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Introduction


Pieter1986

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Hi Everyone,

Would just like to introduce myself to the site and tell my story.

I visited my brother and his wife for the first time in 2011 and loved it. I met with an Immigration Consultant to see what the chances would be for me to come over to Australia, he said the easiest would be for me to extend my holiday and find a job and that this is the only way. I couldn't extend my holiday as I had a job to come back to.

So on my visit in 2012 my brothers boss suggested I go and see the agent that they use to bring employees in. He set up a meeting for early in Jan 2013. So me and my sister-in-law go of to the meeting and the agent was really helpful and gave me all the options that was available to me. So we decided that the best one for me would be the State Nomination Visa. Having got all the information I had a few days to think about all of this before my return to South Africa. My brother gave me some wonderful advise, "you have to decide what you want to do before you leave, cause once you get home everyone will try and change your mind". So by the time I left my mind was made up, this is what I want to do.

Coming back I was really exited and really wanted to get the process going. Then it took a while to get the information from the agent as he was ill. By the time I got more information, doubt kinda started to set in my mind, am I doing the right thing. Didn't really know what to do so I just delayed everything. Brother on the other side nagging me and wanting to know what is happening. So one Thursday knight I was lying in my bed and thought to myself the best thing to do is, is to pray. So that is what I did. I asked the Lord that if this is what he wants me to do that he must give me a sign that im doing the right thing. The next day I got my sign. I had to go to bank to do the deposit payment but always had an excuse that it was to busy at work and that I couldn't get time away. That Friday we had a power failure at work, now our offices is at my bosses house and they have 3 fase electricity. Only the office was left with no power, that was the sign I was looking for. No more excuse boy, off you go the bank to do that deposit payment to the agent.

So firstly I had to do Vetassess. I got all the papers together that I needed and then the dreaded talk to the owners of the company that I work for to give me the papers to verify my working experience. We are a very small company with 5 people in the office and I have been working here for more that 5 years. I am like another child in the house and part of the family. After the talk they were sad to know that I wanted to leave, but know that it is the right decision for me. I then got the papers from them and send everything to the agent. She submitted everything and we should hear back from Vetassess very soon and then I can move forward with the EOI.

Have to say though that collecting all the papers required, hasn't really been much of a problem. The unabridged birth certificate took a lot faster than I was told, which was such a relieve to me. I went into the Department of Home Affairs to apply for the certificate, first the lady at the counter tells me that there are no children registered under my moms ID number, could not understand how this was possible as my brother required one 6 years ago when he moved to Australia. So all she said was, don't worry we will sort it out. After paying and asking how long it will take before the certificate is issued, I was told between 2 and 3 months. Luckily a week later I received an text to say that my certificate is ready for collection. Fantastic news.

Done the BIG IELTS exam last weekend so patiently waiting for the results to come. Holding thumbs that I got the 7 for each area that I required. Hold thumbs please everyone.

Police clearance went just as smoothly. I took in the papers before Christmas and as we know nothing happens during that time. So I got an text early in Jan to say that it is in hand. 2 weeks later and it is ready to be collected.

So now it is the waiting. This is probably the worst time. The more I think about it, the more it becomes a reality and then I think to myself am I doing the right thing. Cant turn back now as I have paid all this money and then other days I know that I am doing the right thing. Like my siter-in-law says, its just the little devil on your shoulder trying to tell you that you are doing the wrong thing.

I think the hardest for me about all of this is, is that I will have to move to a part of the country where I don't know anyone. my brother and his wife stay in WA and I will have to move to SA as this is the closest to them and luckily they have my skill on the list. I have read up a lot on SA and it seems like a nice place to stay.

So if anyone can share more about SA and what to expect that would be great. Hoping to make some friends to help with the change if I get to SA.

So this is where I am at the moment, will keep everyone updated on my progress and on how it went with the dreaded IELTS.

Cheers for now,

Pieter :ilikeit:

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Welcome to the forum Pieter

It sounds a if you are well into your application process, I hope you get the IELT's score you need. It's also a blessing that you have family in Australia, two years goes very quickly and then you will be able to settle wherever you like.

Good luck.

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SA is great. Adelaide is like bloemfontein by the sea, with winefarms :ilikeit:

What more do you need? :whome:

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Welcome to the forum, hope that the rest of your journey goes just as smoothly!

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Welcome Pieter. Holding thumbs for the IELTS results you need. You couldn't have been on a better forum! The people on here are awesome.

We are also going to SA, we are doing all the research possible. Please have a look on the forum under Discussions, then select Communities and select Adelaide SA, there you will find loads of info on suburbs and people that live there etc.

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Welcome and all the best with the remainder of your journey!

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Welcome and congrats for making the decision, you are much further than we are as we only decided Jan 2014 that we are going. So we have started now only with learning about the process and collecting docs.

