, be sure you send it at least five days before your departure.

We shipped our things with NZ Vanlines received our quote of 2.5k wih was great as or lounge suite itself 1yr old was 3.5k we had alot of quality materialistic items that we would not be able to sell anywhere near the price.
took 70% of our house for 2.5k which was a great deal, however 2 boo boo's from Palmerston Nth Vanlines.

1. forgot to factor my grandmothers cabinet very old large and sentimental they included it at no additional cost when I noticed (rectified)
2. gave us a 4week window with quarantine we arrived 3weeks later to Melbourne it hadnt left NZ took an additional 2mths for our things to be released.

No apology deduction or explaination. (not rectified)

Query everything apart from that above they are very polite.

If you are a NZ citizen, you are eligible for the first home owners grant as long as you or anyone else buying the house with you hasn't had the grant in the past. Also, be aware that if you have owned a house anywhere in the world (including NZ), you will have to pay stamp duty. This is the fact for QLD, but different states might differ, so check it out. In QLD, it is 1% of the houses value up to $320,000 then it goes up.

what is stamp duty?

Stamp duty is another government tax - it's a way they make money from all the real estate deals going on.

can you get this straight away or do you ahve to wait for four years?

You can get it right away, if you are eligible. It has just been increased to a maximum of AUD$26,000, depending on which state you live in. See here for more info: http://www.firsthome.gov.au/

Hi Clint - yes, you do under most (all?) circumstances. The Australian equivalent on an IRD number is a Tax File Number (TFN) and it is discussed elsewhere on this page. See this link: http://movetoaustralia.net/frequently-asked-questions/#living3 for more info about how to apply for one.

Best thing to do is apply for one before you leave NZ on the site as above. Once you are here you can only work 28 days on your normal tax bracket (as calculated by your employer) before they have to tax you at 45%!!!! tax offie is alot more efficient in answering the phone than NZ - but it took us 20 days to get our TFN's and I was getting nervous!!

As I understand it you have to actually be on Australian soil before you can apply for a TFN. So can't apply until you get there.

Yeah..Ive been trying to get TFN online here in NZ....so we dont have to wait 2-3 weeks jobless ova there....the site TFN sayz.. I MUST be in Oz before applying...what's the use of online form's...when I applied online ..i figured, they must no, your'e not in OZ wen you put passport number in???..has anyone else tried and succeded?? HELP

and this site is AWSUMMM and has helPed us OUT heaps.....thankz

I am still trying to find a non spam site that will let me apply online for a TFN(tax file number) without me being in Australia.As I don't want to be jobless when I get over there waiting gor a couple of weeks for the TFN.
Does anyone have any suggestions please help!!

You do have to wait until you are in Australia to get a tax file number. If you go in( not sure where? - court house/ council maybe?) you get your tax file number on the spot.

I know someone who was looking into it and it was going to cost around $4000 for the shipping etc. Then there was insurance on top and then the cost of getting it road worthy in Aus. They say it isn't worth it unless you have a unique car that is worth a lot of $$. Fords and Holdens are cheap here.

You also need to pay a % percentage of teh landed value, plus fumigation of teh container once it is in customs, you then pay customs duty, and it sometimes depends on who you get at customs this end! As me!! said above - ensure you have investigated the value your car will be once it gets here, becasue it is expensive!!!

Yes you can. See this page of the NZ Department of Internal Affairs for instructions: http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Passports-Index?OpenDocument. New Zealand has a passport office in Sydney that makes it easier to renew your passport (or attain new passports for kids etc) while you are living in Australia.

Yes you can. We have been in Sydney for a year and my passport just expired. We went onto the NZ Passport site and downloaded the Application for New Passport Form - You have to make sure you download the form for your area -for us it was Sydney. For the part where you have to get someone to ID your photo and fill out the page, make sure you get someone in OZ who
1.has known you for at least 12 months AND
2.has a NZ passport - that is much easier.
Otherwise you have to find a person who has known you for 12 months WHO ALSO fits one of the occupations such as JP, Minister of Religion, Teacher, Lawyer etc.. While we were at the Sydney Passport Office, a woman had her Application declined, becos she got a JP as her witness, but the JP had not known her for 12 months or more.
It takes 10 days for the application to be processed or you can pay $324 for an urgent application which takes 3 days. Becos I had proof of a close family bereavement in NZ and my flight was booked that evening (to fly with other family members) they waived the 3 day requirement and processed my application that day!!

You will need to keep you business identity in NZ. You pay tax in whichever country the business is created. If you invoice your NZ customers and they pay freight, then pay their invoice into your australian bank account (beware - international transfer fees!) then you pay the Australian govt tax etc - but if you keep the accounts/transactions in nz then you will need to continue NZ Tax and GST payments. Another point is Taxes vary - best site is ATO.gov.au

Yes, absolutely! We had no relatives in Melbourne when we shifted and we used references from NZ in our rental application. Everything went fine - we didn't have any delays just because we were kiwis. Our experience is that people don't treat kiwis much differently (if at all) from Aussie citizens for things like tenancy applications etc. They're more concerned with the usual issues that apply to everyone - like whether or not you can afford the rent and what your credit rating is like etc.

Thank you very much for the prompt answer, much appreciated.

Hi, im planning on moving to aussie in a few months too....with renting is it difficult to rent with NZ references? also how can they check your credit rating?

hi does your good or bad credit rating follow u over to oz when you move over

I guess if u provide more evidence your worthy of renting a property over their then i guess it gives them a better chance of accepting u i guess im reading diffrent sites to get a pre understanding of what i'd need because i wish to move to Australia

in our experience, you have to have proof of income here in australia, some agencies prefer proof of income for at least 3 months. So yes you can rent on arrival, but probably only if you have a job set up before you come over. You will need your contract stating pay p/f.

My husband and I have owned our own home for over 25 years and therefore do not have any references for renting a house in Oz. Is it possible and if so, how do you rent a place if without any references.

Hi there. This link should have all the info you need: http://www.ird.govt.nz/studentloans/overseas/while-away/repayment-from-overseas/

I wanted to view the above link but was redirected to this part of IRD website:

Page not available
The page you are trying to access does not exist on the Inland Revenue website

We have recently expanded and re-organised our website, so many of the old pages have been moved.

You might like to start at our new home page, try the Search engine above, or use the navigation links at the top of this page to find what you are after.

The Site map page describes the way our site's content is arranged.

Alternatively, you might like to try one of the following links to our main areas of the site:

Individuals & families
Businesses & employers
Not for profit groups
Non-residents & visitors
If you have reached this page by following a link on our website rather than using a bookmark, please take a moment to e-mail the General comments form with the details of the page you were trying to access.

For further help
Complete an information request form with the details of what you are looking for
If your question is about your account or for personal information please register to use our Send and Receive Mail service.

You can read a pdf about it here: http://www.ird.govt.nz/forms-guides/title/forms-s/ir223-guide-sl-goingoverseas.html?id=righttabs

We have rented our 2 houses out in Whangarei and you cannot claim against your tax in Australia. You can claim all your expenses against the rental back in NZ, however you have to wait until you have NZ income to offset it against. At the moment you are better to sell and take advantage of the First Home Owners grant if you are intending on staying here permanently.

The above information isn't actually correct. We are keeping our house in Timaru and will be renting it out. We contacted the Australian Tax Office and they said you are able to write the property off against your Australian income but it must be converted to Australian dollars for tax purposes eg: $NZ250 = $AU200 therefore you claim $200 dollars. You cannot double dip by claiming it in NZ as well. You can claim one trip per annum to visit the property (not including the trip to Queenstown) and any depreciations. If you have owned a house in NZ you will not get the first home owners grant in Australia. My dad's a property developer and his advice was to keep the house in NZ as you are going to lose a lot of money on the transfer of funds and houses are more expensive in Australia especially on the eastern seaboard.

Hi Mary. Yes - Australia has the same voltage rating etc as New Zealand. All of our computer and stereo equipment, and appliances that we brought over from NZ work fine. Your TV might not be worth it though as HDTV capable TVs are pretty cheap over here (especially at JB Hi-Fi). We got a new 42" plasma from there for AUD$1,300 and you can get them cheaper than that now. Phones work well too - but you will need to get a different lead to the wall socket as the phone jacks are different here in Aussie.

We bought a 50" in melbourne for $2000 from Panasales, and got a FREE PS3 and portable DVD player - you wouldnt believe the electrical prices!!!

From what we've researched, you can move as easily as any other NZ citizen. Your NZ passport is your ticket to the special category visa that allows you to work and live in Australia indefinitely. Some might say 17 years is long enough to have earned it!

A friend of a friend planned that as soon as he got his NZ passport he was gone.
He had all his passport papers pre-filled in and as soon as he got his certificate he applied the next day. A week after he got his passport he left. No worries. There is no stipulation about how long you have been a NZ citizen before you can enter Oz.

You should be fine with some general character references. When we applied for our rental they were fairly relaxed about the types of references provided. The most important things were credit checks etc. Surely others reading this have been in the same situation?

If you have sold your house you can use your estate agent as a reference. I think they may be asked what state your house was in for sale (i.e. clean and tidy or run down and dirty).

We were in the same situation, having not rented for many years and having no references, so we offered three months rent up front and got a house no problem.

We were in the same situation. We submitted a copy of our most recent land rates and NZ phone bill with our names and address on it. We also got a copy of the Certificate of Title for the property which showed how long we had owned the property. We are renting our NZ house but if you sell it, the agents here ask for the details of the real estate agents who handled the sale. The agents looked pretty favourably on us becos we had owned our own house.

From what I understand there is no wof required but you will have to register your car which is very pricey. $880 AUD for one year which can be paid in 2x 6 month installments. The cost of registering your car includes third party insurance for your car so that mean you are covered if you hit someone for the cost of repairs on their car, not yours though.

Also - you are only allowed to drive on your NZ licence for 3 months, then you must transpose the licence to the state licence. You generally have to submit the licence - but we requested that we keep hold of them as a form of ID and they were good with that, just make sure you ask.

Just to add to what Kirsty has provided - the Thrid Party coverage in the car registration covers Legal Liability. In Australia if you are at fault in an accident you can be sued - for medical expenses, lost wages, damages to property, etc. The CTP Compulsory Third Party is to protect you up to $1 million if you are sued. In reality you still need comprehensive car insurance and the car insurance companies do offer lower premiums for a "fire and theft" policy.

In Queensland car registration is around $600 and you do not need to surrender your NZ drivers licence to get a Queensland drivers licence.

Used car prices are much higher in Australia than in New Zealand, due to the lack of overseas imports. We sold a Toyota Celica with 50,000kms for $3500 when we left and paid $7000 for a Toyota Corolla with 95,000kms and 3 years older.

There is no WOF like system in Queensland - I can't comment on the other States. But there has been talk recently of introducing something. The police are tasked with identifiy cars that are not road worthy. I have heard there used to be road side inspections for this but with the poice being so busy with other things they have not happened for years.

Would u need to surrender your drivers licence if u moved to nsw?

You don't need to surrender your licence in Perth or Melbourne. Car rego in Perth is AUD $458.00, this also covers Third Party insurance. There is no WOF here but cars are expensive in Australia compared to NZ. Also when you buy you have to pay stamp duty, this is invoiced when the change of name is done.

my husband got his NSW licence on our arrival (feb 09) and did not have to surrender his nz licence, nor was he asked to. he paid $150 for a 5 years licence.

I think you can get a blue card online before you even arrive in Australia, try googling blue card online.

You can sit the test for this online before you even leave NZ, check out the Australian Master Builders website. It's called white/blue card which is a safety awareness training certificate that anyone must have before they can even step onto a building site of any kind. Here are some tips from a recent newspaper article. Contact Master Builders in Australia before leaving NZ, even if it's only a few weeks in advance. Go to where the work is - contact Master Builders for details of potential employers before leaving. Be prepared to put in some extra work in NZ to meet some of the Australian carpentry requirements. For example, being able to pitch a roof is an elective here, whereas in Australia it is a requirement, which means proof that the person can carry out the task is needed. So, if you contact Master Builders in advance it will no doubt save you lots of time and money. They can help get the ball rolling for you. Good Luck!

We used Qualified Pet Services at Takanini near the airport.Our 2 cats boarded there while we were house hunting in Brisbane,then they arranged the flight and sent them over.Excellent service

What Did Was the Total Cost For Send Your Cats As I Have A Cat That I Want To Take With Me To Sydney.

I used a great company called Katz n K9z (http://www.katznk9z.co.nz/) to move my large Rottweiller cross from Dunedin to Perth. It cost about $2000 for everything and Nikki was great organizing everything. It is worthwhile getting lots of quotes (check in the yellow pages under pet transporters) and also ask at any kennels or catteries near you for recommendations as theymay have dealt with them before.

A word of warning - make sure you know exactly the time and date your pet is arriving. The airline is supposed to call you and confirm which flight they are on, but Air NZ is notorious for not doing this.

How long was your dog with Nikki? Was a cage provided for the flight or do you have to provide your own? We have a Newfoundland very large dog do the airlines go by weight/size of the dog?

I just moved 3 dogs and 1 cat, ChCh to Melbourne. Dogs were GSD, Boxer and a small and a cat. I supplied cages for the small and had crates built for the two big dogs...which you keep. Whole cost incl boarding for few days prior, taken to airport to meet our flight and all checks and paperwork in place and cat microchipped cost 2500.00. It was a case of the more the merrier in my case. This was all through Shaune at pet Move Christchurch... Highly recommend to anyone.

Hey all. We shipped two dogs to Sydney, 1 Foxy & 1 Newfoundland (75kg) all up $2300. We used Dogtainers Airfreight NZ Ltd. We dealt with a girl named Hayley and she was amazing!!!!. She really went out of her way to meet our needs and I cant speak highly enough of her and the job she did for us.Ph: 09) 256 0999

If you have a re-home or cat/dog with no papers/registration/vaccination records, you will need to get the pets blood screened for Ehrlichia canis and Leishmaniasis. This will cost $300 and the results will take about a week so make sure you get this sorted early on in the piece.

