Things to do First after arriving in Australia - Pinoy Australia Information Forum

TotoyOZresident

Things to do First

Below is a list of 7 important things that you should do as soon as possible after arriving in Australia.

1. Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN)

Do this first. To receive an income in Australia, you need a Tax File Number (TFN).

2. Register with Medicare

The Australian Government provides help with basic medical expenses through a scheme called Medicare.

3. Open a bank account

In Australia, most income including salary or wages and government benefits are paid directly into a bank account.

4. Register with Centrelink

Centrelink is a government agency which delivers a range of services to the community.

Check first your eligibility link: http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_index.htm

5. Register for English Classes

Communicating in English is very important and the key to your successful settlement.

Eligibility:

You may be able to learn English with the AMEP if you hold a permanent visa, have little or no English, and:

are an adult (18 years or older)
are under 18 years of age and are not attending school. These clients may be eligible within their first 12 months of arrival to Australia)
Access to the AMEP is extended to some temporary visa holders as specified in the legislative instrument for 'English Courses for Holders of Certain Temporary Visas'.

You can study English with the AMEP for up to 510 hours or until you reach functional English, whichever comes first.

You should register for classes within six months of the date your visa commences and start classes within one year. You will have five years to complete classes. These timeframes may be extended in particular circumstances.

6. Enrol Your Children in School

Under Australian law, children must attend school until they are 15 years old.

7. Apply for a Driver's Licence

Information on gaining a driver's licence.

heres the link:

http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/to-do-first/

JClem

Thank you, @totoyozresident! Very informative. We'll take note of these. :) God bless!

tootzkie

@totoyresident thanks for sharing

heyits7me_mags

Anyone who would like to open an account with the ff. Australian banks before migrating to Oz here are the links.

For Commonwealth bank-
http://www.commbank.com.au/personal/international/moving-to-australia/default.aspx

For Anz bank-
http://www.movingtoaustralia.anz.com/english/australian-accounts.html

TotoyOZresident

heyits7me_mags said:
Anyone who would like to open an account with the ff. Australian banks before migrating to Oz here are the links.

For Commonwealth bank-
http://www.commbank.com.au/personal/international/moving-to-australia/default.aspx

For Anz bank-
http://www.movingtoaustralia.anz.com/english/australian-accounts.html

i prefer anz and st george bank

heyits7me_mags

@TotoyOZresident sir, any points why it seems commonwealth was'nt one of your preferred bank? and why St. George bank against Commonwealth, i have been hearing about Commonwealth was better in banking in Oz, was'nt its true?

Davidx23

fyi lang:
There's a lot of credit (even those debit visa) card fraud sa anz.
A lot of system bugs/glitches sa nab kaya madalas nagkakaroon ng shutdown ang system nila. These big 4 banks (cba, westpac, nab, anz) are like central processing hubs, pag nag shut down ang isa, madadamay yung iba.
st. george has already been acquired by westpac. pero they still continue to operate as a sub.
Nung nagkaroon ng interest rate cuts, CBA was the first to respond to implement sa mga customers, then Westpac. anz were third and medyo nagmamatigas pa rin ang nab.
Watch kayo ng news to see how many bad news ang na report sa nab.

heyits7me_mags

Davidx23 said:
fyi lang:
There's a lot of credit (even those debit visa) card fraud sa anz.
A lot of system bugs/glitches sa nab kaya madalas nagkakaroon ng shutdown ang system nila. These big 4 banks (cba, westpac, nab, anz) are like central processing hubs, pag nag shut down ang isa, madadamay yung iba.st. george has already been acquired by westpac. pero they still continue to operate as a sub.
Nung nagkaroon ng interest rate cuts, CBA was the first to respond to implement sa mga customers, then Westpac. anz were third and medyo nagmamatigas pa rin ang nab.
Watch kayo ng news to see how many bad news ang na report sa nab.

Cguro personal choice na lang at kung saan may advantages ng marami ang pipiliin mostly ng customer, kung saan sila magba bangko, pero kung naunang mag respond ang CBA in favor of their customers mukhang mas ok sa kanila.

Davidx23

Or you can spread your risk by having 2 bank accounts. You can inform your payroll to deposit 50% on 1 bank account or do a 75-25% division, etc. I use cba and hsbc.

