What Turned A Sceptic, The Decision To Go And The Journey That Follows.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Introduction and background.

I will not hide the fact that I have always been the negative one in our relationship and marriage (I call it realism), about the state of the nation, it's future and what it holds for us as a family, especially for my four year old daughter Jessie.

My mom was born a British citizen, which has given me the opportunity to get British citizenship and a passport on grounds of ancestry. Which I have done and which did not cost me nearly as much as what this little exercise has cost us so far. If we wanted to, we could have left a long time ago, however, I do not believe in forcing people to do things they do not want to do. If it was just me, I would have packed my bags and gone years ago. Unfortunately it's not and I have to consider what my wife (Lize) wants as well. She is the kind of person who is very loyal, to her country, her employers and most of all to her family, and is also the eternal optimist, that is until now though. She has only ever lived in two houses that she can remember, the house she grew up in and now our home. This has also made her a very rooted person and does not like the idea of uprooting and moving at all. Cold, wet and gloomy weather conditions have also played a large role in why Europe is not on the cards for us. Up until 8 February 2012, the discussions about leaving South Africa have been virtually non existent. The topic has come up, but it's always been a one sided discussion and most of the time, very abrupt.

Currently Lize is an English teacher at a middle class, fairly average income, Afrikaans public school in centurion and earns a rather low salary (if you compare it to market related positions). After 10 years of teaching she has the same earning potential as a student who completed their degree in 2011 and started teaching in January 2012. Advancement and promotion is not really an option in education as it is still largely a male dominated sector (yes even in the 21st century). Especially in white Afrikaans schools. Jewels (and a love for rugby) automatically guarantee opportunities and promotion. I work at the same school as my wife, as the full time, resident, IT technician. Unfortunately I was one of those pupils at school who was there to have fun, cause havoc and buck the system as much as possible. Something that has come back to bite me squarely in the butt. As a result, I have a fairly average Grade 12, with no official qualifications, I also earn a substantially lower than market value salary. My daughter Jessie who is turning 5 this year, is going to Grade R next year, to an Afrikaans primary school fairly near to the school at which we work.

Spending everyday in the system, seeing what decisions get made in parliament and department of education, scares the living daylights out of me. Where is it going to end up and what kind of future is my child going to have? Will she get a decent education at school and will she be able to get work once she is finished with her tertiary education? That all assuming we will have the money to be able to send her to university.

Currently we are unable to keep up with the rising cost of everything. Inflation is always higher than what the percentage increase is, if we even get the increase. Until about 9 months ago we were barely able to keep up with paying everything that needs paying. Now we are behind every month by a few hundred rand. In the end, each few hundred adds up and eventually becomes thousands. Needless to say, saving for any kind of extras to the daily needs is out of the question, never mind my child's university education. We have cut spending as much as we can in order to just be able to live without making debt, but even that is not working anymore.

Some of the things listed above form part of the reason for us making the decision to leave. I will split my posts up and go through what changed my wife's (the sceptic's) mind, more of the reasons for making the final decision and the journey - both emotional and process - that we have gone through. The high and low points as well as some of the small miracles that have convinced me that this is meant to be. We as a family have made the decision to go, whether it be Australia (our first choice naturally) or some other politically and economically more stable country than South Africa that can offer us a better future, especially for my child.

I have said it a couple of times on this forum now, and continue to maintain this point of view. Failure is not the end of the journey, it's just the beginning of a new opportunity to reach the same destination (being a better life for us wherever it may be) using a different approach.

Edited March 19, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[Lyn]

For someone who got "an average" grade 12 - IMHO you have a great writing style - easy to read.

I arrive in Durbs next week, and was looking online at the cost of living etc. I havent been back in 3,5 years - so was clueless. I was shocked at the prices - this just makes me worry more about how my mother - who does not get a SA pension - survives.

I wish you all the best with your plans to reach your destination. Stay positive.

[Donovan83]

I miss being able to write like this... I've been working in finance too long and I've lost the ability. Looking forward to the next installment though

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@Lynn

Thanks for the kind words. This forum has really helped me to work through and digest all the information and decisions we have had to make in the five short weeks we have been busy.