We have moved animals both ways, but more recently a cat to Brisbane in 2007. Had to board her for a month before we left and it cost about $1100 all up including all the vet checks etc. Used place in Drury
called Southern Comfort country kennels. They were great.

We have also shipped our pets both ways. It was miles cheaper to send them from Christchurch to Melbourne that it was from Melbourne to Christchurch! We used JetPets on the way over and Global Pets on the way back. Who did we prefer? JetPets were okay but Global Pets were brilliant. They were absolutely wonderful - explained everything and went out of their way to save money for us. Watch out for the companies that charge extra for weekends and early flights!

I think it would be the same, at the end of the day you couuld just say you were going on a holiday and not go home. I believe the reason they like you to say is for statistic purposes

My partner had drink driving convictions which I was also worried about - but I agree with teh above response. Unless your partner is an axe murderer or a terrorist - you will be fine.

Hi, (not sure how old this question is) My partner did the honest thing and on the customs or entry declaration you fill in on the plane before arriving, he ticked the box 'yes' that asks if you have had any criminal convictions (his were for 20 years ago and relatively minor). After that he was only granted a limited visa to enter and had to apply for a visa every time he wanted to visit. When we looked at moving over there I was advised by an immigration lawyer in Brisbane that he would not get permanent entry even after a lot of research. I would advise you to check this out thoroughly before making any committments.

This page has some more information about moving to Australia with criminal convictions (see question number 2): http://www.australia.org.nz/wltn/VisaFAQ.html

My husband had a minor criminal conviction - we wrote to the Australian Consultate in Auckland giving permission for them to investigate my husbands criminal record. They provided us a letter stating that "your convictions do not bring you within the definition of a 'behaviour concern non-citizen'", furthermore "You should be aware, however that this letter is no a guarantee of entry to Australia as the decsion to grand or refuse a Special Category visa is on that is made at the time of entry to Australia". The woman at Immigration did give my husband a bit of a hard time when he arrived but still let us in. We have been in and out of Australia a few times since with no problem.

we are looking at moving to australia in the nex 10 months and are organising every thing now. we have been stopped in our tracks thanks to this website(which is a good thing) as my partner has some miner drug offences which date back over 15 years also about 4 yrs ago go charged and fined for comen assult which was family orentated. how would this affect his chances of perment residincy in australia as we were really looking forward to a new start in a new country

can ne1 actually tell me if there are any restrictions.i have got alot on my criminal record and have been to jail for 2weeks but i would like to know what it would take for me to get in there and if i can

Just been looking up info about convictions and moving to Aussie. Try having a look at this link: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/79character.htm I have two drink driving convictions and was a bit worried myself. But depending on the severity of the conviction, you might be okay. Check it out anyway.
P.s. Awesome site guys, thinking of moving to Perth in Feb09 and have found this site to be invaluable.

All the websites say the SCV is recorded electronically and not in the passport - so how does it work when we come back to NZ for a holiday and go back again, do we say we're already living there or have to get another SCV (even though that's not a hassle) Also, how does an employer then know that you're not just a visitor or does it just not matter which Visa you have for a Kiwi citizen?? When you get to immigration with a card ticked that you're staying and not just visiting are there more & different questions?

I really need help! My partner was sentence for two years in jail for something he did when he just turned 18. This was 15 years ago. He never did the sentence, as it was his first offence. However he can not enter Australia without applying for a visa. I have done a lot of reading to get some ideas. Still we are stuck. We are thinking of applying for student visa and see how we go from there. Has anybody made it on Australian shores with a criminial conviction? If so...what did you do and how long does it take? I am now in Australia with our son and now waiting...if we knew before hand i would have not moved over. If his visa does go through before i receive an answer i will keep you posted.

Hi there - my partner was sent back to NZ as he had criminal convictions 10 years ago - I have remained here in Oz, we are trying to work out which visa he should apply for so let me know if you come up with one that gets him in - its pretty frustrating trying to work out which one he needs to apply for.

are you sure that is all the ciminal convictions your partner had to christine

I have a drink driving conviction, a drug posessions (minor) conviction, a drug pariphanalia conviction and wilful damage convictions
I just recently disclosed my criminal convictions to the Australian embassy for analysis before entry to Australia and two weeks later I received a letter form the embassy advising me I am eligible for the Special Categories Visa which is the same visa anyone else from NZ without convictions would get. All I have to do is tick the box in Australia advising of convictions and show them my letter, easy!!
Ensure you do as I have done as I just recently read an article about the Australian government requesting NZ criminal records as recently several NZers have been deported due to criminal convictions they did not disclose upon arrival in OZ.

I recently when to Oz for a holiday i am 21 and have some a criminal record with some serious recent offences i wasn't sent to jail but not far off & managed to get in i sent the form in disclosing my convictions & also got the letter about getting a SVC but this was not confirming i would be allowed in but everything whent ok i was stopped at customs & spoken to for about 30mins.

we moved to Melbourne Nov 08 and my husband has convictions from 20years ago, he ticked the box on the plane saying he had convictions and they interviewed him and let him in, I think it depends on your convictions and it does make a difference if you have been in jail for longer than 2 years. (that was the information we were given).

I am looking at moving to Melbourne from NZ and also have a criminal conviction in regards to benefit fraud. No previous drug or drunk driving convictions. And im also paying the debt back to the Ministry of Social Development after spending 10months on home detention. Would this conviction (the one and only i have) prevent me from living in Australia? I would say that I am of NO RISK to the country...Ive heard of people going over there with more convictions that are way over my head and managing to make it in and stay...How does this work? I have sent away the consent to disclose forms and am waiting on a reply from the Australian Consulate General. But any addtional info would be muchly appreciated!!!! I dont wanna get a one way ticket and find out that I have limited time and need to return to NZ......

I think if you have your baby in Australia you get a one off payment, try looking at centrelink website.

I've been told that you can still get a lump payment up to the babies age of 6 months, even if they were born in New Zealand.

But having a baby over there is not the same as here. Yes you do get a 1 of payment, but you do not get paid maternity leave. The amount of money you get in maternity leave in NZ is equal to the lump sum in AU

you can get the baby bonus up until the baby is 24 weeks, regardless of whether born in nz or australia. good friends of ours moved over when their baby was 4 weeks old, and got a pleasant surprise in their bank account. they queried it as they did not want to have to repay it if it were a mistake, they were told that they were entitled to it as they were kiwis and baby was under 24weeks old.

Up until Jan 2009, the baby bonus was paid as a lump sum, approx. AUD$5100, this is now paid in 13 fortnightly installments, this bonus is paid per child, so if you have twins, etc, you get double. This also applies if you adopt a child. You do have to be an Australian resident but this includes Kiwis on a New Zealand passport as long as they have an Aussie address, and payment is subject to an income test. Another change is you're given 52 weeks from the date of birth to lodge a claim, the best place to check all this out is www.familyassist.gov.au

Hi there

very informative site. Quick question about the lump sum payment. My fiancee is Kiwi I am a NZ permanaent resident, would we be entitled to the payment, i.e. is it suffiecient for just one parent to be a NZ citizen?

Many of the moving companies can organise this for you....at a price I might add. It usually means you have to import the car and could cost around $6,000+. So if you think it is worth the cost, just email some of the international moving companies in your area.

You can request a copy of your Australian credit history online using sites like this: http://www.mycreditfile.com.au/home/home_default.aspx. They charge AUD 27.00 for the service. I'm not sure if you can obtain a copy for free like you can in NZ under recent law changes. Anybody else know?

You can get a free credit file listing your credit histiory and any defaults from: www.vedaadvantage.com.au - they can do NZ & Aus also.... Have a squiz...

Best thing would be to look into licence requirements in the state you are moving to. In all instances if you are on a full in NZ you can get it changed over here to a Full auzzie. BUT - if you are on restricted there are various rules/regulations around what you can & can't do. Also Restricted drivers must have a "P" displayed on their car which means you cant drive outside hours etc.

My friend was on his restricted in NZ and moved to SYD and was put on his P plates. BUT... because he had been driving 4 years in NZ he automatically got his AU full licence instead.

If at all possible get your full licence before you come over - it will be much easier for you.

My brother moved to Brisbane on his NZ Restricted and got his full Aussie Licence automatically

My friend recently moved to Perth on her restricted, because she had had it for a few years all she had to do was fill out a form and they gave her a Full license!

Perth - All you need is your NZ licence fill in the forms, pay a fee, do an eye test, take a photo then a temporay licence will be issued until your actual card is posted.

what about a nz learners license wat would i get?have had for a few years?

hey can anyone tell me about melbourne im on my full licence for classes 1 to 5. car and truck how much does it cost and do u have to sit ur tests again?

thanks

i have my NZ full licence, to get it changed to an Aussie full licence will it cost? if so how much? are the rules in aUssie very different?

hi can anyone help me, i am thinking on moving back to aussie. i was in brisbane in 1992 or93, i got my full mc license there now im disquilified in nz, can i just renew my license in perth or not. thanx.

In victoria you cannot drive until you are 18years of age, it doesnt matter if you have a full nz licence or not. I have a 18 year old who has a full nz licence and he can only get his "P" plate here as you have to hold your "P"s for 4 years.

Yes - but only for 3 months. You should check with the state related road authority (i know Victoria is www.vicroads.com.au) if you are on a full licence you should not have to re-sit the test, if you are on a restricted or limited licence you may depending on age etc.

I am planning to move to Oz too, and researched a little on credit rating from one country to another. At Expatforum.com a lady asked the same question and the response was "you get a fresh start in OZ with your credit, but that you would need to provide information at the time you apply or need to use it, my sister has just moved to Perth and they were required to produce evidence of: identity, pay slips or evidence of income ( to confirm servicablility), a bill with an address of where they were living. Voila!!!.
Hope this helps. If any other knowledge different to this hope someone posts it. Excited mover...

i am NZ Citizen i am planing to move Ausi for work and live there, but the thing is i have bad credit in New Zealand,can i go to Ausi and open bank acc and work and live.will it be a problem if i have bad credit when applying for job,do they check for credit history when i am applying for jobs in Ausi.give me ur good sujession.

It may be the case that moving from the UK, your credit history may not follow you- but moving from NZ to Aussie, it will (and visa-versa). Your credit file it actually maintained by the same entity either side of the Tasman- Veda Advantage (previously Baycorp Advantage/ Baynet). In my work a few years ago working as a credit analyst with a bank in Melbourne, several times I had customers declined loans due to defaults on their credit file that were incurred in New Zealand, prior to them arriving. Whilst credit defaults are not neccessarily grounds for a decline immediately (it may be possible to explain if for example it was a dispute relating to the usage of a mobile phone), usually it would require a very good (and plausable) explanation.

Credit files function differently in different countries- for example in the US it's a 'scoring' system where you can actually get a 'good' credit rating. In Australia and NZ however, a 'good' credit rating pretty much means that firstly you have one (have applied for credit at some stage in the past), and that nothing 'bad' has happened on it. Your credit file also lists instances where you have applied for credit, and address changes. A high frequency of either of those factors can bear negatively on a lenders' decision (ie- if you apply for say 3 credit cards in a month, it may not look good (regardless of whether those applications were even approved- which I still don't believe is tracked in the credit file yet).

With the exception of some government jobs that require security clearances, I can not really think of any jobs where your credit rating is relevant to the application process or must be provided (note- the government roles I refer to above would require you to be an Australian Citizen also, therefore are likely not be be relevant under your circumstances). I have even sofar worked in 3 banks in Aussie and never heard of your credit file being required for a job application.

Even with a bad credit file, you can open an account and conduct your day-to-day life without a problem, provided you don't need credit. Australian banks are more-and-more offering Credit Card alternatives, such as Mastercard and Visa Debit cards, linked to your normal transaction/current account. For these there are no credit limits, and no credit being extended, hence your credit file *should* be irrelevant (however I can't speak for all institutions).

Remember that in Australia, Banking and Finance is MUCH more strictly regulated than in NZ, as is Privacy legislation. Banks alone in Aussie are regulated by FOUR different government bodies. If you are applying for anything at all (job, account, or whatever), you will have to sign a consent for the company to conduct a credit check on you. With a bank this will usually be one or more paragraphs at the back of the application form, with jobs it would have to be a seperate consent form.

Hope some of this helps...

i had a loan acct and bank acct in melb and then moved back to nz and then stopped paying my monthly fees..i havent had any contact with baycorp here..I am moving back shortly to nsw am i able to open another bank acct?

Moving from NZ, your credit history stays here. So you can start fresh in australia

Thank you StuInSyd for the very helpful info. marvelous!

We had to wait for 3 months before we could apply for any credit. One of us were working and I wouldn't even try to get credit until you have been working for at least 3 months. We are with the ASB and went to the Commonwealth Bank that owns the ASB and they weren't even interested in our history with the ASB. Be warned though, if you stuff up your payments and get a bad mark against your name, that's it!! If you are coming over and are going to self employed you will need to trade for 12 months before they will even look at giving you finance for a car or a house.

my sister-in-law moved from NZ to aussie to get away from her VERRY bad credit. they tried to get a loan to buy a car and were turned down WHY... because NZ had baycorpe and it is an aussie company... and thing you do in NZ WILL affect you in aussie.... not everone will get caught. but you should. if you have stuffed up you credit it should follow you

I'm not an immigration expert but all the research I've done tells me that a special category visa (SCV), allowing New Zealanders to live and work in Australia, is only available to NZ citizens - not those who have NZ residency. Depending on your situation (your citizenship etc), it might be easiest to become a NZ citizen and then move to Australia, rather than trying to become an Australian resident through other channels. Just a thought, but it depends on how eager you are to move etc.

