Moving to Australia Frequently Asked Questions by JJ Smith June 20, 2024 written by JJ Smith June 20, 2024 550 Below are a list of frequently asked questions we get regularly. If there is something you want to know please use the comment form at the bottom of the page. Can Kiwis live in Australia? YES… Under the SCV (Special Category Visa), New Zealanders are allowed to work and live in Australia permanently. They can live, work, study, purchase property and enjoy beautiful Australia. And with the direct pathway to citizenship, New Zealanders (lovingly known as Kiwis, our national bird) can now apply for Australian citizenship after living in Australia for four years! Read more in my direct pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia post. Can New Zealand Citizens work in Australia? Yes! New Zealand citizens are allowed to work in Australia without restrictions. When entering Australia, NZ citizens are granted an SCV (Special Category Visa); this allows us to live, work, or study as long as we remain NZ citizens, subject to health or character considerations. As an SCV is not a permanent visa, visa holders do not have the same rights and benefits as Australian citizens or permanent residents, so you should apply for Australian citizenship after living in Australia for four consecutive years. Read more about SCV Visa Exclusions or becoming an Australian citizen. Can New Zealand citizens study in Australia? New Zealand citizens can study in Australia at an Australian tertiary institution and are eligible to pay domestic fees instead of international fees. However, most New Zealand citizens are not eligible for a student loan, known in Australia as a Help loan, to pay university fees or a student allowance for living costs. You will need to get Australian citizenship to get a student loan. For more information, read my student loans post or the section applying to study at Australian universities in my schools in Australia post. Can you move to Australia over 60? The good news is that there is no age limit for New Zealand citizens moving to Australia, even 60+! You can move to Australia at any age as a NZ citizen, which is very fortunate, as the rest of the world is not. If you are not an NZ citizen, you typically need to qualify for a Parent or Partner visa or have at least AUD $5 million to invest in approved investments (excluding real estate). For more detailed information, consult the official Australian immigration resources or seek advice from a migration specialist. Can someone with a New Zealand Permanent Residency work in Australia? Unfortunately, New Zealand permanent residency does not entitle you to an SCV (Special Category Visa), which NZ citizens automatically get granted when they enter Australia. If you are a New Zealand permanent resident, you must apply for a visa to live and work in Australia. Do New Zealand permanent residents need a visa for Australia? Yes, New Zealanders with permanent residency need a visa to work, study and live in Australia. Most New Zealand citizens can visit, live and work in Australia without applying for a tourist or work visa. Permanent residents in NZ need to apply for a visa. For more detailed information, consult the official Australian immigration resources or seek advice from a migration specialist. Can Australian citizens live and work in New Zealand? Flip yeah! Australian citizens are able to live, work or study in New Zealand. Australian citizens do not need a work visa to work in New Zealand. This is also the case if you hold a current Australian permanent residence visa, including a current Australian resident return visa. When can I apply for citizenship in Australia? To be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship, you must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for four years and not been absent from Australia for more than one year or have been living in Australia for 12 months as a permanent resident. Read my direct pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia post for more information. You might also be interested in… The below posts might interest you: Renting and accommodation in Australia Open an Australian Bank Account Australian Mortgage Still, got unanswered questions? If you’ve read the above content and the answer to your question isn’t there, please write a comment below, and I’ll research the answer for you. Can I help you find something else? If you need advice on moving to Australia from New Zealand, I’ve created a helpful little questionnaire to point you in the right direction. It takes less than 30 seconds, so give it a go! Are you wanting to move to Australia but have a criminal conviction?Australian VisaMoving Company to AustraliaSCV Visa ExclusionsXE vs OFX (NZForex)! 122 comments FacebookPinterest JJ Smith previous post White Card Australia next post Moving to Australia with a criminal conviction? You may also like Moving to Australia Process November 12, 2024 Documentation needed when moving to Australia March 25, 2024 Money – What You Need to Know February 17, 2024 Open an Australian Bank Account November 6, 2024 Foreign Exchange/Money Transfer November 6, 2024 $19,000 exchange fee shocks family January 14, 2025 Australian Tax November 14, 2024 Getting Your Tax File Number (TFN) October 15, 2025 Jobs in Australia May 3, 2024 Australia Skill Shortages July 16, 2025 122 comments Chelsea January 25, 2020 - 1:22 am Hi, we have just been offered a job on king island. I’ve been to Australia about 10 years ago but my boss booked it all and I just had to pack my suitcase. We are NZ citizens with a 5yo. Do we need to arrange visas at all? Or just passports? My husband