Overthinking things

[Duke1989]

Good day guys,

Personally I think most of us have the “problem” called, uncertainty. Moving abroad is probably one of the biggest and most difficult decisions one has to make. I read somewhere about “Lessons about successful migration”, no 1 is “He who hesitates is lost - Apply to migrate now! Uncertainty leads to procrastination – the thief of time! You should always apply for your visa immediately while you are eligible, rather than later, because the rules are constantly changing, your circumstances never stay the same and as you grow older, migration becomes more difficult. A combination of these three factors proves the age old wisdom of the proverb above. Even if you can’t get the exact visa you want, just get a better visa than the one you have now. So don’t wait - it may be too late! ”,

Uhm this is difficult for someone with a typical engineering/accounting personality. I want to know the outcome even before I attempt something, and this alone is a deal maker/breaker.

I am 26, no partner, no dependants and eligible for a Skilled Independent 189 Visa. My biggest fear is that I leave my “okay” lifestyle in SA and hit a wall when I arrive in Oz. I am prepared to do any job to keep me on my feet, for as long as it takes. I have the funds to procure the visa, and I can make a plan to get the flight tickets etc, but I can’t survive for 6 months with no income. Realistically, must I have the funds to survive for a month? Two? Three?

People tend to tell me, “Take it one step at a time… Make a decision, see a consultant, IELTS, get documentation, accredit qualification, EOI, apply etc.” Any advice will be appreciated. My thoughts are all over the place.

[RedPanda]

First thing that people lose sight of when they think about this: If you get a 189 visa, you have 5 years to get your act together for the 'big move'. Five years. You will need to activate the visa soonish after it's granted, but that can be a short trip. Then you have several years in which to build up savings to tide you over while you look for work on that side. But if you do this, set yourself a date, and stick to it. Otherwise you will just stay here and never go until your visa expires or you end up moving over in a big rush.

I absolutely agree that you should start the process of visa application asap. The process alone will take you anything from 6 months to one year, already time that you can use to save up. If your application is a straightforward one I would strongly suggest you do it yourself to save money. If you are really stressed about the info before submission, you can inquire with migration agents about services to go through your application and check it for you.

I did ours, very simple, got a direct grant. It's totally do-able.

From reading what other people say on the forum it mostly takes about 3 months to get the first job. You have to be able to support yourself for longer than that before you go, esp considering what you said about your personality. The thing is, immigration is expensive, but going over too soon and having to return is worse.


When you think about your lifestyle here, think about the things that you like, maybe even make a list for yourself, and also the things that you don't like. Make sure you get an idea of what you personally find important in life. Then draw up the same kind of list of Australia. If you don't have the information, then ask, read, look it up. The best is to go on an LSD trip. Some people use their activation trip as an LSD trip, see what Aussie is like. You have to be honest with yourself, and nobody else can answer this for you: What do you want from the environment you live in? RSA is not for everyone, obviously, but Australia is not for everyone either.

So, start getting your UBC, book an IELTS test, find out what you will need to have your skill assessed, and then in the meantime start asking yourself those questions.

[Mara]

Welcome Duke, it is sage advice that RedPanda has given you. Welcome to our corner of cyberspace. I do hope you find the answers to the many questions you are going to have.

Remember, it is sometimes easier to do this on your own, there is no one else to consider and you can get fairly cheap accommodation initially, in a shared home.

My favourite mantra is always to go where the jobs are for your qualifications... the more choice you have... the easier it may be to find a job!

[StephenR]

Welcome Duke. My wife and I are in the final stages of application for a 189, having started the process in March of this year and expecting a decision by Christmas. I have done extensive research on Australia as a country and Sydney in particular. I am very happy to share what I have learnt with you, please send me a direct message and we can arrange a chat. What I have come to understand is that there is tremendous opportunity in Australia for well educated, driven individuals, and you sound like one of those. I would absolutely take the plunge, get your application in so that at least you have bought yourself an option, and you will have 5 years as RedPanda shared above to prepare, save money and make a final decision. If you have an engineering qualification I am sure you will find all sorts of opportunities are available to you in Australia, from engineering itself as a profession, to commerce, management consulting and more. Good luck and get going!!!

