Australia is the most popular destination for UK expats seeking residence abroad. In 2020 alone, around 10,000 Brits took the plunge and migrated across the world to Australia (Statista, 2021). The laid back lifestyle, sunny weather, and friendly atmosphere are pull factors for young people seeking work, families with children, and older individuals needing a peaceful retirement. There’s no doubt that down under is a wildly attractive moving destination and could offer you a chance to transform your lives for the better.

With moving to any overseas destination, there are many steps in the preparation and moving process to consider carefully. It can be easy, particularly with a whole family to plan for, to forget steps or miss out on things that may cost you upon arrival, whether in money or time. To help you avoid any last-minute panics, we’ve put together a checklist of things you need to plan, organise, or take care of before moving to Australia from the UK

Acquire a Visa

When thinking about moving abroad, acquiring a visa should be one of the first things you think of. A visa is a pass that will allow you entry to another country, usually on specific terms, such as work or family relations in the destination country. A visa is an incredibly important step and you should make sure you have done your research well in advance of your planned move date.

There is a wide range of visa options covering a huge variety of circumstances. You will need to do adequate research, either by yourself or with the help of an experienced international moving agent, to make sure you find a visa type that you will be eligible for. The application process is not undertaken lightly and processing times can vary, which is why you should begin the process as early as you can.

As international moving experts, we are here to help with all aspects of your move. Read our Moving To Australia Country Guide for more details on getting an Australian visa, or contact us to see how we can ease your moving process.

Search for Job Opportunities

If you don’t already have a job lined up in Australia, starting the job search as early as possible can help to ease the rest of your move dramatically. Knowing your income figures can help you

There are a wealth of visa options for skilled migrants or options for those with Australian-based employment. Find plenty of detailed advice on how to get your working visa in our blog.

Source Temporary Accommodation

While you might want to sort out your Australian accommodation before your plane wheels touch down, this might not be the ideal solution. We recommend holding off until you’re available and in the country to carry out proper research. This will ensure you choose the right neighbourhood for your family unit’s needs as well as the perfect long term accommodation for you. In order to do this, sorting temporary accommodation to house you while you sort out the final arrangement is essential. You won’t want to leave this to chance, as with some Australian cities the property search could take an unprecedented amount of time.

Research Health Insurance

Another one of the major things to know before moving to Australia is about their healthcare system. Medicare is the public universal healthcare system provided down under, providing medical treatment at a discount or for no cost at all. As a UK citizen, you will have access to this incredible quality healthcare system when you move to Australia, due to the reciprocal healthcare agreement in place between the two countries. Prior to moving to Australia from the UK, you should do research to determine whether your unique circumstances will benefit from acquiring private healthcare to use in partnership with the care provided by Medicare.

Banking in Australia

You may be thinking that it’s possible to get away with using your UK bank account when moving to Australia. In actual fact, while it may be possible, paying your rent, receiving income and using income to purchase the everyday essentials is made a lot easier for new arrivals that have an Australian bank account. Even as a non-citizen, it’s fairly simple to open a local bank account, so long as you can present adequate documentation to prove your identity. With some banking organisations, you may even be able to start this process from the UK. This can require:

• Passport
• Visa
• Address in Australia
• Employment details

For further assistance or international moving advice, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Gerson Moving Services or request a moving quote on our website.