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Since launching Getting Down Under in January 2006, our site has evolved from my own personal Blog, tracking the move of my own family down under to more of an online Australian Immigration Magazine providing the latest Australian immigration news, reviews and of course, the odd joke!

Since these early days the internet has continued to develop so today I thought I’d officially launch a couple more channels to keep in touch with our site and with other folk around the world looking to make the move Down under.

Facebook

If you haven’t heard of Facebook then where have you been! Facebook is a free-access social networking website. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and hobby to connect and interact with other people. We’ve created our own user group on facebook for folks looking to make the move down under. We have 51 members in our little Facebook club so far so lease consider joing us by Clicking Here.

Twitter

The second group we’ve launched is with Twitter. Like Facebook, Twitter is a free social networking and ‘micro-blogging’ service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters, displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers).

As well as my own random dribbles, any news updates posted via Getting Down Under will also be tweeted to Twitter. If your already a user of the twitter service and would like to receive details of any related Aussie news then become one of our followers on Twitter. You can access our Twitter account by Clicking Here.

Email Newsletter

As well as our new services available on Facebook and Twitter, I’d also like to use this as an opportunity to remind folks that all of the latest posts and news appearing on Getting Down Under can also be sent to you on email via the Getting Down Under newsletter.   To join the other (at time of typing) 1158 people who already subscribe to our newsletter then please Click Here.

Privavcy stuff : For info, we use the services of a company called Feedburner to provide our newsletters. Feedburner is a company owned by the search engine dudes at Google so be rest assured your details will be held in a secure environment. We also promise to keep your email safe and will use it for only this purpose.

Getting Down Under Forum

Last but not least, our Australian Immigration advice forums have already been providing help and support to a great community of like minded people for some time.   We currently have over 5000 members in our community (who have asked over 28,000 questions) so if Facebook or Twitter accounts are not something that takes your fancy consider joing our community forum. The key word here is community and you’ll be joining a great bunch of people online within our forums.

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Its been a little whilst since I posted some up-to-data information on the kind of Salary you can expect to earn in Australia so I thought I’d provide a little data following the completion of another Australian salary survey.

Like our previous salary survey, this years survey was completed by one of the leading recruitment companies in Australia;   Hays Recruitment.

Hays are a global recruitment company so if your from the UK, Ireland, South East Asia, continental Europe or Canada there’s a good chance that you may have heard of them.

The annual Hays Salary Survey remains the definitive snapshot of salaries and employment market trends across Australia and New Zealand. Data is provided for the current salaries in well over 1,000 job titles across 16 sectors in 12 locations, with over 1,700 leading Australian and New Zealand employers consulted.

Hopefully salary data specific to your current role will be available in here. Continue Reading

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A world-wide survey has found that Australia has been voted the best place for business during the economic downturn, meaning that all those emigrating to Australia will benefit from greater investment security and a stronger economy during the recessionary and recovery period.

As we reported earlier this year, the government restricted the Australian skilled migration program so that fewer people are emigrating to Australia during the recession. Despite this, the program remains at significantly high levels, with 108,100 places for skilled migration to Australia, and the government has sufficient reasons for doing so.

While other countries such as the UK are deeply entrenched in the recession, Australia seems to be fairing well and are even tipped to come out stronger than before. Continue Reading

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The Rudd Government is going to announce its latest budget tonight with an expected deficit of about $60 billion most likely making the biggest headline.

For those looking at making the move down under however, the slashing of a further 7000 places from the general skilled migration intake will be the news that hurts the most!

The cut will take the general skilled migration intake for the next financial year to 108,000.

Added to the decision in March to axe 18,500 places, the total reduction of 25,500 will constitute a 20 per cent cut to the program. Continue Reading

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Here at Getting Down Under HQ we frequently get emailed by various folks and organisations that are looking for our help in promoting their products and services to the many visitors and subscribers who visit our site.

As many of these services aren’t particularly appropriate (or simply smell like a bit of a scam) then in most cases we don’t bother.