[Charne]

Hi there Duke,

All of us are here because Australia is an attractive option for us.

I dread leaving the familiarity and predictability that comes with staying in South Africa but know from reading posts (what feel like all the posts on this forum) that sooner is better than later. Later in life it can be done but it seems like more of a fuss during the application stages as well as when it comes to searching for jobs in Australia. Oooh, and also trying to save up to move a whole family and then try support them in Australia is a bit more difficult than doing it solo.

My advice is if you have the funds now, apply. Once you have your golden ticket you can visit the chocolate factory and choose to exit it too (am i of topic?).

You require to know the outcome before it's attempted and that is the safest way to go. Surely you would not attempt to apply for a visa you aren't eligible so lets imagine you have that in the bag. All that's left is to know the outcome of your stay in Australia.

I've heard wonderful things about life in Australia and how easy it is to sustain one's self and family and lead a better quality of life. By this i don't mean luxurious life but you'll be able to play ten pin bowling without having your stuff stolen while it's your time to bowl. (oh would you look at that, the events of this weekend still linger in my mind).

I would say a good starting point is taking a look around at the cost of living for a single person per month in Australia and see how attainable that is given your salary here and how long it'll take to save up that kind of cash. It shouldn't be to rough on someone in your field. It is also useful to include some possible deposits on a car and rental property.

I know when I did this exercise I wasn't prepared to burn through my current investments entirely so agreed to forego some luxuries to save up for my likely 3 months of unemployment in Australia in addition to these.

Knowing how much you will need to sustain yourself will give you more certainty and once you see that it is do-able it'll give you courage. It is possible to calculate these figures and make your future projections before just jumping in unknowingly (i know i wont be comfortable with it). It gives you the opportunity to prepare and predict the outcome accurately.

I hope this helps.

Oh and WELCOME to the forum

[Shellfish]

I don't have a view either way as everyone is different and are in different stages of their lives. However, I will say that -

When we arrived in Australia almost 13 years ago - it's was R4.50 to the Aus $. It is now almost R10.

Living in limbo - one place knowing that you are going to leave is frustrating. I know - we are like this at the moment as we think we'll move from Melbourne to Perth. We don't buy things even though we might need them because we know that we will need to either get rid of them or pay to bring them with us. I have also lost the enthusiasm at work (internally, I still fake it well...cause I am woman ). People talk about future projects and prospects and I keep thinking..yep but I probably won't be here.

You say you're single - there is a good chance you'll meet a partner in Australia, settle down and create a network of extended family and friends through their family and friends. That's a big deal - I love my SA hubby but I have friends who are married to Aussies and I do envy that.

[Duke1989]

Ah wow, I am grateful for all the support and valuable advice

@RedPanda- I won’t say 5 years is a long time, let’s say it is a reasonable timeframe to get all of my affairs in order. End Jan/ start of Feb 2017 is my date that I have set, that gives me roughly 15 months to get my mind wrapped around the idea and make sure about every single aspect regarding me spreading my wings. Initially I thought maybe I should first wait for the visa to be issued and then set a date, but I need an end goal to focus on, as I’m sure this will keep me determined and focused on the bigger picture. I am trying my utmost best to make new contacts and building up relationships with people over in Oz as I am sure in the end I will save, even if it is a week on someone’s couch. I am taking this, “make a list” thing to heart, and busy procrastinating the action as I am scared I run out of paper stating every aspect of a future/No future in SA. I am deviating from expressing myself too much regarding SA, as it shall remain “our home”, but just like a baby, the cord must be cut to develop and grow. Monday morning first thing I will make the booking for IELTS and apply for UBC. Thank you again for the effort and time to help all of us that is wandering in the dark.

@Mara- Accommodation is a big worry, it carries its own weight towards the thing called “fear”, https://flatmates.com.au/ I am using this site, and see that there are bigger things to worry about , accommodation is not one of them though.

