Q: Why would I want to relocate to Australia?
A: It is a great time to take the opportunity to travel to and experience the adventure of living and working in a country that is offering fantastic opportunities.
Q: What if I want to return to my home country?
A: Your employment contract will stipulate the terms and conditions for your return to your home country. These will typically define a notice period and/or circumstances under which your contract can be terminated by you or the employer.
Q: What would be my salary and benefits?
A: Firstly you will be paid in Australian dollars directly into your Australian bank account. The Company making the offer will provide you with written terms and conditions including salary and benefits for your Australian assignment. These offers will be at very competitive market rates. Your specific employment package will depend on such factors as site location and shift working requirements. At a minimum there will be a cash component, superannuation (Australian pension/retirement funding) and paid leave.
Q: Do I get healthcare?
A: The Australian healthcare system is not like the USA - it is similar to Canada's. Employers typically do not pay for health insurance. There is a basic cover that is provided to all Australians through Medicare, then a choice of paying a Medicare tax levy or private health insurance. For visitors to Australia, there are reciprocal rights for those from countries such as New Zealand, Ireland, UK, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Malta and Italy. For those people from countries that do not have reciprocal rights such as the USA, visitors purchase basic healthcare (equivalent to Medicare coverage) for approximately $1054 per annum per person. Additional coverage can also be purchased through the private health care funds. Overseas workers may also be entitled to claim the tax levy at time of lodging their tax return.
www.medicareaustralia.gov.au
List of health insurance providers: www.ahia.org.au
A study of healthcare comparisons content.healthaffairs.org
Q: Do I pay Australian Income tax?
A: If you earn any income in Australia you will be required to declare your income in an Australian Tax return and in most cases you will be taxed on all income above $6,000 per annum. Your home country may also require you to provide details of your Australian income. The Australian tax year runs from July 1 to 30 June each year. Whilst Australian tax rates are typically applied and deducted by your employer when you are paid your salary, you may be eligible for deductions (reimbursements). Your Australian employer may be able to provide you with recommendations for taxation experts. Upon your application, the Australian Taxation Office - ATO will issue you with a Taxation File Number. You will need this TFN for establishing bank accounts, employment and other official type arrangements. For overseas people intending to work in Australia, you can apply for a Tax File Number online at website: iar.ato.gov.au
Q: What is the Australian Tax system?
A: For detailed information on the Australian Taxation system please review the ATO's website www.ato.gov.au. In addition to Income Tax, there is a Goods and Services Tax (GST) that is a value added tax, currently 10% that is added to the basic price of most goods and services. The amount of GST charged is generally shown on receipts. en.wikipedia.org; Other Taxes or levies may apply, so please speak to your Employer as to their recommendation for meeting with an Australian taxation advisor.
Q: Will I get a working visa?
A: Your eligibility to receive a working visa will be decided by the Australian Government, Department of Immigration. You will need to provide various information for them to assess whether you will be granted access to Australia with a working visa. Please familiarise yourself with the requirements and your potential eligibility. You may want to go to the website www.liveinaustralia.com.au and look at the checklist for eligibility.
Q: How do I apply for an Australian Visa?
A: Details on lodging your visa are outlined on the Department of Immigration website (www.immi.gov.au). If you are applying for work in Australia under a 457 visa (temporary skilled worker) your employer must lodge sponsorship and nomination forms prior to or at the same time your visa application is submitted. The form that you must complete for a 457 visa is Application Form 1066 - Application for a long-stay temporary business visa.
Q: How long will the visa process take?
A: The process varies depending on your application. From the time your application is submitted to the Australian Government's Department of immigration, the process will take approximately 6 - 8 weeks. If your occupation requires licensing or registration to allow you to work in Australia, you will have to have had your skills assessed by the appropriate assessing authority prior to lodging your application. You must also have completed your health check and have provided information to meet the "good character" requirements.
Q: Can my spouse work too?
A: Yes, subject to meeting Australian immigration Visa requirements, your spouse may be eligible to work in Australia during your assignment period. If they work in an occupation that requires licensing or registration they will need to have their skills assessed by the appropriate assessing authority prior to commencing work in Australia.
Q: Can my children go to school?
A: Yes, your children can attend school. You may be required to pay school fees. The school fee amount will depend upon whether your children are in Private, or Government Schooling. The Australian school year begins late January early February. One website that might be helpful is studyinaustralia.gov.au
Q: Where will I live?
A: Your normal work location will usually strongly influence where you should have your home/base. For example, some remote location jobs require 'fly-in-fly-out' (FIFO) arrangements. This means you will be flown to the actual work site, for a defined period of time (for example 2 weeks "on"), work and live at that site, then flown back to a nominated home base (usually the nearest major city). Should this be the case, during the work period, or "on" time your employer provides accommodation, meals, flights to/from the work site and so forth. For the leave periods (commonly known as "off"), it is advisable that you choose to rent/share/board/purchase a home base in a location easily accessible to the relevant airport. See our rental website links in our "Housing" section.
Q: Who will pay for my relocation to Australia?
A: Your employer will provide you with relocation support as will typically be detailed in writing according to their policies and practices.
Q: Can I take my car?
A: Australian cars are right hand drive and there are strict compliance and conversion requirements that may be time consuming. It is therefore best not to bring your car. See our website links in "Cars and Driving" section.
Q: What do I need to take with me?
A: If your new employer is funding the freighting of your personal or household goods, they will clearly advise the maximum limits they are prepared to pay for doing so. Regardless of whether your employer is paying, should you ship any goods to Australia please keep the following in mind.
- It is probably best to store your household goods in your home country. You may find furnished rental accommodation, or that it is cheaper to purchase goods here in Australia. E bay (Australia site), www.grays.com, other online or local discount stores, chain department stores, all provide reasonably priced furniture and household goods.
- Australia has 240 /250 volts (AC 50 Hz) with 3 pins. Therefore you may need to purchase an adapter plug. For equipment that is not at the same voltage you may need a step up/step down transformer - which are typically cumbersome, and expensive.
- Most IT equipment can work in Australia with their smaller transformers and adapter plug. Printers and so forth are priced very reasonably, so think twice about the cost of shipping and purchasing step up/step down transformers. www.adaptelec.com
- Australian quarantine is possibly the strictest in the world. This extends to any wooden furniture, plants, food, animals and so forth. Please ensure you are absolutely familiar with the customs regulations. It will be your responsibility to strictly adhere to their rules.
- Please pay particular attention to the conditions under which animals / pets can be brought into Australia. It is customary for long terms of (expensive) government quarantine to apply to animals and pets before they are allowed back into your care.