Thinking of moving to Australia

Hey everyone,

I'm also a Canadian currently living in Toronto. I'll be finished school in December and I can't take the winters here anymore. So, I'm looking to move somewhere warmer, that also has nice beaches. I was thinking of moving to San Diego for a while, but then I thought of Australia, which is much prettier.
Would you guys recommend it? If so, which places in Australia? How did you guys go about moving there? I'm not sure how to get a working permit or how long it takes.
Thanks!

If you are under 30 you'll should be able to get a 1-year work permit for Australia without any problems.

Best places to go depend on what you want, if you want beaches then you should look for work up in Queensland, maybe even on the islands up there, which are very beautiful. If you are looking for restaurant/bar lifestyle then I would recommend Melbourne. It is a very cool city to live (and beaches are not too far away!).

I would strongly recommend Australia over San Diego!

If you don't like the winter, then don't go too far south in Australia!

However, an Australian Winter, even a southern one, may not compare to a Canadian winter!

Up here in South East Queensland, we complain of cold weather when it gets down to about 20°C. Last week it got really cold, and I actually used the word freezing; It was about 8°C overnight and only reached about 12°C in the day ! I had to wear a jumper !

Comparing a Queensland winter to an almost forgotten UK winter, is very confusing

HAH thats hilarious, 8 C.I complain when it gets to -30 C.then again I lived in Edmonton where our summers and winters are Extreme.

As for the "Punkies" question, I too was a student in Edmonton and am now living in sydney. For an Australian working holiday visa (subclass 417) you apply online, just google Australian work visa. If your between 18-30 you'll have no problems at all receiving one.it's a $170 free for applying and it gives you one year from the day you enter Australia.

As for where to live in Australia.I can only speak for Melbourne and Sydney.

Sydney - FANTASTIC nightlife but is VERY, VERY crowded.Bondi beach is nice but wayyyy too busy (but i did see nicole kidman! , its best to go to manly. Rent is ridiculous and so is cost of living, but scenery more than makes up for it, and the people are awesome.

Melbourne - Only stayed in Melbourne for about 2 months but from what I saw it's a very laid back city.very European. Beaches are nice and much less crowded and rent is much more feasable. If your into the art's Melbourne is probably best for you.

All in all, I prefer Sydney but thats because I live for the weekend. If you're like me and live and love the nightlife, go for sydney. If your looking for a more laid back, easy going city.go for melbourne.

I would recommend checking out brisbaine, gold coast, and perth as well.

Well Im Canadian, my parents live in San Diego and i live in Sydney. Unfourtunately its not as easy as it sounds to just "move" anywhere you want, first of all America doesnt have any agreement with Canada to just go live and work, so if you want to go to San Diego you could go for 6 months at a time with no visa but you wont be able to work.
Australia is probably an easier option because there is a working holiday visa, but thats a year and it goes by quickly.
Queensland is amazing and if I had a choice of anywhere to live it would be Cairns, but I live in Sydney and the beaches are amazing here too. Its probably the easiest place in Australia for tourists to find work, and the highest paying...

Well my name is Steve i'm in Montreal Canada and will go so Sydney for work
I applied for a job posted on a job site from Australia and finaly got a bite .
They realy want me to come down for the month of Feb.2009 to try it out for a month before making final decisions as i have 2 kids wife

Hey, I'm in the really same situation as yours, I'm sick tired of Canadian Winter and I keep thinking of moving to Brisbane.
I would love to start living there by late September 2009 as in Montreal it will start freezing already.
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one having this idea!
The only downside is that there's no Australian embassy in Montreal, though there is an Australian consulate so that might be enough.
Could you tell me what are the steps I need to do in order to be able to live there please?
I'll stick in this forums now that I found it!
I'm 21, born in Buenos Aires, parents took me to Montreal with them at age of five and never ever liked cold weather.

edited: I have the Canadian Citizenship, I'm a student in IT (Computer/Information Technology) technician etc...
And I also speak perfectly well French and Spanish (as well as English).

Thank you,
Alan

Hi Alan,

In regards to the consulate in Montreal, you can initially get the required forms and information for a visa from them. I would highly recommend traveling to Ottawa to the Australian High Commission (embassy) to submit your paperwork as it is the central point for receiving and dispatch.

If you are looking to explore options, there are plenty. You can apply for a short term working visa (12 mth) or a travel visa (3 mth). Should look at a working visa, you must provide financial documentation that you have enough funds to travel from and return to Canada. If you look at other visas, such as a residency visa the cost is approx $1500 Cdn incl. healthcheck, police check, etc...

Best of luck

Hey I'm a Canadian who lived in Australia for almost five years, I now live in New Zealand. Australia is fantastic...I would recommend checking out Adelaide which is where I lived and did my PhD, much lower cost of living than any other capital city, mild winters, fantastic food and wine, great entertainment. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane while amazing places to live are very expensive to live in.

A couple of caveats though. Its not easy getting permanent residency to stay in Australia. You have to be on either the short or long term skills list, you need to pass a points test (you can usually check out how many points you'd have on their immigration site, check it out). Immigration expenses are alot more than $1500 Canadian, they've gone up quite a bit.

Do your homework before you go, a one year working holiday visa isn't hard to get but you have to change jobs every three months (you did when I was there 3 years ago) and they are very strict on their immigration rules given the problems with overstayers etc.

Good Luck!

Thanks a lot for the quick replies.
I don`t plan to come back to Canada, in that situation, what should I do?