Newbie's

[Roxandall]

Hello to all the members. I'm Roxanne. My family and I made the discission to immagrate in Jan 2012. My husband was head hunted last year by the same gentleman who is sponsering our move, who contacted us in Jan after a company move.

My husband and I have been together for 7 years and from the get go we knew that we wanted to end up in OZ. It was a dream that we didn't really think would come true.

It's coming true now, and I am over the moon everyday I wake up.

We are headed to Port Hedland, my husband will be a earthmoving mechanic there and I will be studying an advanced diploma in animal husbandry and will be actively envolved in conservation.

We have a 3 year old son, Nicholas who is the main reason for all our effort,and he will be traveling with us. He will be enjoying the freedom from fear and the prospect of a great future.

I got on to this forum after a couple of visits via google search's and thought I could also be apart of the big picture, share info in mistakes too.

Mistakes that dear Jordy has helped me fix. Thank you.

We currently live in benoni. And our application prosess is nearly complete. We have our medicals on the 16th april and then we get to hear if our 457visa app is accepted.

Looking forward to future chats and readings.

[Dryad]

Hi Roxanne,

Welcome to the forum! Good luck with the rest of the application and moving process!!!

[KangaRoux]

Welcome, All the best with your move!

(null)

[Nev]

Good luck, We are also here on a 457, it can go slowly then really fast on a 457 so get ready for the roller coaster, but it is well worth it

[Jordy]

Port Hedland....popular holiday place for what are called the Grey Nomads during winter. Welcome.

[Cramer]

Welcome and enjoy the ride

[TheFilanders]

Welcome and all the best!!!

[Roxandall]

thank you for all the welcome wishes, it really means alot to me. We have sent off our 1066 and 965 forms, monday is our medical's. I really cant wait to hear the verdict.

I have a question about the medicals, my husband only has one kidney, he does not need any medication nor is he in any risk of needing serious medical attention. Is there some thing i have to fill out to state this or get one from the doctor?

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Hi Roxanne

Welcome to the forum my fellow Benonite. Good luck with the journey and we hope everything comes off without hitch!

Edited April 12, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[Enrica]

Good luck and welcome to the forum

[Roxandall]

We have our medicals tomorrow. I dont do to well with needles but I have to be a big mommy fo rmy son, keep a straight face with some nurse who I dont know sticks a needle in my arm, ARGG.

Our applications are with our agent and he said all looks very good.

Alot of our stuff is packed, all our stuff has been sold and all the rest given away.

Does anyone know what the food is like in OZ? I haerd from relatives in NZ that the chicken is awefull. I love chicken and a great steak.

[Roxandall]

I Need advise please:

1. my husband and I have ofr road biking kit that we would like to take with us. I understand they need to be clean. How clean and can we send them to Oz?

2. how to keep your 3yr old son occupied on the plane trip. Any tips on gadgets to pack? we are buying the leapfrog for him but that will only keep him occupied for so long. Do that have rules that kids are not allowed to run around the plane?

Thanks

[Malans]

Hey Roxandall! Good luck and all the best with your move.

With regard to your offroad biking gear, we packed 4 bikes in our container and some (basic) gear. I took our bikes to the bike shop to be cleaned and packaged for international transit. The gear (helmets, camel back, saddle bags etc.) we cleaned really well and power hosed whatever we could (even did the inside of our golf bags!). I think that as long as you clean everything very carefully, it should be fine.

Having said all this, we haven't got our container yet :-) It's here in Sydney and busy going through customs at the moment, so I'll let you know if we have any problems. But honestly, if they find any dirt on anything I think I'll faint! We cleaned SOO carefully.

Good luck :-)

[Nev]

Been here for 2 months now and have to agree, i dont like the chicken at all, we have tried 2 places as well as the expensive stuff and the texture is different which puts me off

The meat and sausages are lekker tho, you get what you pay for so dont go for the cheapest but the medium priced is good

[Roxandall]

thank you so very much for the heads and points.

We went for our medicals and all but emmanuel got the thumbs up. We now have to get a letter from the urologist stating that emmanuel is fit and healthy with his one kidney. Oh well.

[miraclebabycaw]

thank you so very much for the heads and points.

We went for our medicals and all but emmanuel got the thumbs up. We now have to get a letter from the urologist stating that emmanuel is fit and healthy with his one kidney. Oh well.

Don't worry about it. I had to get 3 letters. 2 for my kids who were both born prematurely (even though there is nothing wrong with them) and I had to have one due to high BMI associated with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and due to the fact that I am on medications for it. I spent a couple of tense weeks thinking the worst but my visa was approved with no issues. The letters are more a precaution then waiting till the medicals have been sent and then the MOC coming back and stating they need letters etc.

