frank043:


Chief einsteino!

You na philanderer oo... Today you love canny, tomorrow it's aussie... Don't worry, na Syria you go port go. Lolzzz. Na joke oo

Syria .. I go kuku sidon naija be that o

Mate,
I tried contacting you about the subject last Sunday but your mobile wasn't connecting.
Hope to meet you there.

Kempguy47:


Hand raised !!!

Ah this is the thread I have been waiting for. Plenty tins to talk but no time now. Will compose and share my story later.

tyosho:


Thanks for bringing up my previous posts.i had even forgotten about it.

The aged care/disability matter didn't happen again as we both got other jobs.

Bellong is coming to Melbourne this month end so we are all planning to have a meet.We go get plenty pictures to upload then.
Please if we have any melbourne nairalanders that Bellong is yet to contact,please raise your hand so details can be sent to you for our groove

Hand raised. Please send the deets.

catchdwind4rmkd:
Mate,
I tried contacting you about the subject last Sunday but your mobile wasn't connecting.
Hope to meet you there.

Sorry mate, I'm on a business trip to Asia, Should be back to Australia next weekend. Pls text me the details.

Kayla10:


Hand raised. Please send the deets.

Sending you a mail.kindly respond

My people. Me too I don land o. I'm currently staying in ACT. Hope to move to Sydney/Melbourne very soon.

Job search is still on though.

Teejah80:
@tyosho thank you for doing Justice to this quest,all the above information will help we coming to OZ in few weeks to know what to do.Oga bellong,I greet you.am also seizing this opportunity to beg you guys in Queensland to come and share your experience about regional areas in Queensland.I and my family would be coming with visa 489,I know we are not entitle to Medicare, how about centrelink,can we register for that and what is the cost of taking health insurance,I have a child who is just five years old,when does the new session resume and what is the cost of school fee in Queensland state and how easy to get a job in regional areas as I and hubby wouldn't mind any job for a start.cc Uchenna2017.

Pls how did u get nominated? I need to understand how to get nominated.thanks in anticipation

stepo707:

Pls how did u get nominated? I need to understand how to get nominated.thanks in anticipation

Not on this thread please.This thread is solely for questions and experiences of people that have gotten the visa.There are other threads that can help respond to that.

rinzylee:
Chai.... Bellong no get chill o.

savagery at its peak...

Well if your tourist visa expires.... leave o.. I watched border patrol today and it wasn't funny o.

oyibo no dey play o.

Australia was built by Criminals so they easily catch criminals o.

I believe you boss, there was a reason why they were shipped to that side. Definitely a selection of Good, Bad and ugly.

Pls how do one obtain a visa to Australia? Who knows the right link or agent here in Nigeria... Thanks

holubee21:
Pls how do one obtain a visa to Australia? Who knows the right link or agent here in Nigeria... Thanks

Sir Bellong....... Another Clarion call! !!

Nice thread, let me contribute my own quota because nairaland has really helped me in dream of living in Australia.
departure experience
I arrived early and checked in before the rush. immigration wanted to stress me , asking me how i got my visa and So but i refused to be bothered with that. from my stance, they knew i was not ready to part with any money for them.

stop over experience
stop over was at Dubai. iom disappointed me by not having my name in their list in Dubai. found out i could actually do without them and had to find my depaRture gate by myself. we were there for about 5 hours and during check in, found that we were heading to Singapore first before Melbourne which translates to longer flight hours.

immigration rules to follow

Before landing, i was given a card to declare all i had such as food, drugs etc. landed and queued in non citizen line. when it got to my turn, just handed over my passport to the immigration staff. she scanned it and welcomed me officially to Australia.
my food stuff was checked when i got to customs. they opened one item on top which was dried crabs and was allowed me to pass through with it because it was very dry. all other food items were not checked.

state/suburb and why
my hubby and i decided on Melbourne because of its many job prospects. we felt Sydney was too expensive and Melbourne has about the same job opportunities and cheaper.
i first stayed in north Melbourne and loved it. while house hunting, i had the option of staying back in north or moving to western area. my family was arriving after the date the house in western area will be ready so that was the deciding factor.