In our minds we are set on going over so whether we go on a 457,189,190,1234 or 4321 we are going.

Best of luck with your adventure.

The Lehmann Family

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks everyone,

Passed my IELTS, very happy about that. Listening 8, Reading 7, Writing 7 and speaking 8.5.

Still waiting to hear back from Vetassess. Hate doing this waiting game.

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SA is great. Adelaide is like bloemfontein by the sea, with winefarms :ilikeit:

What more do you need? :whome:

I always considered Perth to be Bloemies by the sea ......

Edited by OubaasDik
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Jer 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you."

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Thanks Bams, really needed that.

Just got an email from my agent with some wonderful news. My skill assessment is complete and positive. So happy about that. :ilikeit:

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Welcome and all the best with the rest of the application!

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South Australia isn't such a bad place. You can get to the eastern states of Australia a whole lot easier than from Perth in Western Australia, and there's heaps to see and do on the east coast of Australia.

What sort of work do you do?

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Studied Interior Design, but have been working for a Kitchen Company for almost 6 years now. We do specialised cabinetry for all areas so we do anything to do with cupboards. Kitchens, built in cupboards, studies, bars, tv units, vanities ect. So hoping to find a job in the same field.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Welcome Pieter, and good luck for the waiting! I'm waiting for a reference letter to lodge my skills assessment (did my first skills assessment on the wrong code? and didn't include work experience assessment) so I know how you feel! Hope the rest of your journey goes well!

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Hi @Linz4,

That is terrible. Shame, hope all will go smoothly from now on.

Was lucky enough to get an email from my agent on Friday to say that they have submitted my EOI, so now another round of waiting to hear from them.

Edited by Pieter1986
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Welcome to the forum and best of luck in the rest of your journey.

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That's great news Pieter1986! Holding thumbs you get an invite soon!

Also got good news today, my previous employer is sending my letter with their driver today or tomorrow yay? next step: new skills assessment!

Best of luck!

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Adelaide is great, you'll love it there. Lovely leafy suburbs and property prices are much better than in Perth. All the very best for the final hurdles.

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  • 1 month later...

Update:

Got a nomination to apply for a visa. Cant say it was easy as I had a few stressful weeks trying to sort stuff out to send to the South Australian Government. My college printed my diplomas with my name Pieter on it and not my birth names. Didn't even notice that when I did my skills assessment. Got an email from my agent to say I need to submit an affidavit from them to explain why it was done like that. Had 2 weeks to get that back to the government. So I called the college and asked them to please do the affidavit for me. The head of my department phoned me back to find out exactly what I needed so I explained. 2 Days later I received an email from her to say that they will just reprint my Diploma with the correct names. :angry2: This after explaining to her over the phone that this will not help me as I have already done the skills assessment. Spoke to my agent and asked what should be in the affidavit. She replied and I send the head of the department a draft of what she should put in the affidavit on the Sunday. By Wednesday I did not hear anything back from her so I mailed someone else and asked to please follow it up for me. She emailed me back to say that she has send my email on to the person that I emailed in the beginning. Got an email from her to say i need to phone her Urgently. So I phone her and she tells me that they are not prepared to do the affidavit for me as I chose to get my Diploma printed like that. After a huge argument she stated that they have a meeting later that day and that she will take all my correspondence with and discuss it.

Later that afternoon I received an email with and affidavit attached or at least that was what they called it. Very happy to have it, i didn't really look at it as I was busy at work on site. So get home and look at it properly they couldn't even get my ID number right. So emailed them back and asked for it to be redone with the correct ID and to please get it stamped by a commissioner of oath. Got the new one with no stamp. Phoned the lady that emailed it to me and she tells me the lawyers across the road says that they don't have to stamp it and that this is fine as is. After a huge argument I just put the phone down and phoned another lawyer in town and the receptionist said that it should be stamped otherwise it is not a legal document just as I explained to the stupid people at the college. Phoned the college and told them to go talk to these lawyers. now stressing cause it is Thursday and I need to get the document to my agent before friday as this was the cut of day that they gave us. Phone the whole of Thursday afternoon but no one that could help me was available, how convenient, sure they were just avoiding me cause they had no answers. Then friday morning I get an email from the lady to say that she was off sick on Thursday, what nonsense that was i spoke to her in the morning. 10 Minutes later received the Stamped Affidavit.

Sent it on to my agent and she came back that the had already sent the Government an email to explain the situation and that I do not need to stress as we complied with the cut off date. She got the affidavit and send it to them on the Saturday and said that she hopes to hear from them in the next week. Monday morning I woke up to and email to say that I have been successfully nominated to apply for a visa.

So after all that I was so relieved, all I have to do now is to do the payment to the agent which I will do tomorrow and then its back to the waiting and stressing. Final step, so excited.

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  • 2 months later...

Medicals on Tuesday. Things are moving along slowly. Soon it will all be done. :ilikeit:

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