Things to do first Before going to Australia

staycool · January 2014

diba pwede namang gamiting ang Phil. credit card sa Au?...magkakano kaya ang charge?...sa pagkakaalam ko malaki laki daw eh...so kung may cc na ng Au, saka na pwedeng pa-cut ang sa Phil.Au??...

solidjeff · January 2014

@staycool yes, pwd gamitin yung phil CC as long as visa/mastercard sya. kso talo ka nga lng sa exchange rate ng bank.

TasBurrfoot · January 2014

diba pwede namang gamiting ang Phil. credit card sa Au?...magkakano kaya ang charge?...sa pagkakaalam ko malaki laki daw eh...so kung may cc na ng Au, saka na pwedeng pa-cut ang sa Phil.Au??...

roughly 3% built in when they fx your AUD purchase into PHP

tartakobsky · February 2014

Good day! Hingi lang sana ng advise kung end of April 2014 ang dating namin ay pwede kaya ako makipagtransact sa mga nagpapa-rent sa gumtree? Lets say mga 2 weeks before? I-entertain kaya nila kami kung first-time migrant kami? May mga naka-experience na po ba ng ganitong situation sa mga nakalipat na diyan? Thanks in advance po.

hard2handle · February 2014

Thanks again. Para lang hindi ako confused, "dito" means AU and "there" means Manila?

great advice!
Yes

Ganon po ba? Ang advise naman kasi samin ng friends naming (already in Melbourne) and relative (already in Sydney), to bring our Peso and USD and have it exchanged to AUD in Aus na. Wag na daw dito sa Pinas kasi mas ok ang rate sa Aus.

JCsantos · February 2014

Ganon po ba? Ang advise naman kasi samin ng friends naming (already in Melbourne) and relative (already in Sydney), to bring our Peso and USD and have it exchanged to AUD in Aus na. Wag na daw dito sa Pinas kasi mas ok ang rate sa Aus.

Im sure mas better sa pinas, after mo kasi mag papalit ng pera dito sa AU meron silang FEE or Comission na tinatawag ... siguro nga mas mataas pero yung extra na bayad yung nag papabigat .... kung decided ka na why dont you change half of your money in PH then half here in AU then let the forum know kung saan ba talaga mas mataas .... F

kulotski · February 2014

Update lng regarding the first time migrants baggage allowance for SQ. I tried calling Singapore Air today and they don't allow this anymore. Nag revise kasi sila, ginawa na nilang 30kilos (from 20kilos) ung sa usual passenger nga bookings.

Cg nlng, we have total 60kilos for hubby and myself, we'll try to fit our entire lives in it haha

bow

kulotski · February 2014

aabangan ko din kung sino mkapgsagot kai @tartakobsky

Kami end of March soon, few posts here and there but so far no luck. Hindi pa kami ng resort to gumtree dahil sa mga feedbacks na nabasa, hindi din nmn ng close ng doors but plan Z nlng to hehe

hard2handle · February 2014

Im sure mas better sa pinas, after mo kasi mag papalit ng pera dito sa AU meron silang FEE or Comission na tinatawag ... siguro nga mas mataas pero yung extra na bayad yung nag papabigat .... kung decided ka na why dont you change half of your money in PH then half here in AU then let the forum know kung saan ba talaga mas mataas .... F

I guess depende sa timing magkano na ang exchange rate by then. We'll see and update all. I am checking with our friends and relative who advised us.

mhej · February 2014

We just finished getting our CFO stickers yesterday. I must say, CFO so far is the best government office I've had to deal with. I'm always apprehensive about dealing with government offices because of all the red tape and fixing. Pero sa CFO, wala. It was orderly. Walang makukulit na fixers sa harap ng office. The staff was polite. The seminar trainer was funny and engaging. Kahit marami na akong experience dealing with Aussies, may mga natutunan pa rin ako sa kanya. They gave out free materials. Free din daw yung seminar. For 400 pesos, you get a sticker, free seminar, and loads of free materials. That's a lot, considering the government office ang CFO. I wonder now where they get their other income kung umaasa lang sila sa 400 pesos? tapos one time big time pa to. Unlike Driver's License, you don't have to renew every few years. Magrerenew ka lang kapag napalitan na yung visa mo to another type of visa or if you're migrating to a different country.

