You are out of the Priority

Let’s face it, COVID-19 has put most of our life plans at halt – this is even more so for those people who have been contemplating about moving across to Australia and start a new life there, but have had faced the biggest hurdle when the Department of Home Affairs has postponed applications.

Prior to the re-opening of the skilled visa nomination and business programs, and complete allocations for the financial year 2020-21 on 7^th October 2020, the Department of Home Affairs has allocated limited interim places to some states, giving priority to those who are critical for the nation’s battle against the COVID-19 situation.

Yes, your occupation may be out of priority, but that doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance.

With the complete state and territory nomination placements to be announced anytime soon, and the competition surely to get tougher than ever, established and registered Australia migration agents should always be bound to provide permanent solutions to all their clients. Where there may be lack of push factors, people should always be pushed to think and plan ahead for a brighter future, specifically with foreign workers whose career stability and security are at stake. 

While these Australia migration agencies in Singapore or elsewhere cannot guarantee any success of the application, they should be able to advocate all their client’s application to the best of their abilities. 

Most of the time, we tend to believe that a “just in time” attitude towards life will not help you achieve your goals, as every delay in your actions translates into lost in opportunity. In this world full of uncertainties, we have to live with a “just in case” attitude for us to be prepared to whatever’s going to happen.

Racism and Its Effect on Australia Immigration

Australia is one of the most successful multicultural society in the entire world. But even with the highly harmonious and cohesive living styles, we cannot deny the impact of racism as it has become the most terrible social problem in the area. In a recent interview, Penny Wong revealed that racism is the biggest threat to Australian democracy. People who see this issue in terms of some commercial and political advantages are likely to make it go worst in the country.

During the 45^th parliament, Labor senator warned the community by saying that extremist views and hate speeches cause huge harm to the democracy and the situation becomes more complicated due to lack of unity in response to that. There are so many ways people in the country can face racism behavior. They are often being abused for their darker skin colors. And it is never acceptable. The situations often get worse for the people who face such discrimination every day. Some of the most common groups that face racism on a regular basis are Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people. It is a common scenario for the immigrants who gathered here from culturally diverse backgrounds. The terrible fact is that they often get into systemic discrimination as well; it limits their access to various opportunities and common resources to ensure growth in their life. That is why people are thinking twice before planning to migrate to Australia.

Wong says that racism is not just unethical; this behavior is antithetical to the essential values of democracy. That is why we need to raise voice against racism and hate speech to defend the sufferers. But Wong also reveals that it is not possible to defend the situations by just concerning the freedom of speech as it inflicts direct and real harm. Actually, the poor behavior of racism dehumanizing the outsiders or so-called second-class citizens and they are not able to get the desired level of dignity and protection for being the integral members of the community. That is why hate speech becomes a dangerous thing for the entire society because the hatred in speech slowly raises to hatred in deed.

The scenario says that polarisation is not just influenced by the political leaders, but at the same time, the ill effects are also spread by the news media. The rise of social media has also provided a new platform for debate; it further leads to failure of the factual framework that is otherwise useful to solve the issue. Racism has a huge impact on Australia immigration; the new arrivals find it difficult to connect with the communities and to find a job as well. Wong revealed that the nation must make collection efforts to face the threat of racism and prejudice. The idea is to work together for recognizing the trends of racism and hate speech and then work together to eliminate these risks. It is important to tackle various drivers of racism; they are disengagement, disrespect, and inequality. Once the nation sets the right parameter for dealing with racism, then only the migrants can look for a better life in Australia. It can naturally ensure huge rise in Australia PR application.

DIBP has Released 2016-17 SOL

Time to catch up with my blog again. It has been quite a while since I last updated this. 

They say that there's no certain typical Australian lifestyle, but I must say that my family and I are really enjoying a high quality of life, that I became too busy dealing with all our day-to-day activities. 

Anyway, I just read an article yesterday afternoon that the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection has released the 2016-17 Skilled Occupation List (SOL). I just can remember how my wife and I are struggling to understand what is the difference between the Skilled Occupation List and the Consolidated Occupation List (CSOL) before, until we have consulted different Australia migration agencies in Singapore such as NTRUST - thanks to them as they have educated as so much about the entire migration process. 

