Riekie 1,164 Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 I've been around since 2006 and so have many others in those early days as we flooded the forum with posts and responses, building up a solid reference guide for newbies while at the same time forming many friendships online and offline. Along the way, many new members have joined and they became valuable contributors especially with their more recent experiences but I must be honest I do not know most of the newest members or have had much interaction with any of them mostly because I have not been that active on the forum other than in an admin/tech role these last few years, which is actually quite regrettable. I find it hard to contribute anything useful these days as it has been so long since we made that journey to Australia and most of what was relevant then, is a completely different experience today. I was wondering if there were still some of those oldies around and if they are still actively involved or whether they're mostly lurking like me... 😎 This is actually quite a useless post too... 🤪 Just reminiscing a bit... 🙃 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisH 698 Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 Haha, I'm still around. I find that there are way more fly by night kind of people on here that only come in to ask their question and then move on. People don't really stick around to contribute anything. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riekie 1,164 Posted January 27 Author Report Share Posted January 27 11 minutes ago, ChrisH said: People don't really stick around to contribute anything. That's sad... I remember spending 7+ hours a day on the forum as there were so many questions and so many people needing support and assistance. Then those members in turn became active contributors, paying it forward. It was also a very social experience and we'd yank each other's chains, share stories and sentiments, laugh about our predicaments... We were like a community. It feels very disconnected now. Glad you're still around 😊 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TeeTMI 580 Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 I have held this profile as a Registered Migration Agent since 2012. However, I had previously held another profile when I was a migrant myself - that was from 2009. The forum was very active at that time, including arranging meet-ups in South Africa and Australia. It was really useful to meet others at different stages of the process. There was a lot of cross-country friendship also and I know quite a few people who through those friendships on here found help setting themselves up on this side when they first arrived. Within migration people often do not want to tell their friends and families until they know that they have been successful - this can make people feel a bit isolated. There was a very strong community spirit and it was always useful as we all have ups and downs in the process - government policy changes, COVID happens, you fail your urine test! there is always some big or small issue and the support was tremendous. There are some wonderful stories on here. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riekie 1,164 Posted February 2 Author Report Share Posted February 2 On 1/27/2021 at 5:17 PM, TeeTMI said: There are some wonderful stories on here. Definitely! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jordy 1,335 Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 2007 here 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ottg 515 Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 2006 - but not really active...just visiting 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mara 3,098 Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 I am also visiting, but I must confess, it was great those days, I can remember get togethers where we got up to 300 people! 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nev 649 Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 Im still lurking from time to time, joined in 2012, if does feel really quiet these days Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrsMupersan 258 Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 (edited) Hi all! I've been around since 2006 and was really active on the forum for years. I occasionally pop in to check what's up - maybe every few months or so. It's quite sad that this once thriving community of support has dwindled. I suppose faceache has had a hand in that. Man, we used to have some good laughs - and some 'heated discussions'. 🤣 I'm still friends (in real life, face-to-face contact @MelG @Kerry-Lea 🥰) with people I met on this forum. And the support in those good old days was just incredible - I don't know how we would've managed to immigrate to Aus without it! It seemed only natural that we'd pay it forward. And we did for a time. But we needed to move forward with our lives and here we sit, 15 years later, in our little slice of paradise with a successful business and I'm now in my second year of my bachelor of nursing degree. We're converting an old school bus into a motorhome and we'll be travelling around Aus once I'm qualified. Life is good in Aus! 😎 Edited March 13 by MrsMupersan 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Erik 305 Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Been around since about 2011, I think. Don't visit often anymore, experiences from 2012-2013 are not so relevant anymore. I think forums have given way to chatgroups like facebook and the newer generations probably gravitate towards those now. The help I got here was invaluable at the time and it will always be highly appreciated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisH 698 Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 22 hours ago, Erik said: I think forums have given way to chatgroups like facebook and the newer generations probably gravitate towards those now. Definitely, we're seeing the same thing with the SAAustralia Facebook group. People would rather ask the same question over and over instead of just reading what others have experienced and posted before them. The problem with platforms like Facebook is that its almost like its temporary, nobody is going to spend the time to write up their experiences because in a weeks time it would be lost in a history of 1000 people asking about moving companies and how to bring their pets over. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dugong 38 Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 Became a member in 2008, LSD trip 2010 then life got in the way and 2016 to Aus .... just submitted Citizenship Application !! 18months queue thanks to C19!! Don’t come on much now .... but this place was so useful when I was going through the application process and then in 2016 when I was landing ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisH 698 Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 On 3/27/2021 at 11:26 AM, Dugong said: just submitted Citizenship Application !! 18months queue thanks to C19!! I'm sure I saw a family on one of the FB groups the other day that got their citizenship 2 months after submission. One can only hope. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CyberJoe 228 Posted March 31 Report Share Posted March 31 (edited) We've submitted in October last year and there has been no movement at all. Average wait time indicators are in excess of 18 months and from the few people we know waiting for their applications, none has heard anything. Earliest submission was July last year. Perhaps the Facebook individuals were REALLY lucky but skeptic that I am, I'd take the 2 months with a whole bag of salt. I take it back. Seems like it really depends on where you are! Some smaller towns seem to process citizen applications quite fast. https://myimmitracker.com/en/au/trackers/citizenship-processing-tracker Edited March 31 by CyberJoe Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisH 698 Posted March 31 Report Share Posted March 31 12 hours ago, CyberJoe said: We've submitted in October last year and there has been no movement at all. Average wait time indicators are in excess of 18 months and from the few people we know waiting for their applications, none has heard anything. Earliest submission was July last year. Perhaps the Facebook individuals were REALLY lucky but skeptic that I am, I'd take the 2 months with a whole bag of salt. I take it back. Seems like it really depends on where you are! Some smaller towns seem to process citizen applications quite fast. https://myimmitracker.com/en/au/trackers/citizenship-processing-tracker Yeah makes sense, looking at the list our council seems to be around 3 months from application to approval. I'm banking on it being quick because my ZA passport expires in August and we all know how well the renewals are going. I'm hoping to have my aussie passport by the time we're allowed to travel again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
arabella164 3 Posted April 5 Report Share Posted April 5 Been here since 2007. Check in every now and then! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stepchook 32 Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 I joined this forum in 2007. Can't remember the last time I visited it, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TakeItOnTheChin 126 Posted April 6 Report Share Posted April 6 (edited) On 4/1/2021 at 9:44 AM, ChrisH said: Yeah makes sense, looking at the list our council seems to be around 3 months from application to approval. I'm banking on it being quick because my ZA passport expires in August and we all know how well the renewals are going. I'm hoping to have my aussie passport by the time we're allowed to travel again. I have been on here since about 2016 but not really visited since PR. I reckon things have changed quite a bit since my family applied and wonder if our experience is even relevant. We are applying for citizenship in 3 weeks time, so I have started preparing and wiped off the cobwebs from my general suite of documents. I will have a few questions for sure - applying from the Gold Coast Edited April 6 by TakeItOnTheChin 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gwynn 37 Posted April 9 Report Share Posted April 9 I have been here since 2015 when I decided to make the move which is long after the many familiar usernames in this thread joined. I have always been a lurker of note, happy to let others explain unless I felt better placed to do so. I am forever grateful for this forum especially back in 2015 when I was looking to make the move. The forum in those days became a glimpse of Australia for me which was important as I decided to go all in without the luxury of an LSD trip. Many people here and others invested loads of time sharing their journeys from the migration process to everyday life in Australia. Like Rieke above, I could not wait to get home everyday those days to take in all the information I got here. Nothing else mattered. I guess over time life happens and we get consumed in its many other facets but once in a while when I look back and take stock of the journey, I always end up on this forum because the recollection would not be complete without saaustralia.org. I will always be a proud member of this forum and will continue to check in and help others where I can. Perhaps sometimes it feels quiet because a lot of the answers are well documented already over years and years of threads. I remember in 2015 spending hours and hours reading very old posts from the noughties and finding them very helpful and relevant. With regards to citizenship applications I reckon the process is going faster if you live in smaller or less populated states. I submitted my application in May '20 and got the approval around Sep / Oct '20 and wrote the test in Nov 20 and on Australia Day in Jan '21, I became a citizen which works out to be about 8 months from application to the ceremony. Also, I would have thought that with borders closed there are more resources to process citizenship applications rather than visas but that's just my own speculation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DannyBoy 12 Posted April 22 Report Share Posted April 22 Joined 2008 and have a look-in at what is happening every now and then. Did a few journal posts in the early days, but as time passes and you settle in and the new becomes the daily I think people's focus change, they made new friends and have established social circles and...frankly time moves on and the people with it. Did learn a lot from this site and hopefully my contributions gave someone just starting their journey an idea of what life is like on this side, but as mentioned by someone else, I also think my experience may be a bit dated when it comes to the visa process 🙂 On a closing note, been here for over 11 years now this month, became citizen a few years back, and having a talk with the wife one evening, still the best thing we could have done. Regards, DannyBoy 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vitchie 144 Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 Hi, I'm also still here. I also only check in here every few months. I will also be applying for citizenship in 5 weeks' time. I agree with some of the statements above about the temporary nature of Facebook group. I guess Facebook is the default platform these days, but I find a forum like this is much better as a long-term knowledge base. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TeeTMI 580 Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 On 3/31/2021 at 10:01 PM, CyberJoe said: We've submitted in October last year and there has been no movement at all. Average wait time indicators are in excess of 18 months and from the few people we know waiting for their applications, none has heard anything. Earliest submission was July last year. Perhaps the Facebook individuals were REALLY lucky but skeptic that I am, I'd take the 2 months with a whole bag of salt. I take it back. Seems like it really depends on where you are! Some smaller towns seem to process citizen applications quite fast. https://myimmitracker.com/en/au/trackers/citizenship-processing-tracker Re Citizenship: during the lockdown's the Dept of Citizenship at first had an increasing backlog of Citizenship Ceremony's - then they started doing the ceremonies on line. This cleared a significant backlog that had even been built up pre-COVID in many areas. I assist with Citizenship and whilst it varies considerably by LGA in general the Ceremonies are proceeding a lot quicker than pre-COVID at the moment. Unfortunately, the tests and interviews, need to be done in person, and these can still take a while - but varies considerably. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riekie 1,164 Posted May 27 Author Report Share Posted May 27 On 2/8/2021 at 10:31 AM, Mara said: I am also visiting, but I must confess, it was great those days, I can remember get togethers where we got up to 300 people! Wow Mara! Glad to see you're still around 🙂 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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