Anyway, I'm just raving about CFO and how satisfied I am with their service.

hard2handle · February 2014

@mhej

That's great news! Did you register in the AM and attend the seminar in the afternoon? Yun po kasi ang plano namin. Doable ba yun or mahaba ang pila in the afternoon from previous registrants?

Salamat.

kulotski · February 2014

@mhej
Oi plus points ang gobyerno natin kai mhej hehe nice!
Sana ganito din pag magkuha na kami soon next month sa Cebu.

mhej · February 2014

@hard2handle - ganyan ginawa namin. Register sa umaga at seminar sa hapon. Swerte namin kasi malapit lang bahay sa CFO. So nakauwi pa kami para mag siesta. hehe. Pero honestly, Kahit ata mga lunch time ka na mag register makakakuha ka pa rin ng slot. Kasi hindi naman siya napuno. In fact, kami ng partner ko ang first registrants for 2pm seminar for Australia. Dumating kami sa CFO past 10am. We registered and paid for everythin in less than 15 mins. I think ang advantage of coming in the morning is wala pang pila. Pagdating kasi ng hapon, kalaban mo na rin sa pila and pagkuha ng number for processing yung mga papuntang Canada, US, etc.

@kulotski - oo. super happy kami sa experience namin with CFO yesterday. As if nakikipagdeal kami sa private company. May sistema. At dinidisplay nila ang mga achievements and initiatives nila. Pati upcoming projects. So kahit papano, nakikita mo na may ginagawa sila. Experience ko kasi sa ibang government agency, hindi masyadong ok. Lalo sa NBI, DFA, and LTO. Masusungit ang staff. At may red tape.

iammaxwell1989 · February 2014

Hi guys.

Is it better to bring your smart phone from the Philippines and then just buy sim in Australia, or just get a new phone when I get there?

Ano ang recommended mobile network operator nyo?

Thanks a lot.

appledeuce · February 2014

Ako po may tanong din. Anong toiletries po ang advisable na bilhin ko na dito sa Manila before flying to OZ? Like deodorant sticks, shampoo etc. O diyan na lang po ako bumili para less bulk sa bagahe? Thank you!

hard2handle · February 2014

@hard2handle - ganyan ginawa namin. Register sa umaga at seminar sa hapon.

So once registered, secured na po ang slot mo para sa afternoon seminar? Kahit pa umalis ka and balik nlng by 2pm?

JCsantos · February 2014

Hi guys.

Is it better to bring your smart phone from the Philippines and then just buy sim in Australia, or just get a new phone when I get there?

Ano ang recommended mobile network operator nyo?

Thanks a lot.

Better to bring your phone, if you could bring a 4G phone it is better

if you want the faster network go on for Telstra

if speed is not issue with you either amaysim, virgin, optus or tpg ... dont ever go for vodafail I mean vodaphone

JCsantos · February 2014

Ako po may tanong din. Anong toiletries po ang advisable na bilhin ko na dito sa Manila before flying to OZ? Like deodorant sticks, shampoo etc. O diyan na lang po ako bumili para less bulk sa bagahe? Thank you!

deodorant for me, for everything else you can buy it here

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

Hi guys.

Is it better to bring your smart phone from the Philippines and then just buy sim in Australia, or just get a new phone when I get there?

Ano ang recommended mobile network operator nyo?

Thanks a lot.

i brought my iphone4 with me as di ko afford bumili ng bagong smart phone...

i used optus before and i switched to vodafone last month... much better and faster!!

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

Ako po may tanong din. Anong toiletries po ang advisable na bilhin ko na dito sa Manila before flying to OZ? Like deodorant sticks, shampoo etc. O diyan na lang po ako bumili para less bulk sa bagahe? Thank you!

don't be bothered buying a lot... it ain't worth it as meron naman mabibili dito, focus your energy on your clothes.

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

Hi guys.

Is it better to bring your smart phone from the Philippines and then just buy sim in Australia, or just get a new phone when I get there?

Ano ang recommended mobile network operator nyo?

Thanks a lot.
Better to bring your phone, if you could bring a 4G phone it is better

if you want the faster network go on for Telstra

if speed is not issue with you either amaysim, virgin, optus or tpg ... dont ever go for vodafail I mean vodaphone

Ahahaha bossing @jcsantos; i just said vodafone - got a plan last month and it was heaps better than my prepaid optus which I used for 8 months...