Going back to the updated SOL, it has come to my understanding that there are nine occupations that have been removed from the list and two were added. The nine occupations are the following:

• 233611 Mining Engineers
• 233612 Petroleum Engineers
• 234912 Metallurgist
• 251311 Environmental Health Officer
• 251312 Occupational Health and Safety Adviser
• 411211 Dental Hygienist
• 411212 Dental Prosthetist
• 411213 Dental Technician
• 411214 Dental Therapist

and the two that were added are:

• 251912 Orthotists and Prosthetists
• 252711 Audiologists

Checking the SOL is important if you are planning to go to Australia under skilled migration. You can just simply visit the Immigration Department website to check if your occupation is included in the list or not - a step that we forgot to do before because we are really confused that time on how we should start the entire process of Australian visa application.

I still believe that there are really reliable and registered Australia migration agencies in Singapore or from any part of the world that can help you out in processing your visa application. You just have to be diligent enough to identify which one can help you take your migration plans forward.

For the 2016-17 SOL and CSOL, visit the link below:

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L00800

I will try my very best to update this blog from time to time, as I am really enjoying the thought of me sharing my knowledge or my experience with everyone. 

Buy Your Australian Citizenship, Seriously?

It's been awhile since my last blog post. Well anyway, I came across a very interesting article on Sydney Morning Herald's website today and I thought I wanna share it.

It is about the Australian government considering to make the immigration system 'price-based'.

Enter Australian Citizenship for Sale.

Interested?

My opinion about this is quite straightforward. This news about 'citizenship for sale' is simply meant to entertain because it will create a lot of discussion. There would be people who would vote for it but more people will be against it. This is something that the Australia government could weigh on but at this point in time, it would just be another hot air.

I do not think anything concrete will come out from this talk. I bet nothing good would come out of this if implemented.

Read the article using the link below:
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/citizenship-for-sale-government-explores-pricebased-immigration-system-20150503-1myvwk.html

P.S: Be back in Singapore in 2 weeks, miss the food!

Australian Cost of Living Compared to Singapore

Many say that the cost of living in Australia, if not the same, is even higher than that of Singapore's.
This may be true, but let me breakdown the costs into a few categories:

School:

There are 2 types of schools, a private school and a public school. For a private school, in Australia, it can be very expensive because the rate is not subsidized, from A$2,000 to A$15,000 per year. Very similar to the cost of studying in a private school in Singapore. On the other hand, in Australia, studying in a public school is highly subsidized. This is one of the push factors why my family decided to migrate to Australia, for my kids education.

Housing:

In general, the price of having a roof over your head in Australia and a roof over your head in Singapore will cost about the same price. Surprised? Let me tell you the difference. Buying an HDB flat in Singapore (with 4 or 5 bedrooms) is equivalent to having a landed property in Australia (with your own garage and a swimming pool!). If you want to move to a very popular area in Singapore, such as in Toa Payoh,  Ang Mo Kio, Bishan or Clementi, the price of living in a slightly better suburb in Australia is about the same.

Cars:

HUGE difference! If we are talking about the same car model, for instance, a brand new Toyota Corolla, in Singapore, you may spend $120,000 to get one. In Australia, you can get the same one at around $23,000. See the difference? It is because in Singapore, you need a Certificate of Entitlement that would cost about $100,000! That is like buying 4 brand new cars in Australia! My friend in Adelaide even bought a car for only $500. The price of petrol (fuel), in Australia is about the same, if not cheaper, of what it is in Singapore.

Health Care:

Australia has a very interesting health system called Medicare. Medicare is a federally funded system to ensure that everybody is entitle to the best of health care services. Compared to Singapore, Singaporeans living in Singapore are entitled to similar system except that you fund your own health care in the form of contributions, a mandatory thing. In Australia, health services is highly subsidized.

Food:

In Australia, food is more expensive I would say. There are certain things that are more expensive in Australia especially processed food. But if you will go to local farms in Australia, you will get it in a very cheap price.

Utility Bills:

The cost of electricity is slightly cheaper in Australia. You can save more because in Australia, you do not need air conditioning 365 days a year! I spend more with water because I have a garden in front of my house, unlike when I was in Singapore when I was living in hole in the air.