pays child support and is up to date, will this affect moving? He also has 3 drink driving convictions from his silly younger days he never went to jail just a loss of licence and community work. Will this affect his moving? If you have any debt with banks like loans (still paying off) does this affect you moving? What about student loans? I have about $20k debt but it gets paid out of my wage. Will I get stopped for this? We would be selling everything and quitting our jobs and leaving with just our suitcases so I need to make sure we don’t get stopped at the airport and end up with nothing. Thanks for your help Reply JJ Smith February 5, 2020 - 1:24 am Hi Chelsea, Thank you for your comment. You have a lot of different factors that will effect you moving to Australia. Please find my advice below. Firstly, as NZ Citizen’s you will automatically get granted the digital SCV. You and your daughter do not need to do anything, just passports. However, to save any problems on the border, I recommend your husband complete the Consent to Disclosure of Information NZ Police form. As he did not spend anytime in prison, he should not have any problems. Read this post: https://www.staging.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/are-you-wanting-to-move-to-australia-but-have-a-criminal-conviction/. Regarding child support, you will need to inform the IRD that you are moving to Australia and so your husband can continue paying your child support. It is important to give them your income details otherwise they will estimate your income to assess your child support payments and you could end up paying more. All you need to do is update your address, income and banking details in myIR, or give them a call on 0800 221 221 (https://www.ird.govt.nz/situations/i-am-moving-to-australia). Moving with bank loans won’t effect you moving. Only fines will get you stopped at the border. Regarding moving with a student loan, you will need to contact the IRD as if you’re going overseas for 6 months or more your NZ student loan won’t be interest free. You will not get stopped, but you should know how much more your loan is going to cost you. This post outlines all the info you need including repayment amounts and a student loan repayment calculator: https://www.staging.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/nz-student-loan/. Please feel free to email me back any further questions you have. Good luck with your move. Reply Thilliar Varnakulasingham December 25, 2019 - 3:34 am Dear Sir/Madam, My son is a New Zealander, He has been working in Australia for more than ten years. His wife and two children are Australian citizens. Can my son automatically become a permanent resident or citizen? What is the procedure? How to apply? What form does he has to fill in. Thanks Yours sincerely, Thilliar Reply JJ Smith February 4, 2020 - 11:20 pm Hi Thilliar, Thank you for your comment. Sorry for the delay in replying. Unfortunately I am not an immigration specialist. Here is the post you should read that will hopefully help your son: https://www.staging.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/become-an-australian-permanent-resident-and-australia-citizen/. Please feel free to email me back any further questions you have. Reply Anj October 30, 2019 - 8:13 am Hi JJ, Am a NZ Citizen, 99% will relocate to Australia. Do not have jobs lining up when we arrive. Do have little savings, hope can last until i find a job. Do not wish to rely on handout, however little help could help. Question is: as holder of SCV are we eligible for any form of payment from Centrelink? Or as i heard No unless you are at least an Australian PR? Is that correct? Thanks JJ Reply JJ Smith November 7, 2019 - 12:55 am Hi Anj, Thanks for your comment. I do recommend that you look for jobs before you arrive, but it isn’t easy to secure a job in Australia from NZ: https://www.seek.com.au/. New Zealanders living in Australia aren’t generally able to get the Newstart Allowance. Kiwi’s may be able to get the Newstart Allowance for 6 months, if they both: – hold a non-protected Special Category visa (SCV) – have lived continuously in Australia for at least 10 years immediately before claiming. Please feel free to email me back any further questions you have. Good luck with your move. Reply Alan P September 9, 2019 - 12:23 am Hi JJ, Thanks for your website, it’s a great help!! I assume there are no rules against NZ citizens buying property in Australia? We are thinking of making a move from Auckland at some point in the next few years and wondered if there were any restrictions. Thanks Alan Reply JJ Smith September 9, 2019 - 12:35 am Hi Alan, Thanks for your comment. Good news is there are no restriction on New Zealaners buying property in Australia. We are also eligible for the First Home Owners Grant (FHOG). Have a read of this post: https://www.staging.