BIG MOVE 2018

PinkMagnolia

Can we start an updated thread for everyone planning to do their BiGMove to Aus this 2018-2019? For those who moved this year, maybe you can share tips?

SGtoAU

@PinkMagnolia which city po kayo mag move?

batman

Kmi early 2019. If may job offer before that. Then bm na khit wala 2019. Going to Northern Territory.

JLF

June lodgement / Sep Grant / sydney / BM Nov 2018

Pixiepie

@JLF How are you po dyan?
And all...

BM this Dec, Melbourne. Ang dami po maiiwan, any advise?

1. On money to be left in Phil bank? Safety deposit box option?
2. Property?
3. Luggages?
4. Things (pang misis ), kinds of clothes to bring?
I'm planning to bring towels, airbed, fleece blankie, few glasses &cups (gifts).
- Adaptors, mahal daw dyan
- blower and straightener
- medicine (gaano ba kadami pwede? and ano ang allowed?) may nabasa kasi ako 3months supply daw pede, may rhinitis kasi ako at anak ko
- kikay things (question for wife )
5. Personal documents, resume copies need po ba?
Yan palang naiisip ko so far.

JLF

@Pixiepie hello. Kakalipat lang namin ng house kaya ngayon lang nag ka wifi.

1. Accts - Kami halos SG accounts, maintain pa din namin including CC pero big part din ng savings is ni-move namin sa AU acct namin. May mga banks na nag oofer ng good interest rates so sayang din, at least natubo kahit papano.

2. Property - same. Maintain lang. Wala kami dinispose muna.

3. Luggagessss - hahaha eto ang pinakachallenging sa lahat lol. Family of 4 kami. Meron kaming 30kg each from Emirates. Sobrang hirap mag pack kung alin ang mas importante at alin ang iiwan. In the end, meron pa din kaming 40kg na ipapabox from Sg (by sea). Yung handcarry namin actually sobra sobra sa max. 2 laptop bag pero walang laman laptop. Mga documents na sobrang bigat. Buti hinde kami na check sa Sg. Then pagdating naman sa sydney, sa awa siguro mg officer samen sa dami namin bitbit hinde na kami pinadaan sa scan na may sobrang habang pila.total- 5 big luggages, 1 big sako bag for shoes (more than 20 pairs ata inc kids) 3 handcarry na trolley. 1 kid backpack, 1 tote bag for me, 2 laptop bags at isang plastic bagfor pillow ng kids. Stroller. Kawawa si hubby haha

4. Initially we plan to bring our airbed, 2 queen size na pwedeng magkapatong or magkahiwalay. Kaso 9kg sayang ang kakainin sa bagahe. So pinadala na lang namin pinas. Towels, blankets are more cheaper here. Pero nagdala din ako ng at least isa para sa pagdating may gagamitin na. So I suggest kung meron na kayo, pwedeng dalhin pero kung bibilhin nyo from there, better dito na lang. Sarap mag shopping lol. Clothes dito medyo nalamig pa din esp night and early morning. Mainit naman sa tanghali. Pero no need na mga down jackets. Kung mag job hunting pa kayo I think yun yung importante din.

4. Adaptors - yes need to bring. Mahirap maghanap dito kasi iba yung shape ng outlet nila haha. Buti na lang bingyan kami nung owner nga tinirahan namin sa airbnb. Galing pa daw yun ng china. Hehe

5. Blower - iniwan ko din. Pero kung hinde bulky ok din to bring. Pero may mabibili naman din mura. Hinde ko nga lang kilala brand haha.

6. Medicine and vits- I tried to bring as much as I can dahil may rhinitis at asthma din kids ko. Humingi talaga ko pedia ng supply. halos lahat nasa handcarry yun except powder medicines saka big bottles ng ViTs. Hinde lang kami dumaan sa scan here so not sure kung
May limit sila.

7.kikay things- make up at skincare. If you are into korean make up and skincare. Wala pa ko makita or hinde ko pa alam san hahanapin lol. Puro drugstore brands halos.

8.documents - yes anlaki ng nakain nito sa weight ng bagahe namin. Praning lang mula ng nag apply ng PR lol. Hinde mo alam alin ang baka kelanganin sa future. Yung resume, yes better bring esp kung wala kayo access sa printer. Pero pwede din mag print sa mga local libraries. Cents lang bayad.

