Quality of Life After Migration

While I was searching for my blog ranking at google, I stumbled upon this interesting thesis about the comparative study between Filipino and Vietnamese migrants in Australia. It's all about their quality of life after migration. I found it very educational especially for those who are seriously contemplating to move permanently to Australia and to migrants who are still adjusting here.

click this link: acqol.deakin.edu.au/theses/Jehobo.doc
by Debbie Jehodo.

I totally agree with this thesis saying that the level of proficiency of migrant's English plays an important factor on his mental, physical and material well being. Also the ability of the migrant to establish social support and gain friends tends to be very helpful in the well being of most migrants as it avoid one from stress and depression.

Daylight Saving Time

It was a beautiful sunday morning and we are preparing to get dressed for the 10.30 AM mass when I just realized that today is the start of the Daylight Saving Time(DST) wherein local clocks have to be forward adjusted by one hour. We missed the mass as we are totally late but there's an afternoon mass to make up. It's good though that they make it on Sunday when we start to hit DST as we won't get late from work.

DST, which signals that summer time is almost approaching, is being implemented in most parts of Australia. Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory adopts change at the same date for time change which starts today and will finish on 5th April. 2009. Western Australia is yet to change their clocks on the 26th October and will finish earlier on 29th March 2009. Queensland and Northern Territory do not observe DST.

All Australian states who adopts DST always start at 2.00 AM when time changes.

Using A Migration Agent

Using a migration agent to arrange your visa application may also be a wise decision if you are in these situations.

1. You don't want to do it on your own. The aspect of migration is a very tedious process, we could say, from filling up the forms to writing some correspondence to the embassy. You may want to get the service of a professional migration agent to handle all of these matters. They know exactly what to do in every situation. Bear in your mind though that all documentation requirements like birth certificates and academic records should still be completed by the applicant. They will tell you what you need in your case.

2. You are very busy person. If you are working and has family of your own, you may not have enough time to visit the Australian Immigration website. It takes time, determination and enough excitement to study all those requirements. The informations you need to know to process your visa are all there. The website explains clearly the process you have to go through and fees to pay for. It is really possible to do it on your own as I did it on my own when we processed my family's visa. However not everyone I know is capable as it really eats up too much time especially in getting on the website. It has to be visited very often as legislations keep changing.

3. You want it quick. Getting a migration agent will definitely hasten the processing because they know the process better than you do. They know what forms you need to fill in, the assessing bodies that is suitable for your skills if you are applying under skilled category and all other requirements needed in your case. They will also guide you on what documents and paperworks you need to accomplish beforehand to save time and get things done simultaneously.

4. You want some level of certainty and assurance. Migration agents conducts initial screening during the 1st stage of the process. They will tell you if you have a chance to successfully migrate or not. Though the outcome still lies in the hands of the migration case officers, you can basically rely on the assessment of the migration agents as they are experienced enough to know.

5. You're after a good quality information. If surfing the web still doesn't satisfy your curiosity, you are better off getting a professional advice. Joining social forums on the net about migration process is also a great way to gather information especially if you are applying on your own. There's no better source of good advices but the professional ones.

There are a lot of migration agencies in the market today. Be sure to study them first. Look at their track record. Be sure that they are also registered at the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). Agents registered at the MARA are bound by code of conducts. You can be assured that they'll conduct business in a professional manner. MARA imposes sunctions to agents that breaks the code of conduct.

Just a word of advice though, even if you get the service of the professionals, you still have to do your part in providing necessary documents in order to make everything flow so smooth and in a faster phase.

House Hunting

After 15 months here in Australia as a migrant, me and my wife, like anyone else are dreaming and looking forward to buy our very own house. Prices of a basic house with 3 to 4 bedrooms range from A$290,000.00 to A$350,000.00. Monthly repayments range from A$1,800.00 to A$2,400.00 on a 30 year plan. Most of the banks requires 10 to 20% downpayment. I would suggest to go for 20% downpayment not only because it could lower down your repayments but you can also save heaps of money by not paying the Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). It is an insurance to offset losses of the bank when a borrower is not able to repay the loan and the lender is not able to recover its costs after foreclosure and sale of the mortgaged property. The premium payments for this insurance range from A$500 and could get as high as A$10,000 plus depending how low your deposit could get. It's basically for banks/lenders' security. So why would you spend such amount if you could pay off 20% deposit?

Australia New Zealand Bank (ANZ) and some other banks could also help with the processing of your First Home Buyers Grant if you are entitled to. Government grants range from A$8,000 to A$12,000 depending which state you're in. This grant is very helpful for those who are just starting.

Now if you're in a tight budget, you can buy a 2nd hand property about 4 to 5 years old with 3 to 4 bedrooms for A$220,000 to A$240.000 in Melbourne which is really not bad at all. Monthly repayments should be somewhere A$1,600 to A$1,800 depending on the interest rate. I reckon that its also practical to leave an allowance of at least A$100 per month for the fluctuation of interest rates if you are computing how much based on your earnings and expenses, you are able to pay for monthly repayment on a home loan.