@StephenR- Congrats on reaching the final stages! I yearn for that, and I am sure passion, determination and a whole lot of internet got you where you are today. I will indeed inbox you asap. Haha I like the way everyone is so positive about Oz! Gives me hope…

@Charne- Well, the thought of going over “alone” is much better than you having to worry about other individuals like you said. According to me, it is never too late to head down under, but 26 should be easier than 30,40 50… And this is an opportunity. I loooooove me some chocolate If I can visit for a LSD I’d obviously take the opportunity and go! But what is your opinion regarding packing up and going with a one way ticket? Impulsive? Stupid? Too optimistic??? Decisions decisions… Sorry to hear about your little “mishap” this weekend, I think we must see that as fuel for the engine driving us to work towards a better future/circumstances. Luxury is a relative term, for a Brit it’s a warm cup of tea, for a Monegasque it’s a diamond, for an American it’s cable TV, Ethiopians sees a drop of water as luxury… For me, it’s a good night’s rest. Regarding the budget, that is one of my main research topics, I am budgeting like never before, I’m even having nightmares about $$$, but I’m sure I’m over budgeting which is not a bad thing. Thank you for the warm welcome! I feel part of an amazing family

@Shellfish- That is one astronomical difference, and the currency alone states that the Aussies is doing something right… That is what I like about people, If we aren’t happy, firstly try to make it work, and if that fails, move. We are not trees... And I am sure you will be very happy in Perth, heard great things ;D . Oeh I sure do hope to meet someone in Oz and settling down, ones got to dream haha.

Thank you all for the amazing feedback, I might make another “one and seventy point nought and thousand #JacobZuma” posts about things bugging me as I experience clarity from fellow enthusiast!

[RedPanda]

Hey Duke, if you know which city you want to go to (also keeping in mind the job opportunities in your field, you can try seek.com for a better idea of current availability) you can start following people and threads specifically about that city. Especially for the budget, since for example Sydney and Brisbane are very different.

2017... I like it. Go for it!

[JackoFam]

Hi Duke.

I see you have met with Migrate2Oz. We are using them to process our application, they have been so helpful already, we had submitted dh's skills assessment last week to Engineers Australia and there is a query that they are helping us work through.

Our application is complicated by our age (41) and dh's degree is pre-1999 so we have to do the full CDR route for the skills assessment but with your age and degree it should be pretty simple.

Good luck for your journey ahead

[RedPanda]

3123 Electrical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians 1000 6

If this is the occupation you are applying under, then you are pretty much guaranteed to get an invitation with 60 points. Since 1000 is the allotted number of visas and 6 is the number granted so far. This is the link where you get this information updated SkillSelect . Look at the Occupation Ceilings tab.

[Charne]

Good morning Duke.

In my opinion, a one way ticket isn't as crazy as it might sound at first. That's the way I'm going. Purchased my ticket for April 2016 and voila! Hey and there's nothing wrong with being a well informed optimist (optimism is erroneously associated with ignorance at times).

Personally I've never been Australia and didn't have an LSD trip. The costs involved in undertaking an LSD trip vs the value I feel it would've given me didn't justify the cost (Others might find LSD trips mandatory but i suppose it depends on your personality). For me, I have confidence in what you can experience via the internet. You can get a feel for the place by searching cost of housing in areas, the types of jobs available, the population in the area, climate and best of all forumites compare them to places you might be familiar to.

So what if you end up picking an area based on your internet experience alone and hate it? Move. You're in a great position of not being tied down by having a job which would limit you to living in a specific area.

So to me, packing up and going on a one way ticket is a financially sound decision and many before me have done it and many after me will do it but i think the key to success is doing it prepared.

