How to move your family to Australia, Family-Day Style

If you’re living in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, we’d like to throw a BIG Happy Family Day to you on this fine third Monday of February!

If you’re living in BC, then you’ll know what to look forward to for next year. And if you’re in other parts of Canada, well, then, this is just awkward.

As a tribute to Family Day and the message behind it (spend the day with your family, and not slumped on the couch watching Drew Carey re-runs), OzTREKK wanted to address a topic that some of our students inquire about when applying to study in Australia: moving your family to Australia.

Many Canadians wish to fulfill their career goals after getting married, having kids, or both. There are a lot of things to think about when you consider moving your entire family to Oz. Here are just a few items:

1. Learn your Visa Options. Complete the necessary research to discover what a student visa entails, and how it works with your spouse and children coming overseas, especially if your spouse plans to work in Australia.

2. Organize accommodation. You will most likely need short term accommodation before you settle into your own place. The homes of friends or family are ideal for this or you can rent hotel accommodation by the day, week or month. Try and stay somewhere close to where you plan on living permanently. This way, you will get a feel for the place before you commit to a long term rental or property purchase.

3. See to the paperwork. Ensure your will is in order, obtain references, medical and vaccination records and collect professional and personal contact details.

4. Research your children’s school options. Contact the schools you have short-listed, and explain when you are coming to Australia. Discuss their curriculum, fees and support fees, and remember to ask about additional expenses such as school uniforms. Also inquire about term dates.

5. Packing to Australia. Packing and shipping is time consuming and costly. Get quotes and use areputable supplier. If you are moving to Australia don’t pack anything that will be confiscated or hold up your goods in quarantine unnecessarily – visit the Australian Government’s Quarantine and Inspection Service.

We hope this gives you some food for thought as you consider moving your family to Australia.

*Since the OzTREKK office is located in Ontario, we wanted to let you know the provincial government has kinda, sorta twisted our arm to close the office for the day and chill with our families. We will be business as usual first thing Tuesday morning!*

If you want to learn about the Australian education system, then attend an Australian Teachers College in Australia! Find out how you can apply to an Australian Teachers College in Australia.