Yes, Iam quite confused about this too... Am a nz perm resident and been in NZ for the last 6 years and eager to move to Australia. Could someone please advice how this thing works? cheers guys.

You can move to Oz under the SCV only if you are a NZ citizen.. every one else require a proper visa to move to OZ for work / visit / tour / etc.
How soon you get your NZ citizenship after being a NZ PR holder depends on when you were granted NZ residency. If you applied for PR and were **granted** it **before Apr 21 2005** (not 100% sure abt this date.. pls check Min. of internal affairs website for more info).. it should be fairly easy to get your NZ cit. otherwise, it'll take you 5 years to get your Cit.
Hope this helps.

Hi, me and my wife and 3 children want to move over to Aus. My wife is NZ Citizen and so are my children. I am a NZ resident. How does it work then?
cheers guys

YES! You just need to be a NZ citizen to qualify for a SCV (special category visa) that will allow you to live and work in Aussie indefinitely. There are no age restrictions for obtaining an SCV.

You can legally reside and work in Australia but to become an 'Australian Permanent Resident' you need to pass the points test - the older you are the more difficult it is - you loose 1 point for every 5 years ol age. The only benefit that I can see is that becoming a Permanent Resident you can access working-age benefits and become an Australian Citizen.

It's almost impossible if you are over 45 years of age. You cannot used the skilled migration route when you are over 45. There are other categories for applying for a permanent visa - you might like to look at DIAC's website: www.immi.gov.au

Seeing as you have a job offer, you may be able to get your employer to sponsor you for a permanent visa.

But you can still come to Australia as a NZ citizen and live/work/study here indefinitely. Unless you want citizenship or social security there is not much need for you to apply for a permanent visa.

Hi,
My mother is 50 and we are looking to move to Australia permanently. She is worried about her entitlements if she doesn't have permanent residency as I understand there are some things NZ Citizens are not entitled to without residency. As her daughter, if I have residency, will that help her? I am only 23 and should be able to achieve it either on my own or through my father (they are separated). I am worried about her about her standing.
thanks

My uncle is 82 and has lived here for years. He collects his pension just like his Aussie wife as there are reciprocal rights between NZ & Oz. Same as child support, the IRD will catch up with you here thru the ATO and now if you owe money and return to NZ they will not let you back out of NZ until you have paid any outstanding money owing. Why would you want to become an Aussie anyway, the place is full of them and kiwis have a much better reputation for their work ethics.

I am 51 years old am I eligible for permenent residence

if I have an existing health problem for example Diabetes are there any benefits available to or am I eligible for any assistance

As a NZ citizen you will be eligible for Medicare if you are moving permanently to Australia. If you are only there for a short visit then you will only be eligible for emergency hospital care under the reciprocal healthcare agreement between the two countries. You can check out how to apply for a Medicare card at www.medicareaustralia.gov.au

Existing medical problems shouldn't be any problem for you moving to Australia on Special Category Visa, unless they are specific health problems which cause a public health concern (such as TB etc..) Diabetes should not be a problem. If you have diabetes you can also register on the NDSS which entitles you to access to subsidised diabetes products such as glucometer test strips and insulin injection needles. To do this, just ask your GP about it after you've gotten your Medicare card in Australia.

I am still trying to work this out as well. I rang the HECS people ( 1800-020-108 ) and they told me that the shared HECS-HELP agreement between NZ and Australia stopped in 2005. Then I rang the NZ student services people ( +6449173107 ) and they told me I could not apply for a student loan to study overseas unless it was as part of an already existing NZ tertiary program. So what gives. Do I have to wait 4 years before I can study here? Any clarification on this situation would help!

I am also looking at studying on Oz as a post grad, and as far as I can tell kiwis studying in Oz pay local student fee rates, but are not entitled to loans so you have to pay the fees up front.

I spoke to someone at the university of Sydney as well as centrelink, who both told me that NZ citizen's are unable to receive any social security payments (i.e., student loans, loans, benefits etc) unless you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident. You can, however, receive a commonwealth supported place, which means that the government will pay for a selected amount and depending on the degree you take for example Science, you will need to pay for $7400 and the rest the government pays for and this amount is paid immediately after being accepted. This also depends on whether you are approved for a commonwealth supported place, otherwise we'll have to pay around $25,000 or so for a whole year's papers.

Hope this helps

So could i work in aussie for 6 mths and apply for permanent resident and then enter a university as a resident of aussie. How do you become a permanent resident?

Yea i was looking at going to Uni over there, NZ citizens apply through the relevent states admissions centers and are selected from a teriary rank just like an australian. When you get an offer you automactically receive a commonwealth supported place.
They accept NZ university entrance and NZQA level 4 and above certificates from NZ

Hiya, i am about to move over to brisbane (in 3 weeks from today) and i have been all over this website looking for a place to stay until i can get my own. www.realestate.com.au The housing is really good and you can get a really nice flat for about 200.00 a week. That usually includes rent, power, foxtel (our version of sky digital) ADSL2 (really really fast broadband).

Depending on what part you want to live in everything is relatively cheaper and is really easy to get around if you dont have a car. There are trains and buses for africa. Hope this helps.

Its is more expensive, I think suga is still in the honey moon phase. Expect to pay at least $300 (Australian dollars) for a decent 2 bedroom . Second hand cars here are suprisingly expensive. The adsl internet suga refers to is no faster than adsl 2 back in NZ, infact it is quite often slower and has more drop outs due to the increased number of people on one phone exchange. It can be a major pain getting new phonelines and internet on here as there are 2 main compainies that have 2 seperate lines that may or may not already be connected to your house. It took me 3 weeks to get the internet on. Somethings are more expensive BUT you do generally earn more. Beer is really expensive compared with NZ. A six pack of Becks or Stella can run over $27 NZD!!!
Food is about the same price, furniture and electronics are cheaper, cars much more expensive. Clothes are around the same. Housing is also pricey where I am (Gold Coast) but we just got the first home buyers grant and where able to get a really nice place for about $800k NZD. Avergae price to buy a house on the Gold Coast in an average area would be around $600k NZD. Other parts of OZ are cheaper for housing but I love the Gold Coast!

There are more TV channels here and most broadcast in HiDef 720p and sometimes 1080p as well as SD quality. You will need to buy a HD box ($200) if you bring a TV from NZ and want HD signals.

The only thing I would warn you against is that you will notice people are not shy about voicing thier opinions on race relations if asked, it can be a shock at times. There is not anywhere same the level of pride and respect we have with most things Maori back home here with Aboriginal peoples. Thats the only main gripe I have here.

On a positive note with so many kiwis coming over you can usually find a diary closebuy that has L&P and maybe even some Pineapple Lumps :-) My local bottle shop even has Montieths.

FOOD CHEAPER, POWER $100 A MONTH, VEHICLE REGO $800 A YEAR. PHONE SAME AS NZ. WE FEED OUR FAMILY ON $200 A WEEK, HEAPS OF FRUIT AND VEGES ETC.INSURANCE HOUSE/CONTENTS $600 A YEAR, VEHICLE INSURANCE $400-500 A YEAR

"New Zealand citizens with medical conditions or criminal convictions should approach the nearest Australian immigration office to discuss their entry to Australia before travelling to Australia".

The character test
A person will fail the character test where:

they have a substantial criminal record
they have, or have had, an association with an individual, group or organisation suspected of having been, or being, involved in criminal conduct
having regard to the person's past and present criminal conduct, the person is found not to be of good character
having regard to the person's past and present general conduct, the person is found to be not of good character
there is a significant risk that the person will engage in criminal conduct in Australia, harass, molest, intimidate or stalk another person in Australia, vilify a segment of the Australian community, or incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community, or represent a danger to the Australian community or a segment of that community.
See: Fact Sheet 78 - Controversial Visa Applicants

Substantial criminal records
A person is deemed to have a substantial criminal record if they have been:

sentenced to either death or life imprisonment
sentenced to a term of imprisonment for 12 months or more
sentenced to two or more terms of imprisonment (whether on one or more occasions), where the total of those terms is two years or more
acquitted of an offence on the grounds of either unsoundness of mind or insanity and, as a result, the person has been detained in a facility or institution.

There was an application form on www.immi.gov.au where it would release information from NZ Police to the Australian Immigration Service, who would then assess your criminal history and decide whether you're a risk to the general public. It might pay to contact the Australian Embassy and see what information they have for you.

My partner and I decided to move to australia to be closer to his young daughter and to members of my family - before we left I emailed australian customs to find out what he needed to do to enter australia as he had previous criminal convictions- the reply came back to contact immigration australia or go to their. website, which we did. Unfortunately it was unclear and we thought that because he had not had any convictions in the last 10 years he would be ok - NOT THE CASE!!! My partner ticked the criminal convictions box on the arrival card. He was then stopped at customs and interviewed by immigration for the next hour or more. They refused him entry for having been sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment over 14 years ago and told that he must apply for a visa back in New Zealand. I remained in Australia as I was committed to a property. Once back in New Zealand my partner contacted Australian Immigration in Auckland to ask for help in determining which type of visa he needed to apply for. They were very uncooperative and referred him back to the website - which has over 50 visas on it - not very user friendly. Does anyone know of this happening to anyone else and if so what visa to apply for??

You can, the best way is to keep your nz account open. every time you transfer money from Aus to NZ there will be international transfer fees - so best way is to transfer one a month in lump sums. Then you can pay your nz accounts from your nz bank account.

The transfer fee's are usually only around 50.00 per transaction.

We queried WESTPAC nz about this, and they advised to keep monies in our nz account and continue the automatic payment of our nz loan. Once were established in Australia an idea was to apply for an australian loan to pay for the nz loan. That way there would be no large transfer fees to pay monthly just a standard australian loan repayment.

Hi - I have a very small business here in NZ and we accept payments via PayPal ( from around the world), which is very easily transfered into my business account - without a $50 fee!! I believe that might be a way around those hideous bank charges.

so how do you set up Paypal? That sound great if it works out. Thanks

Just visit paypal.com it is free.

My experience (and that of my friends) is that, yes, if you aren't already in Australia then generally people won't give you too much time (unless you happen to have skills that are very much in demand). One option you might consider is getting in touch with temp/recruitment agencies to see what demand is like for your particular skills. You might even want to register with them (if you can, without being in the country) to pick up some temp work until you find something that is a better fit?

My husband has applied online for 4 jobs in adelaide and has said on all cover letters that he is available to fly over between week-apart dates. they have agreed to this so my husband is flying over for a week to do these interviews. If you are serious about moving you have to put yourself out there. Good luck!!!!

I applied for a job monday night online, he rang me tuesday morning, i flew out tuesday night, had 4 interviews wednesday day and had all 4 job offers that night. If you really want to work over there then definately have a look around. I was so overwhelemed with the job offers i almost fell over. I had been hunting here in NZ for months and finally decided to try my luck in Aussie. The job market is just crazy and you should have no problems finding something. :O)

we left NZ with no jobs but made sure we had sufficient money behind us and were very focused in what we wanted on arrival.I started jobhunting 2wks after arriving in Brisbane,to have a rest first so i would have a startdate in mind at job interviews.I applied for 4 jobs between Monday and Thursday, was offered all jobs and chose the 1 that met my needs,including more money for less hours. Agents are very good,no nonsense to deal with.Most important is to be organised and have a list ready of what you want from your future employer.In our case we were also debtfree leaving NZ which made jobhunting once we arrived a pressure free situation to be in which we found to be a good thing.Good luck.

i went for a holiday in may 08, applied for a job whilst i was there and xplained to the employer that if i was offered the position then i would relocate to australia, i had an interview whilst i was there, came back to nz, 2 months later i have been offered a position and am now in the process of moving!

Just moved from Christchurch to PERTH jobs are plenty here need i say more

I have come to understand that there are various tax breaks that a kiwi can take advantage of if he/she gets a job before moving over, i.e. you have been "relocated" to Australia. E.g. you can write off 50% of your rental expense against income, etc

I've tried looking for details which confirm this but have come up with nothing. Does anyone know anything?

I think this is something that tends to vary quite a lot. In our city apartment (top story of a 3 floor block), we've only ever seen one spider in 7 months - and that was a Huntsman, which are not considered poisonous to humans (classified as mildly toxic). There's an Australian spider identification page here: http://www.termite.com.au/spider-identification.html. As for snakes, we haven't seen any yet but have heard that they can be common in outlying suburbs. Your encounters with such things will clearly depend on which part of Melbourne you are looking at living in. It seems the closer you are to the city the better!

Cal Wilson (a kiwi comedian living in Australia) made a really funny joke last week. She had been reading a big book about all the poisonous animals in Australia. After 4 years living here she finally got bitten ... by a dog.

Melboure should be OK. I have been bitten by Green Ants seen over quite a few people get stung by bluebottles. Oh the huntsman spiders can get HUGE! Oh and dont forget the cockroaches.! Saw one snake this summer near the spit and a couple of people got bitten down near Marina Mirage (Gold Coast). However it was reported that there were snakes in this one localised area. Just be careful where you walk at the beach/sand dunes and avoid sitting on the grass for too long (Green Ants have some firey sting to them - yes they sting not bite). I guess this year sharks have been a bigger worry than anything else. Keep your eyes open and you will be fine...I do miss be able to lie on the grass though :-(
Here on the Gold Coast the water dragons and many geckos keep creepy crawlies in check around the home.

By the way no one really worries abotu white tails spiders here at all, I think we blew that one way out of proportion back home.

Damn forgot that Australia has snakes and stuff. Didnt even cross my mind until now before moving over. Im worried now!

You will have to pay tax either in NZ or Australia. This depends on whether you are deemed to be a NZ or Australian resident for tax purposes. If you are moving here for 'good' you will almost certainly be deemed to be an Australian resident for tax purposes and all your income will be taxed by the Australian government. If so, say hello to Capital Gains Tax!

