Anyone Migrating to Australia?

[emerjo]

Okie... now I know OH is OtherHalf or OldHusband...hahah...interesting.

DAT,
looking at the ever-going hikes event in SG... most likely I'll settle down for good in AU if things go well.

Rany, photostory,
I paid about $7K+ in total by going thru the agent. Luckily we paid them in stages, so it's not such a burden.

 

[7ll]

Hi DA.T, I had same thought as foggy.

Actually S'pore is good, just that me & OH(must sound like OZ) wanna try a different type of living, we still young & just need to responsible to ourself, right?

Rany, thru your nick name, you ganna married in april'07? Congraturation!!! anyway, the total cost of our application was abt 2.5k

 

[barbapapa]

i agree with Lawlee, everyone needs to take risk at some point in life. We can't just talk about it and not take any actions. when we get older, we might regret it. so we do not want to live without regrets.

So take the plunge and live life......better...

 

[emerjo]

That's true... after the age 45, it'll be even tougher to migrate to AU or even anywhere else.

No matter what, for me... I want an alternative.

 

[emerjo]

Lawlee,
U make me feel heartpain leh... i paid more than 3 times u paid. Gosh. Aiyoh...**pain**

 

[barbapapa]

my cost of application is about the same as lawlee.

Foggy, dun get heart pain ya? at least you got a piece of mind when someone is doing it for you. while i was going through my application, it was really troublesome and sometimes want to give up bcos we really dun have certain docs which the immigration wanted. in the end we have to give a lot of reasons for the lack of docs, not knowing if our application was approved. we couldnt ask anyone either, bcos nobody knows. so worried that our application was rejected. all the kinds of emotions we went through ..........

 

[dat]

Thanks for sharing! Cos both OH got his degree from sydney and I'm doing mine in Melb, and both of us kinda like the lifestyle here, plus th job exposure will give us an edge in singapore in future.

But we'll probably be looking to go back to singapore in 5 years time (201+). I don't know, but i have this preconceived idea that foundation of education is better done in Singapore? (This is just my personal opinion)

I assume most of you havent have kids yet?

 

[rainman]

hi PhotoStory (photostory)

Could you drop me your email address to [email protected] ? I will forward to my dad's fren who is now residing in sydney.

cheers.

 

[7ll]

Blue, how come the thing happen to you so similiar to mine??? ya, i still remember after we submit the appl form, one part has been send back to us & re-submit, cause my hub forgot to sign on the payment doc. the other one i can't recall, i just know we had several quarrel during the application, haha...

 

[carinal]

Hi Rany,
I think I might know you. Drop me a PM (private message, click my username, and you'll see the icon). Hope to hear from you soon

!

 

[bellelow]

hi Foggy, in suburbs with good public school & near city as my hubby is a chef so most ideal place for him to start with would be working in a hotel.
Hi Sylvia, are you moving to Mel with a kid?
Anyone can recommend any realible public school?

Hmm, we paid S$8k+ for family of 3 in 04. yeah, that's right - using agent approx 9 mths to get our visa.

 

[bellelow]

haha, silly me, shouldn't have said reliable, it should be good public school for a 5 yr old kid girl.

 

[syl123]

Hi bellelow

Yeah migrating with my son who is 5.
But just preparing application only, so have not checked out schools and suburbs yet.

Your daughter is 5 too???

 

[barbapapa]

hi lawlee,

think you and me are in similar situation. all the more we shld contact each other when we move there huh? we can form support group in perth liao. Now wait for Rany to complete her application and we will get more members! ha ha ha....

 

[emerjo]

lawlee, blue,

actually I have my fair share of problems with the application. Though I have agent to provide consulation, there are many things I need to do it myself.

I was in complicated situation whereby my qualification didnt fit my work experiences. I have to prove my skills obtained during the last 6 years and that included a 'thesis-format' documentation, customised-resume, job specification summaries and work references from my employers.

Aside from providing all these documents, I have to get the work references endorsed by 3 employers. Imagine, the hell of going through my ex-companies to get people to remember me, and putting up lies to my bosy why i need that darm thing signed.

