ABC's on Immigrating to Australia

[Lorrand]

Hi there all. We are a family of three (wife and son), we are looking to immigrate to Australia. Seeing that this is a massive event in our lives and will change this forever, i dont want to mess this up or make a move that will disrupt my family completely.

 

What are the processes involved and is it better to go through a migration agent or to do it yourself.

 

Also what are the cost involved and how much do you need to go over with.

 

Thank you in advance

[yolred]

Hi

Not sure if you got your answer already. I see it has been awhile since you posted here.

 

Well to start off this is a really difficult question to answer.

It depends on your situation, we did the visa application ourselves, but ours was relatively straightforward. Also on your financial situation, we wanted to save as much as we could. 

 

Immigrating to another country will be disruptive no matter how you do it, you are moving to a different country. Alot of things that seems like commonsense in SA will not be the same here in Aus, even if English is your first language, the culture is different. 

It will take time to adjust, but luckily we humans are adabtable. 

 

Regarding how much you will need also depends, I have read stories about people who had only a few dollars to work with when they first landed here.

But alot has changed.

 

There are sometimes events held in SA immigration expo, maybe go to one of those if you can.

You can also start by researching this website immi.gov.au 

There is also alot of Facebook groups that you can join.

Just take some with a pinch of salt.

 

Hope this helps.

[Riekie]

@Lorrand It's easier for members to respond and answer questions if you ask more specific questions and provide a bit more information.  Your question is quite an elaborate one to answer and you'll find very few people will have the time it would take to give you a full rundown on every possible aspect of immigration.  

 

I recommend you use the search function to find posts relating to your situation (example if you're a nurse, look for posts with the word "nurse" in them) which will give you more specific answers. 

 

Make a list of all the things you want to know and ask these questions individually, if you cannot find what you look for in the existing forum posts (example: what visa options are available for nurses or how much would it cost for a 20ft container etc.) 

 

There is a 100 step process on this forum that is very handy and gives you an idea of all the things to do or remember when you migrate. 

 

Try and attend a free seminar in South Africa by one of our contributing migration agents.  I know @SD_MOA will be in several locations in South Africa in February for instance.   

 

As mentioned before, visit the Australian Immigration website and use their handy tools to check which visa options could potentially be available to you and you'll also find all the up to date requirements, costs, processing times et. there.  

 

It's a tedious, frustrating, time-consuming process but we've all been through it and it is 100% worth it.  

[TeeTMI]

May be a good starting point