r/Ameristralia

My partner and I are most likely moving back to Australia early next year. We’re both mid career holding great jobs but my partner’s parents in Australia have all of a sudden become much older and would benefit from us moving closer to help out.

My partner is a dual citizen and has lived in the US for 30 years (since they were 18). I’m a US citizen. Our 3 kids are all dual citizens.

My in-laws are all in. They’re excited about being close to grandbabies and have a small unit a block away that can be tight but temporary living for us.

I feel like I have so many questions.

We travel in every other Christmas and some summers to visit for 2-4 weeks at a time. I’ve only known what vacation feels like in Australia so I’m a little nervous getting there and being on vacation mode but needing to quickly check the “oh we’re staying here” box.

Ok, questions:

Visa? My kids don’t have AUS passports so my plan was to travel us over on a tourist visa then apply for a partner visa as soon as we get settled. Right now we have one-ways booked but I wonder if I should book refundable returns just in case.

Banks?
Everyday spend: I’ve created an account on WISE and started transferring USDs to AUDs. Not a lot. Seems too easy, not sure if this is the best thing to do.

401k, IRA: We have several retirement and saving accounts here. Seems like the easiest thing will be to consolidate all of them and let them just sit in America. I was planning on setting up a friend or family member here as “power of attorney” so they can sign and initiate things stateside.

Realestate: I know housing is bonkers in the US and in AUS. We are planning on selling our house, likely finishing it up after we fly to AUS. We have a good chunk of equity and would use that to hopefully find something close to our family. What’s the safest way to move that money and not be destroyed by fees?

I probably need to get tax people stateside and Aussie side?

We’re nervous but excited.

What am I not thinking about?

What is the best way to move money from Australia to America and vice versa, preferably straight between banks? PayPal's fee is a bit higher than I like. Are there US banks that do international transfers easily? In Australia I use Suncorp and Up.

I recently got my shipment of boxes from the US and I'm happy to say that there were no significant issues. They opened 4 boxes and nothing was confiscated or destroyed. However, there is something missing from one of the boxes that was opened. The company that transported our stuff and handled customs for us has confirmed that ABF did not confiscate anything.

Has anyone had this happen?

I've especially been wanting to watch shows like Big Brother and Parental Guidance (I really love that one).

However, not living in Australia, it makes it quite hard to find anything, at least in full. I can find clips, but I want the full show.

I don't know if I would want to pay for a vpn just to watch those shows though. Especially since I wouldn't use it much otherwise. Anyone have any ways they watch full episodes of Aussie tv if they're living in the states?

Hello fellow Ameristralians, I was wondering what experiences other recent transplants had in Medicare enrollment.

I sent the Enrol email as per their website a little over a week ago and haven't heard anything since. I didn't have the right documents available to enroll through MyGov because I'm staying with family and haven't found a job yet... I saw some comments saying it might take 3 weeks or it might take 12 depending on the backlog. If anyone has more insight on that please feel free to share.

If you try to sign up for Centrelink through MyGov you need a Medicare card. I didn't see any other options, but it would be really helpful to have that while I'm still job searching. Has anyone been able to claim the JobSeeker Payments without a medicare card?

I'm pretty sure that's all I'm waiting on as far as government stuff. All I've been doing is job searching and going for walks since I've been here because I'm extremely reluctant to spend money without any source of income.

Thanks

I will try to keep it simple;

Want to move to NSW in around 6 months, currently live in the US. I am finishing AD in the military thus don't have college experience however I can use the GI Bill to fund college obviously in the US and in select schools in Australia, in Sydney there is a decent amount of them.

Ideally I would like to transition into a job that sort of mirrors the same "action" and "output" as the military gave me. Those jobs would be essentially first responder jobs such as Firefighter, Paramedic, EMT, Law Enforcement, etc. If anyone has done a pathway to get there I would be very pleased in hearing about that. I guess the safest option would be to go to school for nursing, but that's not up my alley completely. Honestly I would even consider doing the trades, I just really need to have a (to put in plainly for my lack of ability to wordplay) "masculine" outlet in my job, any suggestions are appreciated in that regards if the ones above are not possible as an immigrant. Mainly asking from a pragmatic perspective regarding which jobs could/would I actually get hired in without having a PR/Citizenship, and the general pathway for the individual field you recommend.

I also would consider going to school for Psychology. I am very interested in the field and have had plenty of experience with receiving and giving therapy so I am fairly familiar with it. However I still have more juice left to squeeze before I lean back in my rocker.

Apologies if my thoughts are as all over the place as I feel like they are, very hazy process to me thus far.

We are traveling to Australia for 2 months in the summer (we live in the USA, whole family is dual for what it’s worth).

