| Unless, however,
they’ve been overseas themselves, they have the impression that there is
an official welcome for us new residents at the airport arrival lounge.
There isn’t!
In reality arriving is a non-event.
Because
of this assumption it is often
difficult to gain help from individuals and institutions as they can’t
really understand the journey we’re on, challenges we face or why so much
that is accepted here as normal, is strange to us.
Surrounded
by people unable to relate to what you are going through can be frustrating
and draining. On reflection, we moved in a very independent, self sufficient
manner which required boundless energy and has at times felt like a lot
of hard work. There has been a lot of running around to get information
that is tailored to explain the steps of settling in. Often there are
boxes to tick and forms to be filled in that don’t reflect the reality
of our situation or information we are able to provide and this has lead
to many dead-ends.
However, it
needn’t be this way as I recently discovered, there is real help available!
An independent immigration information, advisory service agent is Aussiemigrant.
www.aussiemigrant.com.
This
website provides up-to-date local information (Brisbane) and contact
details. At base they are a company that is a one-stop specialist in independent
expat moves.
There are a
number of companies and agents helping immigrants to get visas and other
local agents who can provide some services, but I haven’t as yet found
another that does the lot in one go like Aussmigrant. What Aussiemigrant
can do is: organise a visa, assist with recruitment/linking up Australian
employers with potential immigrant employees, give CV advice, as well as
advising you on buying a business in Australia. In addition, they have
local housing and investment market knowledge and offer a range of financial
services. They aim to make the complete move as smooth as possible. The
information is free and the financial services are at a competitive price.
Why take
on help? “You don’t know what you don’t know”. There is a big need
for local know-how. Tax laws are different in every country. Banks offer
different services the world over. For finding information on house-prices,
investments, money transfers, private health insurances, private pension
plans(superannuation as it is named here), setting up a business
or relocating and selling before you come can be one big headache and take
lots of time.
Overall, something
we’ve realised is that it is important to recognise and face the difficulties
of the task of moving and re-settling and to look after each other and
work together. The power of information and maintaining a positive outlook
is invaluable. Taking visits to local places of interest and joining
in the local festivals makes it fun. Making empathetic friends takes
time, having good neighbours is a real help and talking to like minded
adventurers working to establish a life and work balance that we came here
seeking is motivating and encouraging.
The following
are the previous articles Sarah wrote for the magazine:
To contact Sarah
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