# When to move to the UK



## Kerry Cousins (Jan 19, 2010)

Hi I have just joined the forum and I have a couple of questions which I hope can be answered. 

My wife (Ancestry Visa) and I (Husband Visa) are going to move to the UK from NZ (we have been planning this for 5 years). However the question is when should we move? We are expecting our first child in mid May and we currently have two options, move to the UK in early Mar or wait until mid Aug. 

We have spent a lot of time considering the pros and cons (money, work, family, medical care etc.) however one point we are unsure of is can we be turned away at the border because my wife is pregnant? 

We have talked to NZ friends who have had children in the UK and we have done a lot of research on gaining a NHS number etc. We have around 15000 pounds savings to help tied us over until I find work plus free rent for two months (house sitting) from March but I suppose the big question is have we missed something which we should consider? Thanks in advance.


----------



## katrina pollard (Jan 29, 2010)

Kerry Cousins said:


> Hi I have just joined the forum and I have a couple of questions which I hope can be answered.
> 
> My wife (Ancestry Visa) and I (Husband Visa) are going to move to the UK from NZ (we have been planning this for 5 years). However the question is when should we move? We are expecting our first child in mid May and we currently have two options, move to the UK in early Mar or wait until mid Aug.
> 
> ...



hi, we live in the uk looking to move to oz. we want a better life for our 3kids.
why an earth would you want to move here. its rubbish. cold, wet, crime,rubbish schools, no jobs bla bla i could go on. 
my advice stay there you will regret it. i promise. 
the grass is not greener on this side. 
but whatever you decide
good luck.


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

Technically the grass is greener in UK. Not enough rain in Aus to keep the grass alive. 

Not everyone regrets moving to the UK. It might not be 'greener' to a National but it is certainly different to Aus! If I could use one word to describe Aussie lifestyle it would be Homogenous! Moving to the UK would certainly make a break from that. I wouldn't think that Australia is some kind of utopia, we all have our problems with education, government, crime, etc etc. *shrug*


----------



## James3214 (Jun 25, 2009)

I'd wait if I were you Kerry until you had the baby or if you really do want to come check with the UK Border Agency first. I hope you enjoy your stay and settle in well. It is not as bad as some posters on here will make you believe.


----------



## Kerry Cousins (Jan 19, 2010)

Hi thanks for the answers, due to work we will be staying in NZ until after the baby is born and then heading to the UK in Sept !! Why are we moving to the UK? Basically while the grass is not always greener,it is often a different shade which is just as enjoyable as the grass back at home !! We are looking forward to the history and culture plus easy access to Europe, a 1 hr flight is much more enjoyable than a 24 hr haul ;-)


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

> while the grass is not always greener,it is often a different shade which is just as enjoyable as the grass back at home


I like that! 

I know what you mean about the flight thing as well. I was having a poke about on Skyscanner the other day and looking at all the cheap places we could fly to from out (soon to be) local airport. There were some free flight, yes FREE, flights to Amsterdam and Scotland. Flights to Poland, Germany, France, and loads of other places we want to see were about 100-150 pounds return for 2 people. All very exciting.


----------



## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

katrina pollard said:


> hi, we live in the uk looking to move to oz. we want a better life for our 3kids.
> why an earth would you want to move here. its rubbish. cold, wet, crime,rubbish schools, no jobs bla bla i could go on.
> my advice stay there you will regret it. i promise.
> the grass is not greener on this side.
> ...


You're in for a rude shock if you think the grass in greener in Australia. HAve you even visited Australia yet???


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

What made you move the US Weebie?


----------



## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

I sitll haven't moved yet but I have USA passport with no kids so it won't be much of a problem looking at October this year.

Australia is not a bad country but to say that its a solution to crime, safety or maybe a better lifestyle for kids is absolute garbage. I lived in the UK for a few years never once had a problem. In Australia I've been bashed, assaulted mugged you name it. Drugs like England are everywhere especielly in Areas outside of the major Australian centres.

I think a lot of brits who are going to Australia imagine this lifestyle that to me doesn't exist. britain may have cold weather but it has so many other great things going for it that Australia does it.