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/buying-a-house-in-australia/. Please feel free to email me back any further questions you have. Good luck with your move. Reply Jeremy June 15, 2019 - 9:51 pm Hi there JJ, I am a New Zealand citizen and looking at moving to the Gold Coast which should be relatively easy. My girlfriend is from Lithuania and is currently living with me in NZ based on a NZ partnership visa. I have inquired about the 461 visa in Australia for her to be able to stay for 5 years but wondering if you know whether there is a long process to be granted approval or whether there is an easier option we can go for? We don’t think Lithuania has agreements with Australia to allow her to move and work. Only Study we think. Any information you know would be beneficial. Thanks Jeremy Reply JJ Smith June 17, 2019 - 11:03 pm Hi Jeremy, Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately I’m not an immigration specialist, so cannot offer you any specific advise. However, the processing time for the 461 visa is between 25-26 months (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/new-zealand-citizen-family-relationship-temporary-461). You can find an immigration specialist on the Australian Government website, Migration Agents Registration Authority (https://www.mara.gov.au/) if you need further advise. Please feel free to email me back any further questions you have. Good luck with your move. Reply Raman June 6, 2019 - 9:57 pm Hi JJ, Thank you for all your hard work and research put into this website. It has answered a lot of my questions already but I still have more. I am wanting to move to Brisbane for health/ weather reasons. NZ allergies together with cold winter (which is long) have affected my health to depressing levels. Are there high allergies in Brisbane? I am a single mother of 13y old and 10y old boys. Other than parks and walks, are there extra activities (sports, music, dance) easily available for kids? For HR roles, will I need to take a step down to find work? (In case I have to step down and I don’t end up getting the same salary) Being a NZ citizen, is there single parent support available and after how long? Many thanks, Raman Reply JJ Smith June 6, 2019 - 10:00 pm Hi Raman, Thanks for your comment. Brisbane is a wonderful city and the winters are one of the best parts. Clear blue sky’s and warm weather. I don’t suffer from allergies but have found most people I know are worst in NZ than Australia. However, Brisbane does have a grass pollen season extending most of the year, with peaks in summer for Brisbane (January to March). Regarding kids activities, Brisbane is a large city and offers lots of sports and other extracurricular activities much the same as NZ. Check out the below sites: – https://www.activeactivities.com.au/directory/category/education/extra-curricular/location/qld/brisbane-region/ – https://www.brisbanekids.com.au/guide/kids-classes/ Regarding employment, I’ve never heard of anyone having to take a step down when they move to Australia. There are more opportunities in Australia and Brisbane is a great city full of possibilities and employment. If you haven’t started looking already, here is link to Seek HR jobs in Brisbane: https://www.seek.com.au/hr-jobs-in-human-resources-recruitment/in-All-Brisbane-QLD. You can search by area and your specific area. However, as New Zealanders on an SCV we are eligible for family payments. Here is a link to Payment and Service Finder, which will helping you find, estimate and compare payments and services you may be eligible for: https://www.centrelink.gov.au/custsite_pfe/pymtfinderest/paymentFinderEstimatorPage.jsf?wec-appid=pymtfinderest&wec-locale=en_US#stay. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Good luck with your move. Reply Gisela May 31, 2019 - 9:24 am Hi there, if i am a NZ citizen and my husband is a PR of NZ if i take him with me to Australia would he be able to come with me under a spouse visa n be able to work there too or not? We are a small family so we would like to know all the facts before we decided to move by the end of the year. Thank you so much in advance! Reply JJ Smith June 6, 2019 - 10:37 pm Hi Gisela, Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately New Zealand permanent residency does not entitle you to a SCV (Special Category Visa), which NZ citizens automatically get granted when they enter Australia. If you are a New Zealand permanent resident you will need to apply for a visa to be able to live and work in Australia. You can find an immigration specialist on the Australian Government website, Migration Agents Registration Authority (https://www.mara.gov.au/). Search Auckland for advisers specialising in Australia. Good luck with your move. Reply Tarsha April 11, 2019 - 11:26 pm Hi there first off I would like to say a big thank you for creating your website and Facebook page it has brought me some comfort as I am quite lost with this whole moving to Australia thing. So much so that I am not even sure if this is the right move to be making at my age (39). My partner and I are trying to make a better life for our child as we don’t seem to be taking too many steps forward for purchasing a home. My partner is a heavy fabricator in engineering so I am sure that he will find something in Brisbane okay however I have worked in the education sector for some time and don’t see too many jobs in tafe type jobs. My main fear is up lifting the family and failing in Aus especially when we are set up here. What do you do to get past this feeling if you had it? What advise would you have to move there. What do you think the best area would be in regards to employment opportunities. Would you recommend applying for rentals from NZ if you can produce the bond up front? Do you think Australia is all that you expected? Sorry for the long story just don’t know who to ask. Thank you for taking the time out to read my novel. Reply JJ Smith April 11, 2019 - 11:29 pm Hi Tarsha, Thank you for your message. This is something that most people feel when making such a move. There is no guarantee that it will work out. However, you can always move back if you don’t like it. I find most kiwi’s who move back do so because they miss their families. The quality of life is better in Australia. General living expenses are cheaper, as are the houses. As you have a family it can be worth one of you heading over, finding a job and then the rest of the family moving over. I would find short term accommodation while you are finding jobs and deciding where best suits you to live. Hope the above helps. Thanks, JJ Reply Charlotte March 11, 2019 - 7:50 pm Hi there Looking to move to Australia as I have got so bored of the 9-5 job and routine… my boyfriend and I are really keen to move over around July/August… where would you suggest would be the best place in Australia to move too? We are from Christchurch. Reply JJ Smith March 11, 2019 - 9:56 pm Hi Charlotte, Thank you for your comment. Have you read this post: https://www.staging.