State Benefits

It is possible to transfer your pension to Australia, although this ease will obviously vary depending on your country of birth.

UK residents can transfer their pensions payments, although it is essential you take independent advice on how this will affect your tax situation, and also how it will affect you if you are working full time in Australia. Australia has its own compulsory pension scheme, so your pension payments could clash with this. The best thing to do is to contact the Australian embassy in your home country, and ask them for details on transferring benefits and pensions.

In terms of what you are entitled to if you migrate permanently to Australia, if you work you will be required to participate in Superannuation, a compulsory savings programme. This essentially means that Australians will be ensured a payout to see them through retirement. Even as a non-permanent resident you can participate in this.

Help with job seeking, social security payments and other assistance is provided through the government agency called Centrelink, and they can also help newly arrived residents seek work, transfer their overseas skills and apply for any relevant courses. Generally speaking disability and other benefits are only paid to those who are Australian citizens or hold a permanent visa, and there is a two-year waiting period before most payments can kick in. Temporary visa holders are extremely unlikely to be entitled to benefits, although students may be able to claim childcare costs.

What you are entitled to obviously depends on your personal circumstances, and more details can be found through the Centrelink website. You can download a PDF on benefits for those who have recently moved to Australia.