Recently however we were contacted by an agency asking us to help promote a competition being run by ‘Tourism Australia’. As the competition tied nicely into the concept of ‘Getting Down Under’ and was being run by the Aussie tourist industry then we thought it seemed worthy of a mention. Continue Reading

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Yet more restrictions  on the number of options for wannabe Aussies with the Australian business visa program (under the Skills Stream) being capped until the start of the next financial year, 01 July 2009.

The Australian business visa program allows investors and senior executives to settle in Australia so that they may develop opportunities in Australian business.

The Australian Government provides two options for emigrating to Australia through the business skills stream.

These include the Provisional Business visa, which can result in a permanent Australian visa, and the Permanent Residence Business visa, for those sponsored by a State/Territory.

Four types of people can apply for an Australian business visa in the Skills Stream, including owners/part-owners of a business, senior executives of major businesses, investors, and senior managers who have sponsorship from a State/Territory government.

In response to the current economic conditions, the Government assessed the number of people emigrating to Australia through the Australian business visa program and how that matched with the planning levels for Australian General Skilled Migration, and has decided to cap this financial year’s business skills visas.

This means that until 01 July 2009, no more than 6,650 offshore Australian business skills visas (class EA and UR) can be approved by the Government and an overall limit of 7,500 places for both onshore and offshore business skills visas.

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So the ACT and NT have already announced their changes to their sponsered visa programs so it was only a matter of time before South Australia followed Suite.

Important changes have been made to the South Australian sponsored visa programs, with occupations removed from both the Permanent Sponsorship list and the Provisional Sponsorship list.

The previously announced changes have had an immediate effect on the eligibility of many applicants for a South Australian sponsored visa, with the amendments resulting in the removal of occupations from Sponsorship Occupation Lists and the suspension of the Concessional English Program.

As a result of planning levels being achieved, one occupation has been removed from the South Australian Permanent Sponsorship list:

Hairdresser (ASCO: 4931-11)
Applicants who list this as their nominated occupation in the points test will no longer be eligible for sponsorship by South Australia. Additionally, there have also been a number of occupations removed from the South Australian Provisional Sponsorship list:

Construction Project Manager (ASCO: 1191-11)
Biochemist (ASCO: 2113-17)
Life Scientists (nec) (ASCO: 2113-79)
Agricultural Scientist (ASCO: 2114-19)
Agricultural Advisor (ASCO: 2114-21)
Statistician (ASCO: 2293-13)
Health Information Manager (ASCO: 2299-11)
Social Professionals (nec) (ASCO: 2529-79)
Hairdresser (ASCO: 4931-11)

Also affected is the Concessional English Program, which has now been temporarily suspended while it is held under review. Previously, this allowed people with less advanced English language skills to meet the eligibility requirements of a South Australian sponsored visa application. The provision only applied to Australian skilled visa applicants applying for the Skilled Regional Sponsored visa (subclasses 475 and 487), but has now been withdrawn until further notice.

However, applicants that have already submitted their application online and are planning on providing documents that support their claim for points according to the Concessional English Program will be able to send these documents to Immigration SA, provided they do so before 31 May 2009.

Additionally, Immigration SA have also provided concrete processing times for existing and new State Sponsored visa applications. Permanent sponsorship applications (i.e. for the Skilled Sponsored visa (subclass 176)) will be processed within 4 weeks and provisional sponsorship applications (i.e. for the Skilled Regional Sponsored visa (subclass 475)) will be processed within 6-8 weeks.

These changes come after the Federal Government’s recent changes to the General Skilled Migration Program, which included a reduction in the number of occupations listed on the Critical Skills List (CSL).

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Following the news we posted on Friday about Important changes to Australian skilled-sponsored visas for ACT and NT. It looks like the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT) governments are at it again with a number of amendments to their skilled occupations lists being announced.

After removing five occupations as part of the announcements last week, the ACT has removed a further two occupations and added another.

