| Living in Australia | |
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7. Planning to move to Australia7.1 General Tips and Advice7.1.1 Starting your checklistsOnce the decision has been made to move, the planning should begin. With so many things to organise, even after preparing a range of checklists, it can be easy to run out of time and end up extremely stressed. In fact it may be a good idea to allocate how long each task will take and then double or triple it. The first step should be deciding how much you can realistically do on your own. Consider your current work, family and social commitments and don't forget to include some special celebration time to say good bye to work colleagues, friends, family and people you see regularly (including local shop keepers, sport/hobby friends etc). 7.1.2 What do you need to do before you leave?Do you need to learn English? Do you have suitable clothing for when you arrive? A stash of supplies you can't do without (like your favourite foods/vitamins/medicines that can be brought with you)? Have you received some cultural training or attended some courses on how to move with children (particularly if they are teenagers)? Have you searched for accommodation? Have you contacted some real estate agents to find out what sorts of properties are available and how much they will cost to rent? Have you found any share accommodation or homestay options? If you have booked temporary accommodation, can you extend your stay in temporary accommodation if you cannot find permanent accommodation? Hotels, short stay apartments, youth hostels and serviced apartments can be expensive if you need to stay in them for a long time. And do you have some back up plans and extra cash just in case 'worst comes to worst' and you can't find work, housing etc? For instance, you could have a list of people’s names that you could ring so that in an emergency, you could spend a short stay with them (friends of friends – see if you can be connected before you leave your home country). As well as thinking about your new location, have you thought about your old one? This may sound strange, but leaving can be a lot harder than you think. If you have not finalised all of your property, financial or other arrangements before you have left, can these matters be delegated to someone else? Have photocopies of all important documents and items in your wallet/purse just in case they go missing (and keep them in a separate location to where you are with a trusted friend or relative). Have you left a proxy to any person so they can resolve your issues while you are away? Proxys can only be done at the Brazilian embassy. This will cost you money and time. Also bring certified copies of important documents. 7.1.3. How will you stay in contact?And last but not least, if you haven't already, make sure you have an email address that you can access anywhere in the world....like a Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail one that will be easy to tell people and suitable for your new location (don't keep a .co.br one if you are moving to an area like .com.au - people will still think that you are living in Brazil). That way, even if people cannot contact you by phone, they can still get an email through to you. Create a listing of people you would like to stay in touch with so that when you are settled, you can email your new contact details directly to them. 7.1.4 Beating the last minute rushIf you find yourself at the last minute with too little time and too much to do, either call in some help or see which tasks you can either miss or complete later. Moving can be challenging because plans often change and delays disrupt schedules. Sometimes people just try and do too much. Trying to fit in tasks that you have put off for the last five years in the midst of moving is not a good idea. If you are migrating permanently, it is best to sell or give away as much as possible well before moving date (at least three weeks before) or have a good friend ready to sell or dispose of the items (storage either with a friend or elsewhere can be more trouble than it is worth). You will need to be ruthless but be very methodical in relation to important documents (certificates of birth, death, marriage, education, references, identification documents, passports, vaccinations, medical and dental records etc). 7.2 Useful Links and Resources Top Moving Companies - Planning your move ASA Consultants Pty Ltd - Moving Checklist Smartraveller Backpacking overseas Australia Post's Moving Services hints and tips for moving 7.3 Information available in Portuguese Department of Immigration and Citizenship Study in Australia - Living in Australia 7.4 Additional information suggestions Hopefully you have already read the Overview of Australia and Deciding to Move pages and are preparing to read the various On Arrival pages too. Planning is always helpful, but it is also important to prioritise all of your tasks and ensure that the most important are DEFINITELY completed and the optional (not the ones you like doing) are done next. Any tasks that will be difficult to complete from Australia are also high priority (for instance anything involving some sort of government or business organisation where a personal visit or payment is required). |
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