Electronics and Internet:

Gadgets and mobile devices are way cheaper in Singapore. Internet is faster in Singapore.

Shopping:

In my opinion, there are more shopping choices in Singapore. But in Australia, there are more online shopping websites that offer free delivery with cheaper item prices. I buy most of my clothes online, most of the are $9 each.

Conclusion:

I highly appreciate what we have back in Singapore. Very convenient transportation and extremely safe environment. But in Australia, there is more life. You can do more fun activities, and more importantly, have a good time with your family.

IELTS and choosing NTRUST Singapore as my migration agent for Australia visa

Books.. Practice.. Score!

Many of my friends and relatives were asking me how my family applied for permanent visa in Australia. My answer was always, "I used an agent". Then they will ask me which agent. I tell them I used NTRUST, a local company in Singapore.

Since I haven't tried other agencies, I cannot compare them with others but I was very satisfied with their service. Of course, hiring an agent does not mean I would do nothing and just wait for our visa to be approved. I needed to prepare for the IELTS, an English exam that would add points to my eligibility.

At first, I thought I needed to enroll on some English course specializing in IELTS for me to get a better chance of obtaining a high score. But because of my busy work schedule, I decided not to. I purchased some books, if I my memory serves me right they are from the publisher Cambridge and just study on my own. Despite going home late at night, I dedicated one hour of practice before I go to bed. I even asked my wife to help me practice. She wrote some questions that are most likely to be asked in the speaking exam such as "Tell me something about yourself", "What do you usually do during your free time?", "Who do you look up to?" and a lot more. I even recorded my own voice while practicing and listen to it to know which parts I can improve!

Let me tell you, it was not fun practicing but because I really wanted to give my kids a better future, I just did what I needed to do - practice English. I took the test and after 2 weeks of waiting for the result, I obtained the score I needed. I got at least 7 on each band (not bad!) that made me eligible for skilled migration. I have a friend (whom I guess speaks English better than me) who took the IELTS twice before getting his target score on each band. He said he did not practice for his first exam because he was too confident that is why he failed. On the second one, he practiced and even got a minimum of 8 on each band.

So there, PRACTICE is the key to IELTS.

Back to my agent, after submitting my scores, the process went smooth. I was updated with the progress of my application. I gave them all the necessary documentation they needed for the application. We thought it would take about 1 to 2 years to get approved but surprisingly, our visa was approved in 7 months only!

You are not required to use an agent but if you are not confident in handling your application, just use one. Using an agent would cost you more than applying on your own but it would be totally worth it once you get the visa!

How I applied for migration to Australia

Migrating from Singapore to Australia

Immigration was a totally foreign concept to me. My wife and I met while we were studying in Australia. We came back to Singapore to get married and had our kids. While we were in Singapore, we realized that we were not happy and felt that something is lacking - work-life balance. We thought of coming back to Australia and looked for ways on how to migrate. Back those days, I did not have any idea on how to start. I was back and forth to the Australia High Commission and research online to get information. Guess what, all these researching did not help and confused me even more on how to apply correctly. Added to my worries are the stories I read from forum websites where some people's applications are rejected.

Since after weeks of research and I was still not sure where to start and what to submit, that's the time when I decided to seek help from a professional. I returned to the internet and searched for registered migration agents in Singapore. One of the agencies I found with good reviews is NTRUST. We attended their immigration seminar and we found it very informative. From there we made an appointment for a consultation to discuss our case in more depth. Their consultant analyzed our eligibility and criteria and we were advised about every step of the process in details. Of course, to make sure I would engage with the best migration agency, we consulted with other agencies in Singapore. My wife and I decided to use NTRUST because we felt they could provide a better service than the others.

One of the requirements I needed to complete is the IELTS general training exam and get the score I need to add more points for my application. I registered for the exam at British Council and I practiced almost every night for a month to improve my English. Luckily, I was able to get good scores so I did not retake the exam as other people do. From there, I submitted all other requirements to our migration agent and they took care of the submissions and communication with the Australian authorities.

It took about 7 months before our application for Australian PR was approved. After a year of preparation, our family moved to Australia. We are now living in Perth.