Prospective migrants immigrating to Australia through the ACT skilled-sponsorship program as a fitter, metal machinist, metal fabricator, welder first class, sheet metalworker, surgeon or speech pathologist will at this point of time no longer be able to lodge an application through this programme. Pressure welders can now participate. Continue Reading

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The Canberra (ACT) and Northern Territory (NT) governments have made important changes to their State/Territory skilled-sponsored migration programs, including removing occupations from their skills-in-demand lists.

The announcement comes at a time when the Federal Government announced a reduction, and more targeted approach, to the Australian skilled migration program, affecting thousands of Australian skilled migration visa applications.

The Australian skilled-sponsored visa program entitles State/Territory governments to nominate Australian temporary residents or prospective migrants who have skills recognised as being high in demand in that State/Territory. Continue Reading

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Last week, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) announced that they would downsize the Critical Skills List (CSL) so that the Australian skilled migration program would more effectively bring in the skills needed most in the Australian economy.

Andy Harwood, a registered migration agent from the Australian Visa Bureau, has recommended to all potential migrants to Australia to use alternate migration pathways if they no longer have a skill on the CSL, including the employer/state sponsorship programs and the Australian working holiday visa.

The Critical Skills List (CSL) is a list of skilled occupations that represents those skills that the Australian economy needs most. As part of their more targeted approach to Australian skilled migration, DIAC has given Australian visa applicants with occupations on the CSL and applicants with employer/government sponsorship priority processing so that migrants can fill jobs faster in Australia. Continue Reading

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Not the best news for wannabe migrants I’m afraid. In a bid to protect Australian jobs, the Federal Government is cutting the intake of skilled migrant workers – removing virtually all the trades from the program.

In a sign of the times, the permanent skilled migration program is being slashed by 18,000 over the next three months, with no foreign bricklayers, plumbers, carpenters or electricians allowed in for the foreseeable future.

And the migrant worker program is likely to be cut back further in the May budget.

From the press release issued by The Aussie Ministry for Immigration and Citizenship:

The changes to the program are:

* A 14 per cent cut in the 2008-09 permanent skilled migration program intake from 133 500 to 115 000.
* Removing building and manufacturing trades from the Critical Skills List, such as bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters. The list will now comprise mainly health and medical, engineering and IT professions.

These changes follow measures announced in December that resulted in only those migrants sponsored by an employer or in an occupation on the Critical Skills List being granted visas under the permanent skilled migration program.

Almost half of the permanent visas granted are to applicants already living and working in Australia.

The Critical Skills List will remain under constant review and the Government will remove occupations from the list if demand for those skills can be satisfied by local labour.

The overwhelming message from business and industry is that Australia still needs to maintain a skilled migration program but one that is more targeted so that migrant workers are meeting skills shortages and not competing with locals for jobs.

There are still skills shortages in some sectors, such as healthcare, and these measures will enable industry to continue to source the skilled professionals they need while protecting local jobs and the wages and conditions of Australian workers.

What this means for those migrants who have already applied I’m not to sure but the short term outlook isn’t that great!

As always, when we have more news we’ll report it here at gettingdownunder.com

Related links:  

Discussions in our forums on the news  :   Click Here
Press release:  http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2009/ce09030.htm

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As the British economy hits rock bottom, thousands of skilled workers are looking abroad to start up a brighter, more stable life in a different economy.  

Traditionally, Australia and New Zealand have been a favourite destination for British skilled migrants, but it seems now their economies are also feeling the rippling effects of the American and British recessions.  

There has been much debate as to whether Senator Chris Evans (Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) would lower the record rates of immigration to Australia in the 2009-10 Budget in response to his country’s prospective financial troubles.  

Evans has decided to keep this year’s record 133,000 skilled visas as a ceiling until the Government assesses the country’s economic situation in time for the mid-year Budget.

This means that Australia still has plenty of places for skilled workers to move to Australia, and you could be joining the thirty-odd thousand other Britons moving to Australia permanently every year through the Australian migration program.  