Aiyoh... I'm glad that it's over. "Phew"

 

[theaprilwedding]

DAT - planning to settle there for good. My fiance is from there and though he doesn't mind settling in SG (he loves the energy and the food here), we hv to look at his career prospects. The Bar here does not recognise his qualifications and he needs to do a bridging course which would be about 2 years if he wants to practice here. For me, I quite like the life in Perth. So it's a win-win situation. It's just the taxes that are worrying!

Lawlee - Thanks heaps!

Our wedding will be in June 07 though. We came up with the email address before we even confirmed the date. Hee!

Blue, Lawlee - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my application doesn't bounce back. Eeks!! But yes to a support group in Perth.

For anyone who needs a notary public, I checked with Chia Choon Yang (name of firm) at The Adelphi and they charge $10 for the first copy and $2 for subsequent copies that needs certifying. Their tel is 6337 8573.

 

[bellelow]

HI Sylvia, my daughter is 5 next yr. I think children better begin their schooling there as they are well adapt & easier to make friends. Never mind if you are just in application stage, maybe you have a rough idea which school or suburb you prefer.

 

[dat]

Some of my uni friends did high school here in melb, and apparently there's this college that has a good mix of asian and australian students, and it's supposed to be one of the better ones (according to my friend who went there, so might be biased), it's a catholic school in belgrave, not sure of the exact name, santa ___.

But personally, it may sound judgemental, but my encounter with school kids here in melb city is not very good. In the trams and at public places, they are rowdy. I guess it's similar in singapore as well, but here, i see really young sch kids in uniform smoking in public.

So it seems most of you have all decided to settle in australia for good right?

 

[barbapapa]

hi DA.T

I think all of us are applying for the visa and that would mean one thing; that is to eventually call Australia home?

 

[syl123]

Hi All,
Just received my IELTS results today and thanks to all your well-wishes and tips, I achieved an Overall band score of 8.5. Thanks all! PHEW!!! One load off.

Do we need to give a certified true copy of the test report form or do we just need to indicate the ref no.?

Thanks Rany for the lawyer's contact. That really helps considering that we will have more than 10 copies to certify.

 

[barbapapa]

HI Slyvia,

Congrats....not bad a score! awaiting ur good news of approval of your application!

 

[emerjo]

Sylvia,
C O N G R A T S! You have done very well. Happy for you. And, you should either get it certified true copy or send in the original.

DA.T,
I agree with you that the foundation education in SG is much better, but there's always a price to pay for it, and there's always 2 sides to a coin.

I'm sure u r aware of the lifestyle of the our children in SG. I've seen young children spending alot of the time tackling with the never-ending homework, tuitions, & enrichment classes. Parents are not making it easier with more pressure. They need to keep pushing to make their children cope with the pace. I'm so sad about it.

Putting academic aside, it's also rather common to see youngsters smoking, and misbehaving in SG. I think this is more of a social problem, and not limited to SG or AU.

Personally, I wish my kids to enjoy their childhood, the quality of life and family.

 

[syl123]

Hi Foggy
Hi Blue,

Thanks!!!

Foggy...I totally agree with you. Always 2 sides to a coin. I guess we have to trust that we impart the right morals and values to our kids so that they won't pick up these vices.
There may be more temptations but hope that they will not succumb to it.

Guess we would have more time in AU to spend time with them and bond with them, whereas it Singapore, we work so hard, we hardly spend much time with them.

 

[7ll]

Sylvia & Foggy, i totally agreed with what you all said, we cant put the education's responsibility solely/purely to school, we have our part to play, & sometime the influence from parent/family have great impact more than from school.

DA.T, do you working in s'pore before?

Sylvia, congrat!!! hope everything smooth.

 

[bellelow]

That's a great news Sylvia.

Everywhere in the world, there bound to have rowdy kids (I've seen it w my own eyes when I was in Mel) even in Singapore, if we dont guide them well, they end up likewise.

Yeah, I hope my husband will have time for family over there, as in Singapore - chef spends a long time in the kitchen unlike over there, they still give time for family and the pay offered are higher.