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

Definitely worth trying to live here for a short amount of time first before deciding to move to Aus. I do love it here but I just cannot reconcile myself to live here forever!  Need some variety.

My partners parents have been over from the UK a couple of times since we been back in Aus. On their first trip they thought about moving over here and looked in to it, but decided they couldn't afford it (they are retired), after their second trip to Perth I think they are glad they didn't I think! After 4 weeks in Perth they were like 'Erm, what else is their to do here?' Haha. Pretty funny I thought. Over in the UK they are always scampering over to continent, etc etc. I suppose the interests they have don't exist in the vast quantities in Aus that they do over there.

They are pleased that we are moving back there though.


----------



## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

Aussie_Kym said:


> Definitely worth trying to live here for a short amount of time first before deciding to move to Aus. I do love it here but I just cannot reconcile myself to live here forever!  Need some variety.
> 
> My partners parents have been over from the UK a couple of times since we been back in Aus. On their first trip they thought about moving over here and looked in to it, but decided they couldn't afford it (they are retired), after their second trip to Perth I think they are glad they didn't I think! After 4 weeks in Perth they were like 'Erm, what else is their to do here?' Haha. Pretty funny I thought. Over in the UK they are always scampering over to continent, etc etc. I suppose the interests they have don't exist in the vast quantities in Aus that they do over there.
> 
> They are pleased that we are moving back there though.


British migrants really underestimate the isolation they'll feel in Australia.

Europe on your doorstep is also something they miss but never factor in.


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

My partner feels that isolation greatly, hence part of the reason we are moving back.


----------



## katrina pollard (Jan 29, 2010)

Aussie_Kym said:


> Definitely worth trying to live here for a short amount of time first before deciding to move to Aus. I do love it here but I just cannot reconcile myself to live here forever!  Need some variety.
> 
> My partners parents have been over from the UK a couple of times since we been back in Aus. On their first trip they thought about moving over here and looked in to it, but decided they couldn't afford it (they are retired), after their second trip to Perth I think they are glad they didn't I think! After 4 weeks in Perth they were like 'Erm, what else is their to do here?' Haha. Pretty funny I thought. Over in the UK they are always scampering over to continent, etc etc. I suppose the interests they have don't exist in the vast quantities in Aus that they do over there.
> 
> They are pleased that we are moving back there though.


hi, kym. 
id like to say sorry to some members who seem to be a bit defence over my post. :boxing:
mayb i am being harsh bout uk. have oz on my mind 24hrs a day at the mo. mayb my mind is with the clouds and im making it out to be worst then it really is.
so, you live in perth. whats the truth bout wa really. 
where would you say we are best looking into for areas to live with 3 small kids. we liked the look of mandurah? any other good areas you could mention so i could research? you advice would be greately appricated.


----------



## James3214 (Jun 25, 2009)

I think I can share Kym's (or at least her partner's) view. I first went to Perth in 1982 on a working holiday and thought it was the best place in the world to live. Tried to emigrate out there in 1987..got turned down but asked to apply again. Never did it but went back again for long holidays in 1989, 1996 and 2006 and my enthusiasm dropped with each visit. In 2006 I was just glad I never went to live there. It was no longer the place I thought it was (and probably never was). Great place for those with the right skills,attitude and outlook on life though, but for me it is the richest cultural part of the world....Europe (and I include Britain in that!)


----------



## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

katrina pollard said:


> hi, kym.
> id like to say sorry to some members who seem to be a bit defence over my post. :boxing:
> mayb i am being harsh bout uk. have oz on my mind 24hrs a day at the mo. mayb my mind is with the clouds and im making it out to be worst then it really is.
> so, you live in perth. whats the truth bout wa really.
> where would you say we are best looking into for areas to live with 3 small kids. we liked the look of mandurah? any other good areas you could mention so i could research? you advice would be greately appricated.


I'm Living in Perth atm and I am from Perth originally.

Its got nice weather, Beaches and right now the Job opportunities are from a world point of view extremely good. If that is what you are looking for you might really like it. The cost of living in Perth though is an issue taht wil suprise you in many cases the cost of living is double that of the uk But the salaries are higher.

