Henk & Els(63)

Els and I had been dreaming of Australia for twenty years. Our daughter Anouk emigrated to Brisbane in 2010 and had two children there. We visited her every year and fell more in love with the country each time. When we both retired, the plan was clear: we're going too.

But then reality hits. Australia no longer has a real retirement visa — the Subclass 405 (Investor Retirement) has been closed to new applications for years. We spent months researching and eventually hired a migration agent. Options were limited: a Subclass 143 (Contributory Parent Visa) through our daughter, or extended stays on tourist visas.

We chose the 143 visa. The costs were shocking: AUD 47,955 per person in visa fees, plus the Assurance of Support contribution (AUD 10,000 per person as bond). Nearly AUD 120,000 total for both of us. But it gives permanent residency and access to Medicare after the waiting period. We sold our house in Haarlem to finance it.

The Gold Coast was a deliberate choice. The climate is perfect for us — warm but not tropical, with a lovely sea breeze. Healthcare was our biggest concern. As new PR holders you have a two-year waiting period for Medicare. During that period we had private insurance costing AUD 450 per month for both of us. Expensive, but necessary.

Superannuation is something you no longer build up as a retiree, but we did need to adjust our financial plan. Our Dutch AOW (state pension) and supplementary pension are taxed in Australia. Thanks to the tax treaty between the Netherlands and Australia, double taxation is avoided, but it's complex — a good tax advisor who knows both systems is essential.

Now we live in Burleigh Heads, a ten-minute walk from the beach. Every morning we swim in the sea, we look after the grandchildren and we have an active social life with other expats and Australians. Centrelink (Australia's social services agency) helped us with the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. It hasn't always been easy — the bureaucracy, the costs, saying goodbye to the Netherlands — but when I see my grandchildren growing up in the sun, I know it was the right choice.