Accountants please read important information on conversion to CPA Canada especially those considering the ACCA route. Effective 1st May the route to CPA Canada is same as with ICAN as both are IFAC members, you will require exams to get the Canada CPA as an ACA or ACCA.

My fellow future Canadians, the lord is opening more flood gates and we shall continue to troop out; UK is about to start a similar program, watch out and begin to put together your documents! Jan 2021 is not faraway! God keep us alive https://news.sky.com/story/new-immigration-system-how-will-the-uks-points-based-scheme-work-11937683

Can't see anything below

smsalert1:

Please can you share your experience. How many years visa and what are the chances of conversion to PR. Are you entitled to register with centerlink, medicare etc.

Mine is a 2yr visa. I didn't register with any of the above. Just PRs can I think. I was told after 3years with same employer you can apply for PR using the employer as sponsor. I haven't considered PR yet.

GoodMemory:
Australian Experience




Orally, efforts should be made to learn correct pronunciation of words.
A speaker who pronounces words correctly will be easily understood even though he speaks with a non-native English accent. Spend more time learning pronunciation rather than accent.
Some people soften their naija accent by trying to speak like oyinbo. That on its own isn’t wrong. Do not mind our people back home who laugh at fake accent. If they had seen your sorry look struggling to be understood in a boardroom full of white men, they would not be there laughing at accent. What is the essence of communication if the recipient of the message cannot understand what you are saying and if there is a way to make them understand, do it.
A friend once told me about his embarrassing interview. He couldn’t hear what the interviewers were saying, and they also couldn’t hear what he was saying. He kept saying “pardon me?” They also kept saying “pardon me?”
Fake it if you have to. To oyinbos, you aren’t faking it, you are communicating well. That is why a Chinese who relocated to Australia 5 years ago speaks clearly with a stint of Aussie Accent and a Nigerian who relocated 15 years ago is still struggling to get understood.
Don’t worry, your naija accent is still intact. Use it when you see fellow Nigerians or when you are back home… hahaha
Lesson here is: improve your communication skill. Employers might overlook Australian Work experience requirement if you write and speak well.

Beautiful write-up as always Goodmemory. Just to touch on the subject of accent and fine tuning it, i have heard opposing views as to changing your accent. Some people perceive it as a sign of self esteem issues. Now i am not for or against it. i really just want to know what the majority think. Initially when i got here, i tried doing that, so i could be heard properly. Honestly i felt stupid sometimes and then i just switch back to my regular accent because i am thinking, why should i be the only one making effort to be heard, why don't they adjust for me also. we had a seminar at my church and a lady touched on the subject and i personally tried to research on it to understand if it is encouraged or not. i didn't see so much info that was helpful. Right now i speak with my mood, if i don't care to be understood i just speak the way i am used to but in really important meetings especially with clients and senior people i try to adjust. i studied in the UK sometime back and it was never really an issue for me at the time. i would speak Naija-British and be feeling like the Queen with myself but now i have become quite self conscious and i am not sure why it bothers me now. Also i listen to the Indians and the Chinese, most of them just speak with no effort whatsoever to adjust their accent, especially the Indians at my office and those from middle east. please can we comment on our views. Thanks!

https://www.nairaland.com/3786389/general-australian-student-visa-enquiries For Student visa

https://www.nairaland.com/4478747/diy-guide-australian-permanent-resident PR link

I think there is a group for Australian PR and student visa (I'll post the links shortly) please let's not deviate from the purpose of this chat room. It is for people already living or about to land in Australia. Thanks for all the contributions..all so enlightening.

RealityShot:
GoodMemory:

"If you
have the capital or resources or know
rich politicians back home, convince
them to start investing in Australia."


we more interested in telling them to invest here and make a state like dubai here in Nigeria.


who Australia hepp?

