Starting application - q's about money and time

[blisspix]

My husband has received a job offer so we're off to the UK! We'll be applying for the settlement visa from Australia.

We're trying to gather the documents we need as fast as we can. We hope to be in the UK by Easter. Is this too optimistic? How are the current processing times? High Commission site says 12 weeks but surely it can't be that long? We won't book flights until we get the visa in hand.

Other questions -

I am the sponsor, and do not have a job offer as yet. I have about £11,000 in savings (excluding his savings). Other than savings we have no assets (we don't own a home). I intend to prepare a budget for the first six months - I need to show that this money will support us both, right?

We will be renting an apartment once we arrive. Is it sufficient to provide information about accommodation in the area we intend to live and prices?

We've been married nearly 6 years, have copies of wedding photos, all our documents, leases etc so I'm hoping that this will be relatively straightforward!

[blisspix]

Any guidance about finding accommodation when we arrive? This is the part I'm probably most concerned about now.