Capital Gains tax? Do you pay this on your income that you would earn from employment or just on things like houses, cars, boats, etc, that you would sell for a profit?

CGT is payable on assets that appreciate in value. You do not pay CGT on money you earn as income (although the gain in asset values are added to your income for the tax year to determine your taxable income).

Hi - I'm thinking of moving to Brisbane and understand your concerns about creepy critters. Not to put you off but Qslnd is the most venomous place on the globe - so I ask myself constantly - why go there. My family have lived there for over 20 years and its quite normal to be bitten by a redback (cousin), huntsman twice (brother) and bull / green ants - locals just blow it off and laugh - hurts like heck but no lasting damage. They all just laugh at me when I ask similar questions and say "get over it - you get used to it real quick". Not much comfort but was there recently and after the 2nd day, forgot about looking under the toilet seat.

hi moved to bris a year ago and had the same hesitations with creepy crawlies, im, a electrician and thought it would be really bad ,i havent even seen a real snake yet or red back so dont think their is any concern

I'm arachnaphobic and lived in aussie for 18 months when I was younger (moving over again in january). I never got bitten by a spider my entire time there and only ever saw snakes in the zoo! I've found more whitetails in my house here in NZ in the same period of time than I ever saw in my entire time in Aussie. The only thing I had issues with was the big huntsmans that would lurk around the house, but even then only because of my phobia.

Do not worry about snakes or spiders, i recently moved back to nz after living in brisbane for 10 years and the only snakes i ever saw were at the zoo, and yes there are spiders and yes you may see them now and then but from my experience as long as you have little checkos(harmless) you will be fine, they eat all the spiders, BUT(theres always a but), do not sit on the grass, well be wary of it anyway, they have things called bull ants(10 times bigger than a normal ant) and they will sting you, it feels like a bee sting but slightly worse, just ice it and the pain will go away. good luck.

If you worried about spiders have your house fumigated inside and out. We are staying with family in Perth and their house was fumigated last week. (They do this every year) I know that Perth only has the redbac and white tail spiders (info from website) and that the Eastern states have alot more creepy crawleez. We did see a few redbacs but they were dead from the fumigation.

They reckon that there is at least one red-back in every back yard in Australia. In the first week we arrived (NSW Country) we moved 3 out of our bathroom. Have also encountered 4 tiger snakes in the 6 weeks we have been here, but there is no need to live in fear, they will only attack if threatened (although tigers are pretty aggresive)

We stayed in a couple of places that we found through wotif.com and notonenight.com.au. We arranged the first place (serviced apartment in South Yarra) before we left and then we kept an eye on those sites as we needed more nights before we could move into our apartment. The wireless internet access as these places was maybe the most useful part as we were always online looking for apartments on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au.

we have moved to Aus recently,rentals here are not petfriendly.Our friends have lived here for years and the only way they could have pets is to rent off family. In Brisbane private rentals are primarily under agents not one on one with the homeowner,in the area we are staying with a petfriendly rental is very rare.To get a rental without pets is a mission as is.

From my understanding of things, to get a permanent visa for your partner you may need to get residency yourself first. Contact immigration for further information. (www.immi.gov.au)

Yes she can come with you and stay with you in Australia. It is irrelevant that you didnt stay in New zealand

But you will need to apply for a New Zealand Family Relationship (Subclass 461) Temporary residence visa for your wife to accompany NZ citizen husband. check this link out on Aus Immigration website - http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/461/index.htm for reqd. info on forms, fees and other relavent information. The visa is valid for 5 years and she will be eligible to apply for a renewal.. processing time can take upto 4 months.. Your wife will have to accompany you on your onward journey to Australia, and she WILL be required to take Australian private health insurance cover as she will not be eligible for Medicare. .

There is a baby bonus which is paid out once you give birth. But there are specific clauses and criteria you must meet to recieve this. I would search baby bonus on the aus net.

You will be laughing!! OZ government loves kids, and they reward handsomely for new arrivals and pre-schoolers as long as centre-link is sorted (this can be a mission itself)

check this out, www.familyassist.gov.au. This will give you details on payments you may be entitled to, eg. Baby bonus, family payments, but you would need to have an Australian address to get these.

The biggest surprize (for me) was that when you step off the plane, you realise that you have an (non Australian) accent. Culturally, Australia is the same as pakeha New Zealand.

there are some minor differences in culture, but nothing so substantial as to create major issues. it would be no different to moving to a new city in a different part of the country (except that going back is more complicated expensive). Colloquialisms and slang are the main differences though and some things are done a bit differently (i.e. their health system and tertiary education system). But other than that, it's rather similar, but with better pay and lower taxes!

Depending on where you live I think, I work on a community in the Northern Territories, but go back to Queensland once a year to check up on my house, etc. It is a huge culture shock out there, Aboroginals are so very different to the Aboriginals you see in the cities/towns. They can be quite daunting when you first encounter them, especially in the remote areas of Australia.

FANTASTIC MOVE FOR OUR FAMILY, WE HAVE 8 CHILDREN, ONE BORN HERE. BOUGHT HOUSE ON LAND, CHEAP LAND IN SUNSHINE COAST. BEST CHANGE WE MADE. NZ WAS DEPRESSING AND WE LOVE THE SUNSHINE, MANGOES AND LITTLE RAIN, ICAN GET MY WASHING DRY HERE, PEOPLE GREAT......FANTASTIC FAMILY ASSISTANCE- KIWIS WORK HARDER THAN OZZIES, CHEAPER FOOD IF FROM SHOP CALLED ALDI.
DO IT- BUT DONT EXPECT TOO MUCH JUST A NEW CHAPTER IN YOUR BOOK OF LIFE

Are you a NZ citizen? If you are then you should be considered a resident for obtaining a drivers licence. The rules for temporary residents getting a NSW licence is fairly new (I got mine a few years ago.. and there was no distinction between permanent residents (incl NZ citizens) and temporary residents). If you find you are having trouble at a particular RTA, then just go to another one. Chances are that the person serving you just got confused or have no idea what they're doing.

I think the residence evidence the law requires is a permanent address, (rental arrangement or a utility bill in your or spouses name - or something else that proves that you are living here permanently) If someone held a New Zealand licence for 3 years, NSW RTA issues a NSW licence on paying a fee. My friend just had NZ Restricted licence for 3 years, now he got a full licence in NSW without any test at all.

I dont know how much help I can be, but we are some what in the same situation, considering the move over but our daughter is almost three so in a way id think the younger they are the easier it is, but children are pretty good at fitting in and adapting to new situations, if you think your family would benefit from it then give it a go, if you end up staying youll prob just end up wondering the same question(as to them adapting well) when it comes time to change school or move house withen your city. god luck to you all

There will be some settling in time for your kids that happens in new schools etc. Some things that are different in schools are year levels are numbered differently (in NZ 1-13 in Oz kindergarten - year 12) same number of years at school. Private schools are more expensive in Australia as they are not all subsidised by the government. Catholic schools are a good alternative to GPS schools which are very expensive, however some do give preference to practicing catholics where places are in high demand. Within a couple of years you will find your kids will have Aussie accents and will be loving it. We are Australians who have lived in NZ for 5 years (only suppose to be 12 months) and are going back end of July. Our son in 14yrs and he is in Year 9 here but will go into Year 8. As a teacher, something I have noticed with my new job is the Maths that students are studying in Year 9 (Year 10 NZ) is the same as the work students are doing in Year 11 Maths in New Zealand. This depends on the curriculum of each state. We are going to Western Australia. If your kids need learning support you will find the funding in Australia is amazing. New Zealand has terrible funding, to get support a student needs to have intellectual disabilities like Downes Syndrone to get ORRS funding. In Australia mild learning disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, etc has funding that allows a student to have a teacher aide in all core subjects. The NZ education system rewards mediocrity and is dumbing down students. In Australia, they reward students for reaching their full potential. University places are awarded to those who get the best marks.

Actually, I have found that private schools on the Sunshine and Gold Coast are anything from half to 2/3rds of what we pay in NZ but that there are a swag of add ons for building fund, extra activities as well as fees for lodging a child's name and enrolling and so on - often an extra few hundred a year. All in all teh Australian private schools are less as far as I have seen and there is agood web page. I forget the actual address but found it simply by entering 'private schools Queensland' on Google Australia - it has them all! Many of the private schools on the Gold Cosat and Sunshine Coast are fairly new so have very nice premises. They do have more children in their clases 27 to 29 whereas in NZ my duaghter had only another 14 classmates (more the economic situation as the class max is 25. I am pretty sure most classes have teacher aids to assist the teacher.Good schools have a waiting list and you may have to wait for someone to move away but if you search hard enough thne you will find a place at a good school.

Yes - Special Category Visa (SCV) holders qualify for the first home grant, so that means every Kiwi. You need to satisfy the other conditions too, which are essentially that you haven't owned a home before. Here's some info specific to Victoria, but it applies in every other state too as far as I can tell: http://www.sro.vic.gov.au/sro/SROWebsite.nsf/rebates_fhog.htm

It will be based on what country(ies) you have citizenship with, and what their agreement with Australia is.

any fed back on this question will be good as me and my family intend on making the big move to auz however my partner currently holds perminant residance and has done so for 24years we were unaware that he did not have citizenship as he came over on his mothers passport from samoa at the age of 3! what would the best steps to take first

Best thing is to get citizenship. If your partner is a permanent resident for those many years, then I dont think there will be any problem. It is enough if your partner gets citizenship. You can come with him to Aussie.

Hi - one good option to save money (by getting a better exchange rate and paying less for your TT/wire fees) is to use Elldridge Lynch (linked to elsewhere on this site). Each month you do a foreign exchange transaction online for the amount of your mortgage payment, then pay your Australian dollars into their Sydney account (national payment so the receiving bank won't charge you a hefty TT fee). They will then pay you NZD into your NZD account to cover your mortgage payment. If you do it this way, you will save a lot of money over the course of your two year stay. If you have any questions about the process I'm sure they will help you out. Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for your prompt reply and help! Its given me a good place to start!

If you are not comfortable with using a foreign exchange specialist you can do they trasaction yourself using internet banking. (depending on which bank you are with) We are with the commonwealth bank and can do our own foreign currency transactions.We send money home every month to top up our mortgage. The fee is $22 Aud and of course your bank in NZ will have a receiving fee. BNZ $25.

You will be able to have a commonwealth-supported place most likely, which means the same fees as Autralians, but you will hav to pay your fees up front as we are not eligible for the loan scheme here. As far as I can tell fees cost about the same here as in NZ but it does vary between universities so check each ones website and they usually have a fee calculator to help you work them out.

The uni fees in aussie a little bit more than NZ e.g Business Degree is $5000 in new zealand and in australia it is $8000 and you are consided a domestic student. In Australa you dont apply direct to the university you have to apply through a tertiary admissions center e.g qtac for queensland

Hi Nicola - you can get a good idea of the bond required by looking at sites like realestate.com.au. In our experience, 4 weeks bond is pretty common but it does vary - some places are only 2, but others are 5. For places under $350/week, the bond cannot be more than one months rent. Places over this threshold have no such limit. Some good advice about renting is in the following guide published by Consumer Affairs Victoria: http://tinyurl.com/3rmmjr

Your employer would generally ask you for a TFN when you get your job. You are under no obligation to tell them you TFN, but they may withhold tax at the rate for non-residents. You are better off having your TFN first, but you can just let your employer know that it's coming and tell them to wait.

And even if they do tax you too much because you didn't have a TFN, you can always claim it back at the end of the tax year.

Hi I am moving to Australia soon, well thats the plan am applying for work etc. I was thinking of taking a trip over soon to check out some suburbs and more jobs and was wondering if you are able to get a TFN without actually living there yet? I know you can get a Bank Account so long as you have the right documents and have an address to send mail to.

Gumtree could be good for that: http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/

www.domain.com.au - good for buying and renting property all across Australia.

We are moving to Perth next month and found the website http://www.share-accommodation.net a great place to find cheap accommodation if you don't mind sharing a house. We have found a place in Perth sharing with one lady who spends 3 months in UK and 3 months in Perth. All signed up and ready to move in on our arrival. Only $150 per week for the both of us and food is our only extra cost. Worth a look!

That's a difficult question because everyone has slightly different factors that trigger their asthma. I would say pollen and dust would be one of the main considerations in Brisbane, but that said, I don't know how pollen/dust levels in Brisbane compare with the rest of the world!

You might find it useful to search for an Asthma forum in Australia and see what other people are saying.

I also suffer badly from asthma in NZ. However on my holidays in Oz, mainly Brisbane and Gold Coast I have not suffered at all. I find that whenever I'm out of NZ my asthma improves out of sight! No matter where in the world I am.

Hi, I moved to Brisbane for 6 months about 5 years ago. I'd suffered from chronic asthma for about 20 years. I too was concerned about how my asthma would be in a different country and I took truckloads of inhalers and pills into the country with me (had to get a letter from my doctor in case customs questioned it). But would you beleive it, my asthma disappeared while I was there and I didnt need any pills or any inhalers the whole time. Even when I came back to New Zealand, I didn't have any sign of asthma for about 3 years. And then it only came on during the cold seasonal changeover. Dont know if the air there is less polluted or what but I was amazed at the almost instant disappearance of something I'd had suffered with for such a long time. Not saying that this is the case for everyone but it's what happened to me.

I have a 7year old daughter who was diagnosed with asthma when we were living in newzealand in 2003 and it was pretty bad, but when we moved to back to brisbane a year later she never had a problem with it and didnt have to take any medication, but now we have recently moved back to nz and her asthma has played up again and now she is back on medication, so for her atleast it was alot better there for her than here, hope you have the same luck with your children over there

You will probably find that the child's asthma improves in Oz because your house will not have as much condensation. We found that our son was getting some asthma symptoms and we put an HRV in our house and they disappeared. He never had a problem in Australia at all. Now we are going back we are looking forward to being able to dry clothes in winter without an enormous electricity bill at the end of the month.