I too worry about what my mom is going to do in the future. She also does not receive a South African Pension.

Good luck on your trip and I hope you enjoy it too.

Edited March 19, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@Donovan83

I only just started writing like this. The decision to go and trolling this forum have really encouraged and inspired me to write about what I am thinking and feeling. Even my wife is a little shocked at the results.

Thanks for the interest.

Edited March 19, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[Mel-B]

Well said. I can relate. The cost of living has really gone up. I bought 2 bags of groceries at Pick and Pay yesterday and the total was an astoundig R800. That was def. not in my food budget. I was also sick and ended up with a total cost of R10 000. (Specialists, scans, medicines, etc.) Needless to say our bank is now broken. We have a hospital plan but nothing was covered under it. Its quite depressing really. I am sick and tired of being worried... worried about the noises outside after dark, worried about money and the cost of living. Worried about my daughters future... I don't know if any of these things will change in Oz. but a girl can hope. I'm thinking any change will be better, at least its pro active and not just sitting back and worrying yourself to death. My hope is that all the people who want to leave are able to do so. Weve been waiting since Nov. 2008 and its been a LONG wait. Good luck, I hope you are able to do what is best for your family in the long run.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@Mel-B

You don't have to fear the outcome of this decision. Just read the forum and you will see that the only thing people regret is not having made the decision earlier. I personally think that things are going to be much better in Australia. All we have to do is make sure we don't sit on our butts and expect things to just get better by themselves. Keep positive and keep going, you will get an answer sooner or later.

I have noticed that every case is different, some people get an answer within a year and others take much longer. The positive side of it though is that everyone seems to get their visas in the end.

[Joeemm]

Just a bit of moral support, in my opinion leaving South Africa is the best gift you can give your children. In effect you are opening up their future and allowing to them to be all they want to be and to have a peaceful, stable childhood. All the best with your application. Like many others on the forum I'm very concerned about family still living in South Africa and can't (for one reason and another) move yet.

Hope you let the forum know how your application is progressing.

P.s Diving is great around Perth and the Ningaloo reef (up north) is spectacular :-)

[Donovan83]

@Mel-B

I have noticed that every case is different, some people get an answer within a year and others take much longer. The positive side of it though is that everyone seems to get their visas in the end.

At our last meeting I remember someone saying that after jumping through all the hoops, it’s almost as if the DIAC wants to give you your visa. That was my experience as well. I think the only reason visas get rejected is because people apply without understanding the requirements properly – eg, they don’t have enough points, or try submit a 176 without state sponsorship at the date they apply, etc.

About the cost of living, I did a calculation the other day and found that we are now spending much more on food than we were a year ago. I live in Joburg which has become REALLY expensive. I used to manage on about R 400 a week, now it’s over R 650 a week for two adults (and of course, official inflation is still in the single digits.. yeah right). Then theres internet, rent, phone calls, petrol, INSURANCE (SO expensive!).

If you calculate your food costs as a percentage of your income then Australia works out less, but your housing costs there are a higher percentage and they make up the biggest slice of the pie by far. What people forget in SA is that you pay twice for everything: your first payment for schooling, transport, security/police, etc is in the form of your taxes. The government then steals this money. Then you pay again – for private schools, for private security/armed response, for tolls and so on. On this the government gets even more taxes.

Australia is an expensive country. They have tolls there too on some of the motorways. But there is a lot that is covered by the government out of your taxes – and it really is the small things that matter just as much as the big things – sure, school is covered (and is actually good) and there is less crime (personally I think this is mainly due to a cultural difference though, not a better police force). But what about the free gas barbeques in the parks? What about the fact that they have these gas bbq’s that haven’t been stolen or vandalised? There are bicycle trails and hikes and so much more to enjoy without having to look over your shoulder. All maintained and looked after through taxes.

