Useful information for migrants to Victoria
Moving to the other side of the world is not easy. Those of us who have made the leap can confirm that.
We are in no way any kind of migrant counsellors nor sponsored by any of the organisations mentioned below.This page is purely for your disposal. Its aim is to guide you through some of the hurdles you may encounter.
Visa
Before you are allowed to move to Australia, you need to get a visa for yourself and your dependents.
There are many different categories and it may take a while to find the most suitable option for you and
your family.
You can find lots of information on the website of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship or get
help from a migration consultant.
Migration consultants
To assist you in selecting and applying for the right visa to move to Australia you can go to a migration
consultant. A great number of consultants specialise in Australia specifically and will be able to provide
you with detailed information on the procedures. Some of them allow one free consultation before you
need to pay for their service. Whether you should consider using a migration consultant depends on the
complexity of your situation.
TIP: Only use migration consultants that are officially registered with MARA.
Some well-known providers of migration services to Australia in Belgium and the Netherlands include:
Buysse Immigration
Migration Bureau
Migration Institute of Australia
Visa4You
Visa First
Before you leave…
There are number of things you need to take care of before you leave Belgium behind.
They include (but are not limited to):
· Get a passport that is valid till at least 6 months after your arrival
· Get a visa
· Organise your trip
· Quit your job and contact VDAB or Forem to get advice on your duties regarding pensions and
unemployment administration
· Contact the Belgian Tax Office to find out about what you will need to do regarding your taxes
· Contact your municipal council to find out about registration in the Belgian national register,
change of address, your duty/right to vote in elections…
· Contact your bank to arrange your finances
· Send out your forwarding address to whom it may concern
· Make sure that you are insured for your trip and think about health insurance when you are living in
Australia. You can choose to use a private insurance or the Belgian Overseas Insurance Service.
You should also contact your Belgian health insurance ‘mutuality’.
· Contact a removal service like Worldwide Baggage Services to assist you with shipping your luggage
and home contents.
You can get a lot of information on moving abroad through organisations like Vlamingen in de Wereld and
the Union Francophone des Belges à l’Etranger.
Finding a job in Australia
Finding a job in Australia is not always easy. While there are a number of jobs in high demand it may
take a while before you find employment. Australia is very big on networking and expects applicants
to follow Australian guidelines when it comes to resumes and job applications. It is not what you know
but who you know! As a result a lot of jobs are not advertised or only advertised internally, yet cold
calling might be a way to get a foot in the door.
Jobs may be advertised in local newspapers, the Saturday paper or online. Websites include:
Seek
CareerOne
MyCareer
JobSearch
Most of these websites also give information on Australian resume requirements.
Also check out Live in Victoria to get great background information on everything you need to know
about moving to Victoria.
Finding a house
While you are looking for a place to live you may need to stay in temporary accommodation, such as a
serviced flat, hotel, motel or caravan park.
Where you decide to live will depend greatly on the area where you work, where your kids go to school
and your budget to buy or rent a house or flat.
Live In Victoria
gives detailed information on what to look for when it comes to temporary housing, rental and purchasing
a home or business property.
Internet
You can freely use the internet in most public libraries or enjoy wireless broadband at a number of hotspots
around Melbourne and its suburbs.
To find the best internet connection for your home it is possible to compare the plans of the main internet
providers here.
Mobile phone and home phone operators
The biggest mobile phone operators in Australia are Telstra, Vodafone and Optus. Telstra has the biggest
network coverage (they own the infrastructure). Aside from these companies there are a great number of
other operators, including Virgin, 3, Dodo...
On this website you can compare plans and rates.
Unlike in Belgium, it is possible in Australia to receive a free mobile phone if you sign up for a certain plan.
It is also common to have a ‘cap’ on your plan or prepaid account. This means that a fixed amount of phone
calls, text messages or data is automatically included in the amount you pay. As soon as you go over this
amount, you will need to pay extra. Overall these caps give you good value for money.
It is also possible to sign up for a combined plan that includes both phone and internet access. Most phone
operators/internet providers (as well as insurance companies etc.) reward their customers for purchasing
multiple products.
Water
Management of Melbourne’s water distribution system is run by the state government through Melbourne Water.
Who your local distributor is depends on where you live. For Melbourne there are three: City West Water,
South East Water and Yarra Valley Water. Rurally there are other water providers like Western Water,
Gippsland Water and Southern Rural Water. If your house is not connected to water supplies when you move
in, you should contact the distributor responsible for your area.
Since Victoria has been running on very low water supplies for quite a while due to the drought of recent years,
there are water restrictions and everyone should aim to reach ‘Target 155’. This means that people should try
not to use more than 155 litres of water per person per day. You can find more information on these restrictions
and Target 155, as well as ways to help you save water, on your water distributor’s website.
Driving a car
To get around shortly after your arrival you may need to hire a car. The following websites help you to compare
rental prices of the biggest car rental companies:
www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au
www.carhire.com.au
Generally cars are used longer in Australia, because they only have to have a roadworthy check they are transferred
to a new owner - unlike in Belgium where this is a yearly requirement.
This means it is often possible to buy an older car at a severely reduced price. You can compare prices and check what
cars are worth on Redbook and Carsales.
To check the quality of a car before you buy it, it is higly recommended to have it checked by an RACV mechanic.
RACV is the Victorian version of the Belgian VTB/VAB and also provides Roadside Assistance, car insurance and other
services.
For information on registration requirements and changing over to a Victorian's drivers' license, visit the VicRoads website.