Now we all know Australia has a better climate, nicer beaches, and the promise of a more comfortable, outdoor lifestyle than the UK, but, in this economic climate would skilled workers actually be better off by moving from the UK to Australia?

How much money can you earn in Australia compared to the UK

The following is a comparative table showing the median salaries for selected jobs in Australia and the UK, sourced from payscale.com (updated February 2009).   The results are based on the person having 10-19 years experience in that job, and the Australian salaries have been converted using the curencyconverter.com tool.    

A quick look at the table suggests the trend for higher salaries in Australia for skilled positions is evident, excluding the rather major difference for solicitors.  

Cost of living in Australia versus the cost of living in the uk

A higher salary doesn’t mean much if you are paying higher prices for the everyday basics.   The following table shows the cost of basics as supplied by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for December 2008.

The table shows Australia is not the winner in every case, and in fact, the UK is the cheapest place in the world to buy bread.   Yet, although the overall picture gives the impression that the cost of living in Australia and the UK is vacillating, a closer look shows that the expensive staple items are considerably cheaper in Australia than in the UK, which would keep your wallet plumper for longer.  

For example, a family of four that consumes 2kgs of beef a week could save up to £303 after migrating to Australia from the UK, and a person filling up a car with 30L of petrol every week could save up to £280 per year.   These are substantial savings.

Whereas milk, bread and flour may be cheaper to buy in the UK, the items that you need to outlay more cash on a weekly basis (such as meat and petrol) are cheaper in Australia.

The Economist’s Big Mac index makes things loud and clear to understand.   The famous index compares the cost of a Big Mac in hundreds of countries as a way of comparing the cost of living around the world.   During February 2009, the index showed that a Big Mac was cheaper to buy in Australia than in the UK.

A cheaper cost of living coupled with a higher chance of getting a better salary in Australia means that you would have more spending power and an increased cash flow.

Australia property prices compared to the UK

In most countries, an increased cash flow means a higher standard of living and the opportunity of living in a nicer home.  

Property prices across Australia have a huge variance, particularly because there is a massive difference between rural, coastal and city houses.   The same can be said for the UK, where just in the city of London, house prices can be almost triple the cost of similar types of houses elsewhere in the UK.    

As a result, it becomes difficult to compare accurately house prices from specific regions in Australia with regions in the UK.   Yet the Reserve Bank of Australia has released a report that shows the trend in housing prices and affordability, called “Some Observations on the Cost of Housing in Australia”, written by the Head of Economic Analysis Department Anthony Richards.  

The following table is extracted from this report, which shows that Australia has been better off internationally than its major competitors in terms of income and relative house prices, despite there being a low level of housing accessibility and persistently high level of average housing prices.  

The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) confirmed in December 2008 that the Australian average median house price reached $447,659 (£203,660) in the September quarter – a decrease of $459,795 from the June quarter – with only Sydney having a median house price above $450,000.   In the Department for Communities and Local Government live tables, the average median house price in the September quarter for 2008 was sitting at £233,459.  

This difference in average house prices and the trend to have better income ratios in Australia and the UK means you would have a great chance of a better lifestyle in Australia, living in a nicer home with an increased cash flow.

The Australian weather compared to the UK

It will come as no surprise that Australia gets far more sun than the UK.   In fact, Australia gets around 300 days of sunshine annually, which is 70% of the year.   Moreover, when the rains come rolling in from the ocean or across the desert plains, it is not something the locals complain about; the tropical storms can give hours of entertainment and can be a quick relief for stifling heat.  

See below for a breakdown of how averages of temperature (degrees) compare in UK and Australian cities:

How many public holidays do you get in Australia compared to the UK?