Good luck.

[Roxandall]

thanks you for putting me at ease.

[Roxandall]

I had my first emotional break down last night.

I thought I should write letters to my family, expressing things that I otherwise could not do face to face. on writing my mothers letter, I got to the part of my moms 50th birthday present, which is next year. I have planned to bring her over for a visit. I dont know what came over me but I burst into tears.

My mother and I have not had an easy relationship since I can remember, only after I fell pregnant in 2007 did we manage to put aside our differences and build on our relationship. I never thought I would have this type of relation with her. It just over whelmed me - the thought of leaving her, here.

If i'm teary so early what is going to happen when we say bye. I know she is going to really turn on the water works, and I will suggest that she not come to the airport, It will make it very difficult for me to leave on a good emotional aura. My mom had to wish my sister off to USA in 2010, she went to look after some peoples kids for a year. I was there and not only does she make it a tearfull affair but she then fights with everyone else around her.

Our application will be going in this week, we have proufe read the application for the 3rd time and now everything seems to be correct. so we are looking at a departure in the next two months. oh boy.

I am not a very emotional person and I thought I was ready to leave, but the duration of the application has broken my strength down, I've been lifted and thrown down quite a few times as I'm sure most of the members have.

Ah I feel a little rejuvinated after typing this, thank you for reading.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Hi Roxanne

We have only been at this since 4 Feb 2012 and I have already had a couple of those emotional breakdowns. I thought I was the strong one. I am also struggling with leaving my mom behind, she turned 71 today and with the way parent visas are going I may never be able to get her there with us. Good luck with the application, I hope all goes well for you.

Edited April 22, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[Roxandall]

@had enough of Juju. I'm so sorry to hear that. What is going on with the parent visas'? What about a pension visa?

[Malans]

Hey Roxandall :-) Just to follow on from my previous post regarding biking gear in the container - our container got cleared without any problems. So you should be fine with your gear, just clean it well.

With regard to your post above, it's perfectly ok to have a meltdown every now and then. This is a tough process and I think we all have (and still do) have our days. I found that not having my parents (or family) at the airport was better for my kids and I. I got friends to drop us off (hubby left a couple of weeks ahead of us) and I was able to get on the plane feeling pretty ok and excited and my girls weren't distressed.

I found that my last couple of weeks in SA were the most stressful ever - very emotional, I started second guessing myself and questioning our decision. Once I was on the plane it was a strange kind of calm. I knew we'd done the right thing and that (for me) the tough part was over.

Good luck and all the best.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Hi Roxandall

As I understand it the parent visas and pension visas all require rather large bonds which are completely out of our budget and they also take a long time to get processed, that coupled with the fact that my mom does not pass the balance of children test, we are not sure if it will ever happen.

Edited April 25, 2012 by HadEnoughofJuju

[New Aussie]

We had a farewell party with the family over a weekend. It was awesome. Nobody spoke about our immigration. When we said our goodbye's we kept it short and simply. Youre not saying "goodbye", youre saying "see you later".

You will mis your family alot we you are here, it is only human. Allow yourself to work through the emotions and remind yourself your reasons for immigrating.

Good luck and remember: "you are not alone". Whe are hundreds of thousands that have migrated.

[Roxandall]

Its been awhile, we have been in the dark for a couple of weeks. 2 days ago we get a mail from the agent requesting that we get private medical cover....this was to be sorted out by the sponsor who reassured us 2 weeks before the visa was sent to the agent that he would be arranging the medical aid. so you can proberbly understand when I hint the roof!!! I couldnt believe this HUGE set back. After 3 weeks of waiting to hear if our app got accepted we find out it hadn't gone in yet. AGGGG!!

I knew that we needed the medical and really thought it was all sorted. Well it is all sorted now. The medical aid is almost final and the light is coming into view again.

On a more personal note. Since Jan this year, when we decided to immagrate, I thought I'd like to have a final say to my biological father who left when I was 3yrs old. I found my cousin on face book and mailed him. I didnt hear anything from him since then, that was Jan. 2 days ago I get a mail back, my father had committed suicide in feb this year. He has a family (another) that he has now left behind. so now I am faced with calling apon them or not. facing the family as the other daughter. the one he left behind, disgarded. now I might seem like I'm fishing for inheritence or something other than to know my family and who my father was.

[Mara]

Hi Roxandall and welcome to our world!

Just wanted to check about your studies. You do realise that whilst you are on a 457 you will be regarded as a foreign student and will have to pay over the top for any studies that you undertake?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings if you were not aware of this.