My advice is to take this as a new adventure for your family but honeslty Perth is one of those cities that you need to take a reccie first. You may love it but a lot of migrants hated it and either went home or moved to another part of Australia, 1 in 2.

Mandurah has parts that are very nice but also very dangerous (depending on your budget) Pretty much all of the big king drunk dealers in Perth live in Mandurah but you will never run into problems with them. But it has very rough areas attached that I wouldn't under any circumstances walk bymyself at night. Outer Eastern Suburbs and some North of the River Suburbs don't fair much better.


Basically if your migrating for the reasons if your original post your going to be very dissapointed. My kids won't be growing up in Perth that's for sure.

If your looking for a true family friendly area you need about 1 million AUD minimum for a house in the Western Suburbs. Perth is great for people like my parents who live in a nice area which the purchased for nothign before property here went haywire.
Other than that good luck.


----------



## Blitzwing85 (Feb 2, 2010)

I can understand bot points here regarding where people will be better off.

I can't stand the UK. But it's the people i can't stand more than the country itself. 
The policies and taxes are insane but there is very few places in the world you can escape things like that. Except Monaco in the south of France (i think it has NO tax)...but you have to be wealthy to live there!!! 

Anyway, i'd consider emigrating as more of a change of scenery to spice up life rather than trying to move for a better life. 
I want to move to canada and i've never been yet. It may turn out i love it, or not. But mainly i just want a change. 

I want some years of being able to Snowboard regularly as a proper hobby etc. 

But i'd never go expecting life to be perfect!!!


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

I live in Rockingham which is a bit north of Mandurah. Compared to Rocko, Mandurah is busy! Haha. I do like where I live but it's a bit thin on the ground when it comes to things to do. It really depends on your interests though. If you love the beach, boating, snorkelling, windsurfing, etc etc then Rockingham is the place to be! It's sheltered in places for the kiddies and we have a gorgeous marine park here with islands, complete with penguins and seals.  True story. (They aren't called Penguin and Seal Island for nothing).

The weird thing about this place is that the suburbs reach right up to the beach. So, we live 1 km from the beach in a fairly unkept street in a suburb and you kinda forget that you live so close to one of the best and least busiest beaches in Perth. We both work fulltime so we use Rockingham as more of a commuting base. I travel on the train to Perth city daily (takes 35 mins) and my partner drives about 25kms north to work. We spend a lot of time in Fremantle though as it has more of the things we are interested in. We are in our late 20s (gawd, I've never salled us that before ) and like the busy cafe strip there and the alternate cinema, museums, boutique breweries etc.
In Rockingham we have the following:
Huge mall
2 cinemas (one old and one VERY new)
Small cafe strip (fairly dead at night)
Bowling alley
Ermmm.... Yeah... 

In conclusion if there isn't a movie to see in your local suburb and you want some human contact in the evenings you will need to travel to Fremantle. 

I can't speak for Mandurah though, haven't been there in ages. It's near Pinjarra though which I do like for a day trip. Anyway, need to get back to work right now, I suspect I may have hijacked this thread also. Oops!


----------



## jlms (May 15, 2008)

katrina pollard said:


> hi, we live in the uk looking to move to oz. we want a better life for our 3kids.
> why an earth would you want to move here. its rubbish. cold, wet, crime,rubbish schools, no jobs bla bla i could go on.
> my advice stay there you will regret it. i promise.
> the grass is not greener on this side.
> ...



Australia can be extremely boring.

The times I have been there it was extremely frustrating to find things to do. Sydney Opera House was playing a Gilbert and Sullivan light opera, while here in London we have 2 full fledged Opera companies, plus several smaller ones. While in London (and other towns) you have an energetic musical life in Australia'a main towns you get what politely can be described as not necessarily first class entertainment.

Football? No contest really. If you love Rugby League then Oz is your place. But really, Rugby frigging League!

Museums? Ditto.

Baring beaches an Sun, what has Australia got to offer in more abundance than the UK? (in any case how much sun can you take safely before your skin is in danger of cancerous bouts?)