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/which-city-to-move-to-in-australia/? It breaks down the eight Australia states, there individual characteristics and climates. It should help you choose which city suits you and your boyfriend best. If it doesn’t please send me more info about you and your partner and I can point you in the right direction, e.g. age, hobbies, favourite things to do in your spear time. Good luck with your move. Reply Cara Burgess November 7, 2018 - 8:46 am Hi There, Thanks for replying to my previous question. I do have another one though, do our NZ passports need to have 6 mths left on them when we enter Australia? Also can we enter without a job? Hubby is applying for jobs but we want to be there before January 2019 so the kids can start their new schools on the first day of term. Thanks in advance Reply JJ Smith November 13, 2018 - 10:04 pm Hi Cara, I can not find any info that addresses the period of time needed on your passport when moving to Australia. Australia requires that your passport must be valid only for the period of your intended travel in and out of Australia, which doesn’t answer your question. Therefore six months should definitely be sufficient. Yes you can move without a job. Just be aware that you will not get Government help. You can read the SCV exclusions here: https://www.staging.movingtoaustralia.co.nz/scv-visa-exclusions/. Good luck with your move. Reply txcoe September 21, 2018 - 2:01 am Hi, I have been convicted assault and cultivation of cannabis in the past 12 months. I am serving 40 hours community service and 9 months supervision. Do I need to apply for a visa to go to Australia or just tick the declaration box on the arrivals card? Reply JJ Smith October 28, 2018 - 11:31 pm Hi Txcoe, Thank you for your enquiry. I would definitely recommend going through the process of obtaining written confirmation from DIBP (Department of Immigration and Border Protection) before you travel to Australia. This will reduce a lot of stress and time when you enter Australia. You can find all the info you need here: https://newzealand.embassy.gov.au/wltn/travellingwithacriminalconviction.html. This process takes approximately three weeks from the date the completed form is received by the Consulate. Good luck with your move. Reply Jazlyn September 17, 2017 - 5:05 am What’s the ‘Trade Me’ equivalent for Australia? Is there a site where you can view property, jobs and bits and bobs at? Reply JJ Smith September 26, 2017 - 10:17 pm Hi Jazlyn, Thank you for your comment. The Australian equivalent of TradeMe is Gum Tree: https://www.gumtree.com.au/. They list everything including cars, jobs, real estate, and many more categories. Good luck with your move. Reply Zane September 11, 2017 - 10:25 pm Hi, I had a drink driving conviction 16 years ago so was wanting to know what type of visa I need etc to live and work in Aussie. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Reply JJ Smith May 24, 2018 - 1:34 am Hi Zane, Thank you for your comment. If you have not had an jail time you will not need to apply for a Visa if you have a New Zealand passport. So feel free to buy your ticket and go. You will automatically get awarded a CSV on entry through Australian border control. Please let me know if you do not hold an NZ passport. Thanks Reply Hayley Pfiszter June 6, 2017 - 12:55 am Hi, my husband has an Australian passport and spent the first 2 years of his life in Brisbane, the rest in NZ. My children and I have NZ passports. What does that entitle us to? Can we apply for citizenship under his passport? Just thinking for kids at uni, social, health etc.. We are going to moving there in 2 months time. Thanks Hayley Reply JJ Smith June 18, 2017 - 10:11 pm Hi, Thank you for your comment. There are a lot of different circumstances that go into citizenship, so there is no straight answer. I recommend your husband complete the citizenship wizard: https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn/foreign-passport-holders,-permanent-migrants-and-temporary-visitors—tfn-application/. Good luck with your move. Reply Marcia June 3, 2017 - 12:33 am Hi can you please tell me what are the requirements ie: how many years must I have worked in oz before being entitled to a pension and do I have to be a pr or citizen to claim? Thank you in advance. Reply JJ Smith June 18, 2017 - 10:27 pm Hi, Thank you for your comment. From my research you do need to be an Australian Resident and have lived in Australia for 10 years. New Zealand citizens may also be eligible for age pension in Australia as long as they were in Australia on the date 26th February 2001, or were living in the country for at least one year in the two years before this qualifying date. I recommend you read the following page: https://www.finder.com.au/australian-age-pension-eligibility-requirements. You can talk to your bank regarding the Australian Pension because they can apply on your behalf. Good luck with your move. Reply 1 2 3 4 » Leave a Reply to Alan P Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