And best of all there is PROGRESS. Things aren’t going BACKWARDS like they are in SA. Besides some shopping malls and more secure complexes, what has progressed in SA? Don’t tell me the motorways in Gauteng – the traffic is no better and they now need to be fixed, since the tenderpreneurs didn’t do the job properly the first time (well, I never!). I guess we could say the Gautrain is quite a nice accomplishment, but will it develop into a proper transport system? They STILL haven’t opened the Rosebank to Park station leg. We now have the Gautrain and feeder busses, Rea Vaya (which only runs around 50% of the time), Putco busses, Metrobus, and the taxis. The moment any of the those transport systems starts to take off, the taxi drivers are up in arms shooting at them. The SA government cannot even manage to keep a simple set of traffic lights working. For heaven’s sakes, HOW HARD CAN IT POSSIBLY BE? It’s a set of different coloured lights attached to a timer. If they do get knocked out by lightning, why not have 24 hour teams who rush to sort them out as soon as they are broken? Again, I ask, how hard can it possibly be? How hard is it to enforce the road rules, especially for the taxis.Too difficult for the government that is for sure. It is beyond their abilities. Heck, let’s rather exempt the taxis from paying tolls!

For me one of my biggest issues with SA is that everything feels so fake. It all feels like a mask over a very ugly face. If you want to go to a park, you can’t just go to a public park, you need to go to some kind of privatised/secure park and pay for entry. If you want to live in a house that doesn’t resemble a prison, you need to invest in land in a security compound (which is usually miles away from where you need to be = traffic) and even then you’re never really safe. And then there’s the constant threat that everything you work for and have earned rightly (despite all that is stacked against you if you are not part of the Designated Groups) can be taken away from you in the name of transformation or correcting past inequalities.

Remind me again why people question our decision to go?

Sorry for the rant but sometimes I honestly just can't stand it here any more. Viva 2013.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@Donovan83

I agree wholeheartedly, why should we live like this. When those people that do know we are going, question the decision, I remind myself that the only reason they don't want to go is not because they can't, it's because they don't want to, and to a certain extent they are just jealous. Personally I can't wait. I have always hated waiting and don't do very well when I am told I have to, but for this, I will wait. (No that is not an invitation or challenge to anyone at DIAC or the skills assessment people to make me wait.)

Don't feel bad at all about ranting, sometimes we just need to get it out there and it helps us in the long run. I think that everyone here totally understands.

Thanks for the support!

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@Joeemm

Thanks for the moral support, at this stage we need it. Things seem to be taking for every to get (IELTS Results, translations etc.)

I know deep down in my heart that this is the right thing to do, but sometimes I wonder if such a drastic move is necessary and then start thinking about the family I will leave behind. All I have to do to make this easier is look at my child and remember that this is, for the most part, for her benefit and future.

I will definitely be posting further bits and pieces under this topic to let you all know how things are going and what the progress is, as I hope the rest of you will do as well. I am enjoying reading about other peoples journeys and triumphs, it also gives me inspiration to write about ours.

I also can't wait to check out the diving, something we don't do here that much anymore because it is just too expensive!

Edited March 19, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[Whynot]

Well said Donovan!

[Caz]

My poor dad recently asked me out of curiosity how much I pay each month on schooling for my two boys. The eldest attends Grade R at a private school (the only English school in town, so we basically have no choice) and the youngest aged 3 goes to playschool halfday(no discount for halfday, same price as full day).

The staggering amount that I gave him is more than minimum wage. And that is just to attend school, never mind being fed, clothed, transported, medicated, protected, etc. I have not had any reason to discuss any financial issues with my dad in the past, after what I told him I'm sure he won't ask again for fear of being shocked.

I would like to know whether it is more helpful having a British passport, while not being a British citizen per sé? The reason I'm asking is because my husband used to hold a British passport (by legacy of his British father) but due to poor relations with his father never renewed once it expired. Our family currently uses SA passports.

Anyway, good luck with the application & journey. I look forward to continue reading your contributions!

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@cmh

We don't even talk about the schooling and the rest of the expenses that we incur every month for our daughter. The main reason at the moment that we only have one child is the fact that we don't want to have to say no to her one day when she comes home and asks to go on that hockey or netball tour. Sorry honey, it's too expensive and we can't afford to send both of you on tours, so unfortunately you both have to suffer. That is something I heard often as a child and I was the only one. The main reason for doing what we are doing is to give her the kind of opportunities she won't get here.

