The Displaced African

How to Settle Comfortably in Australia Within a Week

Who Is This Guide For?

This guide is written for two groups of people. First and foremost, students who have received their invitation letters to come study in Australia and are now wondering, “What happens between now and my first University class?” This guide was written to help you get settled. By ‘get settled’ I mean: transition from adult life within an African society to African life in this Western society and that entails:

a) Being fully prepared to engage as a student without having to worry about tying up any loose ends

b) Having a consistent source and constant access to income so as to support yourself.

c) Being in touch with your family and friends back in Africa.

d) Forming new and fulfilling relationships here.

e) Having a place of worship (sorry, here I can only speak from experience as a Christian but will try to guide everyone else appropriately)

f) Having a roof over your head

g) Being able to get around

Secondly and to a lesser extent, this is for the skilled migrants coming into Australia. Whereas not every tip in this guide will apply to you, most of them will and it can also act as a great guide for how to get some of the stuff I have described in the dot points above.

This guide is written from my personal experiences, anecdotes and observation of my friends, family and acquaintances. It is not an official guide , but rather a human being trying to guide another through the murky waters of immigration.

I want this guide to be like Wikipedia: done for us by us. So if there is anything missing out of this guide or you want to add a little flavor to the guide, please feel free to get in contact with me or leave a comment and let me know. I would also love to hear about your experiences using this guide so please let me know about that as well.

Below is a dot point check-list that I shall work through over the coming days to ensure that no stone is unturned in the process of getting you settled. So, tomorrow we begin with the most important tip of all……suspense music plays……….

The Check-List

Before Arriving in Australia

1. Look for guides

2. Have all the neccesary paperwork

3. Credit cards or spare cash

4. Get driver’s license while still in Africa

5. Set up Skype at home for your family and/or important associates and have a play with it.

6. Get the neccesary details from your local bank on how to conduct international transactions: username, important number etc etc so that it becomes easier when you arrive.

7. Explore the subject that you are coming to study and possible alternatives. If you know people abroad ask them if they know people who do the course who can tell you more about it or read the school syllabus.

8. Get accomodation

9. Know why you are coming here I.e. Have an end result so as to avoid being distracted from your objective.

When you arrive

1. Get documents certified

2. Get yourself a mobile phone line–Optus
3. Apply for a permanent address that your mail goes to.

4. Apply for a police check

5. Apply for a tax file number

6. Follow the school about your enrolment until its completed and paid for and also about your work permit until you get it.

7. Attend a driving school if you have enough money to and/or will need to drive around for any reason.

8. Learn how to use public and private transport

9. Learn how to use Skype on either computer or mobile phone.

10. Open up a bank account and set up netbanking and telephone banking and learn how to deposit money and cheques from ATMs 24 hours a day so that you never have to step in a bank again. Set up Bpay, paypal and make sure you get your swift code.

11. Once you have a permit, some ideas about where to get work from.

12. English problems.
13. Text books, stationery and accessories.
14. Health insurance
    Relationships