If you are one of the many people that is interested in relocating to Australia, you are probably looking for some helpful tips to make your move go more smoothly. Moving to another country is never a simple process, and heading off to the other side of the world can be extremely stressful. Finding a job and arranging your Australian Skilled Visas can be challenging, and that’s before you find somewhere to live and get your new life in order. Although the Australian Government have plenty of useful advice to offer about immigration, sometimes getting some guidance from those who have already been through the process is invaluable. That’s why we’ve compiled these handy hints so that you can get your move off to the best possible start.
Get Your Documentation In Order
Before you move, make sure that you’ve gathered together all of your vital paperwork in a separate file. You will need important items like your marriage certificate, birth certificate, driving licence, insurance policies, bank statements and mortgage statements somewhere convenient where you can easily lay your hands on them. Getting some certified copies of all of your identification documents is also a good idea, and some scanned copies on your computer are also useful as you will probably be required to send them by email when you apply for a tenancy agreement.
Sort Your Medical Details Out
Make sure you have your dentist and doctor files up to date and in a place where you can easily find them, and get copies of all of your family’s optical prescriptions. For those of you with children, you will need copies of all immunisation records, and if you take regular medication, you need to be certain that you have sufficient supplies to last you until you have registered with a new doctor’s practice in Australia.
Dealing With Work and School
Work and school will play a major role in your move, so set aside all copies of the children’s school reports together with your CV, qualification certificates and working references. You should scan these documents to your computer and also put a copy on a flash drive so that you don’t need to travel with a stack of paperwork in your hand luggage.
Handling Banks and Utility Providers
Inform your utility providers such as your telephone, gas, electricity and broadband companies that you will be leaving the country and finalise your accounts. If you still have a final statement to pay you will need to supply them with your forwarding address. You should decide whether or not you are going to close your bank account in the UK. If you have decided that you will, you may want to consider leaving one low fee or fee free account open to carry out last minute banking operations. If you can, give your bank fax or email instructions and check that you have up to date signing authority.
Sorting Out Pensions And Insurances
If you have insurance policies for your home, your car and your contents, make sure that they are cancelled. You should also consider taking out life insurance, and if you already have a policy check to ensure that it will remain valid if you are living overseas. Be sure to bring all pension and superannuation documents to Australia with you, and have up to date statements to hand that show your current balances. You need to check whether these are able to be transferred to Australia.
Redirecting Your Mail
You don’t want to move to Australia with no way of receiving any outstanding letters, so make sure that you redirect all your mail and tell any remaining contacts that you will be relocating, giving them details of your new address. Set up a Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail email address and take the time to transfer all contacts to your new address before leaving. That way, you can be sure that you won’t lose contact with anyone or lose your important emails.
Renting A Home
If you intend to rent a property in Australia, you should get a reference letter from your current landlord or property manager. If you currently own your own home in the UK, get a reference letter from a personal referee instead. You will need a minimum of 6 weeks rent for your first few weeks in the country since the majority of rental properties demand a deposit worth 4 weeks rent as well as one advance monthly payment.