Ayun. So based on personal experience lahat haha. Some of my answers may not be advisable sa iba. Like pag risk ng excess bagagae at medicines. But I hope makatulong sa BM nyo. Godbless and enjoy the moment.

Pixiepie

@JLF
Many thanks for sharing your BM experiences.. very helpful and natuwa ako sa mga advise mo lol especially korean make ups i have 1 lng na lip tint.. Lol others are known makeup brands nmn.. I hope madala ko ung iba.

Few follow up question pa po,
1. Funds from Phils - how's the tax rate?
2. Airbnb muna po kau? Hm po per day inabot? Ndi muna kau nakitira sa friends?
3. Shipped things by sea, ilan kgs inabot sis?
4. Shoes? Mura kaya dyan?

You know what sis, more than a month n kami naka garage sale and we have disposed a lot na. Pero ang dami pa din Lol! Small things and few big appliances

Ipapa tracking n namin sa Mindoro mangyans ang iba, sa church ng friend ko dun..

JLF

@Pixiepie haha medyo ka stress mag empake for BM. Kami din dami namin pina ship sa pinas, may mga na donate din saka pinamigay sa friends. Pero yung bagahe laging may dagdag bawas everyday.

1. Yung funds thru ibanking lang namin Transfer. Medyo mababa nga lang ang exchange rate. Ramdam mo difference kapag malaki yung amount. Nagbaon kami ng cash na pinapalit namin sa money changer mas maganda ang rates nila.

2. Airbnb kami for 3 weeks. May sister ako sa adelaide, may mga friends kami sa Melbourne pero wala kami gaano kakilala sa Sydney. Lol. Pero sobrang ok yung nakuha namin sa airbnb, mga less than 1300 Aud yung total of 3 weeks. Naka promo kasi siya nun kaya swerte din. Ngayon dec halos doble na rent nya. maganda yung unit plus maganda location. Nanigurado din kasi kami baka mahirap maghanap ng permanent place pero sobra sobra na halos yung 3 weeks. Able to secure a place before 2nd week pero hinde kami nag move in agad kasi sayang bayad sa airbnb. Hehe ang maganda lang nakahanap ng work si hubby bago kami naghanap ng bahay kaya malapit sa work nya.

3. From Sg, by sea 20kg is 100 plus aud. By Air is mga 300 plus for 20kg. So dun kami sa mura lol. Mga winter clothes saka mga house decor na hinde ko mabitawan ang pinaship namin. Buti na lang malayo pa winter.

4. Shoes, sa Sg kasi laging sale ang shoes. Kaya pag compare ko dito parang mas mura sa SG esp rubber shoes. Kahit naka sale parang hinde ganun kalaki. Pero pag department stores na home brand mura dito lalo sa kids. Btw, halos new shoes lang dinala namin kasi nabasa ko mahigpit sila sa mga soiled at dirt sa sapatos. Baka ipaisa isa samen hehe.

Lapit na BM nyo. Balitaan mo ko

Pixiepie

Correct @JLF stressful sobra!
Hay, imbes n nag eempake.. Nakatutok ako sa disposal hay!!

Okies we'll try to bring as much AUD na allowed..

Ok din pala mag airbnb.. And super swerte nmn ng hubby mo, nkakuha agad ng work.. What field po if i may ask?

Sa melby nga pala kami.. End week of Dec. Sarado daw govt offices, sana makakuha pa rin kami ng ids, or credentials to use sa pag rent..

Naku, ayun lang, baka shoes pala maging prob namin.. We plan to bring used shoes.

Sa current empake namin, kulang sa 30kg ang mga bags.. Sana soon, ma estimate n namin.

Super thankful sa mga advise mo sis..

k_ann_15

hi @Pixiepie and @JLF. we are also doing our BM this coming March ang our target city is melbourne. i just want to ask the following questions and i hope you can advise on which best step i should take:

1) SG based kami (Husband and wife + 5yrs old daughter), and i think we also need to ship out one box, hindi kaya iluggage lahat. question: pano nyo po pinaship from SG to OZ and how much po inabot?

2) Balak namin mag airbnb nakakahiya kasi makitira since 3 kami and ung friend ko 2 bedroom apartment sila feeling ko maiistorbo talaga namin, so magbobook ako ng mga 21 days, enough na kaya to find a place?

3) Sabi ng friend ko tlgang need agad ng car, kasi from the start palang marami na aasikasuhin (centrelink, medicare, ATO, plus house hunting), is it advisable kaya na magrent muna ng car? kasi parang ang hirap na bumili agad ng kotse, shempre kung 2nd hand need iinspect, pg bnew naman medyo nakakatakot maglabas ng malaking pera sa 1st few days palang.