We have an Autistic kiddo that needs his melatonin and he will only take one specific brand of melatonin gummy. We have had no luck getting him to take anything else (it’s a sensory autism thing).

Has anyone had any luck getting a doctor’s prescription for a specific brand of melatonin gummy?

Our doctor would be happy to provide the prescription, but I am worried that we will end up with whatever brand the pharmacy stocks behind the counter (or worse, not even a gummy)

We just want to be able to use the specific gummy our son tolerates, without having to stress over getting caught by customs and having them confiscated. We all need our son to sleep well lol

Any tips?

Hey there! What has been your experience with shipping pets from Australia to the U.S.? I will specifically be looking at sending my dog over to live with me. If anyone could provide a ballpark on price or recommend providers as well, that would be great :)

Hi! I am trying to ship a care package for my bestie in Sydney, wondering if any has shipped instant coffee + snacks through USPS from the US? I tried to do it at the post office and guy said it saids it’s “forbidden”? :p thanks!

Hi everyone! Just looking for some opinions on some of your favorite flights to take to and from the USA and Australia?

I’ve only flown on Air Canada twice back and forth, and didn’t mind it at all. It was decently priced and had the shortest layover I had seen at the time of the purchase. My partner and I are living in Australia and looking to make the trip some time next year to the U.S. 😊

Edited to add location: Flying to NY area

I'm in the USA looking to apply for a skilled worker visa in Australia for cardiac sonography. I've been doing research on the topic, and the answers to my questions are all over the place and oftentimes contradictory.

What I'd like to know is if I'd be able to work in Australia with a BA in a non-medical field, PLUS a two-year sonography degree? Or, do I absolutely, no accessions allow NEED to have a BA in a medical field? Also, is there a certain number of clinic hours required to even apply for CS jobs in Australia?

It seems like I'd need to have a skills assessment by ASMIRT and register ASAR, so I'm just wondering, too, if I'd be required to have additional schooling in Australia to be able to have an assessment/register?

Thank you in advance for any advice!

Recently, I got my Australian student visa. But honestly, deep down, I still feel drawn toward the USA. I know I probably should have tried for the US earlier, but my sisters, and brother who live there told me that things are very difficult right now because of Trump-era and the overall situation for international students. Some students even depend heavily on their parents for rent, food, and even tuition fee . Doing job illegal was risky

Because of that, I decided to apply to Australia instead, and thankfully I got my visa. Still, I can’t completely ignore this strong urge to go to the USA. I don’t even fully know why. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching so many American TV shows, movies, YouTube videos, TikToks, and online content where everything seemed centered around the US. Sometimes I wonder if I’m being crazy for feeling this way even after getting my Australian visa,

Help me get rid of this unrealistic obsession with the USA😭

Hey guys,

I’ve submitted my partner visa last year, and hopefully as soon as it’s approved we’ll be moving to Australia.

I wanted to know what everyone did with their US investments when moving - it seems too complicated to keep them in the US because I can’t manage them… so I was thinking of taking them out and putting some of the money I’d be taxed into an IRA (I already have one here anyhow) and using the cash to put a down payment on a place.

Also, what does the US (re: taxes) do if you own a home in the states but also in Australia? I’m having trouble getting in touch with someone who can answer these questions so we can make sound decisions.

If anyone has anecdotal stories or a professional they suggest I talk to that would be fabulous!

Thanks!

Hi, Im not sure what the tax details of this are- my husband and I have lived in Aus the last six years and now moving back to USA. He is getting an inheritance and we will transfer that AUD to America and buy a house with it. Will this trigger any tax? We havent filed anything with USA regarding taxes the entire time we have been here. Also, was thinking of using Wise to do this but has anyone used something better? Cheers

Hey all, US immigrant here, been in Perth about 6 months now. Applied for the 820/801 back in February and currently on a Bridging Visa A while that processes.

Starting to stress about taxes. I know I still have to file with the IRS every year no matter where I live, and now I've got Australian tax obligations on top of that. The superannuation stuff alone looks like a nightmare from a US reporting standpoint (Forms 3520? FBAR thresholds that include super balances? fun times).

I've done some digging and a few names keep coming up: AmTax (Tameron McDougall), USTaxCentral, and Taxes for Expats. Has anyone here actually used any of them? Good or bad.

Also open to other suggestions. I'm in Perth but honestly don't care if they're elsewhere in Australia or fully remote. This stuff is all document-based anyway and I'd rather have someone who really knows the US/AUS crossover than grab the nearest local accountant who might be out of their depth on the IRS side.

Appreciate any real experiences, even if it's just "avoid X, they screwed up my FBAR." Cheers