You'll need to declare them on your Customs form and will almost certainly be asked to get them out for inspection when you arrive. However, it is a common enough occurence so you shouldn't have too much trouble. My cousin brought her chef knives from NZ to Melbourne, and apart from a few questions & an inspection, it didn't cause any problems.

That depends how long you are planning to stay in Australia and whether the IRD decide you have significant financial ties in New Zealand. What you can do is go to the IRD website and fill out the non-resident for tax purposes form. The IRD will then make a decision as to whether you will still need to pay tax in NZ based on your responses to the questions.

1. Look at the employment situation - how easy will it be to find jobs in your industries?
2. Decide whether you will rent or buy and how much you will need minimum to cover this expense.
3. Take a look at your current financial position and estimate costs of moving over, how much money you will have to live on until you can find a job etc. We needed about $12K to make our move - that covered us for two weeks accomodation while looking for a flat, flat bond and first rent payment, moving costs, and purchasing some basic furniture & appliances, plus food & essentials. Would have needed more if we had had a longer gap between starting work again though. Luckily we only had 3 weeks without income.

The west side of brisbane is by far the best place to raise a family, but it is very upmarket and exspensive, for more affordable areas you should be looking at the northside of brisbane, Chermside, Kedron, Taigum, Wavell Heights, very safe and good areas, great schools, rentals anywhere in brisbane is very tight at the mo', high demand, be looking at around $350 for a standard 3-4 bedroom house

Go to the relevant state department of education websites and they will have a list of schools in your area. Also the Catholic Education Office in your chosen state will also have a list of schools.

you may need to check with IRD as to whether they would even let him leave the country. they were cracking down on such things. There is a reciprocal agreement with australia. their equivalent may be able to assist with transferring the money back to NZ

Hi if you go in and see the IRD they will talk to him about paying it off once you get out, dont ring the 0800 number as they just tell you no no no, but yes yes yes you can go.

A family member has worked in child support for ages and informs me that people cannot be stopped from leaving nz because of owed child support as it has to be proven that the person is leaving nz solely to avoid paying child support, which is indeed a very difficult thing to prove!!

If you are simply comparing the cities, then there is no contest - Melbourne wins. It's more cultural, more diverse, there are more opportunities etc. The weather in Melbourne is nothing to worry about! Traffic is a problem in places, yes. You just need to get to know the city and learn to avoid certain parts during peak times. Try to visit both cities before deciding but once you are here, what's stopping you from moving from one to the other anyway?

Melbourne weather's about as variable as Auckland. I think Auckland weather was worse. It does get fairly cold in Winter (compared to Auckland) but I think coming from Dunedin you should be fine. It gets fairly hot in summer too though. But that also goes for Adelaide.

Adelaide is smaller than Melbourne, so much less of a traffic problem, but depending on what kind of job you are looking for you might have better chances in Melbourne.

I spend alot of time commuting reasonable often to Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne for work and family. I must admit once i visited Adelaide a few times, i realised how beautiful the place is. Yes its tougher for work but it has just over a 1 Mil population so its reasonable. SA is a gorgeous part of Australia to explore too. Lifestyle and food is hard to beat. I will be based in Melbourne for work and i liked Sydney more than Melbourne for dining and shopping. But if i had to choose for permanent living, i would go Adelaide. Weather is more tolerable. However, anything is better than Auckland for weather and lifestyle!!

my partner, daughter of 10, son of 18mths moved over 8 years ago this month with bout $2,000 in our pockets and as much kitchen household items as we could take. Neither of us had jobs lined up but my partners sister/ mother lived here so we stayed with sister and just paid for our food. It was the most scarey situation I have ever been in. I wanted to go home many times in first 6 months! My partner visited centrelink 3 times a day and took what ever was going. With that little bit of money and family assistance payments we just survived but I wouldnt recommend it. Best of luck in your new adventures :)

My bet is that you can live more cheaply in Melbourne than in Auckland, all things considered, if that is your goal. Food on the whole is cheaper here (particularly dairy products), and if you know where/when to shop (markets etc) then your food expenses will be noticeably less than in NZ. Rent is more expensive in/close to the city, but you can always share with flatmates or live further out. Public transport is far better here than anywhere in NZ so you can get around easily enough without a car (we've been doing it for 12 months now - a car comes in handy for sure, but you don't *need* one). Add a higher salary to the mix and you should be able to increase the gap between your income and expenses, if you have the discipline. Remember, it's a big city with lots to do so it can be really easy to spend your money.

Don't forget the taxes are lower in Australia too....

can u pls stop asking f*** dumb questions?

Thats a fairly broad question and depends on a number of things (your unique situation, i mean!) Go through the main website .. and you should find some answers...

You can use a service like On the Move to connect everything for you. They do it for free, find the best deals for you, and connect everything up in time for your move in date. They even give you a $75 Myer voucher as a thank-you. On the downside, we think they sell your phone number because we get calls several times a week from charities and people wanting to sell us stuff.
We use Telstra for phone, Bigpond for internet and Tru Energy for electricity. All have worked well for us.

Do not use iinet,they suck. They stuffed our connection up 3times in a row by getting the spelling incorrect on details given even though details were spelt out letter by letter.Go figure 3 separate customer reps who couldnt spell. Bigpond rock,expect to wait up to 2weeks though for connection as we had to. Not like Telecom,all sorted within 48hrs.New Zealand might be small but they get things like service providers done quickly and efficiently. Patience here is the name of the game as we have learnt in the first year of our moving here.

Ditto to the above. I had to wait 3 weeks to get the internet on. what a drama. NZ has it all over here in terms of getting things like this done fast and correctly. Again just be patient and dont make the tradies mad!

You'll find that similar rules to NZ apply - you can start your business so long as you aren't prevented to by bankruptcy laws etc. As a kiwi you'll effectively be treated as an aussie when it comes to starting a business. Check out this site for more info: http://www.business.gov.au/

Yes there is, however you will need to be a permanent resident for 2 years before you qualify and it is dependent on your income. If you do not work and want childcare you are only entitled to 12 hours per week. Check with Centrelink for further details.

When did you arrive in Australia? if you arrived before changes occured on the 26th of Feb 2001, then you are considered a permanent resident for social security purposes. You may still be a permanent resident for social security purposes (i.e. you can get unemployment benefits) if you arrived within 3 months of that day, but I think you need to have applied for a certificate from Centrelink.

If you do not meet those requirements, you will need to apply for a permanent visa, which would cost $2k+. I don't think you can avoid the fee unfortunately. And even after 10 years, you won't be considered a permanent resident for social security and citizenship purposes. It just means that it's harder to deport you back to NZ since you have lived in Australia for so long.

I am in the process of getting a permanent visa as I arrived may 2001 and yes it costs and arm & leg. Luckly with all 3 kids under 18 I can get them on my visa at no extra cost.

In 2001 Australia changed the laws for NZ citizens wanting to live in Australia. After 2001 you no longer become become a permant resident, you have to apply for it - and its not that easy as they no only have 7 catagories you can apply in. You are right you have been there for 7 years working and paying taxes and get nothing. And what makes it worse you cant be over the age of 45. Yet our goverment allows Australians to come here and are automatic "Permant Residents" with no age barrier, and then become a citizen after 5 years of living here. We and not REALLY recipical with Australia. As you have now found out.

I am also in a position where I have been here for 4 years and still can't access any form of help or medical or social services, education etc.. I'm an apprentice chef by trade, hoping thats my best way in as it is a needed skill, its very frustrating. If I'd been here just a couple of years earlier then I would be fine...

Cranky 21 year old Dunedin chick/Aussie "wannabe"

$2000?! To live here?! They should pay us to come here! Especially at my age.. there's so much raw potential and we're made just as unwelcome as if we were non english speaking otherside of the world freaks. I have paid my taxes, worked very hard, and never had any help and its not always easy, I am still trying to get medicare..

Australian and New Zealanders fought shoulder to shoulder and stand together on ANZAC and I just ask myself "what's wrong with this world."

It would be a good idea to get in touch with Medicare directly (via email if you don't want to phone). Their website is at http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/ and might even have some information in their FAQ or documentation sections that will answer your questions. Naturally you would want to be certain about what they would cover before moving over, so that's why asking them questions specific to your situation would be the best to way to get some peace of mind.

Some things to consider: 1 Australian dollar is currently worth 1.27 New Zealand dollars (and the gap has been growing recently). Jobs typically pay more in Australia than the equivalent job in NZ, so provided your husband can find a decent job quickly (which is not at all unrealistic with the skills shortage over here), and he can keep down his costs (rent can be expensive in Melbourne, but I'm not sure where you are moving to), then you should be better off with him working here and sending the money back. As for sending the money back, we use Elldridge Lynch (http://tinyurl.com/4wbbkk) for all money transfers and they are really good. There are other FX companies around too - just try to avoid doing it through your bank as they will charge you far more than you need to pay.

Another one to consider or look at is www.tranzfers.com
I have used them for the last 2 years sending money from Australia to New Zealand for AUD $15, plus a list of other countries. They do have a min. of $100 though for NZ transfers, max. $9999, after that you would have to go through their parent company with larger amounts. Another thing is after depositing into their account you can choose to wait in case the exchange rate increases or send it on at the rate it is then. It takes approx. 3 working days for the money to appear in the account you're sending it to, depending on when tranzfers receive it. There are options for depositing into their account, Paypal, (another way to send money), BPay, or manually walking into a branch. It's another speedy, cheaper and simple way which I think is better than the banks

This is from my memory. Please check immigration website. You need to be in NZ for sponsoring anybody. At the time of application as well as at the time of grant of visa. Apart from that you should be resident continuously for 2 years before you can sponsor.

Yes you can. You are just called an international client. My daughters father pays into Nz branch where the Australian branch collect it to pass it on to me.

I would be keen to know this question too, anybody out there

ring the tax department. However it is five years for a tax to be claimed limit

Some trading/classifieds sites to try: Gumtree - http://melbourne.gumtree.com.au/, Ebay - http://ebay.com.au, Trading Post - http://tradingpost.com.au. Things are a bit more fragmented here than in NZ where everyone pretty much just uses Trade Me. You will find a few used furniture markets too around Melbourne.

Yes - we've left a couple of bank accounts open in NZ and transfer funds on bulk to minimise transfer fees. I'm not sure if there are really any better options than that, although you might want to consider replacing your NZ debt with an Australian loan, if practical. That way you get to take advantage of the stronger Aussie dollar and avoid any costs associated with regular debt payments.

thanks very much!!! your site is extremely helpful :)

I would suggest you to keep the nz bank account. and you can either leave some fund there for the loan deduction or you can send money back to your nz a/c by international money transfer in a regular basis.

i have a bank loan in NZ and transfer money by a telegraphic transfer which costs $30 but it is safe and cost effective at this time. Keep an eye on exchange rates

blue card is either a construction site card which allows you to work on construction sites ,or blue card that allows you to work near children ,check out blue dog training

we too are moving to Australia. We have booked our flights through Air NZ and purchased a months travel insurance, this will hopefully cover us until we organize doctors and medicare.

you may consider to apply for a gold credit card with the bank which comes with 90 days free travel insurance when you purchase your ticket on the credit card

and once you arrived here. you can consider to setup your health/content and other insurance that you needed.

keep in mind that there is a reciprocal care agreement between nz and aussie. As an NZ Citizen one is entitled to free emergency hospital care (unless you are travelling to australia specifically for treatment). general care is not covered under this agreement, but is covered by medicare, which you can apply for once you are there.

Apart from the automatic emergency reciprical arrangement (Aussies in NZ and visa versa) you can buy long term health insurance from many insurance companies. I buy the AIG annual TRAVEL cover for my family at a bit more than NZD1,000 and this gives pretty much all I could want. BUT I travel a lot including back and forth to NZ regularly. You will need to check it out with AIG in NZ (or a good broker) to make sure the cover is still ok if you are living in OZ. I think it will be ok if you can show you are not entitled to full medicare cover until ou get residency sorted out.

For some people permanent residencey is not good as there are tax concessions for foreign (to Autralia) earned income. Check it out for example if you do have money in the bank in NZ but do not live here you can pay a 2% tax rate and the income is noit taxed in Oz if you are not a permanent (and an SCV is not a permanent visa. Cool eh!

Hi there.. You will need to apply for a New Zealand Family Relationship (Subclass 461) Temporary residence visa to accompany your NZ citizen husband. check this link out on Aus Immigration website - http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/461/index.htm for reqd. info on forms, fees and other relavent information. The visa is valid for 5 years and you will be eligible to apply for a renewal.. processing time can take upto 4 months.. Your husband will have to accompany you on your onward journey from NZ to Australia, and you WILL be required to take Australian private health insurance cover as you will not be eligible for Medicare. Hope this helps.

My partner and I are in the same situation. It is not difficult and it was processed quickly. Once you have the family visa everything else is easy. I think she had to go in a different line at the airport on arrival though.

hi
my husband is a new zealander, i have new zealand residency if I apply for australian residency will i lose my new zealand residency.

Hi there.. Your wife will need to apply for a New Zealand Family Relationship (Subclass 461) Temporary residence visa to accompany you. check this link out on Aus Immigration website - http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/461/index.htm for reqd. info on forms, fees and other relavent information. The visa is valid for 5 years and your wife will be eligible to apply for a renewal.. processing time can take upto 4 months.. You (as a potential SCV 444 visa holder) WILL HAVE TO accompany her on your onward journey from India to Australia, and your wife WILL be required to take Australian private health insurance cover as she will not be eligible for Medicare. Hope this helps.

a thought: if she's your fiance, she might not be able to apply for the above visa till you get married. check the link above and clarify with the local immigration office regarding your specific situation.