 

[bellelow]

Sylvia, do you mind if I send PM to you instead?

 

[theaprilwedding]

Hey Sylvia - Congrats on your score!

Guys, I'm a wee bit confused with what documents you have to get notarised and what you don't. Do you have to notarise EVERY document (print-outs, bills, salary slip, etc) that you submit with the application?

My problem is, because I'm applying for a spouse visa w/o a certificate of marriage yet, I need to prove that I have a genuine and permanent relationship with my fiance. So I've printed a list of all the emails I've ever received from him. But it's bloody 35 pages (we write each other everyday!) And I'm just wondering if I have to get all these 35 pages notarised.

 

[merci]

hi all, i'm filling up my application now... and there's a field that states how much we plan to bring into AU? does anyone knows if the amt determines our visa approval???

 

[merci]

sylvia, congrats!! u did so well in your ielts

 

[barbapapa]

Hi Rany,

Why can't you ask friends or your parents to write a letter stating that you are in a relationship with ur fiance? that way u spend less $$ on certification instead of those letters.

I got a friend who got her application approved just like that and they are not even married or engaged!! i find it amazing but its true.

 

[barbapapa]

eileen,

bringing in the amount of $$ will not affect the visa approval. just write a nominal amount will do. What matters is that your application is based on the points that you have. Unless you are getting that extra 5 points for bringing in $$, then it will be better that you state how much you bringing.

 

[syl123]

Hi Eileen,

Thanks! Didn't expect to do so well! So, I am really happy. My hubby got the same score as well! : )

I read on other forums that it does not really matter. Just state a reasonable sum that you can show that you can support yourself in the initial months.

Hi Bellelow,
I have switched on the PM,....you can PM me

Hi Rany,

I am also getting confused about what documents I need to certify. I heard that we should only send certified true copies of the documents. BUT, what if I dun need the original, can I send the original instead of certified true copies? For eg, reference letter, payslip etc.?

 

[barbapapa]

Actually the certified stamp on the documents are really important. eventhough u have the original, immigration may doubt the authencity cos afterall forgery is very common. but with the certified stamp, it stated the notary's number and it also means that a reliable 3rd party has sighted ur documents. all of which do proof that the docs you have are original. sending in original without the certified stamp doesn;t count. i mean look at this frm the immigration point of view, they got lots of application to process, how wld they know if it is real or fake. the only straightforward way is to look at the certified stamp with the notary/s name and number on it.

btw my reference letter and payslips have all been certified right down to CPF statements.

Actually to be safe than sorry, certify all docs to have peace of mind.

 

[theaprilwedding]

Sylvia - Yep, same boat!

Blue - Thanks for the tip! We already have those, because part of the application requires witness to fill out a form (we got his parents to do it) but we thought this list of all our emails would be useful to "beef up" our application. Whoa, that story about your friend is definitely amazing!

I'll send them in anyway with a note to say if they want to verify the aunthenticity of these mails, we can provide them with further information or even access to our accounts.

 

[photostory]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know where I can like get a free consultation session with an agent with regards to PR application.
They used to have that in Melbourne. Is there such thing in Spore too?

 

[emmeline]

Hi guys,

Looks everyone is very busy preparing and organising your applications.

Blue: Just replying your previous post, sorry take so long. Hehe! Yes, you are probably right, I heard Perth has changed alot since I returned to Singapore then. That it is a booming city now, cos of the mining opportunities there. Jobs are opening up well there too.

Lawlee: Good choice since u have family & friends settled in Perth. You won't have too much of a headache starting your foundation there that way, unlike us, we had no one in Sydney to start off with! But looking back, we have no regrets moving to Sydney and will still choose this place again, cos its a really vibrant multi-cultural city too. Hehe! I guess to each their own.