[JackoFam]

We are also undertaking this with no LSD. We will however do an activation trip before we do the main move - I really hope we love Australia but I suspect we will so am happy taking the chance

[RedPanda]

So you'll be doing an Activation-LSD trip, not to decide if you want to immigrate, but just to see what it's like, and find out where you want to move to? It's also a way to go. I have also heard of other people that just go directly. Depends on the people and their circumstances. We did LSD and an activation trip, now we're pretty sure we like Melbourne. So we're just wrapping up things this side. (If we had to go without knowing the area we would 'DIE'. Probably not, but the stress before would be tremendous, and the doubt once we're there of whether or not we have the right city.) But hey, that's just us.

[JackoFam]

I would prefer to do a LSD trip but decided that we couldn't afford 2 trips, the visa and then the move. We will have to start out wherever dh finds a job so wont have too much choice in where we live. Dh likes the idea of Brisbane (he has cousins living north of there) I don't have a preference at this stage but my sister lives in Sydney so that will be where we will start the activation/LSD trip - hopefully either sept/dec 2016 depending on when we get the visa.

[Duke1989]

@RedPanda- Well well those odds you supplied makes me smile I will definitely investigate seek.com for options. As I have no family or close friends in Oz I am confused as to what city to choose. I actually thought of postponing the “choose a city” part, and see if my 189 visa is granted, if not I’ll have to revert to a state sponsorship which limits my choices… Please describe your activation trip/ LSD in a few words?

@JackoFam- Yes indeed, Reuven @Migrate2Oz is assisting me with all the steps/procedures and tick boxes. You are ahead of me as I am busy preparing all my documentation for engineers Oz atm. Thank you for the good wishes, good luck with your journey too, I am sure it’s the best decision ever. And you are lucky in a sense that you have people waiting for you there (Soft Base Landing Spot).

@Charne- Oh my soul you have 7 moths in counting!!! I’m excited for you sake. Exactly, if the water is too cold, choose another pool. I’m just preparing myself mentally with regards to being more open minded. Don’t expect anything, have standards obviously, but if I have to take a step back in order to move forward in the future, I’d do it with a smile

Oeh oeh and can I just share, I made the registration payment this morning next step IELTS booking and skill assessment with engineers Oz!

[RedPanda]

If you want to read about our activation trip you can look at Interlude that I wrote in the Journal section. If you are interested in more general ramblings try The Panda and the Wolf move to Australia but at the moment it has a bunch of posts about relocation companies and quotes and getting the first short term stay rental. ...and one-way-tickets.

But you can look at Interlude, for an idea of Melbourne.

[Charne]

Hi Duke,

You're good hands with Reuven and his team at Migrate2Oz, they handled our application too.

I'm counting 5 months to prepare, cause I'm leaving 4 April 2016. I'm also excited (or I've convinced myself the butterflies are excitement butterflies not nervous butterflies) but trying to be strong cause you're brain does funny things once you have the Visa and need to wrap your mind around leaving

I have an excuse to go shopping for luggage now.

[Duke1989]

As I read your post it was a roller coaster of emotions, all good of course, and one thing I am looking forward to is restoring my faith in humanity regarding trust... "But when you are there and your passport is stamped and you realize that this place is going to be your home(actually, it is your home, you are going back for a 'visit' to SA)" this is an eyeopener!!

@Charne- Well that is good news, I have no other choice as to trust him with my future. Oh my soul 5 months! It's exciting times, and I am experiencing the "butterflies" in my early stages, so I can just imagine how you must feel... New quality luggage is so pricey! But worth it I guess, when I pitch up in Oz and walk through the terminal for my first time you'd be able to see my smile from the MOON! So there will be no time struggling with uncooperative luggage

[EmNew]

Hi Duke,

Welcome to the roller coaster ride !

We went via Reuven and his team at Migrate2Oz....just didn't want to leave anything to chance as time age wise was not on our side.

The decision to go was easy, but the hurdles along the way, and the waiting game you play all the time, did eat away at our already frazzled nerves. We decided to move as quickly as possible, so a week or so after our visa was granted, we listed our house, I started wrapping up my business , hubby informed his work, and we booked our one way tickets.

We had never been to Australia, and didn't want to do the LSD / activation trip. Not just a financial drain, but we felt that if we were committed to the application process, we would follow through to actual emigration asap. We chose a start city based on the employability of us both, and Melbourne came out tops with Sydney.

