Checklist for moving to Australia from New Zealand for relocating for a job?

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NglButiLoveTechnolog

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#290295 1-Nov-2021 18:11

Hey guys,

I'm a newbie in Travel so bear with me but I was wondering if someone could provide/compose a checklist for me for a NZ Kiwi wanting to relocate to Australia from New Zealand for a permanent job? like what do I need to do/need? I know that one would require a non expired NZ Passport (which i already have). I also know that you need a one way plane ticket.

i tried asking my local lawyer but they said they dont provide immigration services so i contact a immigration advisor and they told me to contact https://www.immigration.govt.nz/ which i did and wasn't able to get in hold of someone :(

Looking forward to hearing from you all :D Thanks

Aaroona

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#2805663 1-Nov-2021 18:33

I'm interested to know this too...

Someone I spoke to about it a couple of years ago made it sound very easy;

Simply book a ticket, and turn up. You have to be physically there in person to open a bank account etc. He is a NZ citizen, so no visa's to worry about.
unsure though if its that simple.

Might be worth having a read here: https://www.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/

I'm considering the same move, so curious to know what you find.

Batman

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#2805665 1-Nov-2021 18:35

1. you need to have 100 points of ID with you for all official business https://www.police.sa.gov.au/services-and-events/100-point-identification

2. you need to make an appointment with 2 banks. one with free account - NAB, one with better service - ANZ. go to ANZ and tell them NAB offering free account, ANZ should waive all fees.

3. you need to make an appointment for driver licence conversion. usually booked out 3 months in advance.

4. you need to ask employer about salary sacrifice if they offer it. if they do you need to set up appointment with HR and set up salary sacrifice. it's a form of legal tax avoidance.

5. you need a folder with landlord references for rental house application if you are going to a competitive area.

6. if you need kindy or childcare they can have 1-3 year waitlists, so visit them in person and keep in touch for unexpected openings - they usually have a $200 fee to get on the waitlist so try not to pay it without guarantee.

7. get a centerlink number - you get govt rebates for everything

8. get a medicare number - for healthcare. note it doesn't cover ambulance or helicopters, you need health insurance.

9. sign up for health insurance. free massage free dentist free optometry/glasses and you don't pay medicare levy, which is the same cost as the health insurance.

10. try to apply for PR, if you need social services you only get them if you are PR. eg if your child has a medical condition you can get $8000 a year from the govt if you are a PR.

NglButiLoveTechnolog

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#2805736 1-Nov-2021 20:42

Batman:

1. you need to have 100 points of ID with you for all official business https://www.police.sa.gov.au/services-and-events/100-point-identification

2. you need to make an appointment with 2 banks. one with free account - NAB, one with better service - ANZ. go to ANZ and tell them NAB offering free account, ANZ should waive all fees.

3. you need to make an appointment for driver licence conversion. usually booked out 3 months in advance.

4. you need to ask employer about salary sacrifice if they offer it. if they do you need to set up appointment with HR and set up salary sacrifice. it's a form of legal tax avoidance.

5. you need a folder with landlord references for rental house application if you are going to a competitive area.

6. if you need kindy or childcare they can have 1-3 year waitlists, so visit them in person and keep in touch for unexpected openings - they usually have a $200 fee to get on the waitlist so try not to pay it without guarantee.

7. get a centerlink number - you get govt rebates for everything

8. get a medicare number - for healthcare. note it doesn't cover ambulance or helicopters, you need health insurance.

9. sign up for health insurance. free massage free dentist free optometry/glasses and you don't pay medicare levy, which is the same cost as the health insurance.

10. try to apply for PR, if you need social services you only get them if you are PR. eg if your child has a medical condition you can get $8000 a year from the govt if you are a PR.

Thanks for the checklist.

For:

1 - May I ask what this is for? I'm not a business so am when I relocate to Australia for a job, I'm just only going to be a worker/employee

2 - is NAB better than Westpac Australia? I'm currently with Westpac NZ and it's going well but the fees is meh compared to BNZ.

3 - I don't have a drivers license but im fortunate that the flat/apartments i'm interested in are close by my job

4 - Thanks for the heads up

5 - I have never rented a house before. Only been living with parents so is this a concern/needed?

6 - no kids haha still single. Havent got a Girlfriend before haha. Been focussed on Masters degree.

7 - would you be able to tell me more on this? I don't quite understand this. Maybe a ELI5 (explain like im 5 haha).

8 - is this like a Identification health card? or is it like a NZ community service card?

9 - definitely :D

10 - Still thinking of PR since i understand that "most new zealand citizens are able to live, study and work in australia indefinitely without needing to apply for a visa".

Hope to hear back from you and sorry for the nuisance haha

Inphinity

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#2805742 1-Nov-2021 21:18

NglButiLoveTechnolog:

Thanks for the checklist.