4) from airport, pano po kayo pumunta sa pagststayan nyo considering na marami luggage? meron po ba malalaking van?

Grabe stressful din ng bigmove, pero alam ko makakaraos din. sana po makapagadvise po kayo. salamat.

JLF

@Pixiepie uu sis. Thankful sobra na provide ni Lord halos lahat ng needs namin. Civil Engineering kami pareho. Yunh work nagpapasa pasa siya thru online ng malapit na kami mag BM. Tinawagan nya ng nasa SG pa kami. Pagdating dito, pinuntahan nya tapos start agad kinabukasan.

I suggest try nyo na din magsubmit ng online applications just mention na resident na status nyo.

JLF

@k_ann_15 hi.

1. Thru singpost kami. 100 plus sgd. 20kg by sea. 300 plus by air. So dalawang 20kg kinuha namin na by sea.

2. Just what I mentioned in my previous post, 3 weeks din kami airbnb. Sobra sobra na. But it can be case to case basis. Pag near city dito sa Sydney medyo madami competition sa bahay plus hinde nila tayo priority as new PR dahil wala pa tayong previous rental records and kung wala pang ma provide na payslip from work. Nag upfront payment kami ng 8 weeks para lang ma secure yung gusto namin unit.

3. We don't have a car on our 1st week which is good dahil eventually nag provide ng company car yung work ni hubby. Mostly yung mga service centers is malalapit lang naman. Kaya hinde kami nahirapan mag ayos nga mga necessary papers.

4. Yes merong malalaking van from airport. Yung 13 cabs, meron pa silang mechanical thing sa likod ng van para hinde mo na bubuhatin yung luggages. Yun na ang mag lift papasok sa car.

Stressful but exciting. Super relate kami sa inyo. Godbless and I hope makatulong na konti yung mga answers ko.

JLF

@Pixiepie yung about pala sa shoes, ok lang naman na used. Tangalin na lang siguro or linisin yung mga obvious na soil. Yun lang naman concern nila hehe. Hassle lang kapag inisa isa.

Yung Christmas break, yep kahit si hubby na private company may 2 weeks break. Lakas maka pinas feel. Haha. Nice yung plan nyo na BM. Ganda ng pasok New Year.

k_ann_15

@JLF Hi. sobrang salamat sa mga answer mo. sobrang helpful. we are also both Civil Engineer, pero husband ko RTO experience and ako QS naman. balak narin namin magpasa pasa ng CV by December. hopefully may tumanggap kahit malayo layo pa ang March. Mukhang Magmemelbourne kami. sana makakuha ng work agad. thank you.

caienri

@JLF how much po yung van from airport? Para lang po may idea... BM January 26. Solo mode.

JLF

@caienri hi. Naka metro yung maxi taxi na kinuha namin from Sydney Airport. So depende sa layo. Mga 30 mins from airport, binayaran namin is around 130aud. Meron din naman uber or mga Airport transfer na mag oofer ng fixed rate.

Grifter

@k_ann_15 hello. Share ko lang some tips re accommodation, copy paste ko from kabilang thread from @KIKO

I highly suggest hanap kayo sariling apartment.
noong nagbig move kami last July 2018 (winter), our family (with 3 our year old daughter), wala din ako work and si misis so lahat ng pera palabas. We are lucky to have my kuya's family na andito na sa Melbourne.

We stayed sa bahay nila utol for 10 days lang and luckily even na full time istambay kami ni misis we found an apartment near train station pa (5 - 8 mins walk).

What's the secret para sa 100 points ID ?

a. Bank statements namin (sa ANZ at sa pinanggalingan namin previously), capable kayo magbayad at least 6 months ng renta so depende sa target nyo yung amin is 250/wk just do the math.

b. Referral letters sa aming landlord sa mga tinuluyan namin previously - na good payor kami etc, just download sa google na lang ng templates madami jan. Hindi ko alam kung tinawagan nila yung landlord namin pero laki tulong nito

c. Passports namin tatlo. Ito lang un meron kami ID that time, wala din ako drivers licence.

d. yung ahente namin at yung ahente ng kapatid ko iisang tao kaya sinuwerte tlaga May tiwala agad (pero kahit wala ito nahuli ko kasi agad yung kiliti nun ahente sa clauses A at B agad.

e. dasal of course.