We were not married and were not together for the 2 years stipulated by the Aussie Immigration to be consider a defacto relationship. However the Austrlian visa processing office in NZ were very helpful and allowed us to get the correct visa for my partner by just supplying supporting evidence that we were in a stable and serious relationship. This was through photos, and a few letters from friends. No dramas.

Probably not. Depends on how recent really

By definition 5 drink driving charges would make you not a good character wouldnt it?

work on getting a good charachter then go for the test

It would probably be best to take your own references for everything as well. if you plan to return to work again later, these will be useful. they may also be useful as evidence for other things.

sort of the same but no duty to pay om motorcycles ,yes you do have to own it for twelve months ,didnt seem to bad when i wanted to do it

You would be best to contact the banks and real estate companies for more information about mortgages and the purchasing process in aussie versus NZ. Having pets in apartments would depend on the individual body corp of each apartment block. some will and some won't allow pets.

you would need to contact immigration for clarification. some criminal convictions mean you automatically will not be granted entry but it is done on a case-by-case basis. It is unlikely you would get a special category visa and you would probably have to apply specially for a visa.

I'd say, just wait for your 3 months to be completed and then move to Aus.. You won't have problems..

we are a family relocating to Brisbane in october and was wondering how easyis it to get a rental over there. i.e do you have to be in paid employment first before you can even apply? Do you have to be already in Australia or can you apply from NZ? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

it is definately an advance if you have a job line up as they real estate agent might want to see your employment confirmation and salary with your rental application.

But this is not a must. i would say more like case by case. If you have a reasonable amount of saving to support yourself before you found a job and able to provide them your bank statement or balance, i would say that is good enough too.

opps i mean advantage

easiest way to find out is to contact ACC.

I would really like to know the answer to the above question too. thanks

contact the australian consulate (www.australia.org.nz) for further clarification. I'm not 100% sure if NZ permanent residents qualify for a special category visa.

As mayflower says above you won't qualify for a SCV unless you became a NZ citizen, so you will need to apply for a work visa as a UK citizen.

I come back to NZ from Queensland 6 months ago. We took all our household furniture with us. Australia will try to put you off taking anything cane, but so long as all your belongings are really clean, free from dust, cobwebs, bora etc (really go overboard with the cleaning) you can take it all.

you would be best to contact somewhere like medicareaustralia.gov.au. Without knowing what medication he is on, it is impossible for anyone here to be of further help. I wouldn't expect it to be an issue, but if in doubt, contact australian authorities.

It all comes down to whether you are deemed to be a resident of NZ or Australia for tax purposes. They look at the ties you have in NZ/Aus etc and can be quite complex. It is best to talk to an accountant, but one thing is for sure: you will not be taxed twice. Both countries do take into account the tax paid in the other country when working out how much you owe. With the lower taxes in Australia you would probably find it preferable to be deemed an Australian resident for tax, if you can.

It can be very lonely between breaks, and it ain't no picnic out on site. The airfares can add up too, especially if you are flying back & forth from WA.

I agree totally with the comment above. My partner too commuted from WA back to Taupo since sep2007, in total we have only spent a total ov 4months & 1week as a family. Camp life didnt sound very pleasant out in the desert when he got his 1st job after 5 weeks, 28 days straight then 9 days off, mega bucks though, was cracking 3K a week! honest. So after 17months, the loneliness has just become too much! He will be back in 2weeks to HELP sort our stuff and bring life back into his V8 for removal. I have waved goodbye to alot of friends and family who have decided to move to Oz, they all have no regrets, but I did observe 2 wives have to sell their possesions and vacate their homes and prepare departure WHILST still maintaining to the daily needs of their 3 children! Thank goodness I only have 1. So my partner has been boarding with friends during weekends since June 08 & boarding with work mates in home rented by the mining company he works for during the week(odd weekend here & there). So we have had plenty time to get our selves sorted and he has made some tremendeous sacrifices for Us, & done some terrific homework.
So YES the loneliness is extremly hard but if you both make sacrifices for each other, it all works out.You could try it for a year so you can send money home to get the ball rolling and the process less stressful if you dont already have thousands coming outta your back pocket.
Good luck too all and god bless.

Here's a view from google maps: http://is.gd/1UFd It shows the suburbs, tram lines, train stations etc.

How long it takes to find a rental property varies greatly depending on: how much rent you are prepared to pay, the time of year you are looking, the type of property you want to rent etc. It's best to take a look on places like realestate.com.au to see how many properties are available, but of course that doesn't really tell you how competitive the market is at this time of year.

I would also like to know about firearms my husband has a few and they are important to him.Does anyone know what we have to do to get them over to Australia.How does he get an Australiain fire arms licence

Pretty much in the process of investigating the same. The Australian Customs and Quarantine website has good links the the current legislation and some PDF's you can download. Not my firearms (my finances) so I have not digested the the whole lot yet.

Our plan is though to check in with the local police station and each large station should have a nominated firearms officer or at least some community liaision who can advise you on the local requirements in terms of licencing and storage.

Please post more if you have discovered more details. Cheers

When my partner and i went to bundaberg for a look around we took 3 weeks worth of grocery reciepts with us to compare prices 95% of things were cheaper and what wasn't was cheaper at the sunday markets.

check with the airlines/customs in aussie as to what the system is. I remember seeing specific information about chef kinves going in to australia, but didn't pay much attention to it since it doesn't apply to me. From what I skim read, they would need to be declared.

I imagine you would be best to speak with the court system (or whoever you owe the money to) about how you can repay the money. I know the IRD in NZ has a system where they work with Aussie, but I doubt the court has a reciprocal agreement. If you go to tranzfers.com they can make it easier to transfer money back to NZ without huge fees. If you have an account number where you can transfer the money to for your fines and the reference details you would need, then they can help you make the payment to the relevant bank account. Otherwise, you really would need to contact the relevant parties in NZ to arrange payment.

Please do not use text English, it is just plain insulting and lazy. You should pay of your fines before moving over.

i would be interested to know how you got over here when you owe fines in NZ...My understanding is you cant leave the country if you owe the courts money..

My brother in law moved over to Australia 2008 and did not pay his traffic fines, which I found out from his wife (my sister) that he cannot go back to NZ because of his overdue fines. It is not that easy to go back if you have not fixed your traffic fines first.

I'd love to know the answer to this too, being in the same situation! Am wondering what I should take with me too... i.e. my bed?? It's worth about $4000. Would prefer to live on my own eventually when I get there (would be prepared to rent to start with), but not sure how to find out what most items cost i.e. fridge, etc. Don't know the names of the big electrical stores or if they have websites so I can check costs.

Myself and my partner were over about 5 months ago (if someone would hurry up and buy my Bar we would be there permanently by now!!) and had a look around a store called IKEA - definitely not worth shipping household goods unless you are really attached to them.
Do a google search for ikea as it has a really great website and the store is just huge.

I'm now planning on flatting with others when I get there since the NZ dollar is unreliable and it would take forever to save neough otherwise. I'd only be taking personal items and my bed (due to the value, newness and type of bed that it is it would cost more to replace than to ship), but am not sure how much I should budget with to get myself started. Since I'd be flatting, I wouldn't need to worry about buying furnishings for quite some time so don't need to worry about that expense, but don't really know what is a reasonable amount to take in the way of money. I was thinking that AUD$5000 should be enough to get me started in Brisbane as I don't expect to have difficulty getting work.

You will need a copy of the death certificate and a copy of the permission to cremate form. You can get this from the funeral director that you used. Its straight forward.

Thanks alot great help

I wouldnt suggest anywhere up north past broadbeach. I think for a family somewhere around mermaid waters around the canals is peaceful and tidy, also robina is nice, it is fairly new, great shopping centres and clean and tidy. If you want something on the beachside i woud suggest around miami or burleigh. Hope this helps you!!!!!!!Good Luck

Robinna is good value and not too bad. Its lcose to a huge mega mall (if thats you thing). Avoid central Surfers Paradise. Broadbeach is fantastic and rigth on the beach (Robinna is a bit far), though accomodation will be shared rental units. Chevron Island is popular for people who work in Surfers as you can walk to work. It all depends where he will work. Parking in Surfers is expensive ($100 per month) and hard to find. You may have to sign a 6 month rental contract if he isnt going into a shared unit and make sure to bring references from NZ.

Robina or Miami might be your best beat for price and family friendliess.

Have a look

http://www.goldcoastaustralia.com/gold-coast-suburb-profiles.html

Just stumbled on this website, its very handy if your thinking of moving to the Gold Coast.

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?PID=3656

well i live in broadbeach waters much more peaceful and my daughter is starting school at broadbeach state next year as she will be 5 they are very helpful and informed me there is a tissues and tea morning after dropping them off to comfort parents and they do alot of preparation for them

nz fork licence dont mean jack
had to spend $500 and two days to get a qld one

P Plates are not required when on your full licence. I think if you want to go, don't let it hold you up. In all reality, having P Plates is just slightly different to an NZ restricted licence in that it in NZ we don't display that someone is on a restricted licence.

You need to be an resident to qualify for most assistance. As an NZ citizen you qualify for a Commonwealth supported place at most unis (some don't have them) wherein the government subsidise the fees. But unless you are a resident or citizen in Aussie you don't qualify for an allowance or government loan. And I don't think Studylink helps unless you can prove that you are doing overseas study as part of a NZ degree (i.e. if you plan to live in Australia permanently or graduate from the Aussie university, Studylink in NZ doesn't want to know you)

renting your home in NZ will effect your NZ residency status for tax purposes. You would be best to speak to the IRD about the full implications of this on your situation as you will have to declare the rent as income and pay tax on it.

There is a living away from home allowance for students not living in a parental home, but i have not heard of any other type of allowance by that name. Alternatively, the allowance may be something that is available to employees certain organisations (i.e. army, police, some companies etc) who are required to live away from their normal residence for work purposes.
Access to any kind of financial aid would be largely dependent on things like the purpose of your trip.

Checkout this site: http://www.freespirit.com.au/lafha/living-away-from-home-allowance.htm

Hi, If she has residency, she should be able to get a Special Category Visa. If you google the immigration website (i think it's immi.gov.au) or check the website for the Australian Consulate in NZ it will be able to clarify it for you.
SCV (Special Category Visa) is granted at customs on arrival in australia. It's a formality (so you don't have to go through the rigorous process usually involved with Visas), but there are restrictions (i.e. criminal records, etc). Best to check with the consulate.

from what I've been able to find out, if done by a moving company, it seems to be by volume, but it may actually be based on whichever is the greater of the two - volume or weight as sometimes small things can weigh a lot and there would be weight restrictions on cargo vessels. Airlines seem to do it all by weight.

Thanks Mayflower

actually, it depends on the shipping method chosen. Airfreight is volumetric - that is, they calculate the maximum weight an area can hold, and if you ask for that space to be dedicated to you, you pay the maximum charge based on the weight that space can carry. So, if you have a 1 metre square pallet and you want a dedicated 1 metre square space, even if your goods are, for example, 100kg, if the space is calculated as being able to carry 800kg, you then pay the 800kg rate. But, if you break it down to boxes that cover a 1 metre square space, but specify non-dedicated - that is, the individual boxes can ship in various areas all over the plane - then you pay by their individual weights, and the cost is significantly lower. Most freight forwarders won't tell you this as they're looking for the most they can make.
With seafreight, it is meterage only, especially if you aren't taking up a whole container. A whole 20 foot container can cost anywhere between 6 and 10K, but, for example, if you are shipping 1 cubic metre of goods in a shared container, it can cost as little as $200 - you may just have to wait a little longer, as your freight forwarder will wait for a suitable container with the space required for your goods. this can be the best way to go though, as there are 7000 containers a week sent from NZ to Australia, odds are you won't be waiting too long.

Do they say that you must be a "Permanent" resident, or just 'resident' as they are two different things. i.e. being a tax resident is different from being recognised as a permanent australian resident or citizen. Regarding permanent residency or citizenship, you would need to contact the immigration department and speak to them about your circumstances as this will determine your residency pathway (there are a lot of ways to apply for residency, not everyone qualifies for all of them).

As a Kiwi, you are permanently allowed to reside and work in OZ. As soon as you pay taxes, you are deemed as a resident.

the above comment is incorrect, we have been here for 5yrs and are only considered permanent residents for tax purposes. You still have to apply for permanent residence if you ever wish to have a pension when you retire or assistance if you get sick.
The PR application process is a shambles and we have been told to divorce and marry aussies by immigration if we want to get PR as our jobs as a Truckie and supermarket worker are not good enough to qualify for PR on their own merit. I even got as far as sitting the citizenship test only to be told that as I was out of the country in 2001 that I did not qualify and was asked to leave. If we ever get sick or retire here then we are on our own...

I know I already posted on a similar thread above this one but ARGH!

ANZAC doesn't mean anything anymore.

Lest we forget

!!!!!

It's all rather coldblooded and grimy in Aus really to be honest, I've been here for near on 4 y now, mostly because of opportunity, experiences, travelbugs, money to be made, exploring my planet, and meeting people, and I have ALWAYS worked and paid tax. And nothing. I am just on my own. I don't have financial support from family etc so I've been homeless and had rough "mi goreng" months..

>:(

we recently moved over to australia and you cannot get a disability allownace at all. i got one in nz but here it is diffrent. all you can get is the fam assistance and rent assistance and that is it.hope this helps

If u are seriously connsidering taking your disabled kids and do not intend on working forget it.My sister inlaw spent 5 years trying to get government funding even though she was a NZ citizen.I honestly think you should be working to support your family and maybe that will help.This was her problem she couldn't work as he needed fulltime care but they don't care about that.

check www.immi.gov.au for more information or contact the australian consulate (website: www.australia.org.nz) for clarification.

yes he will need a 457 visa which is the most challenging visa to get..

There is no cheap place to buy food or clothing in Perth compared to NZ. Food is very expensive here.. The cheapest supermarket is Coles and it's still more expensive than PaK n Save in NZ. In terms of living, it's cheaper to live in the outer suburbs, but the transportation cost makes up for it.

