Visa's Granted! What now?

[MargotOrch]

So our visas came through on the 1st of June... I am hoping to leave in the first week / 10 days of July... It this too optimistic of me? My home is not sold but I don't need to be here to sell it... leave in capable hands of property agent? 

Need to arrange to move my money? How long does this take? I have already arranged for quotes on removals in the next week... How long do they generally need in terms of notice to come and pack up? How long do containers take to get to the destination address? 

 

[Riekie]

It's hard to answer these as each individual situation is different.  We sold our house to someone who came to our garage sale - no agent nothing.  Other people struggle months.  We had a 2nd property we only sold after we've been in Australia a few years and it was an absolute nightmare to get anything done in South Africa!  Took forever to finalise!

 

Moving money could be as easy and instantly as a bank transfer or bank cheque which you simply deposit this end.  Or it could involve having to call up annuities, getting tax clearance certificates etc which could take weeks.

 

Removalists are very quick to arrive for a quote but depending on their workload may not be able to pack you up in the next week.  Our stuff took forever (months) to get to Australia as the container was sitting in a shipping yard for weeks and no one knew where it was. 

 

There is no quick way and no quick answer. Make sure you have all your facts (dates, timelines, costs, money availability, etc. sorted and tied down before you make any hasty moves.  Finding accommodation in Australia when you arrive here is another factor to consider.  Depending on where you're going, you could struggle to find what you want, where you want and when you want it. 

 

Moving countries is not an easy venture but we've all been through it and we all survived.  Just be realistic with your expectations.

 

 

[RCJames]

Hi

 

I have been recommended the following:

 

Exchange4free (To take money Out)
https://exchange4free.com

 

Take Furniture Out
http://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/en-za/

 

Since you have your visas you should be able to get a bank account in Oz.

[AlwaysThankfull]

IMHO a bit too optimistic, but hey do it and give me hope, i still have till 1 october... read the 100 step process, see how many of that you have done to give you an idea, but my hoof always said: daar is n goudpot van tyd in die aand

 

transferring cash is relatively quick but  you may need to apply for extra offshore clearance from SARB that can take a while

 

containers take 8-10 weeks after packing, packing takes 2 days by company. quite a few things you need to do to ready your container

 

 

[RedPanda]

Bit late with my reply, so I'll just say: Good luck! All the best with your move, hope it goes smoothly for you.