O yea I agree definitely I think we will earn the respect of the wider community if we build our economy and are self sustaining. Let them invest in Nigeria first please

GoodMemory:

A lot has been said and written on the issue of racism in Australia. Most of the write-ups have come from non-Africans, usually Indians and Islanders and sometimes, but rarely, blacks who aren’t Africans. I believe racism/stereotypical behaviors towards these set of people might be different depending on the circumstances.
Personally, I feel Australians do not deserve the bad image which they have earned internationally as a racist country. It may have been because of the way and manner the Aboriginal people were treated or the growing concern about increased migration into Australia. In a survey, Australia, was ranked top as one of the most tolerant countries while India is ranked as the least tolerant country.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/15/a-fascinating-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-racially-tolerant-countries/?utm_term=.4b318d97beda

In another survey by economic and trading group, Insider Monkey, India again ranked top country where people are racially least tolerant. Australia is not even on the list of racially intolerant countries.

https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/116644/the-most-racist-countries-in-the-world/

This is not an attempt to downplay racism in Australia. It is alive and well. However, what you will experience here is different from what immigrants in Canada, the USA, or the UK experience daily. For example, you may witness commuters not wanting to sit next to you in public transport, people going back to their car on seeing you, to check if their car door is safely locked, pedestrians changing lanes on sighting you from afar etc. the number and frequency is just the same whether you are in Vancouver, BC Canada, Texas in the US , Manchester in the UK or Melbourne in Australia. These acts are not on their own conclusively pointing to racism as a second meaning might be read to them. Pedestrian changing lanes might be doing it genuinely, commuters sometimes prefer standing to sitting, etc. Please note I am not holding briefs for perpetrators of racism.

As someone who has lived in a western country for 10 years before relocating to Australia, I can tell you one thing you will witness. Supremacy mentality. Superiority complex is pervasive in any first world countries or any nation with predominantly Caucasian population.
The average white person feels genetically superior to the next black person until circumstances prove him otherwise. A homeless guy, a slowpoke and a never-do-well feel they are better than a black person who is perhaps a medical doctor. Remember we are dealing with 400 odd years, age-long mentality.
Superiority complex will daily confront you at work, during social interactions etc.


As an African, here’s my top 4 ways that will help minimize racism. Some of them are long term approach but I think they have to happen before racism can be reduced.

Awareness
The first step to defeating any problem is having an awareness of the problem. Knowing the full strength of the problem helps to access the strategy and tactics to deal with the problem. Knowing your rights is another form of having awareness.
We need to be able to recognize tell-tale signs of racism. If convinced you are racially abused, call out the perpetrator and seek justice in Australian Human Rights Commission.
https://www.humanrights.gov.au.
Unfortunately, Black people are not known to escalate issues like this as they are quick to forgive people who racially abuse them. The fact is, you can forgive and still take your abuser to court. That has nothing to do with your religious instruction to forgive.

Black people should stick together
I do not advocate black people should create their own enclave and live there. I mean black people should learn to cooperate with themselves. We are quick to say “I avoid fellow Africans wherever I go because of my previous experience with them”. What I want to know is do you also avoid white people and Asians because of your experience in their hands? I doubt, otherwise you would have moved back to naija. Why are we quick to forgive other races and hold eternal grudges against people that look like us? Why are we quick to befriend others and reluctant to be friends with our own? As an example: My kids were the only black kids in the school until this school term when another black kid, a Nigerian for that matter, joined them. The principal of the school had told us about the new kid, so we were looking forward to meeting them.
On the day we finally met, we were given a cold shoulder by the parents of the kid. We thought maybe they were introverts and were the type that reluctantly warmed up to strangers. Well, after several failed attempts to talk to them, we gave up. We hardly even say ‘hi” to each other anymore. What message do you think both of us had sent to other races in that school? To minimize racism, the culture of self-hate among black people has to stop.
When a people are united, it is hard for others to disrespect them. Are you the type who feels happy when he is told by other races “you are not like others”? If you were, then you need to know they (other races) are playing divide and rule on you.