Just say u're visiting. it's simpler that way..

go with whatever you're actually doing. Better to tell the truth when you're dealing with customs.
As an NZ citizen you will automatically get a Special Category Visa anyway, so there's no extra hassle in saying you're staying permanently if that is your intention.

ok so at the sound of sounding stupid haha..someone like myself can buy a one way ticket tomorrow and just fly in and say i plan on livinf for a few yrs and they stamp my visa and off we go? is it all that easy? are there other forms and things to fill out?

Yes Debbie - you could do that if you wanted to, so long as you don't have any [serious] criminal convictions. There's nothing to fill out other than your standard Aussie immigration card, where you just say that you intend to live in Australia for the foreseeable future.

Yes, pretty simple for an NZ citizen eh!?
It does get a little more complicated if you want the benefits afforded permanent residents and citizens though, as you would need to apply for a medicare card, aussie driver's licence, tax file number (IRD number), etc.
But there's no need to apply for a visa in most instances (i.e. no criminal record)

You should say that you intend to stay permanently to be granted the 'automatic' visa and getting some of the social benefit ...

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about seven yrs ago i left nz for oz to live and work permanently, i lived and worked for 2 yrs and fell pregnant there. wnen i was about 6-7 mnths pregnant, i went to ask assistance from Centre link and Medicare, to my horror i was denied. Why is that? So i came back to NZ to have my daughter. Now my daughter is 4yrs old and i want us to go back and live there permanently, what do i have to do if i want to ask them assistance again, i do want to go back and work in Oz, pls help

Yes, depending on what state you are moving to you may or may not be required to do any tests. Each state is different in their requirements for NZ licence holders. It depends on what kind of aussie licence you are applying for. i.e. to get a full car licence, as a full nz licence holder, most states simply require you to provide proof of your licence, not sit a test. For some licences, however, some testing is required (i.e. eyesight, maybe a theory test, etc).
Keep in mind, some of the road rules are a bit different to ours (i.e. you don't give way to people turning right when you're turning left in Aussie!)

was thinking of queensland

seek.co.nz

seek.com.au sorry

you can access seek.com.au from seek.co.nz (tabs up to top to select region, plus australian cities are in the search fields).
others are careerone.com.au and mycareer.com.au
there's lots out there, would pay to also google employment agencies that deal specifically with your industry as they are generally the most helpful.

SCV is the standard visa for kiwis which is as close to permanent residency/aus citizenship you can get. You would be best to contact IRD in NZ and also whoever deals with capital gain in Aussie for clarification on your situation. Would hate for you to be put wrong here by accident when dealing with such a major asset.

Thanks appreciate your time to answer.

OK I've done some further research and this is what I've found. You are able to use these accounts if like me, are on a Special Category Visa (SCV). It says that you have to be a "permanent resident for tax purposes" which presumably means that you get the govt contribution when you file a tax return in Australia. Also, NZers on a SCV are also eligible for the First Home Owners Grant in NSW (don't know about other states) providing they meet the other criteria. For the purposes of this grant, permanent residents include NZers on a SCV. And for the First Home Owners' exemption on NSW stamp duty, it doesn't actually refer to anything about permanent residency eligibility. Maybe we take this to mean that NZers on SCVs are OK for this as well?

NZ Citizens on an SCV are eligible for the home owners grant in all states from what I can see, so long as all eligibility are met (i.e. it is your first home ever, not just your first in Aussie!). The only things NZ cits don't seem to be eligible for in my research to date is the sickness benefit, unemployment benefit and tertiary student assistance (student loans/allowances).
Tax residency is generally met by being present in Australian for most of the tax year, or paying tax to the australian govt, not NZ. It is easy to work out on the ato website (Australian Taxation Office) which I think is www.ato.gov.au

If you are in NSW, this page confirms that NZers on an SCV are eligible for the First Home Owners Grant and that as long as it is your first home in Oz, you are eligible for the grant (even if you owned a home in NZ, you are still eligible). Go to: http://www.osr.nsw.gov.au/benefits/first_home/faqs/fhogs/eligibility/

As much as you can really. it depends a bit on what you're going to be taking with you, how you're prepared to live, how employable you are, etc. I am taking $5,000 Australian with me minimum to help cover my expenses until I have work. Try contacting some emloyment agencies before you go to see what kind of work you may be able to get and what you can expect to earn in them.

ok thanks yea i have a barista qualification and about 3 food/catering/food safety certificates as well so i know i am pretty employable i have a worldwide known one aswell and got one of the highest marks you can get on it

In that case, I can't see a job being an issue for you. you might want to check out goworkabout.com.au
they deal with the hospitality industry and may be able to help you get a short term position to get you started whilst looking for a permanent role. They can also help you get your Tax File Number.
You can set up a bank account directly with most of the banks before you leave NZ without needing to use their (goworkabout's) service.

ahk thanks :D

I came with $400, no job, no tertiary education, and no family or friends and I'm still here nearly 4 years on, you'll be sweet mate :)

Your best bet is to contact Centrelink for clarification, but from my own research, without citizenship, it appears that the only things NZ citizens aren't eligible for is the sickness benefit, unemployment benefit and government assistance for students (loans, allowances)

Yes, you can be both an NZ and Australian citizen, you don't have to give one up to obtain the other, so you can keep your NZ passport

There are quite a few early intervention centres around the victoria, as we are also moving to the victoria region from nz and have looked into this as we have a 17month old boy also with downs syndrome.

keep in mind that while you qualify for domestic fees, you can't get any student loans or allowances without permanent residency or citizenship. I'm moving to Brisbane to study too. If you haven't already applied for 2009 intake, do so now as it's already a late application. visit qtac.com.au they are the ones you apply to, not directly to the universities. It works different to NZ and there's no guarantee of getting in to the courses the way there is for most degrees in NZ.
Depending on what you're planning to study, the Brisbane unis may be more internationally recognised for your subject than NZ unis, but you would need to research that. A lot depends on what degree you want and also what you want to do with your degree and where.

If you're credit worthy you should be fine, but clearly there are a lot of variables - especially in the current market. The usual ones, like how large your deposit is as a % of the purchase price, are particularly relevant right now. Only potential lenders can answer this question for you with enough certainty...

As far as needing to live here for a certain amount of time, we were asked to apply for a mortgage only a few days after we arrived! So that doesn't seem to be a factor.

Ok, we looked into this as we're getting on a bit! it's 45 max. for permanent residency if you apply under the skilled migrant Catergory (not sure about other visas). After you get permanent residency you have to have lived in Oz for 2 years before you can apply for Citizenship. If your in a skilled shortage area the only other way around this is to get your employer to sponsor you.

There are no problems of taking prescribed medicine into Aus as long as you declare them. To be safe I took the recepit with me and orignal packaging. You wont be able to fill a NZ prescription over there so you will have to find a doctor over there, I was in Perth and there was no shortage of doctors there.

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No your visa is specific for the country is was issued for. It even says so on the work permit itself.

We emmigrated to NZ 5 years ago from the UK, and applied for NZ Citizenship after 3 years this changed to 5 years in 2005? I think. The only way you can get a SCV (Special Catergory Visa) in OZ is to have NZ Citizenship (not just permanent residence) which entitles you to live and work in Oz permanently,automatically. The only things you won't be entittled to as far as we could see were are long term sickness benefit (which is means tested) the dole and voting rights. So you will need to get either Australian Permanent Residence before you go or NZ Citizenship.

We aren't in Brisbane yet but had a "look see" visit a couple of months ago. Check out Springfield Lakes a brand new community within commuting distance to CBD. It's a fantastic place we're heading there next March. WWW.greaterspringfield.com.au

This is a difficult question because it depends on where you work and what you want to do.
Springfield lakes is a new subdivision south west of the city and about a 40 min drive into the city.
It is a growing area and a lot of new homes are going up all the time. At the moment the traffic out that way is
horrendous but they are improving the road. I live about 8 mins to the city on the south side in a
suburb called Tarragindi. We love it, it is so close to everything and the freeway is near by taking us to
the Gold Coast in 45 minutes. I work on the north side of town and travel in peak times but it
usually takes about 20 to 25 minutes. I may be biased but I prefer the south side because of its convenience.
Once you choose a side North or South you seem to be biased towards it.
The nearer you are to city from both sides the more expensive the homes are to buy and rents are
higher. Popular places for yups, metro's, alternative's and the rich are New Farm and West End or
other suburbs 1 or 2klm radius from the city.
I suggest you get a map of Brisbane and go on to www.realestate.com.au for buying or renting.
Once you find a suburb google it and you may be able to find out more about the suburb. Good
luck.

How long ago was offence??

How long ago was offence??

The inner eastern and south eastern suburbs are generally desirable and are home to a lot of professional type people - Hawthorn, Camberwell, St Kilda, Richmond, Toorak, South Yarra etc. Fitzroy and Carlton are places with a more chilled vibe (as is the inner North Melbourne). I can't really comment on the areas to avoid as we've not really lived in any, although we've heard you want to perhaps avoid outer east places like Dandenong, Ringwood, etc and suburbs further west/north like Footscray area etc. It really depends on how much you are willing to spend on accommodation etc - same old story here that the closer to the city you want to get, the more you'll pay.

Thanks for that. St Kilda was our area of preference anyway, but thought I should ask, 'just in case'. Much appreciated.

What's wrong with Dandenong area? Looking at a job near there and a bit worried now!

We are about to go through it, It has been a bit of a pain, We have had to get skilles assessed etc. We are now applying for a skilled migration vis sponsership as my aunty and uncle live in brisbane. We had hoped to get residence throuhg my husbands IT work but they assesed him at skills needs but not short listed in which his skills are short listed?
cost $2500 for residence visa application, $300 medical check, and $3300 if we go through a immigration bearu. Takes upto one year.

if you are looking for a lifestyle change alone then Oz is the place to be. Working here compared to NZ we have found has 1 major difference,security of your job does not exist. If there are less then 100workers and work slacks off you can be laidoff without notice which has happened to our friend 4 times in the last 3yrs that he has been living here as a exkiwi.He is highly qualified and at Manager level in his field.You need to consider if you like commuting to work or not,public transport here is excellent. Back in NZ our family travelled up to 20mins from home for our jobs,here one of us travels 1 to 2hrs morning and night using trains.My field of work is office/admin,work is definitely available just need to be organised and exact as to what you can offer the employer or agent when applying.I was offered 4 out of 5 jobs within 1week and accepted the best one for me.Keep in mind if you have a car there may not be parking for it,same as NZ so thats where the commuting comes in morn and night on top of your days work. If your determined to make it here you will be fine,don't expect a bed of roses cos that it definitely isnt. Bottom line is if your tough you will make it, if your not think twice before leaving home.

You aren't able to get a student loan as a NZ citizen, you would have to pay the fees up front. You need to be an Australian citizen to get a student loan.

I was living in a suburb called Belmont, it was 5-10 drive to Perth centre and it also has a big shopping mall in it. I was paying $360 a week for a modern 3 brm house but you can get cheaper around that area. $300 is about average for houses that close to perth.

$2500 to govt for residence application, $300 for medicals not sure on police check. If using an immigration personal $3300.

Would assume so, a friend of mine paid $22 a night in the gold coast for back packers rental

The fastest way to go if you want to start transferring money into aussie is to setup one online. westpac is great for that. They will load the account for you so you can start transferring money into it and then all you need to do is walk into the bank and activate it. You will need 100 points of ID so a valid passport and photo drivers license will be fine.

You are not able to apply for your TFN until you have set foot in the country. You can do this online but it might take up to 14 days to have it posted out, if you need it quicker go into the branch and register manually then you will recieve this automatically.

Hope this helps.

Just recently moved to Australia (4 months now) Before applying for a rental property, on the application form there are certain documents that you must provide. Each document has points. If you have all the documents required they(the agency) will add these altogether. The aim for the rental property we applied for required 100 points. Example: proof of passport/birth certificate = 40points, drivers licence= 30 points, bank statements = 20 points and so forth. Depending on how many people will reside in the property an application per person. But having children they did not need to require the 100 point mark. Thank goodness for that. Points are another way that can allow like rental agency, or if applying for credit, prove that you are who you say you are. Like a credit check but using a different method. Hope this help.

No you can't move to Australia on PR you have to be a New Zealand Citizen and yes you are right the qualifying time is 5 years to get NZ Citizenship

Trying to use New Zealand as a shortcut and backdoor to get into Australia. You should be ashamed of yourselves. All this does is gives us hard working real kiwis a bad name over here.

Our friends received nz citizen ship in about 1 year.

yes u are enttitled to rent assistance

Try the citizens advice bureau or try a budgting advice service if you have any bills that you are worried about and meeting the repayments than a budget advisor is your best resource they are able to help you in making contact with the persons you are owing money too.Last resort in other words.

Once you get your work permit you can then apply for PR if you meet the requiements. Once you have PR you will have to have been in NZ for 5 years before you can apply for Citizenship, once you have that you can then go to Australia to live and work without restriction. It's a very long way round and if you don't want to settle here anyway I would suggest that you go straight to Australia and apply for PR there.

Not in a State school but you will pay for school uniforms, levy fees and you always seem to be
paying for something eg: excursions etc.. They do have a good system for text books in most
Brisbane high schools where you hire the books and the govt. subsidy for text books which
you receive is passed on to the school. High school usually have uniform shops, where you can
get good 2nd hand uniforms or buy new ones. Of private education you pay yearly fees.
As well as everything else.
else.

Yes the flies are THAT bad - however sadly you do get used to them

My partner just moved to Perth a couple of months ago. He reckons Fremantle is a nice place to live as is close to the sea. Apparently you need to pay a bond to look/view a house thats if you are going through a real estate agent or if you can and go privately. I'm going over at the end of Feb so I hope he has a house for us by then.