You can google for properties and estimated montly repayments at http://domain.com.au/ and http://www.realestate.com.au/

Navigating Your Way

When we arrive in Australia, everything we saw was new for us. Even the names of the street sounds different as what it is in our country. Its hard to travel without the help of a map. In the state of Victoria, we use Melway. For NSW is Sydway and QLD is Brisway. I know there are other maps but these are the more popular ones.

I frequently refer to Melway in Navigating Melbourne. I remember the times when I used it just to go to our local church, Centrelink and Medicare office near our suburb. I use it when I bring my family to the parks during weekends and even more when I am applying for a job. In short, its a must for a migrant to grab a map whatever state you are in.

But now, we can use an even easier, faster and more convenient means of going from one place to another by using a satnav. Satellite Navigation or Satnav for short, uses global positioning system that locates user on the road in the unit's maps database. So when you're driving, you can actually see yourself moving in the screen.

What is very cool in using satnav is the optional voice navigation that you can set on the unit. Just simply input the address where you want to go and the satnav will calculate your route and display the 3d map screen and it will guide you turn by turn until you reach your destination. I remember last April 08 when i drove from Adelaide to Melbourne 750 kms from our place. I virtually relied on my satnav and did not bother to bring the traditional map with me. It was a splendid drive without worries, tensions and stress because when you know where you are going and the satnav is saying that you are on the right track, you can spend your time not worrying but enjoying the sceneries, the music on the radio and the conversation to whoever is travelling with you.

I purchase the NAVMAN S30 Model not only because its one of the leading brand here but it also got a good price tag, more features and a sleek design as well. Its a good product to buy for starters.

5 Important things to do before coming to Australia

At last, most of those who have just received their PR visas are now preparing to come down to Australia. You might be thinking of what you need to do and where to start. Here are some tips that could possibly help and guide you on the way.

1. Settle all money matters. This might include pooling enough money to use while looking for job. Knowing that you still have something on your pocket to pull out could give peace of mind somehow. Cancel all credit cards, if there's any so not to be charged with some fees like annual and membership.

2. Get contact details of those people who you think could be your references when hunting for a job. Let them know that you are putting their details on your resume and that someone might contact them so they could be prepared enough to say good words about you.

3. File all important documents that you want to bring like marriage contract, birth certificate, baptismal, employment certificate and etc. Just think about all documents that you want to have a copy of because you would be far from where you would normally secure them from.

4. Shop for useful clothes depending on the weather upon arrival. If you think you are arriving in summer, buy more summer clothes that would fit on the allowable baggage. This could help you initially considering that you just came in and still looking for work. It might just be in time when you get your first job and be able to buy new clothes that winter outfits are on sale. In packing for your clothes and stuffs, it's more helpful to use boxes rather than briefcases as the latter will eat up much weight allowed for you.

5. Lastly, enjoy the remaining days and spend time with the people you love as it might take long before you see your mother country and those people again. Take note than when you landed on to a job, days will fly too fast for you because there are so much things to do not only at work but also at home.

I do hope that this list has helped you planning. Start ahead of time to avoid cramming and forgeting some stuffs important for you. As much as possible, do your own list of things to bring and things to do. Happy migrating!

Melbourne Trains

Most of the locals of Australia, regardless of their jobs and status of living, rely so much on trains for public transport. My wife works in Melbourne CBD and she would definitely need to get on a City loop train to reach her workplace and Sydenham line to get back home. It is more practical to use trains than drive your way to work. It is cheaper to pay for the Metlink ticket which you could already use on buses, trains and trams rather than spend on petrol and parking spaces. It is a lot convenient as well to get on train, put your IPod on, sitback and relax than to drive on the busy streets of the city. My wife spends $160 for her monthly ticket to enable her to travel within zone 1 and 2. Connex also offers an option for those who come to work early and would like to save more. If this suits you, Early bird ticket can be availed of for free provided you reach your destination before 7 am. You only have buy 2 hour ticket to get your way home for only $5 something. So, roughly about $100 per month and could make a saving of $60. Melbourne's Metropolitan trains start from city's Flinder's Lane and stop from suburb to suburb. There are also VLine's interstate trains that travel from different states which for obvious reason is cheaper than the airfare but could provide comfort on your travel as well.

My wife's experience on trains is not always pleasant particularly on peak hours. How many times has her train been cancelled? Too many to think of but not more than the times that they were delayed by 5 to 10 minutes. In times like these, you won't be surprised to see a fully loaded and crowded carriage. People are standing againt each other and squeezed in the middle and on the doorside. You could hardly move and talk. These scenarios have already been part of one's everyday journey to workplace and I think people get used to this. However, there are still some people who complain and swear on what hassles these have caused them.

Who would not ever get annoyed to be late on an appointment or a job interview? But think about this, there are a lot more things to be thankful for rather than dwell on this annoying situations. People tend to be inappreciative of things around them when they haven't seen the world outside. We forget to be thankful of the benefits we've got when we haven't seen other people's suffering from the lack of it.