Let’s start taking over
How do you expect others to respect us when we are constantly rocking the bottom of the social ladder of any society? How will others respect us when our target are jobs that pay minimum wages but because of exchange rate to Naira and other African currencies, we are proud to label it “good money”. Why do we always think so small? Why is it that the only business Africans run is a tiny African shop that caters for only Africans? An Indian moves to Australia. He is accommodated by his friends. He saves up money, teams up with friends and they buy 7-Eleven franchise. He employs and brings in 5 more people from India to work in the 7-Eleven shop. The white guy who goes into that Indian owned 7-Eleven is bound to respect because he knows they are visibly contributing to the Australian economy. The cold fact of life is no one respects an economically backward people. There was a time when Caucasians used to look down on Chinese, but today it is classy to go to Chinese restaurants and it is also a sign of sophistication to eat with chopsticks! Let’s start dominating wherever we find ourselves. If you have the capital or resources or know rich politicians back home, convince them to start investing in Australia. There are lots of opportunities in real estate and other businesses. Trust me, you can never imagine the impact it would have on our beautiful race and its people. Let’s cultivate the habit of selflessness.
I thank the moderator, creators and the selfless contributors on Living in Australia and A Guide to Permanent Residency in Australia on Nairaland. These platforms have assisted a lot of people and is continuing to assist thousands of people. That is what we are talking about. I benefited immensely from these threads. Ironically, some people who have benefited are the ones who are mute now after receiving the PR and are settled in Australia. Let’s us learn to share information just like other races.

Be firm and assertive
You are on the train and someone racially abuses you. What are you going to do? Sit there and smile? Hell no! Calmly but firmly give it back to him. Watch your words though so you do not in anger racially abuse him too and you know what? They will not hesitate to sue you at the drop of a pin. If possible, use your phone to record the encounter so you can have evidence that will be presented when you approach human rights commission later.
At work, being assertive is good because it is a proactive approach. If they know you don’t take nonsense, they are less likely to say things that will annoy you.

Having said all these, racism in Australia is not as bad as people say. Most Australians are friendly. On the street, no one cares what you look like and in the offices and workplaces, there are strong laws that prevent people from discrimination.
The people who complain the most are the ones who are guilty of it. They are the people whose country are ranked No. 1 on the list of racially intolerant countries.

Racism is probably worse in the US compared to Australia, so guys if you are thinking of moving to Australia, please come over and have fun!

Amazing amazing right up. A lot of truths especially about the Chinese. In the last decade it was very different. Another funny fact is I have experienced racial discrimination from Indians even more than the Australian descents themselves. I am struggling to distinguish between racism and the superiority complex you say Caucasians have. I am of the Opinion that is what births racism and racial discrimination. In terms of choice jobs you were so Apt. I use myself as an example. On getting here the black community we met(church)..God bless their heart they were obviously trying to be helpful but the job choices they ruled out for us and advised us to get were all these factory job and the likes. I told my husband no matter what we can't loose sight of where we are going, you will write your AMC exams and practice as a doctor that you are. It's not easy I agree but nothing good comes easy . Thank you again for this.

GoodMemory:


For me:
Outdoor culture. It means a lot to Aussies. Eating out means a lot to them. I'm tired of answering the question "what do you have planned for the weekend?" What else do I have have planned? I'll be with the family and watch movies...lol. If you give such a response twice, they will see you as a boring person.. lol. If you tell them you are going on some trip to see kangaroo and koala... viola! you will be their friend because on Monday morning, they will cluster around you to hear "gists"

Another culture shock is how everything works. Australia is one giant machine with different parts like centrelink, medicare, tax, etc. one part goes into another. How they have managed to create a society where things work is a shock to me.

How majority drive within speed limit without the presence of police or patrol cars was a shock to me.

LOL if it is by this one I am the most boring person in my team. Every Friday I tell them same thing.."spend time with the family" lool I think they pardon me because they know I have a baby and I have just weekends to catch-up and spend time with him.

utcheylee:

This is the rice I use especially for jollof cos the one in all this other stores like Coles and co are too soft for my liking.






quote author=extraterestrial post=76669925]
This is interesting information thank you. Wait I didn't realize the rice sold at the Indian stores is like naija rice..thank you I'll definitely be visiting an Indian store this weekend. Do you recommend any particular brand?

Ah nice, I'll look out for this. Thank you

dustydee:

Please which one is naija rice again? Do you mean local rice?

The rice at coles/Woolworths is really starchy and gets mashy..too soft. By naija rice I mean the normal long grain rice we are used to back home

utcheylee:
Finally am back after 2 years of ban from uncle justwise that's why I kept mute, I done learn sir.