Sylvia: Ya, Sydney is rather busy and slightly faster paced, but it's still a lot slower than SG. Ok lah, except for pple in the accounting, audit & financial line. Haha! You work slightly longer hours only when rushing a project or deadline, but other than that, everyone knocks off at 6-7pm! Before in SG, my hubby used to work till 12am & past midnight for weeks & even weekends! And I used to work till 9pm plus. So this is nothing to us. Also the pay is alot more higher than SG too. I def have to agree cost of living is quite expensive here, but comparatively with the standard of living & pay package, it kinda squares off. Also, the life here is quite colourful and lively. We just love the nightlife & diversity here - lots of great restaurants, pubs, hang-outs etc. In terms of countryside, there's plenty of places up north & down south to explore too.
2 big downsides are of cos the property & rental market - These are very very expensive & it costs like AUD2-5million just to buy a decent house. I guess there's pros & cons moving anywhere in Oz.

Gee, are all here moving to Perth? Looks like Perth is going to get congested. Heheheh! Just kiddin! Anyone going to Melbourne or other states?

Anyway, hey, wishing everyone here all the best in their applications & hope you will all get your applications approved soonest possible!

 

[7ll]

Emmeline, i think you must be very pround with yourself, so independent & doing so well in foreign land, keep it up!!!

beside, may i know did you buy your properties yet? you built your own house or buy the new/second hand?

 

[merci]

does anyone knw if i can lodge my application if my husband is in australia (for reservist)? btw, i'm the main applicant.... coz i think i read somewhere that if one is in au, they cant lodge an application till return? any idea gals?

 

[iomega]

Looking for Singapore style mahjong kaki in Melbourne....
Drop me an email.

 

[theaprilwedding]

Hey guys,

It's been a while. Yeah, Perth is opening up but the downside is property prices are sky rocketing. Boohoo!!

 

[barakahtan]

hi all, any info on work in perth, may be going there in feburary with 2 kid, Cheers

 

[7ll]

so quiet....

Ranny, ya, this is the main issue that worrying me, i quite scare can't afford a 3 room's house when the time we move there, haha...

jozef, you & your family moving permenantly to OZ?

 

[barbapapa]

Perth housing is indeed getting costlier by the minute as it is fuelled by the boom in the mining industry as well as the rich asian/european investors. Most of the high cost property refers to those along the coastal regions and those near the swan river.

Nonetheless, for around AUD300K, you can get a decent house lah. I am hoping for the realty bubble to burst man....cos i think the property px in perth are way over priced.

 

[barakahtan]

Temporary first, as my 2 kids will have to come back for 2 years in six years time, and will decide after that, maybe retire there, as i love to see the old couple holding hand and strolling, it's beautiful sight, i hardly see it here.

will most likely to be in WA, as the time taken to travel is 5 hrs, unless the pull to other state is stronger.

 

[barakahtan]

here is a site to get updated info and point and free online Visa Assessment,

http://www.liveinaustralia.com/

(1) don't use your personnel email, as they email you frequently, that was 2 years back.

(2) i did not used their service nor work for them, just to make it clear.

(3) Hope it help those who want to know if they can clear the first stage, the POINT.

God Bless.

 

[nnchander]

Hi,
I would like to check if anyone has applied visa for their children. In the process now, but don't know which form(s) to fill out... 47CH, 40CH or both?

thanx!

 

[merci]

sylvia, hv u completed filling up form 47SK?
I need some info from u... can u SMS me... tks.

 

[syl123]

Hi Eileen,

I am almost done with the form. We need to fill Form 80 also right? I hope to send it out by next week once I have certified the documents. Think I have lost your no. Can you email me instead?

Have been really busy at work, so may be a bit slow in responding.

 

[syl123]

Hi All,

need help. In the form 47sk, we are asked to write our chinese names in "chinese commercial code numbers"...any idea what this is? Did you guys fill it out or left it blank?

 

[gnatasha]

Hi all,

My hubby will be going to Uni of Melbourne next year for his postgrad study. My son and I will be joining him. Anyone has recommendation for suitable accomodation or real estate agent? cos most of the hostels/apartments that we know of from the univ website cater mainly to students without family. We basically need a small apartment for a family of 3. hopefully ard $220-250 per week. not sure if it is a realistic budget.

Thanks in advance!