So we're now one month and a few days into our new lives in Melbourne. Hubby secured a job in our first week, and now I am earnestly looking around for one too. Yes, the financial worries are there, but we lived frugally once we made decision to apply for the visa, and did a detailed AUD budget before we left, using tools like Coles online shopping trolley, posts on this forum, and a lot of Internet research.

We had no expectations of life here, beyond what we googled. One month in, and we're in love......Personally I feel more at home here than I ever did back in RSA. The open friendliness of all we have encountered overwhelms us. From polite greetings whilst waiting for the elevator, to a random stranger at Coles giving me his personal favorite ice cream flavours when he noticed me looking in awe and indeciveness at the variety, to the ticket vendor at the station explaining all our myki options and what mistakes not to make. We've been made to feel so welcome here.

I do not regret our decision to jump into the deep end with the one way ticket. Yes, it is emotionally draining and hard, but it forces you to be open and embrace the new life.

[RedPanda]

Hi EmNew, I'm so glad to hear that your first experiences include such happy ones!

[Duke1989]

Haha never relay enjoyed Gold Reef City but this is a rollercoaster shaking up emotions I never knew I even had… #Surprise! My thought exactly, they do charge a massive amount for their services but in the end it is little compared to what I will get out.

Well I also did some research on possible cities, and Melbourne came out tops. Won’t mind making this a reality, but I will go anywhere, just to get my “foot in the door”.

Thank you for this amazing news, it makes the rest of us the slightest bit more determined and focused. Please keep on sharing new things, surprises and anything that may prep us for the life down under

[Bob]

Given your circumstances, being single, I don't understand where the "fear" and "uncertainty" come from.

Having just been in London and Europe for the past six months, there are heaps of young Aussie and New Zealander back packers who go to Britain for a two year working holiday.

There are loads of young backpackers travelling around Australia from all over Europe . . . Britain, Holland, Germany, France . . . and we come across them in their camper vans moving and working around Australia.

You'd just be another young backpacker, among the hundreds of thousands of them, that take to the skies, land in another part of the world and just make a life trip for themselves. . . . . . no fear and uncertainty there!

Anyone who wants to work in Australia will find work, or some sort or another. You've just got to be willing to go out there and find it.

My youngest daughter in her mid-twenties is working in British Columbia, Canada for two years, with a possible extra two year extension, as I write.

I had no anxiety or fear or uncertainty of her going.

I know she is willing to find any sort of work to keep her head above water financially.

All it takes is a sense of adventure.

At 26, the worse that can happen is you don't eat for a day or two until a job comes along and you get some cash in your pocket again.

It's not that big a deal when you think of it. You only have yourself to worry about and a young single bloke in Australia is in clover.

[Duke1989]

Hi Bob. I guess it differs from person to person. I don't feel comfortable to a certain extent and therefore uncertainty develops. Lucky for me, people with compassion and knowledge is helping me through this major experience in my life. Thanks for sharing.

[springmielie]

Good luck with your big decision. I just came back from a 5 week holiday visiting my daughter in Brisbane. If you've get the chance GO. My daughter is 26 and left RSA two and half years ago. She is also in engineering, but was lucky that she had a job (457 visa). Brisbane is a beautiful city. The public transport a breeze, even I went into town on my own using the bus and train to do sightseeing.

[RedPanda]

RSA has a lot of beautiful stuff written into our constitution, but it's often just black marks on a piece of paper or a screen. Aussie is really more accepting of people than what RSA pretends to be. If you are uncomfortable about something, go read up about people like you (whatever 'your group' might be, personally, I'm in the geek group , another reason why I like Melbourne, hehehe) If you can, look for a group on social media, just make sure you get a decent group cause the net can sometimes be a nasty place, and start reading, listening and writing/chatting with them. Ask about life in Aussie.

Really, apart from some personal/family/physical circumstances, 20-somethings should have no fear of the world! After all, we come from one of the most dangerous places in it!