On the British passport thing. Firstly if your hubby still has the expired passport, he can go to the British Consulate and renew it without having his dad around. I see you live in Limpopo so the nearest to you would be the consulate in Pretoria. All you need is the expired passport, 2 colour passport photos (may be one, take two just in case) and at last check, ₤400.00 and you are all set to apply. They give you the forms there and the passport usually takes about 7 working days. On the second point, the only time a British passport will help you in the emigration process is if he was born in the UK. You are then exempt from writing the IELTS and automatically score points for "spouses english language abilities" section of the main visa applicants points test.

Thanks for the wishes and good luck with your visa application.

Edited March 19, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[HansaPlease]

Hi HEOJ,

Really enjoyed reading your thoughts, and the replies. With your attitude, I think you'll do great over here. Best of luck with the process.

[SANZOZ]

I would like to know whether it is more helpful having a British passport, while not being a British citizen per sé?

Unfortunately not at all

[Donovan83]

I applied with a british passport, it made no difference. The only difference is that I think you can go there on a working holiday visa and some other benefits, but for PR application, it makes no difference.

[Caz]

Thanks everyone for the response on the British passport question, which was just as I expected. Now to get back to the riveting reading and I will try not to hijack a thread again...

[HadEnoughofJuju]

What turned the sceptic.

My wife has always been the one to find the positive in everything. No matter what the circumstance are that surround her, she will make the best of it. I on the other hand am the slightly more negative one, I tend to see more than one side to every situation and explore all possibilities before making up my mind. (Not always a good thing though).

This journey we call "migration" (implies that we will return one day - I think not) started with a small seed planted by a rather large organisation that we all know very well, the Tshwane Metropolitan Council. I was driving past their offices (20 January 2012) in Centurion one morning after having fetched the hostel dwellers in our school (I drive the bus in the mornings for a bit of extra cash) only to notice that the gates were closed and that the employees were being told to go home by the security guards manning the gates. Normally this would have not bothered me too much (being a government institution and all). Maybe the power was off or there was some kind of plumbing problem (I sure wouldn't want to go to work if the loo's weren't working properly), but this morning it turned out to be a very different story. I heard later that day, from one of my colleagues, that the court had attached the metro offices assets and that the sheriff was there to execute the order. A scary thought but unfortunately a reality. I later also read an article describing how the metro council was in serious financial trouble without much of a light at the end of the tunnel (because they failed to pay their Eskom bills).

Working for a government institution this really scares me. Who pays our salaries? That's right, the government. Even if you have a school governing body position, the public schools are still very much reliant on subsidies and grants given to them by the education department. They also struggle to collect school fees (which pay for the SGB positions, because in this country education is basic right (which is fair) however neither the parents nor the government have the money to pay for it. If they don't have the money to keep their buildings running properly, how then are can they be expected to pay their employees? Just a thought. I mentioned the metro council's little problem to my wife, we talked about it a bit, but that was it, nothing much further was said. A couple of days later, that infamous character (dare I even mention his name) Juju, popped up in the news once again. As you may have all gathered from my forum name, I do not like him at all. I have always maintained that the politics in this country are very one sided and that there is no real sign of it ever turning around. I mean look at our dear friend Helen Zille, even she is irritating the minority voters with her attempts to fit in with the majority voters by doing the industrial cha-cha on stage at the DA's political rallies.

After seeing Juju on the news (for the umpteenth time) and commenting that even though he has been "disciplined" he still remains an active part of the political arena and has a huge following and will probably never go away, was when, for the first time since we have known each other, my wife mentioned the idea of emigrating. I was floored and had absolutely no logical response for her, I just sat there and listened to her trying to convince herself that staying in South Africa was not a good idea. She listed reason after reason while I just sat and listened. Eventually she came to the conclusion that going was the only option left and that it would be in the best interest of our family's future, and again I was dumbfounded and did not know what to say other than to agree, as this is how I have felt for some time now.

