I guess for me this is my dilemma. I do have a job that allows me to have a relaxed personal and family life in KL. Looking at the salaries in Australia I'll need something very comfortably in the 6-figure annual income to match what I have in KL and those jobs are probably the ones that are really hard to get in Sydney or other places right now due to the economy in Australia today. I guess the only way out for me is to wait out the Australian economic downturn and hope that it picks up before my PR lapses. Looking for mid/senior management roles remotely isn't exactly easy

But I do support your statement, it's not being a traitor etc. but having a family life is very important.

Everyone's situation is different though. I got my PR about a year ago, but the few attempts I've made at looking for a job haven't been very successful. I'm already making a decent amount of money in Malaysia with excellent work life balance. Aiming for a $200k job in Australia unfortunately isn't easy even though I have experience in the US and Europe, and earning much less or starting from scratch is a huge downgrade. I find that some Aussies tend to have a kampong attitude against asians, much more so than the americans or brits.

So I'm still on the fence on what to do. I like the weather in Australia especially NSW and the cleanliness is refreshing but the big hurdle is still finding a job that'll not make me regret moving.

No, I've been to Australia a few times and have friends there so I've been looking for jobs that way. I'm trying to be a bit clever though, having a local aussie address (tumpang a friend) and an aussie number that forwards to my mobile in KL.

But I'm still here in KL. Can't beat going to work at 830 and leaving at 5pm with decent benefits and a very nice boss. What will make me leave? Primarily money/career advancement so if I do get that high paying job I might just quit KL and move.

Very true, the cost of living in Sydney for example is significantly higher than say New York or Los Angeles which is why I'm aiming for $200k or more. Sadly it doesn't seem so easy to find jobs at that level, not by just applying online. It'll take time and lots of networking. Or I pickup a trade and do what empire23 suggested Or I continue staying in KL...

The median salary in Australia in general is $70k. Go do a google search and see how much you can afford with $100k in Sydney. Everything is relative.