LokiJr

Sir Totoy, yung items 1 to 5, kaya po ba makumpleto lahat yan ng isang araw?

tootzkie

I guest landing in Australia as first timer is the hardest part in chasing for australian dream.

heyits7me_mags

@tootzkie , umpisa lang naman yan sabi friend ko nasa Brisbane then after few years makaka adapt kana rin, medyo tiis tiis lang muna sa una...kaya natin yan!!! tayo pa o Pinoy pa sanay sa hirap at madaling mag adjust. =)

LokiJr

In terms of climate ata, madali makaka adjust sa Brisbane kasi pareho ng init sa Pinas?

katlin924

I have a question regarding first/initial entry in Australia.. Do you know where to locate in the website if you can go back to Phils after initial entry? I mean, is it required that when you land there, you won't go back to Phils for 5 years to get your citizenship?

Thanks!

JClem

Hi @Katlin! Hmm nakita ko yan, pwede ka bumalik ng Phils and be outside of AU for a certain period of time lang. Give me a sec. Hanapin ko. Meron pa nga yun calculator parang mga 2 weeks ago lang ata nakita ko yun.

JClem

@Katlin, eto yung residency calculator: https://www.ecom.immi.gov.au/citz/startIntervalCalc.do. Unfortunately, down sya. :( Anyway, as far as I can remember you can still go back to the Phils after initial entry and up to 90 accumulated days ka pwede wala sa AU to be eligible for citizenship. Anyway, let's confirm once the site is up.

tootzkie

@katlin
An initial entry is required to validate your 5-year permanent resident. After validation, or after staying 1 day in Australia, you can go back to the philippines. No one can stop you.

For citizenship - you are required to accumulate 36 months (consecutive or non-consecutive) of stay in Australia in 4 years and should stay there 9 months straight for the last year before applying for citizenship.

TotoyOZresident

tootzkie said:
@katlin
An initial entry is required to validate your 5-year permanent resident. After validation, or after staying 1 day in Australia, you can go back to the philippines. No one can stop you.

For citizenship - you are required to accumulate 36 months (consecutive or non-consecutive) of stay in Australia in 4 years and should stay there 9 months straight for the last year before applying for citizenship.

thanks for info sa October next year puede n ako mag apply ng citizenship. 5 weeks ang total na lumabas ako ng OZ punta sa PInas this past 3 years.

cheers

aldousnow

hi mates! ask ko lang, kasi I've been to the wedding of my friend last night. Tapos ang toast speech ng father sa kanila.. "..Kelangan madami kayong anak. Kasi sa australia.. the more kids you have.. the more money you'll get. Remeber, 6K AUD na per child." Yung allowance ba na yun binibigay kahit na may stable job yung parent ng child? tsaka yung 6K na yun monthly? nacurious lang ko. :)

TotoyOZresident

aldousnow said:
hi mates! ask ko lang, kasi I've been to the wedding of my friend last night. Tapos ang toast speech ng father sa kanila.. "..Kelangan madami kayong anak. Kasi sa australia.. the more kids you have.. the more money you'll get. Remeber, 6K AUD na per child." Yung allowance ba na yun binibigay kahit na may stable job yung parent ng child? tsaka yung 6K na yun monthly? nacurious lang ko. :)

thats not good idea mate... kahit may suporta ang gobyerno di pa rin sapat yun. kapag nasimulan yan habang buhay kana naka dipende sa gobyerno mahirap ka pa rin. di ka puedeng humahanap ng trabaho na lalaki ang sahod mo kasi may maximum gross of income total ng asawa mo. di ka puede lumapas kundi bawas ang suporta saiyo. o kaya di kana eligible. paanu na lang kung nag iba ang batas at ibinababa ang amount ng allowance sa mga anak at kung nandaya naman di habang buhay ganyan. marami pasaway na ganyan.

Mabuti na yung may family Planning para may chance umangat ang status pamumuhay ninyo.

cheers.

aldousnow

ahh okay. thanks mate. I'll keep that in mind. matagal tagal pa naman bago ko mag asawa. pero may allowance man o wala.. gusto ko talaga big family. dalawa lang kasi kami ng kapatid ko.. at medyo malungkot. pagbubutihan ko na lang work ko para masupport sila maayos. :)

jjm

TotoyOZresident said:
Things to do First

Below is a list of 7 important things that you should do as soon as possible after arriving in Australia.

1. Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN)

Do this first. To receive an income in Australia, you need a Tax File Number (TFN).

2. Register with Medicare

The Australian Government provides help with basic medical expenses through a scheme called Medicare.

3. Open a bank account

In Australia, most income including salary or wages and government benefits are paid directly into a bank account.

4. Register with Centrelink

Centrelink is a government agency which delivers a range of services to the community.

Check first your eligibility link: http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_index.htm

5. Register for English Classes

Communicating in English is very important and the key to your successful settlement.