Sana nakatulong

Kiko

Pixiepie

@JLF thanks so much.. Sana kami din magka work agad, mag apply na din ako online. Kahit ako lng muna magka work.

Labhan ko nalang yung mga shoes para sure n pati loob walang dumi... Lol! Balak nmin dyan n mamili ng shoes.. Pang winter nlng..

Buti may house na kami matitirahan.. May new house yung officemate ng friend ko, bombay. Payag nmn n kami tumira, yungblocation lng daw concern, pero tyagain muna nmin ng 6 months, wala kasi kami credentials.

God bless to all of us, i've always said this is a journey of faith thanks sa advise..

And sa shared info ni @Grifter Iniisip ko tuloy mag apartment, kaso kausap n nung friend ko yung bombay, diba bale maybe it's God's will, malapit lng daw sa mga warehouse..

k_ann_15

@Grifter hi grifter thank you sa mga tips. Ask ko lang may idea ka ba kung ok sa chadstone? Planning to stay their via airbnb and bka dun nrn kami humanap ng apartment, paadvise naman if maganda dun? If not any suggestion? Melbourne din target namin. Thanks

Pixiepie

@k_ann_15 Congrats and goodluck sa big move.

Hindi ako makapag advise sau kasi pinas ako ih..

Interested din ako sa sasagot, Melby din kami.. Melton south muna for 3-6 months.. Location is a concern daw. Pero tyaga muna wala kasi kami credentials.

Mag apartment kami cguro after, yung near sa mga stores and school para makaipon.

@JLF Nagdala ka po ng laptops? How did you manage to clean it? Or completely reformat ba?

lilith

hi @Grifter! in case lang may idea kyo - yung referral letter kaya pwede rin pag galing kang pinas? or AU/SG landlords lang pinagkakatiwalaan haha?

fruitys

Pre-move:
Money - Open a migrant bank account with one of the big 4 - then I did wire transfer from BPI to NAB. This is the cheapest wire option I could find without additional conversions (like PHP - USD - AUD). It's easy to transfer to a better bank when you're in AU.

BPI outward wire transfer rates (early 2018) = P600 + P0.60 per P200 doc stamps
NAB inward wire transfer costs: $15 and 0.2% doc stamps

Credit cards - Kept PH credit cards active just in case for the first few months before getting a job

HDMF/PAG-IBIG - Takes up to 8 weeks to process claim. You must consolidate it first (took 4 weeks for mine) before you can claim.

Documents - 300dpi colour scans of important docs (passport, birth cert) in A4. Upload to Google Drive.

Luggage - brought nothing but clothes, shoes, documents and money, sold everything else. One length lahat ng bottoms here if you're less than 6ft mahal mag pa tailor so bring as much jeans/pants as you can or DIY. Stuff like towels or panyo are no problem, they're dirt cheap at a Kmart or a Target.

Phone - if you don't have one yet and you still have enough funds to buy, get a phone that supports modern LTE bands. Any flagship from the past 3 years will do (Note 5+ or iPhone 8+). Australia doesn't have 2G anymore so the second slot on most dual-sim phones are useless and you won't need it.

Food - Learn to prep and cook. Life will be very very very expensive if you never knew how to cook. Most locals bring their lunch to work everyday that's not sushi or a sandwich, that's a hint. If you are able to open cans, brown meat and fry eggs you're already 80% there. My manager earns over 150k per year and still brings lunch everyday. Again, learn to cook. Don't always expect convenient Asian stores in your suburb or easy to get ingredients in PH so learn to sub ingredients as well (like spinach/bok choy for kangkong/pechay)

Before you leave, drink all the fresh buko juice you can there. You'll know why after a few months in AU.

Post-move:
Buy a transport card (Opal/myki/go card) and register/bind it to an account. If you don't bind it and you lose the card the balance is gone forever.

Go to your nominated branch to activate your account and get your ATM and access to your savings.

myGov - link Medicare and ATO to this. Never ever ever forget your password here or it will be a painful process to setup everything again. Sign in at least once every 6 months to keep the account active.

Phone plan:
For prepaids, Aldi Mobile no question.
Roaming, voicemail, benefits of Telstra network (lots of coverage) without dealing with crappy Telstra support, lots of data for the price, data rollover up to 30 GB, 30-day pack expiry instead of 28 days (the biggest benefit). Best bang for the buck right now for prepaid plans.