driving in Australia
i had non frsc expired license and i went for my frsc license after my visa was out. i really regret not converting my license way before then, the new licence was not out before i traveled and besides i found out that they made a mistake with my name and date of birth. i decided to start all over again in getting a Victorian license and have now completed my computer and hazard perception test.my driving test will be anytime soon, have not been able to do so because i have been so busy.

where i live and why i like it
i stay in western Melbourne and i like it because it is just 15 minutes drive to my workplace and close to cbd (about 40mins by train). i spend about 1400 on rent on a new 4 bedroom bungalow.

right schools
my husband and i decided on catholic schools for the kids even though the state schools are free and equally good. we wanted to maintain the values and morals we believe in . my first child who is8 missed out in being in year 3 because he was born after April. the rule in Victoria is any child born after April will step now. my second child is 6 and was born in jan so she was placed in grade 1. the last child is five and was also born after April so he had to go to kindergarten and will now start prep in January. school fees are charged per family so for my two older kids, we pay 1560 dollars for a year inclusive of swimming lesson fees and other small fees. when the third child joins, it will go up by about 100 dollars. you are allowed to spread your payment on how it suits you-weekly, fortnight, termly etc.
the kindergarten are 15 hours per week. there is also long day care and family day care options. we paid nothing for the kindergarten hours cos we had a concession card. now that we passed the threshold, it will cost us $400 for this new term.

can a mother combine work and taking care of kids?
sure, with the help of the man of course.

culture shock?
-cigarette smoking even in church compound, lol.
-calling someone old enough to be my mother by first name.
-coffee drinking
-different mentality in terms of work, health and life balance. they don't mind leaving a 6 figure salary to something much lower if they think they are under stress.

tips on how to cloth and cope during cold winter
wear thick clothing and always have your winter jacket ready.

naija food/restaurants.
fatima shop has almost everything one needs to cook naija dish. she also sells already made soup.

can one start a business in australia
sure, some naija regularly send things to naija in containers. things like car engines etc.

how much does your family survive on in a month.?
our weekly budget on general expenses is $150 a week. sometimes we spend a bit more than that. other monthly utility bills include wifi $60, phone $40, cable $26. we have only had water bills once and it was $60 for three months. our acct was in credit of excess of 40 because govt gave us $100(don't understand why and how, na so we see am), electricity bill is about $50 monthly. the highest so far has been gas bills.








i

holubee21:
Pls how do one obtain a visa to Australia? Who knows the right link or agent here in Nigeria... Thanks

Search for threads for that on Nairaland. This is about living in Australia not about how to obtain visa.

Zany.

oknee:
Nice thread, let me contribute my own quota because nairaland has really helped me in dream of living in Australia.
departure experience
I arrived early and checked in before the rush. immigration wanted to stress me , asking me how i got my visa and So but i refused to be bothered with that. from my stance, they knew i was not ready to part with any money for them.
i

Thank you for sharing your experience. have you been able to practice your Naija profession? What is the best approach in seeking a job?

oknee , thanks for sharing your experience. Enjoy your new country. I want to ask ; is the $1400 a one month rent or a week rent?

@oknee.
Thanks for sharing. On choosing the private school, does it have to be in your catchment area or you can choose anywhere?

Zany.

zanyzara:
@oknee.
Thanks for sharing. On choosing the private school, does it have to be in your catchment area or you can choose anywhere?

Zany.

I think It is only the govt schools that must be within your catchment area. They did not ask us for proof of address unlike when we were registering my son in kindergarten which is state owned.

Mcslize:
oknee , thanks for sharing your experience. Enjoy your new country. I want to ask ; is the $1400 a one month rent or a week rent?

We pay exactly 320 dollars a week on rent. Our bond was 1280 dollars which is 4 weeks rent.

tyosho:
Pictures I took at the southern cross station this evening

Awesome pictures!

Just look at the curvature of the space truss system. So brilliantly fabricated. Propose such concepts here and see them bury the idea.

adeomoade:

Thank you for sharing your experience. have you been able to practice your Naija profession? What is the best approach in seeking a job?