And don't get me started about racism. During my first trip to Australia I was gratuitously racially abused 3 times in 3 weeks. I have been abused only once in the UK since I arrived here more than 10 years ago, so my anecdotal ratio of morons is much higher in Oz (read the history of Australia, it is a string of embarrassments when it comes to dealing with people that have a higher amounts of melanin on their skin). 

British people thinking that Oz is a paradise should really pay attention to their priorities, I am sure Australia will please lots of people, but once you realize how isolated you are from anything else, including other Australians, you will understand how different the place is, and things that you take for granted in the UK will simply not be the same.


----------



## vegegirl (May 21, 2009)

There's more to Australia than Perth isn't there. I'm a 5th generation Aussie and (I'm sure it's got it's good points ie, nice beaches) but I've never even been to bloody Perth. The Eastern Seaboard is the place to be surely. 



James3214 said:


> I think I can share Kym's (or at least her partner's) view. I first went to Perth in 1982 on a working holiday and thought it was the best place in the world to live. Tried to emigrate out there in 1987..got turned down but asked to apply again. Never did it but went back again for long holidays in 1989, 1996 and 2006 and my enthusiasm dropped with each visit. In 2006 I was just glad I never went to live there. It was no longer the place I thought it was (and probably never was). Great place for those with the right skills,attitude and outlook on life though, but for me it is the richest cultural part of the world....Europe (and I include Britain in that!)


----------



## James3214 (Jun 25, 2009)

vegegirl said:


> There's more to Australia than Perth isn't there. I'm a 5th generation Aussie and (I'm sure it's got it's good points ie, nice beaches) but I've never even been to bloody Perth. The Eastern Seaboard is the place to be surely.


Maybe, there is a lot more going on over there. I drove all the way from Melbourne up to Brisbane back in 2005 over a few weeks. Quite surprised me in places...from the quiet NSW towns that throw you out of the restaurant at 8.30pm and the signs about road safety everywhere. I was in a coastal resort and noticed signs that said to only park your car forwards and asked a passing traffic warden why they had signs everywhere telling what people can and can't do..why didn't they let people use their common sense I asked...he turned around and said "here sir, the people don't have any common sense"...made me laugh! Ok for some people though....but not for me. Don't forget about the prime minister back in the 70's who went for "a swim that needed no towel":eyebrows:


----------



## Aussie_Kym (Jan 12, 2010)

I grew up in Perth and have never lived in the Eastern states. We do both love Melbourne and were seriously contemplating trying our luck there instead of moving back to the UK. But we figured, at the end of the day, moving from Perth to Melbourne is still no closer to my partner's family, friends and Europe! 

Honestly, if we didn't have ties in the UK we probably would give Melbourne a go. I used to think I was a country girl, but as soon as I'm away from the city I miss it greatly. I love having all the people around, and the libraries and museums, etc etc. BUT I can't pass up the opportunity to live in Europe for at least a while. I am studying History at Uni (part time, distance) which I will finish in the UK (with an Aus Uni, distance). To live in a country so rich in History is an amazing dream. I will always feel a tie to Australia though, I am interested in and want to always try and be involved in bridging the gap with Australia's Indigenous People (I am doing a double major at Uni- History and Indigenous Studies) and consider my time in the UK to be a hiatus from my calling in Aus.  But then again, you never know what's around the corner.

I don't like to say bad things about Australia because I love my life here, but I am just that kind of person; very optimistic no matter what the circumstances. My partner on the other hand is very much swayed by his environment, so it makes sense that we need to be where he feels happiest. I am happy anywhere! 

James, I know what you mean about the common sense in driving. Driving in Aus is just terrible, Perth must be one of the worst! Drivers here are allowed to be taught by the parents, who hardly even know any better than their clueless teenagers, and teach them all their bad habits. Couple that with nanny state road rules where people are not allowed to think for themselves and you have bad bad drivers! My partner is a huge fanatic but despises driving here. He can't wait to get back to the UK for track days, cheap fast cars and winding roads.  ... oh and the German Autobahn. Haha


----------