Education:
If you're a PR, get your degree assessed. Find your state's "Overseas Qualifications Unit". In QLD it's free and I get an official govt paper saying my degree is equivalent to an AU bachelors. Useful for proving to employers that you have a real proper bachelors.

https://internationaleducation.gov.au/services-and-resources/pages/qualifications-recognition.aspx

Food # 2 - Be flexible with your food if you don't have hard diet/religious requirements. You can eat adobo and sinigang until you grow old, but you'll be missing out on a lot of delicious and easy to make recipes. Groceries stock a lot of Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Indian and Western ingredients. There's at least beef, pork, lamb, turkey, veal, rabbit and kangaroo for meats. There's salads, soups, stews, casseroles, and everything else for recipes. Get creative and start exploring.

Rental:
Find something near a train station. Locals don't like these because of the noise, so there's always a place near one of these. IMO the trains here are more quiet than tricycles.

Stay in your first place for a month or two. It takes a while for things like the TFN/Medicare cards/driver licence to get delivered by post and you need a fixed address (not a PO box) to get these.

Finances:
Keep a record of EVERYTHING bank/tax/pay related. You'll need these for next year's tax time and for applying rentals/credit cards/bank accounts. Google Drive and multiple backups are your friends.

Pay advices (payslips) and payment summaries, bank statements (all bank accounts you have open), every bill you get (water, energy, gas, council rates, rental receipts, phone), all official rental documents. If you've went through a skills assessment process like ACS, EA or VETASSESS, you'll know how easier it is to have these kinds of records in the future.

Beliefs/culture:
There are things you can freely say/do in PH that you just can't do in AU or are big social blunders. If you're not sure how the other party would react, don't do things like ask about someone's age.

Note that 30% of Australia has no religion and most are very open minded that they may occasionally challenge your long-held beliefs. Be nice, be thoughtful, remember that healthy debate and critical thinking is good.

Mind your personal space on public transport (buses/trains) and don't stick too close to people like you're riding the MRT. Ride in the front seat of the taxi and thank the bus driver.

k_ann_15

@Pixiepie hi, nalito ako bkit need iclean or reformat ng laptop? hehe

Grifter

@Pixiepie hello sis. If i may ask saang area ang malapit sa mga warehouse? Kase warehouse experience namen ni hubby so tingin tingin din kame dun

@k_ann_15 no idea po sa chadstone, ni hindi pa nga kame nakapag ie, hehe. Pero melby din target namen for bm. Ang mga nabasa ko so far na ok daw ay:
Balwyn
Kew
Hawthorn
Monee ponds
Ascot vale
Essendon
Maribyrnong
Port Melbourne
Balitaan nyo kame pag nakapag bm na kayo

@lilith hindi ko sure e, hehe. Pero wala naman siguro masama kung maprovide na din db? Saka pala nabasa ko din na previous tenancy contract ay maganda ding supporting doc na ipresent sa pag apply ng bahay

Pixiepie

@k_ann_15 need to clean lng especially pag pirated OS / installer and if you have saved pirated movies.

@Grifter sabi ng friend ko Melton South daw is closer sa mga warehouse areas.. Nagkataon din lang n may friend sila dun n willing magpa rent sa amin.. Kahit wala kami credentials.

Additional question po to all para sa documents needed ng kids sa school, nanghingi kasi ako ng form137 and Good moral cert.. Yun lng po ba needed? And talaga bang sealed sa sobre ang mga documents na ito?

milktea13

@Pixiepie how about mga manufacturing plants po san madami?

Grifter

@Pixiepie baby book din po saka parang vaccination certificate (not entirely sure of the name, pero parang evidence na updated ang vaccine ng kids)

Pixiepie

@milktea13 Actually yan din hinahanap ko, ndi ko sure kung san, or kung confined ba sila sa isang business area..

but if you would try to look sa www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au, either those sites may binabanggit about how far sa business area. Hindi ko lang sure if depende sa post yun..

Pixiepie

@Grifter Thanks, ok dalhin ko pala mga baby books. Ung kids ko kasi 1ng HS at isang toddler, so hindi ko sure kung paano yung para sa 13y/o kid ko

milktea13

@Pixiepie thank you

lilith

thanks @Grifter!

Question po sa mga may alam: kelangan ba talaga na may DFA red ribbon mga docs na dadalhin? (e. g. TOR, diploma, etc) or basta dala naman original pwede na?