Eligibility:

You may be able to learn English with the AMEP if you hold a permanent visa, have little or no English, and:

are an adult (18 years or older)
are under 18 years of age and are not attending school. These clients may be eligible within their first 12 months of arrival to Australia)
Access to the AMEP is extended to some temporary visa holders as specified in the legislative instrument for 'English Courses for Holders of Certain Temporary Visas'.

You can study English with the AMEP for up to 510 hours or until you reach functional English, whichever comes first.

You should register for classes within six months of the date your visa commences and start classes within one year. You will have five years to complete classes. These timeframes may be extended in particular circumstances.

6. Enrol Your Children in School

Under Australian law, children must attend school until they are 15 years old.

7. Apply for a Driver's Licence

Information on gaining a driver's licence.

heres the link:

http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/to-do-first/

Hi.

Magkano nman po ang school fees for elementary & high school?

TotoyOZresident

aldousnow said:
ahh okay. thanks mate. I'll keep that in mind. matagal tagal pa naman bago ko mag asawa. pero may allowance man o wala.. gusto ko talaga big family. dalawa lang kasi kami ng kapatid ko.. at medyo malungkot. pagbubutihan ko na lang work ko para masupport sila maayos. :)

I'm telling you mate mahirap kapag marami kayo sa isang pamilya. buti kung you earn good salary. ang mahirap dito ay kung sino titingin sa mga anak mo while in your work. Kaya usually ang mga moms dito part time job sila while ang mister full time work. palitan ang pagsundo at hatid sa mga anak. Dito wala kang kasambahay o katulong dito. kaya yung ibang pinapapunta nila ang mga magulang nila o kapatid to look for their kids.

anyway thats my opinion sa nakikita ko dito. its up to you. you have a free will. you can decide what good for you. cheers man.

aldousnow

TotoyOZresident said:

aldousnow said:
ahh okay. thanks mate. I'll keep that in mind. matagal tagal pa naman bago ko mag asawa. pero may allowance man o wala.. gusto ko talaga big family. dalawa lang kasi kami ng kapatid ko.. at medyo malungkot. pagbubutihan ko na lang work ko para masupport sila maayos. :)

I'm telling you mate mahirap kapag marami kayo sa isang pamilya. buti kung you earn good salary. ang mahirap dito ay kung sino titingin sa mga anak mo while in your work. Kaya usually ang mga moms dito part time job sila while ang mister full time work. palitan ang pagsundo at hatid sa mga anak. Dito wala kang kasambahay o katulong dito. kaya yung ibang pinapapunta nila ang mga magulang nila o kapatid to look for their kids.

anyway thats my opinion sa nakikita ko dito. its up to you. you have a free will. you can decide what good for you. cheers man.

thank you ulit @TotoyOZresident. 4 kids okay na ko. :) wag lang talaga dalawa. thanks ulit. :)

TotoyOZresident

aldousnow said:

TotoyOZresident said:

aldousnow said:
ahh okay. thanks mate. I'll keep that in mind. matagal tagal pa naman bago ko mag asawa. pero may allowance man o wala.. gusto ko talaga big family. dalawa lang kasi kami ng kapatid ko.. at medyo malungkot. pagbubutihan ko na lang work ko para masupport sila maayos. :)

I'm telling you mate mahirap kapag marami kayo sa isang pamilya. buti kung you earn good salary. ang mahirap dito ay kung sino titingin sa mga anak mo while in your work. Kaya usually ang mga moms dito part time job sila while ang mister full time work. palitan ang pagsundo at hatid sa mga anak. Dito wala kang kasambahay o katulong dito. kaya yung ibang pinapapunta nila ang mga magulang nila o kapatid to look for their kids.

anyway thats my opinion sa nakikita ko dito. its up to you. you have a free will. you can decide what good for you. cheers man.

thank you ulit @TotoyOZresident. 4 kids okay na ko. :) wag lang talaga dalawa. thanks ulit. :)

pre mahirap ang marami. tingnan mo muna kung kaya ng sahod mo suportahan ang mga anak mo.

sheep

add klang po..last month i read some news and it say's na some u.s state is not already giving allowance to unemploy person/family due to financial problem in u.s economy,there some politician debating kung pwede bang bigyan ng expiration ang pagbibigay ng allowance sa mga unemplyment say,2,3,or 5 months after that wla na silang makuha na allowances from goverment..so it really depends prin sa economiya and the law that it makes...so d pa rin pwedeng mkadepende sa goverment ...just my thoughts..