No the Flies are not that bad its another Kiwi myth. I actually had more flies when I was in New Zealand.
They are present but nothing to worry about.

Nah nah nah, they are worse in WA, I've talked to my partner on 2 separate occasions where a fly has flown n2 his mouth while talkin' and he spat it out and goes "Bloody flies!" lol he also said that ya get use to them too, YUCK!
Yip I 2 will be headin ova at the end of Feb and hope he hooks us a house by then 2. Yes viewing bond he had to pay as well.Rockingham, Fremantle, Mandurah all south west of city and close to beach.

I have just moved back to NZ from Perth and YES the flies are that bad but only between Nov and Mar or if you live North where it's hotter. Yes you pay a bond to apply for a rental but you get it back if it's rented to someone else. Freemantle is nice but about 30mins from Perth and not cheap....good luck

Yes they do. They want refs from your last jobs just like here in NZ

Yes - but you need to convert your license to one for your state within a certain period of time. In VIC, you can use your NZ license for 6 months before needing a VIC license. We just made an appointment at VicRoads, paid about $45 for a 3 year license, did a simple eye test and that was it. It all took about 15 mins.

You will qualify for the baby bonus, family benefit A & B but not the single parent allowances...

We donated a bunch of stuff like that to a Scouts garage sale - they usually just come and pick it all up for you. Easy as!

If you can't sell it, take it with you that's sumthing less for you to purchase. Im in the same boat we (two adults and a child) fly out next Month the stuff we taking weighs less then 150kg. clothes, blankets, sheets, utencils, pots, pans, cutley etc. I fly Pacific Blue they have a contractor that do there excess luggage or freight, there pricings pretty good. Menzies Aviation Ak Airport

I'm no expert but I wouldn't have thought you would pay anymore tax other than Capital Gains. Of
course once it goes into the bank here any interest you make would be taxed. Once you buy a
house your going to pay the usual stamp duty, searches, real estate and lawyers fees etc.
They say an extra $20,000 is spent when buying a house. Don't worry your not going to miss
out paying for Rudd's stuff ups.

Listen, you don't have to pay capital gains tax if the purpose for purchasing your property wasn't to make a capital gain. Basically you bought the house in NZ and the reason you bought it was for the purpose of earning the rental income (on which you already paid tax).

Trickey one, We habe lived here for 3 years now and ar applying for residencey, YOu could always apply for a sponsered work visa. Your employer sponsers you and that way it is much quicker. YOu can apply when you arrive or earlier. If you have no luck ring an immigration bearu and they can someitmes arrange a job for you.

I found the pre-pay cards there ridiculously cheap.

$50 will get you something like $300 credit.
If you've got a vodafone phone here, then just buy a sim card in aus and pre-oay all the way!

Pre-paid is amazingly cheap as Josh said above. Just stay on those. The only thing is that they dont carry over from month to month so just keep buying the cheapest one, they easily last a month. Beer on the other hand is amazingly pricey! Life is about balances my friend!

When I moved here, it didnt.. and my credit in nz was shocking!!!! But you have had to be working for a minimum period of 3 months first before applying.

But it could be different from bank to bank. All the best

Just the first time ..

The subclass 461 can be renewed every 5 years but has a requirement to maintain private health insurance. Apparently upon reapplying immigration needs maintained evidence of this, or they may refuse further renewal. We came to Melbourne from auckers 17 mnths ago , the missus whose on the 461 had travel insurance for 3 months upon arrival- which expired in dec 08. Then we forgot about it for 6 mnths, and in june 09 got the private insurance since the missus is studying part time, we got the overseas student one since it was the cheapest, not realising it wouldnt cover her if anything happened. Thanks to the uninformed agent we spoke to at AHM. Now she needs overseas worker visa, which she is about to sort out immediately..
My question is: Has anyone reapplied for subclass 461- after finsihing the first term and had problems due to partial non compliance of private health insurance?

If you just leave without paying debts, they will eventually find you. Would be best to clear first and then move.

carsales.com.au is always pretty good for new and second hand cars.

your best option is to contact the Family Assistance office yourself, they operate just like WINZ.

Going through the same thing! I have the same questions myself. Man this economic environment is yuk! Have you had any good advice?

hey boss

I read a bit on bankruptcy a while back & also noted some comments here
Apparently NZ/Australia the credit agency is the same, so your credit history in NZ will follow you to Australia

So if you do declare bankruptcy it could hurt you in future in Australia if you want to get loans etc

We are in exactly same position, I am so relieved that we are not the only ones. Lost everything in NZ (once really well off) and now here working for $20 per hour just surviving, cant actually pay back any debts but terrified to talk to anyone as going back would be the worst outcome.

Well it sure is good to know that there are other kiwis in similar shoes here in Aus. I had bad credit history but I have found that as long as you don't show ur NZ passport as ID for loans, you should be ok.

hi, I am so glad you asked this question, we are struggling in nz, we have a beautiful home in nz but cant afford to pay it now, we havent got to the point that you have yet but its definitely heading that way. I was going to keep our home and investment property and rent them out but after reading through this website i think we will sell our home and just start fresh in Australia. Really scared to move because i love nz so much but dont want to struggle anymore.
My suggestion is to weigh up the options, calculate how long it would take to pay off the debts as oppose to bankrupcy. personally i would take bankrupcy, just so i could live again, put it down to lessons learnt and move on??? all the best of luck with everything.

My daughter just moved to aussie and bought a car a week after she got there, no problems with doing so on her NZ drivers liscence

As a single mum already based in sydney, They do offer a small amount of around $150-170 per week(however i am paid fortnightly) Its not much at all compared to NZ, also they do not provide any other assistance like NZ, eg. help with food? nup! help with school uniform/books? long shot..

To be honest, I Think the Australian Welfare system doesnt really do much for there New Zealand counterparts, Only if you apply for citizenship which takes two years to process, will you be able to claim full benefits like everyone else here...

other than that there are many other great benefits..like tax back, and MR Rudd's Stimulus packages! "keep em coming"!lol

maybe start with some spelling lessons lol

maybe starting looking at how to make Roti Burger first

No not at all. The Australian system does the same number of years as NZ. He will be in Year 11 when he goes to Oz, however he will finish his schooling in Year 12 instead of year 13. In OZ (kindergarten to Year 12) in NZ (year 1 to year 13) same number of years. Only thing he will notice is that the school work will be much harder than the NCEA. He will need to get the best marks he can in order to get into university as places go to those with the highest marks not a general enrolment of everyone with 80 credits or more. I am a teacher of the NCEA and I think it is dumbing down NZ students. I move in July and look forward to never hearing again "I only need to get an achieved so why should I work harder"

I agree, there are a lot more demands on students in Australian schools. Ally is quite right, he will have to fight to get into uni, many courses fill up fast, students cannot simply use it to fill in time like they do here in NZ quite a bit. I have taught in both OZ and NZ, and I think I am being dumbed down too teaching NCEA. The system here is really disheartening for teachers because it encourages mediocrity and laziness. You will find that students in OZ have a much higher level of self motivation because there is not the expectation that we as teachers will work our butts off for them when they get to November and realise they dont have the credits they need and suddenly want to cram an entire year's work into two weeks...

well my children all had to repeat a year when we moved from nz to melbourne. might depend where you move to..

not likely m8

can u please avoid double posting threads/comments? cheers

hmm not entirely sure but a friend of mine left for oz last year when her child was three weeks old and had no problems. You dont need to apply for a visa, as long as you are and NZ citizen, you can pretty much just rock up and settle in. This will be harder with a young child so might pay to have cash behind you

As for as the information I know, you will always be able to live, work and buy a house in Australia. But you have to be aware that you are only a "resident" NOT a "permanant resident". To be a Permanant resident you have to fit one of 7 catagories. (These catagories arent easy) and you also must be under the age of 45. After 45 you can not become a permant resident which then mean you will never become a Australia citizen. Just remember until you are a "permant resident" you dont qualify for much. Eg:-Unemployment benifit, etc, so you are on your own. Also if you buy a house and then sell it you will be taxed really high. You could loose roughly 1/3 of your profit to tax.

Yesterday

It is for unpaid driving fines and court fines. If it was the case of all outstanding debts I think there would be no kiwis going over the ditch.

If you are an Australian citizen, your crime would have to be fairly serious to stop you from returning. However if you are a NZ citizen I doubt very much you would get into Australia. Check with the Australian Consulate. Don't lie because if you are caught you will be deported and unable to return to Australia.

u wait 5 years to nz passport and than move oz

I am moving my Russian Blue and Burmese to Perth Australia in July and I am looking around for a good priced pet relocator. One firm quoted me $1900 for the two cats in the one cage however the firm that had the best price at $1160 is Global Pets. www.globalpets.co.nz It will cost you less to transport one cat to the eastern seaboard (sydney etc). You can't take your cat as luggage on the airline like you can between the islands. They have to go through quarantine of approximately 48 hours. Talk to Global Pets and they will arrange it all for you. Hope that helps.

You are best to contact Medicare and Aged Care in Oz. State funded nursing home places are in high demand for Australian citizens with dementia so you may find you will have to put up a considerable amount of money ($150,000) to go into a private residence. You may also find that the Oz govt doesn't grant entry for your elderly parent because of the cost of care required. Sorry.

Pay your loan out with your redundancy money or make the payments from your income in Australia. The National Bank will chase you in Oz and will list you against Baycorp Advantage if you default. This means you will not be able to get a loan in Australia at all, except from the local loan shark at 50% interest. They can't put you in jail, however they can repossess any property you have and can get a court order that a certain about is taken from your income each pay period for repayment of the loan with all court costs added to your loan.

perhaps the answer is to find more employment in NZ and pay the loan off before you leave. The internet is making it easy for banks and financial authorities to work together very easily on a global scale. Get a job, pay it off here and leave with peace of mind

..I know of a case recently that Baycorp was able to chase a defaulter on a Bank loan, right back to the UK. They were able to empty out his UK bank account for the outstanding amount. Go Figure.

i don't think think so you sholuld not get any credit with in 5 years's baycorp can't look for you.no one know right answer this.every country has law.strat new life you have to take care you position now.

NO- you get a visa on electronic on your passport, this is a tempory working visa, you can work here in australia, get family assisatance, medicare etc . If you want to study, get sicknessbenefit, unemployment you need to apply for residency.
I would suggest getting an employment sponser visa.

There is a student loan scheme, but it is only avaliable to permanent residents. Once you arrive in OZ, you will just be a 'resident' so although you are not classed as an international student and still get to pay domestic fees, you will have to pay these fees up front as you are not entitled to a student loan. If after four years you have gained Permanent Residency, you'll be able to apply for a student loan then.

You do not need a visa, you can jsut rock up. However, if you want to get permanent residency in OZ after four years, not just the residency you are labelled with at the airport, it will be harder because the system is points-based and the older you are the less points you get.

No that is a wrong answer the open entry into Oz is for NA citizens. It is not for NZ permanent residents.

And if you do get your NZ citizenship you can go straight to OZ but if you are over 45 you may get Oz permanent residency if you meet their skills etc reuirements and at acost of around AUD2,500 but will struggle to qualify for Oz citizenship

Bond uni in Robina definitely. Wonder you have enough money to pay ?

It depends whether or not you are an NZ permanent resident. If so, it will be slightly easier but there will be a lot of questions about that criminal record you managed at 13 years old. They will also want to know how you plan to support yourself and your son, as you have to wait at least a year to get any kind of unemployment payment. If you dont have NZ permanent residency, I would say it's going to be very difficult for you to get into NZ or OZ.

Broadband users have rated Australian ISPs here: http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/

really easy , go to qld transport, give letter of address, phone bill etc tp prove living here and passport, id etc then pay something like $65 and there you have it

how about in nsw?

It is easy, take around 30 - 45 minutes, go to an RTA motor registry and
(1) Present your NZ licence
(2) Prove your NSW address
(3) Prove your identity,
(4) Pass an eyesight test,
(5) Pay the licensing fee, and have your photo taken by the RTA for your driver licence card.

Unrestricted Driver licence (Gold) fee is $47 for 1 year, $113 for 3 years, $151 for 5 years

Maybe it'll be easier that you apply for your TFN when you arrive. Just take your passport, I applied for mine the day after I arrived in Melbourne. It was fast and easy

I've just been through the process of starting a company in Victoria. I did it through my accountant and it cost $850 all up to establish a private company limited by shares. There are no doubt cheaper ways to do it but that was a reasonable cost to me given that I didn't have to do anything other than sign a few declarations etc.

It took two weeks all up doing it this way. Check out http://business.gov.au for further info about starting a company in Australia.

It's against Pay Pal rules - you can only have one account and they won't let you send money to yourself. They're monitoring their systems to block people trying to use them as a money transfer service.

No, you should be able to have dual UK/NZ citizenship without any trouble. See this page on the NZ Embassy site for more information: http://www.nzembassy.com/info.cfm?c=14&l=56&CFID=402&CFTOKEN=86934083&s=nz&p=718

Oops I submitted it before finishing..

I'm a Kiwi expat living in Australia and I'm hoping to visit relatives in NZ soon.
However, I have an unpaid student loan which I defaulted on before moving to Australia. My home and family are in Australia and I need to know if I will be stopped from leaving NZ with this debt.. if so I just won't go.
Anyone?

I'd like to know the answer to this too if anyone has any insight!

You can have your loan paid from Oz, even if its $10.00 a week. Ring NZ and sort out your payments for peace of mind, then have a relaxing holiday.

I've got a $30,000 nz student loan debt, and have lived in Sydney for 8 years, and been back and forth every year and have never had a problem. I was worried bout this once and I just rung them and asked, and she said they dont detain you at the airport.
They wont detain you at the airport for a student loan, just unpaid fines. Go home and visit your family! :)

yes

Yes. You just cant get out of the country if you have unpaid car fines/tickets.