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.

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.

Weather in Australia

Australia's geographical size is so large and climate in different places varies depending on where you are. It can range from tropical to desert all the way to temperate. Living in Perth, I would say the climate here is more of a temperate-type and I love it.

There are 4 seasons here and you can actually see them go by and there is actually a certain feel in each. For example, while I'm writing this post, the winter had just passed, and we are bridging out into springtime. Spring begins in September in Perth and during this season, the colors of the environment are just lovely, it is wonderful. Flowers are everywhere in different colors - red, yellow, lavender - even if you just drove along the streets not to mention if you actually drove outside of the metropolitan area, there will be a lot of colorful wild flowers all over around. The weather really impacts the type of flora.

Then after spring, summer comes in December which can really be quite warm. The people will then hangout at the beaches for refreshing afternoon sea breeze. Bodies of waters are really very nice, you can cool down on the river, sea, or like many people homes here, they cool down in their own swimming pools.

In March, autumn begins. I would say this is my favorite season because I find it mild with blue skies, not too windy, plants and tress' colors change and their leaves drop. This time, the daytime is still sunny but the nights are cooler.

Then in June comes winter, the coldest part of the year. I find winter very important because it gives the land a time to rejuvenate and recover a lot of water that is lacking in a lot of months. Rain cleanses things up, fills the dams with water which will last for the remainder of the year.

The seasons change, things change, and the clothes people wear change in line with the season. One thing I find which I really appreciate about the weather in Perth is the fact that air has very much lower humidity. Because the humidity is low, the air is lighter, therefore it is easier to breathe. If you want to be more scientific about that, if there is less water and more air, there will be more Oxygen in the air. Generally this will affect you and your sense of well-being. You go out and exercise and you find that your body can able to take in more Oxygen and your body can do a lot more. You will feel more energetic because you do not have to fight the weather like what you experience if you are in a humid environment.

If you are migrating to Australia and weather is a big factor in making a decision on which place you will settle, I highly suggest you come to Perth. I've been to a lot of places in Australia and I still, always believe that I made a fantastic choice on where to live.