Here is just a small list of reasons why she (and I) thought it was a bad idea to stay:

• The quality of our child's primary and high school education.
  
• Will I be able to afford to send her to University?
  
• Will she get a job once she has graduated?
  
• The ever diminishing state of political affairs, freedoms and democracy.
  
• Not being able to survive financially anymore. Inflation is always higher that salary increases.
  
• Retirement - if we can't afford to live now, how can we be expected to save for the future?
  
• Personal safety - it's not a question of if anymore but one of when is something going to happen?
  
• Will I loose everything I have worked for in the name of correcting past inequalities?
  
• Do we have job security?
  
• A big one for me - the secrecy bill - If politicians can do what they want and not have to tell anyone, where is this country headed?
  
• Being forced to live in a complex for security reasons.
  
• Service - when last were you at a safe and clean public park, dam, or recreation area?
  
• The never changing reverse racism. Why should our children suffer for the things our forefathers got up to?
  
• Inequality in the work place. People getting promoted ahead of you while you still carry their workload.
  
• Constantly paying taxes - for what I'm not sure - and then being levied extra to pay for things the taxes should have been used for in the first place.
  
• Corruption, again back to that secrecy bill thing.
  

OK, this list is starting to get me very depressed about the state of affairs that this country is in and the amount of time we will still have to wait before we can go, so I am going to stop now, let me assure though that the list goes on and on and on... You see, even those people in this country that are positive, will eventually change their minds. I hope for their part that it is not too late for them to do something about it once they do have a change of heart. I am still trying to understand what it really was that changed her mind and made a person who is so rooted be prepared to make such a drastic change in her life.

One thing is very apparent to me though, once you have a child in your life, you stop doing things that benefit you and start doing things that benefit them, no matter what the level of discomfort you will go through. I guess a mothers and parents instinct about and protection of their child is strong force that no man (or country) dare threaten. I am just grateful that she has changed her mind now and not waited for the point where things are so expensive and inflation is so ridiculous that we have to start putting expiry dates on our currency and dropping off zeros every six months because the amount no longer fits the bill so to speak.

When I look and think about everything we as a family have discussed, I can only draw one conclusion. Eventually all the little things begin to pile up, and continue piling up until you can no longer bare the weight and you just have to open your eyes, heart and mind and accept what is happening to (and in) this country of ours. I guess the burden eventually got to my wife.

Edited March 23, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[Orion25]

HI There,

I've been following your post with interest until I read this above and it struck a very tender cord within me.

My husband wanted to leave SA 16 years ago and I said NO, well we have been in Oz 2 months on Sunday an I am so glad we have made the decison. All the reasons you list above and many more made me decide that we had no choice but to pull my 3 children away from our family and the only life they have ever known, in the hopes of giving them bigger and better opportunities.

Well my eldest aged 13, does not want to return to SA he says he loves the freedom here too much. (he misses his friends and family though). My daughter aged 11 does not want to return either for the same reasons.(she too misses her friends and families). My youngest 4.5years rides his bicycle 2km to school with his elder siblings and says he loves Australia and the school and the parks and the birds and he can ride his bicycle all over!!! And he has realised all this at his age.

You ARE making the right decision it is NOT easy to leave but youwill love Oz and with your attitude you WILL make it work.

Good luck in this process.

See you soon in OZ.

T

[SML]

Hi,

I was like your wife! My husband has wanted to leave for a while now but I kept saying no. Then we had twin boys! I'm glad we were here for their first 2 years as having a nanny was extremely useful BUT we can't stay here!

I changed my mind for all the reasons you list above. As my dad said the other day, it's a cul-de-sac here.

Anyway, as hard as it will be moving so far away, we can't wait! Bring on May!!

Thanks for your posts!

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@Orion25

I hope that I did not upset you too much! Thanks for following the posts and I hope you will continue to do so. It has been very cathartic for me to share what is going on. Although it will be difficult to go when the time comes, I know this is the best decision for us.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and well wishes and good luck with your new future in Australia.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@SML

It's a general trend that I have seen throughout this forum. Once you have children, everything changes. You start seeing normal everyday things in a completely different light. I have to agree with you, your children become your number one priority and everything you do, and all the decisions you make are made with them foremost in your mind.