Best approach is to continue applying even when still in naija. Don't limit yourself only in your professional area. I was not able to get something in my field because the jobs require a recent laboratory experience. My job roles for more than 10 yrs have been off laboratory and that did not help even though i passed my exams. I was wise enough to understand my situation in terms of experience and was applying for other jobs away from my field. Fortunately i got a good job in a different field after undergoing different recruitment steps ie psychometric test, interview, fitness/ medical test. Funny enough, i applied for the job while still in naija.
I did blue collar job for a while.
Have an open mind and start from somewhere. Job application here is like a full time job on its own.. Be ready to be throwing in many applications and don't be discouraged when you start getting rejection mails.

Landing

I got IOM tickets and the journey to Melbourne was a breeze. No issues with immigration at Melbourne airport. I came in with my pregnant wife and three children and we stayed with a former colleague in Cranbourne West (South east of Melbourne). If you have PR, register with Centrelink/Medicare asap so that you can start receiving Aussie dollars. Those Centrelink payments really made sense for us before I got job. And like tyosho said, a concession card from Centrelink is a must.

Accommodation

Getting accommodation was tough. We were not really comfortable staying with a family and needed ours fast. I used www.realestate.com.au to look for places to rent. Then if you see one you like, you need to book for inspection where you and several others who are interested in the house will come to have a look at it. After inspection, try to be friendly with the agent and convince him/her that you are able to pay the rent on a continuous basis. This "pally-pally" is important before you submit a formal application (yes they apply for accommodation here) so that the agent can put in a good word to the landlord for you. Some of the documents you will need to submit along with a formal application are proof of identity (passport, Australian drivers licence, Medicare card, etc), statement of account, proof of source of income (i.e employment letter), rental history and history of payment of bills (which you don't have as a newbie). In my own case, after we don inspect house tire, one of the agents had compassion on my wife who was ready to drop at any time (her due date was in 3-4 weeks time) and spoke with one of the landlords and so we got our own place. Advice: please get a place that has ducted heating which uses gas. It is more effective and cheaper than buying all these standalone heaters (my opinion though). Most houses here have a backyard lawn so prepare your mind to do some work mowing it regularly. I just mowed mine on Saturday and have not fully recovered 48 hours later

Work
As a Aussie newbie, prepare your mind to do casual work. Simple and straight. I am an IT person (programmer with 10 years experience) and before coming I checked seek.com.au. I saw millions of jobs in my field and was very confident that I will land one in my first month. Na dem go dey beg me to come collect job (na wetin dey my mind). But after coming in and staying for almost two months without job, my eyes cleared . I had been applying for like 5-6 jobs every single day but with no results. They always ask for local Aussie experience. My 10 year naija experience did not count for jack. Omo I had to register for a factory job and did that for 6 weeks before I got my career job through divine intervention. And factory jobs plenty for here and they all pay well. Advice: If you will be doing factory jobs, please get a back support belt otherwise your back go hear am.
Yes work here is not as stressful as in naija. Yes, most jobs have table tennis and other games. In my own case, its a small office space so what we do is play cards. Omo see where my supervisor with other colleagues dey teach me how to play cards. That was a culture shock for me. But dont be deceived by all this and you think that you will come here and relax and not work hard. No be so o. Oyinbo wont give you this dollar free like that. You gast to work mehn.
If getting professional work is tough, you could also look at doing care for disabled or aged care. Men those jobs pay well o. I know guys who are making solid dough here. You could do a course on these professions. I'm currently doing one (Certificate IV on Disability online).

School
School age is from 5 years. If you have any children above that age, they can start school immediately at the nearest public school. You don't need to come with a letter from their naija school. Just go to the closest school and ask for their requirements which are usually intl passport of the child , visa grant, and maybe some little money for books. Tuition is free. But my problem with their school system is that the children play a lot and are not being given homework to do. So be prepared to do some extra work to help with your child's education like borrowing books from the community library for them to read when they come back from school and at weekends. I did not have time to compare and contrast schools. I just looked for the closest one where my daughter can walk to and fro by herself (she's 8 years). That's because I would be doing my factory job and my wife was heavy with child and taking care of 2 other children so nobody has time to drop her off and pick her from school.

