so many Questions - No answers?

[Mhonnique]

Good Day All!!

We are very interested in immigrating to Australia, my husband applied for a position (QC Advisor / Engineer) at a company in Perth WA, City of Stirling, he went for an Interview with representatives of the company in Johannesburg. The MD of the company wants to meet him in Germany for a second interview so we are not 100% sure that he has the job. What I want to know form you is if anyone can help us with some questions we have no answers to: What is the cost of living for a family of 3 (Husband, Wife and 3 year old Daughter) What is the average salary to make a good living (I wont be working) what will be the first steps to take, what document must we start with to speed the process – I am sure the company will sponsor him with a 457 visa, so in other words what paper work can I stat with, (I have so may questions and feel very lost) If someone can also tell me more about Perth and the people living there. Is there a way to convert the salary my husband is getting now to more or less know what he must get in Australia? If there is anything else that I need to know PLEASE LET ME KNOW….. Thank you for you kindness XXX

[Dolly]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, have a look at the sticky at the top of the forum "cost of living figures".

Salary: to a degree it will depend on which State you live in. I can only comment on Victoria. I guess a good salary would be around the $50K+ mark to be able to live 'comfortably'. Of course, it will depend on what your rental/mortgage costs will be.

Have a look at this link to the DIAC website re Subclass 457 visa: Temporary Business (Long Stay) - Standard Business Sponsorship (Subclass 457) .

Sorry, can't give you any info on Perth as I've never lived there.

If you have any more questions, there is always someone on here who can help.

Dolly

[Worldwide Worker]

Hi Mhonnique

Welcome to the forum. I would not be to concerned about the 2nd interview. My experience is that often the person doing the interview does not have the final say and he can only make recommendations. The fact that the MD what to meet him indicates that he has a great chance.

Can tell you that there are a lot of South Africans in Perth so you will feel "quite at home" so to speak. Perth is a lot cheaper than other parts of Australia but the best to do it search the web there are many sites from which you can get great information and also within the pages of this forum you will find answers to many of your questions.

Having worked in many parts of the world; a bit of advice I can give you is setup a budget and then cost that from information that you get. Just check the date of info as some may be years old and no longer valid. This will then also give your husband an idea of the salary that he should be trying to negotiate.

PM me if you would like further details as I have just done a rather comprehensive study of Australia following a job offer and it just to much to put onto this forum.

I found some pretty good stuff here
Australia migration - suburb profiles, accommodation, schools, real estate, jobs in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart
and here
Costs in Australia
and here for some idea on salaries
Hays Recruitment

Good luck on the move.