My wife and I migrated from a third world country where you couldn't get both convenience and savings together and where transport system is far uncomparable to what we have in Australia. I won't elaborate more on this but it's really far behind in terms of comfort and safety. If only Aussies would have a feel of what it's like commuting on our country, then they would realize how lucky they are and they will be more appreciative of the service that Connex trains give them. Migrants like us, who have seen both world, are also lucky to be where we are and that it gives us chance to be more conscious of our thoughts.

Tips on How to Settle Fast in Australia

I would like to share with you a few tips on how migrants could settle faster in Australia. The following are sorted out based on their importance.

• Courage and Positive Attitude. There are various challenges migrants will face in their settlement stage especially if they do not have friends and relatives to guide and support them. Things like finding a job, securing a property to rent out, knowing what bus to get on to, applying for a driver's license and applying for TFN#s(tax file number)... But with courage and positive outlook in life, we will surely get things done. Don't give up. You can do it. Just take one step at a time.
  

• Be humble and be open for help. No man is an island. Some people will be glad to help you when they know that you are basically a newly arrived migrant in some ways that they can. They would be open to help as they were once on the same shoe as you are back then. They knew about the challenges and the pains you are going through. It's not surprising that some of them will give you kitchenwares, beddings, used clothings, furnitures, pram for the kids and even money. Be humble enough to accept it and thank them. That way you are about to build relationship with them. Be sure to accept their invitation for a lunch or dinner at their respective houses. Just think about this..You will be able to return the favor soon by doing the same thing to other migrants.
  

• Get a job as soon as soon as you can. Most of the challenges in the settlement are basically financial matters. Once you got a job, things will be lighter. Suddenly, you might think that you can now get a car for your transport, secure property to rent out, treat your family for some movies and nice All-you-can Eat restaurants like Smorgy's.

• Search for ways to accomplish things faster. Time is gold specially if you're living in a first world country. A good example would be having a system to pay your utilities and expenses via internet. You can set up an online account with some of the big banks here like ANZ, NAB, Commonwealth Bank & Westpac to name a few. I personally use ANZ bank for my transactions. Though i have not used the other banks, I found ANZ quite easy to use. On the other hand, Commonwealth bank is everywhere if we speak about the visibility of the ATM machines. By using the internet you can also browse some sites that of concern to you like the Australian Tax Office, Centrelink, Medicare, Vicroads or the licensing authorities in your state etc..Get all the information before you personally come to those offices so you would know what to bring in as to not waste your time.

• Be frugal. Always remember that during the settlement, everything should be basic. Don't buy luxurious things like expensive cars, LCD or plasma tv, brand new lounges, designer clothes etc... Start cheap. I recommend you to try cash converters. They are a second hand store that sells appliance like TV, DVD players, mobile phones, computers, kitchenwares etc... The price are very reasonable and suitable for a starting migrant. Ebay is also a good online auction site not to be missed. You can buy car seats for babies at bargain prices. This will save you heaps of money than buying a new one in stores. Don't also forget to book your weekend mornings for garage sales in your area. Don't be late so you could get the chance to choose. Early bird catches the worm..
  

Do all these sound FUN for you? I tell you..it may look difficult but just have some fun doing them and you won't notice that you get them all done and over with. GOODLUCK!

Migrants Watch Your Health!

New and not so new migrants in all countries are experiencing stress and sometimes depression as they adapt to the many aspects of their settlement. Factors like homesickness and lack of social life as they just starting back again. Missing friends and relatives that they left behind and also the foods and places they're used to go to. As they long to gain some new friends in their new country, its also hard to gain a good one because of cultural diversity and communication barrier.

Today its 8:40 am on a lovely Thursday morning. I am not at work but instead I am at our nearest medical center for a blood test. Yesterday morning at around 9:30 am at work, I was rushed in by my Australian co-worker to this same center and headed straight to the lab room to get my blood pressure and ECG test. The ECG test seems OK but what a shocker when I saw my blood pressure reached 160/100. That is why my face and hands are feeling numbed, i cant focus on my work, a feeling of lightheadedness and seems like i want to vomit. Immediately the' doctor gave me a free medicine to lower my blood pressure and advise me to rest until Friday.

It finally came to me that we should never ever neglect our health. I believe in the saying that health is wealth and that a migrant such as we should make health a paramount specially that we are all striving and working hard for our family's future. We should check and monitor our health as frequently as possible to avoid further ailments.

While waiting for my turn, i found this cholesterol awareness campaign leaflet and was terrified by the statistics that:

• One Australian dies every 10 minutes of cardiovascular disease.
• Around 25% of those who have a heart attack die within an hour of their first ever symptoms.
• Heart, stroke and vascular diseases account for 37.6% of all deaths.
• Over 51% of Australians over 25 years have cholesterol levels of 5.5mmol/L or more.

And the biggest surprise is You don't have to be overweight or unwell to have high cholesterol. You may look fit but aren't well.

Being a savvy migrant, we should always be guarding and be vigilant with our health. We still have a long way to go. Click here to send you to the cholesterol awareness campaign.