Copyright © 2009 ---.
All Rights Reserved.
We are in no way any kind of migrant counsellors nor sponsored by any of the organisations mentioned below.This page is purely for your disposal. Its aim is to guide you through some of the hurdles you may encounter.
Visa
Before you are allowed to move to Australia, you need to get a visa for yourself and your dependents.
There are many different categories and it may take a while to find the most suitable option for you and
your family.
You can find lots of information on the website of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship or get
help from a migration consultant.
Migration consultants
To assist you in selecting and applying for the right visa to move to Australia you can go to a migration
consultant. A great number of consultants specialise in Australia specifically and will be able to provide
you with detailed information on the procedures. Some of them allow one free consultation before you
need to pay for their service. Whether you should consider using a migration consultant depends on the
complexity of your situation.
TIP: Only use migration consultants that are officially registered with MARA.
Some well-known providers of migration services to Australia in Belgium and the Netherlands include:
Buysse Immigration
Migration Bureau
Migration Institute of Australia
Visa4You
Visa First
Before you leave…
There are number of things you need to take care of before you leave Belgium behind.
They include (but are not limited to):
· Get a passport that is valid till at least 6 months after your arrival
· Get a visa
· Organise your trip
· Quit your job and contact VDAB or Forem to get advice on your duties regarding pensions and
unemployment administration
· Contact the Belgian Tax Office to find out about what you will need to do regarding your taxes
· Contact your municipal council to find out about registration in the Belgian national register,
change of address, your duty/right to vote in elections…
· Contact your bank to arrange your finances
· Send out your forwarding address to whom it may concern
· Make sure that you are insured for your trip and think about health insurance when you are living in
Australia. You can choose to use a private insurance or the Belgian Overseas Insurance Service.
You should also contact your Belgian health insurance ‘mutuality’.
· Contact a removal service like Worldwide Baggage Services to assist you with shipping your luggage
and home contents.
You can get a lot of information on moving abroad through organisations like Vlamingen in de Wereld and
the Union Francophone des Belges à l’Etranger.
Finding a job in Australia
Finding a job in Australia is not always easy. While there are a number of jobs in high demand it may
take a while before you find employment. Australia is very big on networking and expects applicants
to follow Australian guidelines when it comes to resumes and job applications. It is not what you know
but who you know! As a result a lot of jobs are not advertised or only advertised internally, yet cold
calling might be a way to get a foot in the door.
Jobs may be advertised in local newspapers, the Saturday paper or online. Websites include:
Seek
CareerOne
MyCareer
JobSearch
Most of these websites also give information on Australian resume requirements.
Also check out Live in Victoria to get great background information on everything you need to know
about moving to Victoria.
Finding a house
While you are looking for a place to live you may need to stay in temporary accommodation, such as a
serviced flat, hotel, motel or caravan park.
Where you decide to live will depend greatly on the area where you work, where your kids go to school
and your budget to buy or rent a house or flat.
Live In Victoria
gives detailed information on what to look for when it comes to temporary housing, rental and purchasing
a home or business property.
Internet
You can freely use the internet in most public libraries or enjoy wireless broadband at a number of hotspots
around Melbourne and its suburbs.
To find the best internet connection for your home it is possible to compare the plans of the main internet
providers here.
Mobile phone and home phone operators
The biggest mobile phone operators in Australia are Telstra, Vodafone and Optus. Telstra has the biggest
network coverage (they own the infrastructure). Aside from these companies there are a great number of
other operators, including Virgin, 3, Dodo...
On this website you can compare plans and rates.
Unlike in Belgium, it is possible in Australia to receive a free mobile phone if you sign up for a certain plan.
It is also common to have a ‘cap’ on your plan or prepaid account. This means that a fixed amount of phone
calls, text messages or data is automatically included in the amount you pay. As soon as you go over this
amount, you will need to pay extra. Overall these caps give you good value for money.
It is also possible to sign up for a combined plan that includes both phone and internet access. Most phone
operators/internet providers (as well as insurance companies etc.) reward their customers for purchasing
multiple products.
Water
Management of Melbourne’s water distribution system is run by the state government through Melbourne Water.
Who your local distributor is depends on where you live. For Melbourne there are three: City West Water,
South East Water and Yarra Valley Water. Rurally there are other water providers like Western Water,
Gippsland Water and Southern Rural Water. If your house is not connected to water supplies when you move
in, you should contact the distributor responsible for your area.
Since Victoria has been running on very low water supplies for quite a while due to the drought of recent years,
there are water restrictions and everyone should aim to reach ‘Target 155’. This means that people should try
not to use more than 155 litres of water per person per day. You can find more information on these restrictions
and Target 155, as well as ways to help you save water, on your water distributor’s website.
Driving a car
To get around shortly after your arrival you may need to hire a car. The following websites help you to compare
rental prices of the biggest car rental companies:
www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au
www.carhire.com.au
Generally cars are used longer in Australia, because they only have to have a roadworthy check they are transferred
to a new owner - unlike in Belgium where this is a yearly requirement.
This means it is often possible to buy an older car at a severely reduced price. You can compare prices and check what
cars are worth on Redbook and Carsales.
To check the quality of a car before you buy it, it is higly recommended to have it checked by an RACV mechanic.
RACV is the Victorian version of the Belgian VTB/VAB and also provides Roadside Assistance, car insurance and other
services.
For information on registration requirements and changing over to a Victorian's drivers' license, visit the VicRoads website.
Copyright © 2009 ---.
All Rights Reserved.
