emigrating to the USA or Australia

paddedjohn

cashbackproblems wrote: »

Most employers provide medical insurance in the USA its not that much of an issue, its only if your not working or working in a low skilled job, and a panel beater doesnt sound like most skilled/in demand occupation especially with machines doing alot of that now

ive yet to see a machine take a dent out of a wing or a door.

Skillz2

paddedjohn wrote: »

ive yet to see a machine take a dent out of a wing or a door.

A lot accident repair places I have been to tend to replace the whole panel rather than waste time with panel beating.

starryshell

cashbackproblems wrote: »

Most employers provide medical insurance in the USA its not that much of an issue, its only if your not working or working in a low skilled job, and a panel beater doesnt sound like most skilled/in demand occupation especially with machines doing alot of that now

Ah, but it is an issue. They don't provide insurance for free - it is very expensive to insure a family. To give you an idea, when I left the US in 2002, I was paying about $250/month for a single person for my big-bank provided healthcare, plus a fee for doctor visits and prescriptions.

Insurance has become even more difficult to obtain in the years since I've left - even through an employer. Wait times before you're eligible, and difficulty/impossibility to insure someone with pre-existing conditions.

jungle_jane

I've lived abroad most of my adult life, including 10 years in Australia.

Sponsoring doesn't mean that someone pays for you to go over - it just means that they get your visa for you. Other than that, Australia is extremely expensive to move to and live in. You have to get rid of all your furniture and belongings here (or pay huge amounts for them to be shipped over) and then buy new stuff there. If you want to buy a place - well Aus is wayyyy more expensive than here to get on the property ladder due to the very high legal fees. And then it might not be to your liking - out of 11 friends of mine who went over at various times during my stay there, all of us came back here. For all of us - well it just wasn't that great.

Aside from that. there is a ton of stress (even for someone like myself who has lived in many countries) of packing up here, moving to a strange place, getting into their system, making friends, settle your child down etc etc etc. And it all costs lots and lots of money. Your money.

If you rely on any type of benefit here - don't rely on getting it in Aus.

That said, its not impossible and I am glad i did it. I vowed that I would never do it again though on my last return. it gets very very difficult the older you get and even more so if you have pets and children to think about too.

Have you been to Australia or the USA? You definitely need to do that before moving. If i were you I would go to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth - if you are thinking of moving to a city as they are vastly different. I would also suggest trying it in the heat of Dec-Feb sun - it's extremely hot indeed.

Have you also considered other parts of Europe, OP? France or Spain?

bluecowonthebus

Any move abroad would have to involve a lot of research on your part so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. And also what you and your family want to get out of any move. It is easy to sit at home and think life would be better elsewhere. If you start really looking at the options, you might find out whether it is something you realistically want to do or if you are just frustrated with your current life.

Could your husband transfer within the company he is working for? Are there any options, even if this means within Europe - it might be an option he would be happy with.

Have you looked at Canada - it operates a points system for immigrants so you can see if you both qualify.

I worked in the USA on a student visa many years ago and loved it. Have you looked at the different types of visa available for immigration? It might not be viable but at least you would know.

It is true to say that the US healthcare system is expensive etc but, as has been said above, many Americans get healthcare coverage through their job. And there are also charities that fund healthcare - where I lived in New England, a charity paid all the healthcare costs for unmarried women to give birth, and that included women in long-term relationships. So it does vary.

DCFC79

Any news OP