In Australia, be prepared to put your feet up for longer.   In the UK, along with the standard annual leave provided by employers, the Government provides workers eight annual public holidays.   In Australia, most workplaces give the same leave entitlements as UK companies, but the Australian Government has been slightly more generous.   Each state or territory has a different amount of public holidays, but all have at least 10 days off or more.   For example, in Tasmania you’ll be given 21 days off every year, plus your 4 weeks annual leave.    

The following shows the amount of public annual holidays in the UK and each Australian state or territory:

Sound appetising?   It’s advised that you beat the Budget and submit your application before the Australian Government considers restricting its migration program, and before you know it you’ll be enjoying a beer on the beach and soaking up the Australian sun!

About this Article Produced exclusively for Getting Down Under by the  guys over at Australian Visa Bureau.     Australian Visa Bureau is an independent immigration advisory service providing advice, information and case management to individuals, families and businesses.

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An interesting post made on our forums has been getting quite a bit of attention recently.

The story goes that Chris Evans, the Australian Immigration minister has announced that Australia will cut its annual immigration intake for the first time in eight years due to the slowing economy and weakening demand for labour.

The story posted on “The Age” website quotes Chris Evans as saying:

“I expect the numbers of our programme to drop next year … as a reaction to the economic circumstances… It is fair to say that we expect the demand in the economy for labour to reduce. As it is a program very much linked to the demand for labour, we expect to run a smaller program.”

Australia has been accepting immigrants in record numbers in recent years and set a target for 190,300 immigrants this year, up 20% on the 2007-08 financial year and higher than the post world war II record of 185,099 in 1969-70.

About one in four of Australia’s 21 million people were born overseas, and Australia has been actively trying to attract skilled workers, with immigration fairs targetting university graduates and people with trades in Europe, Britain and India.   Then this thing  called the ‘  credit crunch’ started!

What does this mean for you?

Well,   Evans has  said that the final number of immigrants that Australia would accept has yet to be determined so hopefully this will mean that the 2009 intake will not be effected.

The Aussie government intend to make a final decision leading up to the national budget to be delivered on May 12.

As always,  as soon as we have this news, we’ll report it here at getting down under.

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The South Australian Government has finally reinstated the capital investment pathway to Australian skilled migration for those who lodged their visa application before September 1, 2007.

After 13 months of patient waiting, those skilled migrants wishing move to Australia using capital investment scheme can now finally proceed with their Australian visa application.

On the 1st September 2007, as part of changes to the Australian General Skilled Migration programme, the Australian government removed the right to gain five extra bonus points towards an Australian skilled migration application if the applicant invested a minimum $100,000 for at least one year in a nominated Australian bond.

The removal of the capital investment scheme meant that applications for skilled migration lodged after September 1, 2007 could no longer use the capital investment scheme to gain bonus points towards their application.

After reports of a scam involving unauthorised loans, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) then ruled that the capital investment scheme would no longer be open to any applications, even if they submitted their visa applications before September 1. This affected thousands of migrant hopefuls, who until now have been left without a pathway to Australian migration.

The South Australian Government Financing Authority (SAFA) is now officially reinstating the capital investment scheme for the General Skilled Migration program (bonus points for capital investment). However, this applies only to those applicants who applied under this category before 1st September 2007, and were instructed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to invest a minimum $100,000 for at least one year in a nominated Australian bond.

As it has been over a year since applications for migration under this category have been allowed, eligible applicants are encouraged to consult their migration agents before proceeding with their application to ensure they are eligible.

Applicants are also warned that the processing times of applications may be considerably delayed due to the expected influx of applications under this re-opened pathway to Australian skilled migration.

To discuss this change please feel free to post a response to the thread started in our forums here.

Article Source : visabureau.com

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The Australian state of Victoria has announced sweeping changes to the list of occupations that it deems eligible for state sponsorship under the class 176 visa for emigration to Australia.

Migrants to Australia who seek permanent residence have the option of applying for a subclass 176 visa, if they are unable to pass the immigration points test for independent migration. A 176 visa allows a migrant to be sponsored either by an eligible family member, or the government of an Australian state or territory.

