If you are thinking of moving from the UK to live and work in Australia, what could be more helpful than valuable insight from people who have been through the same process?
In the past couple of years, we’ve shared with you the experiences of two bdhSterling colleagues who have done just that: Ané Lindenbaum who emigrated to Australia in 2023 and Natasha Mackintosh who moved from the UK to Perth last year.
More recently, our Group Managing Director, Simon Harvey, made the same transition.
We asked Simon a series of questions about his move, both from a personal and professional perspective.
You can read his answers here, including some useful tips and insights that could be invaluable if you plan to emigrate.
Making the decision to move and settling in with children
- What inspired your decision to move to Australia with your family?
Backpacking around Australia gave me a deep-seated idea that I’d love to live here one day.
It inspired me to build bdhSterling to help clients manage the financial planning aspects of moving between the UK and Australia.
I then lived in Sydney for just over two years when we opened our Australian offices, and have spent the years since travelling back and forth between the two countries.
I’ve long thought Perth is a fantastic place to raise a family, and my wife, Kirsty, and I have always talked about the possibility of relocating.
With our daughter approaching secondary school age and bdhSterling thriving in Australia, we didn’t want to have any regrets, so we decided to take the leap!
- How did you prepare for the move – both personally and professionally?
We realised it was important to keep the whole family involved. We discussed the move with our two children early on to give them time to process the change and gradually adjust to the idea. I’d recommend this to anyone going through the same process.
I’m fortunate to have spent considerable time in Australia and have a good understanding of the migration process. This made things easier, although there’s still an enormous amount of administration to sort out.
Professionally, it helps that I’m leaving the UK office in safe hands. Khan McSween, who now heads the team in Epsom, has been with us for many years and has a great group of people working with him.
- What were the biggest challenges you faced during the relocation?
In a nutshell, the two biggest challenges were having to remain patient and be well organised.
Our visa grant and property sales both dragged on longer than expected, which was frustrating.
There’s a huge volume of things you need to sort out when moving between two countries, so having a coherent plan and sticking to it is key.
With Perth’s property market being so tight, we weren’t certain where we’d end up living, which meant we had to make schooling decisions for our children relatively quickly after arriving.
We’ve landed on our feet, but it was certainly a struggle at times.
- How has the move impacted your family? What adjustments are needed to take place?
As well as involving our children in the moving process from the outset, we included them in small decisions, which has helped them prepare emotionally.
We have a very close-knit extended family, so moving away from them has been quite a wrench.
Soon after we arrived, we discovered that our daughter would have to repeat nearly two years of school because of the different systems in the UK and Australia. While this was an initial shock, it has actually helped make the transition easier for her.
Our son struggled early on at school, but they made a few small accommodations that have made the world of difference.
- Your top tip for settling in quickly, especially with kids or family?
At bdhSterling, we always talk about the importance of expert advice, and we found using a specialist rental agency well before we moved was one of the best decisions we made.
They view properties for you ahead of your move and share videos and detailed reports. If you get one that includes services for children, they can help you with school selection.
We managed to secure the first property we applied for, which gave us one less thing to deal with and took enormous pressure off.
Looking at the move from a professional perspective
- Has making the move yourself helped you better understand the needs of UK expats?
It’s been significantly more stressful making the move with a family compared to when I moved on my own – though having my family around has also made settling in easier.
Most of my clients make the move with families, so I’m now far more appreciative of the process so many of them go through and the complex issues they must consider.
- In retrospect, what’s the best advice you give to clients that you’ve also applied yourself?
As we say in pretty much every article, a well-thought-out plan is absolutely critical. Not only does it keep you on track, but it can also help you manage the costs and take advantage of financial opportunities.
There are some significant costs associated with international relocation that you can offset through your salary package when moving for employment purposes. I’ve utilised these myself.
I’m also benefiting from the exemption from Australian tax on foreign income, and have timed the sale of assets for maximum benefit.
Getting expert advice early in the process can save significant money and stress down the line.
- What are your goals for bdhSterling’s growth in Australia?
It’s been a busy start to life in Perth! We’re working on some significant projects to refine and improve our service delivery, and we’re seeing real demand for cross-border advice.
We’re moving to a new Perth office to meet our growing needs, which will provide a great space for our clients to meet with us and for our team to collaborate.
The current likely move date is in December, so watch this space!
To sum up – do your homework and treat the move as an adventure
I’d always recommend that anyone thinking of making the same move as us does plenty of homework.
It’s a huge transition, so figure out what’s most important to you and your family and use that to guide your decisions.
Life is short, and we decided to make this an adventure for us as a family. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll have given our kids exposure to new things and cultures, made their world bigger, and built their resilience. That can’t be a bad thing.
Get in touch
At bdhSterling, we specialise in helping clients navigate the financial complexities of moving between the UK and Australia, and ensuring you have an effective cross-border financial plan in place.
Whether you’re managing assets in multiple countries or planning a move abroad, our expert advisers can help you build a resilient, long-term financial strategy.
If you would like to discuss your own plans, please get in touch with us today.
Please note
This article is for information only, it does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs.
Please do not solely rely on anything you have read in this article and ensure that you conduct your own research to ensure any actions you may take are suitable for your circumstances.
All contents are based on our understanding of HMRC and ATO legislation, which is subject to change.