r/MovingtoAustralia

Hi Everyone,

I’m from Fiji and have recently started seriously thinking about furthering my studies and eventually moving to Australia.

I’ve visited places like Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne before for holidays/vacations, but moving there to actually live, study and build a future feels very different.. and honestly a bit overwhelming.

Coming from a small island country, I think I’m nervous about adjusting to the lifestyle, pace and independence that comes with such a big move. Part of me is excited, but another part of me worries about loneliness, cost of living, making friends, finding work while studying, and whether I’ll adapt well overall.

I recently read a post from someone deciding between Adelaide and Sydney, and weirdly I related to it a lot because I’m also trying to figure out which Australian city would realistically suit me best long-term.. not just for vacations, but for actual life.

So far:

• Cairns felt calmer and somehow more familiar
• Brisbane felt balanced and friendly
• Sydney felt exciting but intense
• Melbourne felt very cultural and interesting

I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who’ve moved interstate, moved from smaller countries, or international students who’ve settled in Australia.

Which city do you think is easier for someone from Fiji/the Pacific to adjust to?
How difficult is it emotionally starting over there?
And if you could start again as an international student, which city would you choose and why?

Thank you so much.

I keep going back and forth. We aren't bringing any furniture; just meaningful pictures, artwork, a couple of guitars, etc. We have room in the container.

Should I bring my vitamix and 7qt kitchenaid stand mixer? I know I'll need to get the box, which will be a pain. But not as much of a pain ($$$) as replacing these.

Hubs says using the converter will shorten their lives. Appreciate any advice.

I have 190 visa, I’m looking to come to Sydney around September for a month, then plan to move permanently around January. I want to explore Sydney on my first visit as well as get a sense of how things are with job market, industry and housing.

Which areas do people recommend I look into to move for my first visit? And I’m so far looking for Airbnb, as it is for maybe 4-6 weeks. Do people recommend any other options to look for accommodation?

So basically what I am asking is to get opinions from people who know more than I do.

I am 38yo male from Finland. I have been kind of stuck on my current job so I started to do research about working somewhere else and I have narrowed the possibilities down to Australia. NZ would be fine as well, but they have more or less the same problem as Finland where there just aren't job opportunities.

So my question is more or less if my set of skills and experience would be something Australia wants and needs? I'm not planning to come over to be a freeloader.

I'm more or less a truck driver. Class CE license and the official truck drivers vocational qualification certificate. Closest thing in Australia would HR license.

I'm not really planning to come over to be just another truckie. That's where my expertise and experience comes in. Since 2020, I have worked in heavy industry operating vacuum pressure equipment/vehicles. Working full time in a hazardous waste facility. A lot of experience in shutdowns. Regularly working in enclosed and ATEX spaces. I guess I am a glorified cleaner. At least to some extent. I have also a lot of experience with UHP equipment up to 3000bar/40.000PSI.

I have been operating a quite a bit of different kind of equipment:

- Vac trucks

- Dry vac trucks (Ampihitec, Disab)

- High pressure washers/blasters up to 3000bar (Woma, Denjet, Falch)

- Different kind of personnel lifts

- Hook lift trucks

- Some minor experience driving a B-double

3 years of experience working as leading hands at the same job.

I know there are a lot of things to take into consideration, but for now I just want to know if there is any reason to even try. I'm doing fine as it is, but I just don't like the direction Finland is heading so I want to try something before it is too late. As for why Australia and not something like Norway which is closer? Mostly that I don't care to learn another language. The other would be climate. If you have ever tried to work with water when it is -25°C you would know what kind of BS it is. There are more reasons but those two alone are enough for now.

I don't know anyone on this list in THESE professions on a personal or even semi personal level so what do I do?

• Chartered/Certified Accountants
• Chartered Professional Engineers
• Judges, Barristers and Solicitors
• Registered Medical Practitioners (Doctors and GPs only), Dentists, Pharmacists
• Registered Nurses, Chiropractors, Optometrists, Physiotherapists and Psychologists
• Registered Veterinary Surgeons
• Members of Parliament, elected City, County and District Councillors
• Police Officers with at least five years continuous service
• Members currently serving in the regular Australian or British Defence Force with at least five years continuous service
• Ministers of Religion and Marriage Celebrants
• Teachers - full-time, who have been teaching for more than five years
• Civil Servants/Local Government employees - full-time, who have been employed continuously for at least five years by their current employer
• Bank Branch Managers - manager of a High Street bank, but not managers of investment or business branches, building societies, bank travel centres, loan centres or line mangers within a bank

Anybody have any information or advice? Surely there are other options? GP won't do it

Hi all,
I feel quite lost about how to initiate the process of moving to Australia.
My wife and I wants to migrate from Denmark and start a new life in Australia. In order for that dream to be feasible, I would need to find a job first.