In the case of state or territory sponsorship, governments can sponsor the residence application of a migrant, in exchange for a commitment to live in the state for at least the first two years after migrating to Australia. Each state has a list of occupations in demand that it deems eligible for sponsorship.

Victoria has been an active participant in the 176 visa scheme. The changes, effective from January 12, 2009, reflect the changing labour market in Australia’s second-most populous state. Continue Reading

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Wanted down under has been an extremely successful format for the BBC with Series 3 of Wanted down Under being launched in the UK on Monday the 5th of January.

The idea for the program is a simple one; If the job that you do is on the list of those in short supply in Australia and you are under 45 then the Australian government will help to fast track you through the immigration procedure.

The reality is that unfortunately getting down under is not such a simple process and reading some of the posts made by many of our community members would confirm this.

Just like series 1 and series 2 of Wanted down under, the beeb have chosen to show the program at an unhealthy 9:30am which still surprises me despite it’s popularity! The decision to air the series in early January is probably a good one though as post Christmas glumness and the grim British weather make the prospect of a new life down under an even more attractive one.

I’m expecting good things from the BBC although views on previous series have been mixed.

Some folks have commented that the view the Beeb give of life down under needs to be a more realistic one. One member in a forum commented:

We followed the show last year and recorded each programme and watched them twice. Even had the family watching them. Went out to Oz last year. The houses are fantastic, stunning, better than anything here in UK. But what a load of rubbish the programme was. The price’s were wrong, and they didn’t include in the price the cost of the block of land in the first place.

Also keep an eye out for the other inaccuracies they give. For example, as you know the series concentrates on Skilled Migrants Under 45. Last year they said a new migrant can’t start up their own business, when arriving in Australia and would need to go into paid employment. That’s rubbish. I have 2 friends there one set up his own barbers shop within 2 months of arrival, another one opened a coffee shop within a fortnight. This year they have shown one couple with the main applicant not having worked for 2 years. Does that sound right to you cos it doesn’t t to me. Chase the dream by all means but don’t get carried away with this show or your in for a disappointment.

Others have found Wanted Down Under a really useful intro to life down under. A member of our community commented:

The series is really useful, especially as there was an episode that included Brisbane. It shows you the type of house available, the supermarkets and makes comparisons with education.

I guess the moral of the story is; before you start packing your bags do a little homework.

I can’t stress enough the importance of doing some proper research before hand!

There are some great resources on the web and our articles and community forum are a good place to find help and advice from people currently making the big move down under.

One of the articles from our archives you may find of use for example is: Where do I start? The Visa Wizard is here to help (link opens in a new window). We have hundreds more that you can find by simply browsing around our site.

Back to Wanted Down Under, the first episode   ’stars’ the Williams Family and the blurb on the BBC’s website describes the first episode as:

The Williams family from Leicester has the chance to sample life in Adelaide for a week, before deciding whether to make the massive step to emigrate.

But when policeman Paul meets the South Australia police, he finds the job prospects don’t really stack up. And when he weighs up whether he could leave his 12-year-old daughter in the UK, the whole family feels the unbearable pain of deciding whether they could leave loved ones behind.

Episode 2 follows Zoe Mehra

Zoe Mehra has been dreaming of a new life down under ever since she went travelling there after university. But she has to persuade husband Peel that their future would be brighter if they emigrated. They spend their trial week in Sydney, where painter-decorator Peel finds there is plenty of well paid work. But will that be enough to tempt him?

And Episode 3 follows the Cookson family trying life in Melbourne for a week.You can see details of more episodes as they are released here. (opens in a new window)

Reading the blurbs, the stories seem pretty full on huh?

One final thing from me.

Having made the move down under ourselves, I have to say the stress and effort really IS worth it!

I wrote this post a while back after being here for our first year. Three years on it gets better every day.

Please feel free to post a comment if you’ve seen the latest series of Wanted Down Under below.

To Apply for Series 4 of Wanted Down Under see this post.

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