So I got 489 visa from Queensland and I reside in Toowoomba with my family of 5. We arrived late last year and the journey wasn't bad after all.

Before leaving Naija I joined all the Facebook groups that are available and I was lucky to


get help from them, we rented our house from Nigeria because we didn't want to share apartment and also we are coming with 3 kids .It wasn't easy as we applied for up to 10 units and got negative response due to staying offshore .

I was sad at first till God intervened through someone in my Toowoomba mum group, they agree to rent us the unit only if we could pay 3 months rent in advance including bond oh boy we jump to the offer asap and thanks to austransaction that made the payment easy.
Note to someone that might want to try this always request to pay for extra months if possible.

The kids started school the next day and the school only ask for their passport and our visa type, since it's public school we only pay for the uniforms and books.

My last son is 3 years so he goes to family day care which cost us 10$ per hour and he started kindergarten this January and we pay $210 per forth night ( private school).

Jobs I was lucky to get a factory job within 2 weeks of our arrival not easy but it pays the bill and I am doing a certificate 3 for individual support so I can port asap.

My hubby was lucky to get a full time job with one of the Insurance firm within 2 weeks as well.

Cost of living is not so bad compared to the city that's the beauty of staying in a region Rent 290 -310$ per week for 3 bedroom unit, food we spent 150 - 200 weekly because the kids like jekuje and family of 5, electricity is quarterly at your own use , we came almost at the end of winter and we paid 550$ this year was 420$ ,Gas quartely is 120$.

Transport in region is terrible you will need your own vehicle and also almost all jobs here will ask you to have our own car so it's important to make an arrangement for one especially those coming with kids.

Weve met people who are wonderful and willing to help and other type too with God on our side we are taking it one step at a time.

The sun here is way more than naija and Toowoomba is cold too in winter but not as cold as some places.

Alot of activities for kids from dance class, karate,soccer, all sort na your money go talk and you can drive to Brisbane to buy naija food stuff will only take you 2 hours.

Here we have only one african shop run by Sudanese not everything you can get but be sure of red oil,black eye beans , hair extensions,some hair products etc. They also have farmersmarket that opens only on Sundays from 6am to 12pm(mostly Chinko people owns it) majority of people buy food stuff from there its better than some shops .You can buy fresh okra, corn, unripe plantain, ewedu leaf, fresh efo, sometimes yam but not the type we know and other vegetables.

For our naija type of rice,Semo , iced fish,we buy them from Indian shops around .

Most of the big shops in the cities are here and life in Tbay is slow and steady. If you like nightlife forget it as this place is more of
family orientated.

We have little naija community here like 15 of us compare to the city.

Sorry no pictures yet as I am on 10mins break, please ignore any errors in a hurry will put down more things if I remember them.

This is interesting information thank you. Wait I didn't realize the rice sold at the Indian stores is like naija rice..thank you I'll definitely be visiting an Indian store this weekend. Do you recommend any particular brand?

bellong:


Your child cannot be maltreated. Every registered childcare centre has the duty of care to provide quality and 'non-discriminatory' care for all children using the early education framework. In situation where you suspect negligence or discrimination, you will be within your rights to take it up with the centre and appropriate authority.

Thank you!

ozonechrome:
extraterestrial thanks for bringing the thread alive with your experience.

I remember how I followed this thread when I was on my migration journey.
It's really unfair we ain't giving back. Kudos to Bellong I don't know how he does it.

I had to deactivate my old moniker for personal reasons.

My experience has been crazy!!
I came in as a single mum with my 2years old daughter and just $3,200. I couldn't get more if I stayed back so took a step of faith.
You can imagine!!

I knew just one nairalander and one other guy I met in an Aussie group.
I stayed in a shared apartment for two weeks and paid $220 P/W.
With the help of the Aussie group guy I got an apartment I pay $250 P/W .

I didn't find a job until after a month then I got a casual job.

I had to pay and still paying for my baby's childcare out of pocket about 510$per week. Paid 585$ the first week. still sorting out Centrelink for personal reasons.

It was tough for me. very very tough.
The experience broke me. I've never had it this tough all my life.
But the experience taught me a great deal of lessons..
And brought lots of beautiful souls and helpers my way and ugly and terrible people as well who love to take advantage.