Thanks and good luck with you emigration journey.

P.S. I like your dad's description "cul-de-sac", It puts what we are experiencing and feeling into words.

Edited March 23, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[HadEnoughofJuju]

The decision to go.

Well, my wife finally made up her mind that we needed to emigrate somewhere around the end of January so we started discussing our options. My mother was born in the UK so I hold a British passport by virtue of descent. She then started doing research on the internet about the European Union, what countries are in the list and climatic conditions and came to the conclusion that anywhere that has English as an official language is wet, cold and never sees the sun while the rest of the countries with fair weather similar to that of South Africa, we would need to learn a new language just in order to communicate and find work.

That's when she stumbled on the idea of Australia and we started looking and reading up on all the different visa options and criteria and new immigration laws coming into affect on 1 July 2012. It was also during that research that we came across this forum and she immediately signed up and started reading through the threads. I will admit, that in the beginning I told my wife that these kinds of forums are annoying and not very informative, boy was that a wrong assumption to make.

It was then that I started looking at different migration agents out there, the services and options that we have at our disposal and any other information I could lay my eyes on. The option to self lodge must have escaped me and I started sifting through the different agents and checking that they were legitimate, above board and not just out to steal my money. A lesson I hear that many people have learnt the hard way. We also learned some valuable lessons through this whole process, among others, look before you leap. We felt a bit pressured by the new laws coming into affect on 1 July 2012 so we narrowed down the migration agents and eventually settled on ASA Migration Consultants. They seemed the most thorough and professional bunch in our opinion so we signed up and did the initial assessment and found that we were in the running for the 175 or 176 SS visas. We then paid the AUD 50.00 for them to do a more in depth assessment based on my wife's qualifications and work experience.

We received almost an instantaneous response from the CEO of the company detailing all the assessment criteria and what visa options we may have. He also stated that the initial assessment was for a 175 Skilled Migration Visa but that they would re-assess the visa class once they had received the complete visa application file and would only then decide whether or not to apply for a 175 or 176 SS visa. I personally hope that they go for the 176 SS as I have heard that the processing times are shorter in comparison to the 175. This is another reason why we decided to use an agent and not go the self-service route, they are able to make the best decision on which visa application to lodge based on the information in the visa application file. I have heard and read of so many people who have gone the self-service route only to have their applications rejected by DIAC because of some sort of misunderstanding or submission of the wrong documents for the visa class selected. Yes using an agent has turned out to be the more expensive option to use but in the long run, I believe, that it was the best decision for our situation.

After receiving the detailed assessment we then decided to appoint ASA Consultants as our migration agents and signed the mandate and handed over what we felt like was our life savings. My dear wife is an English teacher and about three years ago decided that the material they had at their disposal, which came from the department of education and various others sources, needed to be complied and made relevant for the children today. She took two years to compile, write and edit two text books, one for Grade 8's and one for Grade 9's - English second language. Both of these books have sold, in my opinion very well and without them we would have not been able to survive, the proceeds from these books have also made it possible for us to start the emigration process. Once we had paid the agents, they made a myriad of documents, checklists and forms and, and, and... Available to us, a very overwhelming experience, so much so that I had to close the checklists, website and forms and go and have a strong cup of coffee and just sit and gather myself. After the slight heart attack and several cups of coffee, I went back to reading through the checklist and wondering if it was going to be possible to get everything they were requesting (that is a whole other thread on it's own). We sat and discussed it for a while and then I decided that I needed to sleep on it. Everything I was going to need to get was going to be a challenge and I was not sure where to begin nor if I was actually going to be successful at getting my hands on the stuff.

I knew just one thing, we had decided to do this for the sake of our child's, and ultimately our family's future and there was nothing that was going to stop me from giving this the best attempt I could. In the next post I will try and detail all the documents and evidence that we have had to get, as well as a few small miracles that have happened along the way that have shown me that this was the right decision to make and that it's just meant to be.

Edited March 27, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[New Aussie]

Good luck with all!