How do I go about this?
I can’t find many jobs In my field that specifically states visa sponsorships, but I see a ton of job listings available that suits my role.
Should I apply for a working visa first?
Or apply for jobs first? Am I even in contention?

Any insights would be appreciated.

Job roles would be data engineer, platform engineer, data analyst (SQL, PowerBI, Azure).

Did anyone have family that moved overseas and they moved back to Australia alone at 16?

I don't want this to be a discussion if France or Australia is better, they're both uniquely great countries with lots of opportunities.

My son and I are Australian. My son is 14. His father is dead. I remarried to a French citizen and we relocated to France in September 2025.

He is happy in France. He had visited France prior to the move so he was familiar with where we live. He's been learning French for a few years, pretty much bilingual. He attends the local middle school and is a good student. He has friends and interests outside of school. He is independent, plans his own activities and can navigate the public transport system. He has a close relationship with me, his stepfather and his stepfather's family. Besides the cold it hasn't been a huge culture shock, we live in a city and he has access to much of the same things he had at home. He understood when we came to France the move was permanent and was excited to go. He knows he has lots of opportunities here for education and employment.

The last month he has said he wants to go back to Australia to live when he is 16. He has an older half sister in Adelaide he could live with, at least initially. He says he would like to go to TAFE and do an apprenticeship or join the ADF. He is very keen on the ADF, he has always had an intetest in the military and history.

I am not opposed to him returning to Australia and I am glad he has some ideas for his future. But I think at 16 he is too young and I am encouraging him to focus on finishing school in France. However he is quite fixated on returning to Australia at 16.

I had friends who got jobs at 16 and moved out of home. I moved out at 17 myself. But the 90s was a different time.

Can a 16 year old be independent from their parents at 16 in Australia? In France he can be independent at 16, but it requires a court order and a good reason. I don't want his sister to be put in the position where she is his guardian because he is minor and she is family. He could live with her but he will have to pay rent, budget and be responsible for himself.

Will he get any income support from Centrelink? Would he be eligable for Youth Allowance and rent assistance? I am on a small fixed income in France, I can't afford to financially support him if he went back to Australia. He has a Centrelink CRN because I was on Centrelink for a period after his dad died.

My son doesn't seem homesick but he has possibly romanticized the idea of living in Australia and being in the ADF. The reality of being independent, and cost of living, will be brutal.

I have received a job offer in Sydney on a 482 visa for 4 years, with the possibility of PR after 2 years. My friend is working there and says the workload is good compared to GCC. The salary offered is AUD 3,400 every fortnight after tax. Currently, I am working in Dubai and earning AED 17,600. I have a family consisting of my wife and two kids.

Due to the current conflict between the US and Iran, I think the GCC may not be safe for the future. For my kids’ future, I believe Australia would be the better option.

Which option would be better for me: staying in the GCC or moving to Sydney?

I have 190PR for NSW and I’m moving to Sydney this year

A little background: I run my family engineering business in Pakistan as well as run a coworking space. Now I’m moving to Sydney, I may have to run some operations of my businesses in Pakistan from there too, but I think my income from here will really stretch if I’m trying to live my lifestyle in Sydney from income from back home. So what does everyone recommend I do?

I could get a job in Sydney but I’m concerned for how much of my time it’s going to consume, although I might consider getting one to get market familiarity

Does anyone have any other ideas for investment that could give me some stable extra income?

hi, im planning on applying for a WHV soon and working in australia till my visa expires. when i move back home (austria) im planning on starting an apprenticeship as a cook, so working in the kitchen beforehand would look amazing on my application! a lot of my friends are studying in australia, or are working there on a WHV (different fields tho) and have been really loving it, so im confident that ill like it too! what would the steps be after getting my WHV granted? and is it possible to work in the kitchen without proper qualifications? ive worked as a cook before so i know how it works, but different countries have different standards. id love to hear some advice!
and yes i know australia is expensive and has a huge housing problem but money definitely isn’t an issue for me so don’t worry :)
so what should my first steps be after getting it granted? do i just start applying for jobs and apartments? any and all advice is welcome :)

My girlfriend and I are moving to Melbourne from Chicago in October for work. We're likely going to get a few week-long Airbnb's to test a few neighborhoods before booking, but would love some recommendations and feedback from this group.