Going for interviews was a challenge because I didn't have who to help watch my baby. At some point people get tired of being bothered so it was frustrating.

So I stopped applying and wanted to get my centrelink sorted out first but the bills ain't waiting.

My casual job ended and the only job I applied for on LinkedIn after I got the casual job because I couldn't afford to waste a working day going for interviews else I won't be able to afford my baby's care fee and my rent that week asked me to do some psychometric assessment, then a phone interview and I was invited for an office interview and viola God gave me a permanent job. In a company that is no one in that field in the world.

Most times I see people ask how will a family of this cope.?
How much do we need?
And lots of stuffs honestly if I could survive you can as well.
Honestly this journey is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

I don't wish my experience for my worst enemy. But I'm glad it ended with a testimony.

I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that. I am also so happy you came out strong and you are able to look back and pick the lessons. it will get better dear. I feel terrible complaining about somethings after reading through your story. I can't imagine myself alone with my baby...you are very strong!!!. God bless you. Hubby and I are dreading daycare for now but once he starts working we will have no option. its so expensive, the day-cares near my house are like $132 per day and in that range. Another fear I have is how my baby will be treated. I know they are nice people here but then again. please what was your experience with the day-care so far? thanks for sharing also...

Was hoping to come..what's the scene like please...can i bring my kiddo

debsty:
So I logged onto Nairaland to see updates of people's experiences but did not find much. In the spirit of keeping this thread alive, I would be contributing some pictures of anything interesting I come across. These Pics were all taken in Sydney;
Pic 1 - Sydney from top of a building
Pic 2 - Typical Sydney morning traffic at 10am
Pic 3 - Bulli Beach - Towards Wollongong
Pic 4 - Bulli Beach

Beautiful! Hoping to hit the beach soon I hear they are breathtaking

Barangaroo

Sydney CBD

Mailthaddeus:
Thank u extraterestrial for deeming it fit to keep the thread alive. U have no idea what posts like urs do to intending travelers.

Pls I would like u to explain what u mean by 'No middle class here', does it mean everyone u see in Sydney is either rich or poor?

Also, if u have pictures, kindly do well to upload..Thank u

Yes of course I'll post pictures ☺️

Mizwisdom:



I was also taken aback at his quotes on expenses. People like to make others believe that things are very cheap where they live but in most cases, it's not reality. Wish you all more success . Auzzyland here I come

That wasn't my intention, I clearly emphasized on how high the cost of living is and if those are my bills are my supposed to lie about them and you that wants to give the true picture maybe you should have put up a post..

Lol so we have some basic food items we brought from naija with us, food cost would probably go up once all that is finished but yea we averaged that in the past two months. My gas/heating bill for the last quarter was about $140 which is like $35 a month and electricity was $130 for the last quarter so abit above $100 a month. Internet is $60. We are very conservative with our utilities thanks to the prepaid meter system we got used to in Nigeria(e.g lights stay off during the day, air conditioning at night time and all of that). Yes please more people come on board let's connect!

