Brisbane Cost of Living

Do you qualify for a permanent visa if you were to apply on your own? If you do then it's best to go that way, it just takes a bit longer.

If you do come over on a temp visa you can buy a house right away but you need to get approval (should be easy) although it might be a bit tougher to get a mortgage. Although if you've got a decent deposit it shouldn't be too bad.

If you arrive on a temp visa you can apply for a permanent visa on your own at any time. If you were to do that you'd be eligible for medicare as soon as you've applied for PR. The schooling thing isn't a problem in QLD although would be a big issue in NSW. Obviously if you could get the employer to sponsor you on a PR it would be way better. I wouldn't expect it though.

I looked at all the restrictions of the temp visa before we moved. I decided against it and we applied for PR instead. Of course we had to pay for it, but I figured it was better than paying for private health care. All together our application cost $3000 CND and took about 7 months. So not too bad.

One of the best websites I've found for help on immigration or just info on Australia is British Expats.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54

There's a section for immigration questions and a main Australia part for general info questions. The Barbie is for off topic stuff and general chit chat. The majority of people on there are from the UK but there are also people from all over the world. There's a few Canadians on there, there's one called Dorothy that is really helpful.

The Canuck Abroad website is fine but you don't get the same volume of questions or the expertise that you'll see on British Expats.

Hi Comet,

I should qualify for the PR independently but I haven't checked. I communicated my concerns to the person I am talking to. They have assured me that I will have complete medical coverage paid by the employer, plus they will give it to me in writing that they will sponsor ENS after 2 years. Moreover they commented that since I am being hired for a senior role therefore it is in their interest to retain me for long term.

They have asked for my references which I will send them today. Thereafter I will evaluate based upon what they offer.

If the job is for a senior professional role then I would tend to believe that they would want to keep you for the long term. Usually it's trades type jobs that tend to treat the 457's badly.

If you've got everything in writing then I would probably feel a lot better about that. Plus, if you do qualify on your own there's no reason that you can't apply for PR as soon as you arrive in Australia (on your own though).

The path the company mentioned is generally the proceedure for doing things, waiting 2 years and then doing it.

On the plus side the requirements for citizenship is 4 years living in Oz. They do count about 2-3 years on a temp visa so by the time you got PR you'd be mostly there for citizenship.

Well it didn't work out in the end. The company refused to sponsor my elderly parents in the 457 visa sponsorship so I refused to accept their offer no matter what it is.

I will explore further in applying for PR independently.

Not to be the bearer of bad news but it's unlikely that your parents would be able to come on whatever visa you choose. They probably refused because the application would be turned down with your parents on it.

Even on a 175 PR visa it is extremely difficult to bring parents along. You would have to show that they are completley dependent on you and would not be able to support themselves at all. Unless your parents are living for you and you take care of all of their needs because they can't then it's not going to happen. Immigration will ask for lots of proof to show this. They will want to see any income your parents make, copies of rent/house payments, receipts of things that you pay for them. If your parents could manage without you then they are not dependent enough for immigration purposes. Even if they just get a basic pension immigration will probably decide they have enough to manage on their own, even if they are fairly poor.

You also have to factor in the medical factor. Your parents would also need medicals for the application and if they are deemed to be too expensive they would fail on that ground as well.

Even if you did manage to get here the employer would have an obligation to pay for medical expenses for anyone on your application. I can't even imagine the cost for private medical care for your parents given their age. Surely it would be well over $3000 a year.

Honestly. if I were in the companies shoes there is no way I would bring your parents over either. I know that's blunt but immigration is difficult and frankly your parents are unlikely to be able to come with you.

If that's the only way you are going to come then it probably won't happen. You may need to rethink your plans. If you are determined to go that route then you may want to consult with a migration agent to see what they think the chances are of your parents tagging along.

I did a little bit of research, here are some discussions you might find interesting. Another hiccup is that your parents are married. I don't believe you can add married people on your application, regardless of the kind of visa you are going for. It seems as though only divorced or widowed parents would be eligible. You'd have to do more research to find out for sure.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ent+parent

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ent+parent

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ent+parent

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ent+parent

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ent+parent

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ent+parent

Thanks a lot for the tips Comet. The placement consultant I am talking said that he has done a few cases where elderly parents were also sponsored. He has not set up an interview with KBR and it has been confirmed in advance that they will be sponsoring my parents.

Well it doesn't hurt to try and if it doesn't happen then I will continue living in Canada.

Hi all, I'm new to this site. but I've already browsed each and every discussion under Canadians in Australia .

I'm still in Canada for the moment, I'll be moving to Brisbane Nov. 13th to start my 2 year Masters program at UQ.

I'm somewhat nervous, but I've been researching a lot to try to ease my nerves and get myself excited about the move.

I have a very specific question to start off. though be warned I will likely have scads more!

Can you tell me how much internet connection costs roughly in Brisbane? The housing options I am looking at include all utilities except internet, and I am currently trying to work out a little budget for myself.

If you can provide some insight I'd really appreciate it!

---Thanya, soon to be in Brisbane---

I believe we pay about $80-$90 a month with BigPond, which is connected to Telstra. We got a 2 year contract with them when we arrived so we didn't really shop around a whole lot. Our plan is for ADSL 2 and we get 12G a month.

http://my.bigpond.com/internetplans/bro ... efault.jsp

On the whole though getting internet is more expensive than in Canada and there are limits on how much you download or upload.

I've hear TPG is pretty good and a lot cheaper. I'd love to try them but we're still in our contract with Telstra.
http://www.tpg.com.au/products_services ... ricing.php

Also. not every place has access to the internet. So it's worth while trying to make sure your place can get it. Some places in Oz only have so many spots on the exchange so to speak and sometimes people have difficulty getting hooked up. I had no problem in our rental or in our new hous and we're in Brisbane. Although I could not get cable I had to go through the phone line so we have ADSL 2.

Feel free to ask all the questions you like. You can also get lots of info at the British Expats website.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54

It is mostly people from the UK on there but there are some Canadians as well. All the same things are relevant there, like where to live, discussion on setting up in Oz, etc. So there's lots of info to be found there. Way more than on any Canadian in Oz site you'll find.

In case you play ice hockey there are 2 rinks in Brisbane and one on the Gold Coast. So there are places to play. I'd bring your own gear though because it's very expensive here.

Comet555, seems that you are a wealth of knowledge. Thanks so much.

I am also wondering about something I saw in another post concerning banking. Someone mentioned that there is a canadian bank (RBC? CIBC? can't remember) that has an affiliation with Westpac bank I think it is, and that to transfer money to the australian account is easier or cheaper.

I am interested in my options because of the low exchange rate at the moment, and I'll be exchanging money soon and also applying for a student line of credit over here in Canada. If there is such a deal with one of these banks, I may try to apply for a loan with them instead of my own bank, TD, if it makes more sense.

Does anyone have more info on this? The organization that I applied to UQ with, Oztrekk (FANTASTIC BY THE WAY. the most effective/efficient/helpful/supportive organization for students that I have ever found) gave us lots of info on opening australian bank accounts and using currency exchange services, but didn't mention the bank affiliation.

Hopefully it's not just something that I've imagined.

Thanks again for the info!

--Thanya