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

@hard2handle - ganyan ginawa namin. Register sa umaga at seminar sa hapon.
So once registered, secured na po ang slot mo para sa afternoon seminar? Kahit pa umalis ka and balik nlng by 2pm?

only those registered can be able to get a slot... B-)

JCsantos · February 2014

Hi guys.

Is it better to bring your smart phone from the Philippines and then just buy sim in Australia, or just get a new phone when I get there?

Ano ang recommended mobile network operator nyo?

Thanks a lot.
Better to bring your phone, if you could bring a 4G phone it is better

if you want the faster network go on for Telstra

if speed is not issue with you either amaysim, virgin, optus or tpg ... dont ever go for vodafail I mean vodaphone
Ahahaha bossing @jcsantos; i just said vodafone - got a plan last month and it was heaps better than my prepaid optus which I used for 8 months...

maganda siguro jan sa melby or 4g network pero alam ko marami pa ring problem dito sa NSW

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

Hi guys.

Is it better to bring your smart phone from the Philippines and then just buy sim in Australia, or just get a new phone when I get there?

Ano ang recommended mobile network operator nyo?

Thanks a lot.
Better to bring your phone, if you could bring a 4G phone it is better

if you want the faster network go on for Telstra

if speed is not issue with you either amaysim, virgin, optus or tpg ... dont ever go for vodafail I mean vodaphone
Ahahaha bossing @jcsantos; i just said vodafone - got a plan last month and it was heaps better than my prepaid optus which I used for 8 months...
maganda siguro jan sa melby or 4g network pero alam ko marami pa ring problem dito sa NSW

eheheheh, probably!

so far so good, i hope it won't be jinxed!!

cheers bud!

appledeuce · February 2014

Guys isa pang question. I know one has to stay away from bringing dairy-based products to OZ. May nakapagdala na ba dito nung caramel bars from Max's restaurant tsaka piaya? Sugar and flour lang siya mostly but i think may milk din onti. Yun kasi yung bilin sa akin eh baka harangin lang sayang naman. salamat sa advice.

lock_code2004 · February 2014

@appledeuce if its not commercially packed.. meaning with label/ingredients etc.. hindi pwede.. but of course kailangan mo i-declare.. sila pa rin mag dedecide kung pwde or not..

icebreaker1928 · February 2014

Guys isa pang question. I know one has to stay away from bringing dairy-based products to OZ. May nakapagdala na ba dito nung caramel bars from Max's restaurant tsaka piaya? Sugar and flour lang siya mostly but i think may milk din onti. Yun kasi yung bilin sa akin eh baka harangin lang sayang naman. salamat sa advice.

nakapagdala kami dati ng gatas ng anak ko... pero sealed pa.. chineck nila pinayagan naman kami. ewan ko lang pag piaya.

TasBurrfoot · February 2014

Guys isa pang question. I know one has to stay away from bringing dairy-based products to OZ. May nakapagdala na ba dito nung caramel bars from Max's restaurant tsaka piaya? Sugar and flour lang siya mostly but i think may milk din onti. Yun kasi yung bilin sa akin eh baka harangin lang sayang naman. salamat sa advice.

a mate of mine nagpasalubong sa amin ng piaya just 2 wks back... of course she declared it and nakalusot naman.

moonwitchbleu · February 2014

april na din kami susunod ni baby, magtatanong lang din ako paano nyo dinala milk, food and water ng baby nyo? ok lang kaya yun, like ready na itimpla. how about ang nasa can pa, dapat ba sealed talaga? kasi it will take more or less 12 hrs. from cebu to sydney dba? tapos may limit on the max ml of water allowed to bring. and sa au naman super strict sila sa milk.

sa mga naka try na bumyahe with their babies share naman oh.

stolich18 · February 2014

@iammaxwell1989 ung smartphone ko dito ko na binili kase ung iphone 4S ko ay hindi open-line. hehehe hassle nga eh.. Tska ok na rin since ung plug kase pang-australian socket na. pero ung husband ko sa US ata or sa PH binili ung samsung galaxy nya... so depende pa rin sayo..

@appledeuce if di ka masyado picky/specific sa brand, pdeng dito na lang din kase pampabigat pa yan sa bagahe mo. hehee Although mas mura ata sa Pinas pero ganon din if maging overweight luggages mo