Hello people, I got support from this thread when I was relocating to Australia and I felt its only right to drop my 2cents back plus I am less busy at work lol. okay so my family and I actually got the Canadian PR but I got a job offer here in Australia so we decided to come here first. Honestly we haven't decided if we will be staying in Aussie and converting to PR or go back to Canada after 2years before the Canadian PR expires but let us see how that goes. its important I state that I am a work visa holder not PR so a lot of the information/experience may be different for people with PR. So we got into Sydney in January. My initial perception from the airport was Australia is overrated, coming from Canada airport(Vancouver precisely) I was highly disappointed but that has changed though, Sydney is beautiful. They need to work on their airport though. Accommodation: Rent is Sydney is EXPENSIVE! no it is not exaggerated. I was provided temporary accommodation by my employer for just a week so I had literally days to get a place and with the info I got here I was made to believe it was impossible but apparently I serve a wonder working God lol. unlike Nigeria were you just see house pay and move in, here it is different. it is a whole process and I still can't believe we did it in 3 days. We started by checking out all the rental sites for apartments within our budget. We then booked viewings (which is compulsory btw before anyone rents a house to you). there were viewings we had to go to immediately same day. finally we found the one we wanted and then we sent in an application. The application forms is another story. At a point I though we were buying the property. it is the norm to enter lease agreements which usually span minimum 3months and maximum 12months. we signed a lease contract for just 6months because that was the least period the landlord was offering. you also provide referees, bank statement and they check you credit history to be sure you don't owe. lucky for me I reached out to HR at my office to stand in as my referee since I din's know anyone here. Sidenote: They are housing benefits for citizens/PR Holders where the govt subsidises rent if you income is less than a particular amount. We also had to explain the urgency of getting a place to housing agent and he saw our seriousness because we were ready to pay immediately. Long story short we viewed houses Wednesday/Thursday, saw the house we wanted on Thursday and notified the agent with our application on Thursday, signed contract and moved in on Friday. Cost of Living: I reckon food here is cheap, for a family of three we spend about A$200 on food every month and this includes baby food, ijekuje(sweet mouth) plus regular naija food (I found an African store ). Transportation is okay. I top-up my Opal card(which gives you access to trains and buses) with A$100 and this takes me for 2weeks to and fro work weekdays am not sure wheat its like if you have car (fuel cost/insurance and all that as I am not mobile). Bills on the average for us is approximately A$100 a month which includes electricity, gas, heating and internet (internet takes the largest chunk, without internet its a lot less). Healthcare: if on work visa you have to pay for your health insurance which is really expensive (one of the major cons of work visa). PR and citizens enjoy Medicare which is basically free health care. Tax is also quite high for work visa holders (32.5%) on every dollar you make. it is less for PR holders and citizens. The good thing also is that salary is paid biweekly as against monthly in Nigeria plus rent can be paid weekly, biweekly or monthly; you choose. In summary ill say, life here is expensive however, the salary here is high, there is no middle class here and the quality of life is next to none. In terms of moral, they are still sane compared to the far west so its definitely a good place to raise kids. in terms of diversity, they are still coming up, very view Africans here and so racism is still obvious. The weather is perfect!. If I remember any other info I'll be back to share. But seriously we need to connect with each other more considering how few we are here. This thread is always so quiet.

fobak203:
Your best bet would be to go to Blacktown, not far away from the Blacktown Fruit Market and the Smith shop, which is about 20minss on train from Parramatta. It's a Beauty Salon that also have things like Garri, Semo, Poundo, Shaki, Pomo, Dried Fish, Egusi, and Assorted Meat generally, the unique Knorr cube, Beans to mention a few. I also bought peppered Plantain chips and Malt from there. I think she is Ghanaian, but shes got relatively cheap stuff. You would only find ready made African foods that are too exorbitant to afford arround Parramatta. If anyone knows anywhere in Parramatta. Please mention it. Easier for us to go there.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Sydney residents, please who can refer me to an African shop around northmead/parammata area where I can get Nigerian food stuff and ingredients..I will be most grateful

Hi people, please I am trying to change my address to enable receipt of PR cards but I haven't been able to online as it keeps popping an error to try again. I called to do it and was directed back to the same website link that is not working. Please what other option is available

Happy new year people...landed in our country sometime last week and it's been amazing. Just to encourage those still in the hustle to keep going at it. This place is all worth it. I pray 2019 brings all your hopes and dreams to reality. Did a quick read into what has been going on here and can see nothing much has changed lol...this space helped me a lot, all the information and experience sharing..Thank you guys again. If I may add..get what you can from here and try not to take things personal, I should have taken my advice few months back had I known better. People will always look for relevance in the most mundane place..let them have it if that's what helps them survive..get help and give help when you can just make sure you make it to canny land!

maternal:


Anyone who assaults me will get assaulted back. Minus those exceptions. The concept is not hard to understand. Perhaps a person should keep their hands to themselves if they don't want to be hit ? My Mother, daughter, and sister respect themselves and don't go around hitting people. And if they do, then they better be ready for the consequence. I don't hit people twice my size and strenght because I don't want to be beaten up. Get that feminists/ priviliage BS outta here my friend.

O please shove it! Who brought feminism into the conversation..Abeg back to Canada matter..those with worst living conditions always have a lot to say on SM