Moving to Australia: the first 90 days

What do I need to know before moving to Australia?

Australia is large, and almost everything that matters for a renter or a new arrival depends on the state you land in. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports net overseas migration of 306,000 in 2024-25, down from 429,000 a year earlier (ABS, released 19 December 2025). The population stood at 27,921,150 on 31 March 2026, up 1.4% in a year, with net overseas migration adding 292,100 (ABS, 17 September 2026).

Sydney and Melbourne are the main hubs for newcomers, followed by Brisbane and Perth, according to our research on 6 October 2026. The first 90 days follow one chain. You need a visa that lets you stay. You need a rental, which is state law. A few admin steps follow, and a relocation service can help with the rental, schools and set-up.

Which visa do I need, and who may advise me?

Australia sets a yearly planning level for permanent visas. For 2026-27 it is 185,000 places, announced on 12 May 2026, with about 71% in the skilled stream and about 28% in family. Selected lines of the program (Home Affairs, page updated 21 September 2026):

Category	2025-26	2026-27
Skilled Independent	16,900	21,090
Employer-Sponsored	44,000	58,040
State and territory nominated	33,000	35,500
Partner (family)	40,500	41,500

The skilled stream totals 132,240 places and the family stream 52,460. These are planning levels, not a promise that you will get a place. We did not read the current rules for temporary work visas or for New Zealand citizens, so this guide gives no rule for them.

How many places go to people already in Australia? Home Affairs says the government will prioritise applications from onshore migrants, and allocates 129,590 places to migrants already living in Australia, which is about 70% of the 185,000 (our arithmetic). It describes this as supporting timely transitions to permanent residence for people already living and working in Australia. If you are applying from overseas, the places that remain are fewer, so plan around the route your own visa uses. The Talent and Innovation planning level falls from 5,300 to 3,500.

Who may advise you. Only a registered migration agent, an Australian legal practitioner or an exempt person may lawfully give immigration assistance. Exempt persons are close family members and sponsors, and they cannot charge a fee. Registered agents have a Migration Agents Registration Number (MARN) that you can check on the OMARA website, and the guide adds that nobody can guarantee you a visa (OMARA consumer guide, July 2021). A relocation firm that is not a registered agent or a lawyer should not advise you on a visa. Ask for the MARN.

What does a relocation agency mean in Australia?

Three services get mixed up:

• A removalist moves your furniture and belongings. In a search check on 7 October 2026, the results for “relocation agency Sydney” and “relocation agency Melbourne” were mostly removals firms.
• A relocation service, the meaning in this guide, finds you a rental, a school and set-up help. In Australia it is also called a tenant agent or renter’s agent when it only searches for a rental.
• A migration agent advises on visas, and must be registered.

Some removals groups sell destination services as well, so ask which part of the firm does your job. Our guide to choosing a relocation service in Australia goes through the checks.

How hard is it to rent in Australia?

The ABS reports that rents rose 3.6% in the 12 months to August 2026, the weighted average of eight capital cities, and the same 3.6% in May 2026 (ABS, 30 September 2026). The rules are state rules. Two examples:

New South Wales (Sydney)

• Bond: at most 4 weeks’ rent.
• Rent in advance: at most 2 weeks.
• Holding fee: at most one week’s rent, only once your application is approved.
• Fees to view a home: tenants must not be charged for showing a property.

Victoria (Melbourne)

• Bond: one month’s rent, more if weekly rent is above AUD 900.
• Rent in advance: at most one month.
• Holding fee: must be refunded within 14 days if no agreement is signed.
• Fees to view a home: providers cannot charge.

Sources: NSW Government and Consumer Affairs Victoria, both read 7 October 2026. In Victoria the landlord lodges the bond with the state authority within 14 days. The property manager or agent you meet at a viewing usually works for the landlord. Consumer Affairs Victoria says the rental provider pays the agent (Consumer Affairs Victoria). The NSW Government says acting as an agent for a prospective tenant, as for a landlord, needs a real estate agent licence (NSW Government). So a tenant agent who searches for you is a separate, paid role, and you can ask for the licence.

Our guide to renting in Australia as a foreigner covers applications, documents and when a tenant agent is worth it.

What can I do before I arrive?

You can do more from abroad than you might expect.

1. Fix the visa first, with a registered migration agent or a lawyer, before you pay for a flight or a lease.
2. Choose the state, because bond, notice and application rules differ.
3. Prepare your rental papers. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists what a rental provider may ask: no more than two financial documents from pay slips, bank statements or a Centrelink letter, and no more than two identity documents such as a passport, plus employer details and referees (Consumer Affairs Victoria, read 7 Oct 2026). Other states have their own lists.
4. Consider a remote inspection. Journee, a Perth firm, sells single property viewings at AUD 350 and up that include a video tour, photos and a summary report from an on-site expert (Journee, read 7 Oct 2026).
5. For children, the same firm lists a schools package from AUD 795 per family for up to three children, covering school research, enrolment, uniforms, booklists and bus timetables.

What do the admin steps look like?

People list the same first-weeks steps: a tax file number (TFN), a bank account, Medicare enrolment, a rental and school enrolment. We could not read the ATO or Services Australia pages, because those sites block our tools, so this guide does not state who qualifies, what to bring or how long each step takes. Check ato.gov.au and servicesaustralia.gov.au yourself. Our guide to settling-in services in Australia shows what firms say they do for you.

Which cities do relocation services cover?

Our research lists services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. Most firms are small boutiques with one city or one state as their base. A few corporate firms and removals groups also sell destination services. Ask any firm which cities it serves itself and which it passes to a partner. The Australia hub lists the firms by city.

Is a relocation service worth it for a move to Australia?

It can be, if you are arriving on a date you cannot move, cannot view homes yourself, or are moving a family. Look at the terms as well as the price. Relocate Australia, for example, lists a 50% payment before the service starts and 50% on completion, and an hourly rate of AUD 100 for extra services such as housekeeping or furniture rental (Relocate Australia, read 7 Oct 2026). It is not worth it if you have weeks to search, live in the city already or only need a visa adviser. A relocation service is not a visa adviser, and a migration agent is not a home finder. To ask for an introduction, get matched.

What does the move cost?

Two firms we list publish prices, excluding or including GST as stated. Relocate Australia lists rental packages from AUD 3,000, AUD 4,000 and AUD 5,500 plus GST (Relocate Australia). Journee in Perth lists a property search package from AUD 3,850 (Journee). Our guide to what relocation services cost in Australia has the full list, the euro equivalents and what is included.

A 90-day plan

When	What
Before you fly	Confirm your visa with a registered migration agent or a lawyer. Choose a state, because rules differ. Start looking at rentals.
Week 1	Take your first housing step: a short stay or a rental. Look at the ATO and Services Australia pages for the steps for your visa.
Weeks 2 to 6	Apply for rentals with your documents ready. Check the bond rules of your state before you pay.
By day 90	Settle schools, set-up and the rest. Review what you paid a relocation service against its written quote.

Is moving to Australia a good idea?

For many people it is, and the migration figures show how many arrive. The limits are real. Rents are rising, the rules differ by state, and the word “relocation” in a search brings up removalists. Ask for a written quote, ask who is registered or licensed, and check each rule on the official site.

What we could not source

We could not read the ATO or Services Australia pages on tax file numbers and Medicare, so the guide gives no rule or timeline for them. We did not read the rules for temporary work visas, or for New Zealand citizens. We found no official comparison of rents by city, so we do not rank Sydney and Melbourne. We did not read the licensing pages of every state, only NSW and Victoria.