A few key details:

• Total income: $220K + $95K = $315K (budget = max $1,000?)
• 32M & 26F, no kids no pets, no debt.
• 2 beds minimum, we're fine with 1 bath but obviously 2 bath is better.
• Work is downtown but it's Consulting so high probability we'll be traveling and likely will only go in 1-2x per month
• Activities include intramural sports, running, wineries and breweries. We're big social drinkers, but not like standing, crowded bars - more pub/restaurant/brewery vibes.
• Will most likely get a car, but open to feedback - ideally a walkable area
• We're used to high-rise living but interested in walk-up style. Units with outdoor space are a must, pool nice-to-have if it's a high-rise.

Thank you in advance!

I saw a youtube video where a British couple moved to Sydney, they rented a few additional properties and use it as an Airbnb. According to them, this pays for their lifestyle, they don’t need to do much and can travel without having to do any job

Is this a really high paying business model? Because rent would be high itself I imagine

I am currently in grade 10, moving up to grade 11 later this year. I want to start deciding early on where I ultimately want to end up in my life. I already figured I want to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering but I am unsure on where I wish to pursue my degree. I come from a SEA (South East Asia[n]) country and I decided that I either want to go to Australia or Japan but I face a major hurdle for both. If I choose Australia, I would have to go for a good scholarship as my family does not possess that much funds. If I go to Japan, I would have to learn the language as most courses there are taught in Japanese. I would like to know a couple of things based on all of y'all's personal experience.

How is it like getting a job in Japan/Australia?
What are the work culture differences between them?
How does the pay match with cost of living?
How much prejudice might I face as I am a foreigner?
What is the general things I should be looking out for as a working college student during and after my time in college?

If this is the wrong sub to post this, please direct me to a sub that is more appropriate for my question.

I have received a job offer in Sydney on a 482 visa for four years, with the possibility of obtaining PR after two years. My friend is working there and says the workload is much better compared to the GCC. The salary offered is AUD 3,400 per fortnight after tax. Currently, I am working in Dubai and earning AED 17,600 per month. I have a family consisting of my wife and two children. Due to the current conflict between the US and Iran, I feel that the GCC may not be the safest option for the future. For my children’s future, I believe Australia would be the better choice. Which option would be better for me: staying in the GCC or moving to Sydney?

Is moving to Australia a better long term option from UAE I have received a job offer in Sydney on a 482 visa for four years, with the possibility of obtaining PR after two years. My friend is working there and says the workload is much better compared to the GCC. The salary offered is AUD 3,400 per fortnight after tax. Currently, I am working in Dubai and earning AED 17,600 per month. I have a family consisting of my wife and two children. Due to the current conflict between the US and Iran, I feel that the GCC may not be the safest option for the future. For my children’s future, I believe Australia would be the better choice. Which option would be better for me: staying in the GCC or moving to Sydney?

Hello everyone!
I’m from the EU (19F, Italian-Swedish living in Italy now) and lately I’ve been thinking about moving to Australia, probably Sydney or Brisbane, with a Working Holiday Visa. My issue is that I’d only have around 3 months to organize everything and honestly that scares me a lot.

I don’t know that much about Australia yet, so the idea of moving literally across the world feels overwhelming sometimes. Australia is so far away from Europe and I think that’s one of the biggest things making me anxious about it. Part of me is excited because it feels like a fresh start, which is what I need right now, but another part of me is terrified because everything would be so new.

Another thing is that I’ve never worked before, so I have no real work experience, and I keep wondering if that would make things really difficult on a WHV. I know a lot of people do casual jobs there and I’m open to working and doing anything, but I’m scared that it might be hard for me to work. I don’t obviously have a university degree yet.
Also, I’d be open to live on rent in a room, but, since I’ve never done that, it obviously scares me a bit.

Has anyone here moved to Australia young and alone, especially on a WHV? Was it worth it? How hard was it to settle in, find work, find a house/room on rent, make friends, etc.?

I am an American and I am planning on moving to Australia to work as a nurse. I want to start a Super (I guess equivalent to a 401k in the USA) and wanted to know where to start. I’m 34, and I do have retirement accounts in the USA worth less than 20,000 USD right now. I don’t plan on moving those due to taxes and penalties. So I would basically be starting over, in Australia and would like to know what I should do as far as that goes. I’m pretty new to the way things are done here. And I’ve seen certain super account geared toward healthcare workers. If anyone knows about these accounts and could steer me in the right direction and which ones to maybe avoid would be good. As well as maybe someone breaking it down for me.