For:

1 - May I ask what this is for? I'm not a business so am when I relocate to Australia for a job, I'm just only going to be a worker/employee

2 - is NAB better than Westpac Australia? I'm currently with Westpac NZ and it's going well but the fees is meh compared to BNZ.

3 - I don't have a drivers license but im fortunate that the flat/apartments i'm interested in are close by my job

4 - Thanks for the heads up

5 - I have never rented a house before. Only been living with parents so is this a concern/needed?

6 - no kids haha still single. Havent got a Girlfriend before haha. Been focussed on Masters degree.

7 - would you be able to tell me more on this? I don't quite understand this. Maybe a ELI5 (explain like im 5 haha).

8 - is this like a Identification health card? or is it like a NZ community service card?

9 - definitely :D

10 - Still thinking of PR since i understand that "most new zealand citizens are able to live, study and work in australia indefinitely without needing to apply for a visa".

Hope to hear back from you and sorry for the nuisance haha

1. Some services, like opening bank accounts, service accounts (power etc) can require some ID, if a job requires a background check or similar this could need it. Lots of reasons to have suitable valid ID. This isn't an AU-specific recommendation imo.

2. We found Commonwealth best, but has been ~5 years since we were banking out of AU so may be different these days.

5. If it is a competitive rental area, you are not an ideal tenant - no tenancy references/history, new to the country (with relatively open path to leave any time), new local work history etc. That said, some areas are not so competitive, and as long as you have the bond & can pay the rent it won't be an issue. Understand the areas you're looking at.

7. Centrelink is AU Social Services, and would be requirred if you're eligible for any sorts of social payments.

8. It's more like allowing you access to subsidized healthcare. Where in NZ if you're a resident you get free hospital care etc, you need a Medicare number to qualify for subsidies costs in AU.

10. yeah you can live & work as long as you like in NZ if you are an NZ Citizen who doesn't meet any of the exclusion criteria (mostly like bad criminal history etc), but there are some things you still need to be PR for to qualify.

Kyanar

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#2805755 1-Nov-2021 22:34

NglButiLoveTechnolog:

Thanks for the checklist.

For:

1 - May I ask what this is for? I'm not a business so am when I relocate to Australia for a job, I'm just only going to be a worker/employee

2 - is NAB better than Westpac Australia? I'm currently with Westpac NZ and it's going well but the fees is meh compared to BNZ.

3 - I don't have a drivers license but im fortunate that the flat/apartments i'm interested in are close by my job

4 - Thanks for the heads up

5 - I have never rented a house before. Only been living with parents so is this a concern/needed?

6 - no kids haha still single. Havent got a Girlfriend before haha. Been focussed on Masters degree.

7 - would you be able to tell me more on this? I don't quite understand this. Maybe a ELI5 (explain like im 5 haha).

8 - is this like a Identification health card? or is it like a NZ community service card?

9 - definitely :D

10 - Still thinking of PR since i understand that "most new zealand citizens are able to live, study and work in australia indefinitely without needing to apply for a visa".

Hope to hear back from you and sorry for the nuisance haha

You're going to require enough ID to do pretty much anything, such as open a bank account. This is normal. Your NZ Passport will suffice for a lot of points (about 70 I believe) then you will need something to fill in the rest, such as a Medicare card.
If you're with Westpac NZ, you can actually go into your Westpac NZ branch and open a Westpac Australia account in advance of moving over - without having Australian ID. Just be sure to use Wise or something to transfer money in preparation for the move, bank rates are awful for foreign exchange.
If you can, get a drivers license in NZ before moving. The Australian system requires logbooks with supervised hours driving in order to get from Learner to Probationary, and the Probationary period is far longer than in NZ, with no option to reduce by means of an AA (equivalent) defensive driving course.
Not every employer will do Salary Sacrifice or Novated Leasing, as it sometimes incurs Fringe Benefits Tax.
Yes and no. You will greatly limit your available options without some sort of reference. Essentially you will be counting on the owner or agent being willing to take a punt on an unknown, when they have tenants scratching at the doors. It will be hard.
Phew. Childcare is rough.
That advice is actually not helpful. You won't get Centrelink benefits as a New Zealander, unless you get Permanent Residency. After 10 years, you're entitled to six months of Jobseeker, once in your lifetime. That's it. Most government rebates administered by Centrelink (such as the Family Tax Benefit, or Baby Bonus) you also won't get. Having a CRN was only really useful when the federal government actually provided assistance during state mandated COVID stay home orders.
Medicare is your entitlement to government funded health care. You must have it, or you will pay full price for medical services (think $600 for antihistamine for a bee sting). As a New Zealander, you're lucky enough to get a Green Medicare card as soon as you show up and prove you moved in. Despite the advice you received saying it doesn't cover ambulances, that is state dependant. Us Queenslanders do not pay for ambulances. Also, it handily covers the last 30 points of ID!
That advice was 100% wrong. You won't pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which is an additional between 1% and 2.5% levy on your total income if you earn over $90,000 as an individual. You will still pay the Medicare Levy (which is similar in effect to the ACC levy you currently pay in NZ, but ten times the amount, at about 1% of your income). The "free" extras like dental and optical are still paid for by you, through the premiums and the gap payments on most claims (usually you cover between 20% and 50%).
Permanent Residency entitles you to many Centrelink services you would otherwise be ineligible for, as well as NDIS (disability insurance, basically the rehabilitation and support part of ACC - as a New Zealander you are not entitled to it in Australia), and the option to apply for citizenship, which is required for many government roles both contract and permanent for no discernible reason. As you will have arrived after 2016, you will have to apply for residency by using the same processes as someone from any other country on Earth, as New Zealanders only get special treatment for that if they arrived between 2001 and 2016.