Other tips. DO NOT COME HERE WITHOUT YOUR NAIJA DRIVERS LICENCE. Even if it's expired, still bring it. FRSC or no FRSC certified bring am. At all at all na him bad o. And I don't mean international drivers license. Somehow during the rush of packing I forgot mine in Lagos. I have to now start from learner's permit . An Aussie driver's license is as important as a means of ID as your naija passport. So no carry am play. I can give you some info on the different tests you would need to do to obtain your Aussie drv licence. Then since I have a large family, I needed to buy a car asap. Its an absolute must here. If all your children are past 6 years, a normal car would do. www.carsales.com.au is better than www.gumtree.com.au for new/used cars because you can get more detailed info about the car you want to buy. Also it's more expensive but safer to buy from a car dealer than from a private individual. Please dont come and be spending your newly converted naira dollars anyhow o (I mean the dollars you got after converting your naija naira). You might think this burger is just $10 and want to have a bite etc. Plenty things dey here wey go dey draw your eye. You children sef go add to your stress by carrying you to where tantalising chocolate and stuff are being sold. Pls hold body o. This is because when you finally get your first accommodation and start paying rent and bills, all that money will finish fast. We used up all our money to pay our first rent and bond, and did not have enough to pay the next rent. That was the point where my eyes cleared and I quickly jumped on the factory work bandwagon. I cant dull myself in this country abeg

This my article (or epistle) don too long sha. So I'll stop for a while and wait for questions.

@vinsmuft
Lol. Thanks for the epistle.

Zany.

einsteino:


thanks alot. what is the cost like for public schools; elementary and high school?

you spoke of the need to get a car, could you give insights on cost of acquiring one and maintenance; say gas/fuel, insurance etc.

also how easy is it to integrate into ones profession? i hear the australian work experience is a must have, are there bridging programs for immigrants? thanks alot

You can get a used car for about $3k to 4k. Na the maintenance be the issue o. I've been driving mine for 3 months and I want to take it for servicing and I'm hearing $400 . Also you must try not to bash anybody's car here. It's not like naija where you can settle with 10k. I know a Nigerian who had to pay $1k just for making a small dent on someone's car!

But then if you have a job, you can save yourself the stress and buy a new car. It's easy. Just walk in to a car dealer and get a new car with a payment plan of about 5 years. They usually ask for some payslips from your work. Maybe next year I'll try that option

Culture Shocks.

You get to see things like this at work. They expect you to respect yourself and pay for anything you pick up. I see this and shake my head cos I know it's not possible back in naija.

Vinsmuft:


You can get a used car for about $3k to 4k. Na the maintenance be the issue o. I've been driving mine for 3 months and I want to take it for servicing and I'm hearing $400 . Also you must try not to bash anybody's car here. It's not like naija where you can settle with 10k. I know a Nigerian who had to pay $1k just for making a small dent on someone's car!

Are you driving an European made car?

That is a rip off for servicing. Holden, Ford's and Japanese cars are about $140-$250 for servicing depending on the mechanic. Your mechanic ripped you off.

You can check Groupon or scoopon for service deals. You can get your car serviced for $60 using those deals

Vinsmuft:
Landing

I got. to and fro by herself (she's 8 years). That's because I would be doing my factory job and my wife was heavy with child and taking care of 2 other children so nobody has time to drop her off and pick her from school.

Other tips. DO NOT COME HERE WITHOUT YOUR NAIJA DRIVERS LICENCE. Even if it's expired, still bring it. FRSC or no FRSC certified bring am. At all at all na him bad o. And I don't mean international drivers license. Somehow during the rush of packing I forgot mine in Lagos. I have to now start from learner's permit . An Aussie driver's license is as important as a means of ID as your naija passport. So no carry am play [b].I CAN GIVE YOU SOME INFO ON THE DIFFERENT TEST YOU WOULD NEED TO DO TO OBTAIN YOUR AUSSIE DRV LICENSE

Please can you give info on the bolded. Thanks

Also please those in Perth can you drop useful tips on how to search for good suburbs

Cognito79:


Are you driving an European made car?

That is a rip off for servicing. Holden, Ford's and Japanese cars are about $140-$250 for servicing depending on the mechanic. Your mechanic ripped you off.

You can check Groupon or scoopon for service deals. You can get your car serviced for $60 using those deals

Thanks for the tip bro. Na the fear of paying $400 to service car na him make I never go yet . I drive a Kia and thanks to you, I get to save a lot of hard earned dough

babylove01:

Please can you give info on the bolded. Thanks

Also please those in Perth can you drop useful tips on how to search for good suburbs

What specific info do you want.