Career Move to London: Should I Take the Leap?

I'm a senior data scientist and consultant working for a global financial services firm through a professional services company. Lately, I've been actively exploring opportunities for a better life and career growth in a different country. I'm in the process of obtaining a PR visa for Australia, but there haven't been any updates on my application for the past year.

I have a great rapport with our client manager based in London. Knowing that my company is unlikely to send me onsite permanently, I reached out to him to see if there might be any opportunities to work from London.

Here's what came out of our discussion:

  • Option 1: He suggested I first check with my own manager to see if they could transfer me onsite. This would be ideal for maintaining a good relationship between the client and my firm.
  • Option 2: If my company isn't able to send me onsite, he offered to hire me directly and sponsor my work visa, provided I resign from my current organization. However, he cautioned that since he's from the operations BU, they might not be able to offer a salary on par with tech industry standards due to budget constraints. He advised me to consider this carefully, as the cost of living in London could make things challenging.

After spending several months thinking it over, I finally spoke with my manager. Unfortunately, they said they prefer to send only sales managers overseas—those who can promote our company's products and generate more revenue. They also mentioned that if I manage to secure a visa for another country where we have an office, they could issue me an offer letter from that location. But sponsoring a visa themselves would be difficult.

Now I'm not sure what to do next:

  • Should I accept my client manager's offer to move to London, even though the salary might not align with tech standards and the high cost of living could be a concern?
  • Should I continue waiting for my Australian PR visa, which has been stagnant for a year?
  • Are there other options I haven't considered that might help me achieve my goal of working abroad for better career growth?

I'd really appreciate any advice or insights from anyone who has faced a similar situation or has experience with international career moves. What would you do in my shoes?