Batman

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#2805780 1-Nov-2021 23:05

wife got 80% of childcare rebated with centerlink as non PR.

you're right about the rest.

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Handle9

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#2805797 2-Nov-2021 02:50

Keep all your receipts for everything and get an accountant. There are an insane number of deductions as a salary/wage earner.

NglButiLoveTechnolog

129 posts

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#2805922 2-Nov-2021 09:11

Kyanar:

NglButiLoveTechnolog:

Thanks for the checklist.

For:

1 - May I ask what this is for? I'm not a business so am when I relocate to Australia for a job, I'm just only going to be a worker/employee

2 - is NAB better than Westpac Australia? I'm currently with Westpac NZ and it's going well but the fees is meh compared to BNZ.

3 - I don't have a drivers license but im fortunate that the flat/apartments i'm interested in are close by my job

4 - Thanks for the heads up

5 - I have never rented a house before. Only been living with parents so is this a concern/needed?

6 - no kids haha still single. Havent got a Girlfriend before haha. Been focussed on Masters degree.

7 - would you be able to tell me more on this? I don't quite understand this. Maybe a ELI5 (explain like im 5 haha).

8 - is this like a Identification health card? or is it like a NZ community service card?

9 - definitely :D

10 - Still thinking of PR since i understand that "most new zealand citizens are able to live, study and work in australia indefinitely without needing to apply for a visa".

Hope to hear back from you and sorry for the nuisance haha

You're going to require enough ID to do pretty much anything, such as open a bank account. This is normal. Your NZ Passport will suffice for a lot of points (about 70 I believe) then you will need something to fill in the rest, such as a Medicare card.
If you're with Westpac NZ, you can actually go into your Westpac NZ branch and open a Westpac Australia account in advance of moving over - without having Australian ID. Just be sure to use Wise or something to transfer money in preparation for the move, bank rates are awful for foreign exchange.
If you can, get a drivers license in NZ before moving. The Australian system requires logbooks with supervised hours driving in order to get from Learner to Probationary, and the Probationary period is far longer than in NZ, with no option to reduce by means of an AA (equivalent) defensive driving course.
Not every employer will do Salary Sacrifice or Novated Leasing, as it sometimes incurs Fringe Benefits Tax.
Yes and no. You will greatly limit your available options without some sort of reference. Essentially you will be counting on the owner or agent being willing to take a punt on an unknown, when they have tenants scratching at the doors. It will be hard.
Phew. Childcare is rough.
That advice is actually not helpful. You won't get Centrelink benefits as a New Zealander, unless you get Permanent Residency. After 10 years, you're entitled to six months of Jobseeker, once in your lifetime. That's it. Most government rebates administered by Centrelink (such as the Family Tax Benefit, or Baby Bonus) you also won't get. Having a CRN was only really useful when the federal government actually provided assistance during state mandated COVID stay home orders.
Medicare is your entitlement to government funded health care. You must have it, or you will pay full price for medical services (think $600 for antihistamine for a bee sting). As a New Zealander, you're lucky enough to get a Green Medicare card as soon as you show up and prove you moved in. Despite the advice you received saying it doesn't cover ambulances, that is state dependant. Us Queenslanders do not pay for ambulances. Also, it handily covers the last 30 points of ID!
That advice was 100% wrong. You won't pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which is an additional between 1% and 2.5% levy on your total income if you earn over $90,000 as an individual. You will still pay the Medicare Levy (which is similar in effect to the ACC levy you currently pay in NZ, but ten times the amount, at about 1% of your income). The "free" extras like dental and optical are still paid for by you, through the premiums and the gap payments on most claims (usually you cover between 20% and 50%).
Permanent Residency entitles you to many Centrelink services you would otherwise be ineligible for, as well as NDIS (disability insurance, basically the rehabilitation and support part of ACC - as a New Zealander you are not entitled to it in Australia), and the option to apply for citizenship, which is required for many government roles both contract and permanent for no discernible reason. As you will have arrived after 2016, you will have to apply for residency by using the same processes as someone from any other country on Earth, as New Zealanders only get special treatment for that if they arrived between 2001 and 2016.

Thank you very much for this information. Ok, i think i understand now. Time to start processing everything. Wish me luck :D