Australia Bound

The South African Migrant’s Handbook

Registered migration agents forinnovative immigration solutions

Migrate 2 Oz

>> Introduction>> Making the Decision to Move>> Getting Started>> Why Use a Migration Agent?>> Types of Visas>> The Visa Application Process>> Preparing for the Big Move>> About Migrate 2 Oz

Table of Contents

“Australia is the third most popular country for South Africans living abroad”

Australia offers many opportunities for South Africans looking to relocate for whatever reason. Apart from having a well-built economy, the country is famous around the world for its scenic beauty, and with the country pushing for more educated migrants than ever before, now has never been a better time to make the move down under. This handbook offers an introductory guide through the Australian migration process. Whether you are planning on working, studying or even joining family in Australia – get to know the ins and outs of Australia’s flexi-ble immigration policy, visa applications and more before starting on the journey to your new life.

Migrate 2 Oz

Introduction

Sound familiar? Making the move to a new country can be life-changing, for the better – it’s the start of a new adventure that is full of promise. So what’s holding you back? Migrating to Australia is a journey that starts with a decision. There’s nothing more powerful than a made up mind – only once you’ve done this can you truly begin the process.

As with everything else in your move, your decision will depend on your own circumstance, whether you’ve been offered a job in Australia or just want to further your career there. Whether you’re joining family or going over to study.

“I’m not sure if now is the right

time.”“I wouldn’t even know where to

begin.”

“I don’t know if I’ll even qualify for a

visa.”

“There’s just so much to think

about.”

Wha

t to

co

nsid

er

Family Jobs Pets House Lifestyle Money

Making the Decision to Move

Getting Started

So you’ve made the courageous decision to move to Australia. Congratulations!

Now what?

After the decision, the next most important step in the migration process is to find out if you qualify for a visa, and which visa is most appropriate for your circumstances. Australia has a number of different visa options to choose from which we’ll cover later on in this handbook. Whether you are eligible for a visa depends on a number of different factors, including your age, qualifications, health, English language ability, etc. Here is a quick guide to help you quickly assess whether or not you may qualify:

Why use a Migration Agent?

To the left are just some of the benefits of using a migration agent instead of going at it alone:

Sure, you can apply for a visa without the help of a registered migration agent, however, doing so could result in a lot

of frustration and not much success.

Apart from the mountain of paperwork and processes required, even the slightest mistake on a form could doom

your application to the waiting pile. In Australia, migration agents need to be registered with the Migration Agents Reg-istration Authority (MARA). This affords you more protection

if something were to go wrong and gives you the peace of mind that you’re dealing with skilled professionals.

Migrate 2 Oz

Types of VisasThere are too many visas available for Australia to list them all here. Instead, we’ll cover some of the most common visa categories for temporary and permanent migrants in this handbook.

Skilled MigrationThe skilled migration scheme is pivotal to Australia’s economic success and is expected to continue its upward trend until the skill shortage issues are resolved. Numerous studies have indicated that the skill shortages are due to continue until at least 2036.

Visa options for skilled migration: • Skilled Independent Visa (subclass 189) • Skilled Sponsored or Nominated Visa (subclass 190) • Skilled Regional Sponsored Visa (subclass 489)

Employer SponsorshipEmployer sponsored visas are for businesses in Australia who would like to sponsor foreign skilled workers. In order to be an eligible sponsor, a business must first be approved by the government. Individuals are free to approach businesses in Australia if they would like to be sponsored. If sponsorship cannot be attained, it’s advised to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) under the new SkillSelect migration program.

Visa options for employer sponsorship: • Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) • Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (subclass 187) • Temporary Business (Long Stay) (subclass 457)

.

Types of Visas

Family StreamThe family migration stream facilitates sponsorship of family members who meet the requirements to apply for a family visa. The family sponsorship visa applies to anyone who is a fiancé, spouse or de facto partner, includ-ing same-sex partner, of the Australian sponsor OR has a child/children in Australia who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Visa options for family sponsorship: • Child Visa (subclasses 101 & 102) • Parent Visa (subclass 103) • Aged Parent Visa (subclass 804) • Contributory Parent Visa (subclasses 173 & 143) • Contributory Aged Parent Visa (subclasses 884 & 864)

Student VisasThe Student Visa Program assists students wishing to pursue internationally-recognised courses in a progres-sive, secure, and culturally diverse learning environment. Before being eligible to apply, students must have already chosen a study course that is accredited and registered by the Australian Government’s Common-wealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

Visa options for student migration: • Undergraduate (Bachelor) & Postgraduate Degrees by coursework (subclass 573) • Postgraduate Programmes by Research (subclass 574)

The Visa Application Process

First, you’ll need to take a points test. Based on your results, Migrate 2 Oz will recommend the

best option or pathway for a successful application.

To support your application, you will need to collate evidence to back up your case. This will include things like educational certificates, legal documents, passports, etc.

Step 1.

You will also need to consider things like: will you be taking the family pets with you and

what else will you need to take with?

All that’s left is to fill out the form and wait for a response

Step 2.

Step 4.

Once you’ve decided on which visa option is right for you, it’s time to kick off the application process.

Step 3.

After a while, you will receive a letter informing you that you have been allocated a case officer

From there, you will be requested to submit your medicals and a police records check

Step 5.

The waiting continues while your application is finalised

When the wait is over, you will finally be notified that your visa has been granted

Step 6.

Step 8.

Step 7.

Preparing for the move

Here are just a few things you may need to do before booking your one-way ticket to Australia

Sell your housein South Africa

Organise for your furniture and belongings to be shipped

Open up a bankaccount in Australia

Find a hometo rent in Australia

Find out about a exporting your family pets

Once your visa application is granted, you can pat yourself on the back and breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your dream of moving to Australia is now a speck of reality. The work isn’t over yet, though. While you’ll have up to five years to take up the option of living in Australia after your visa is granted, most people opt to make the move sooner rather than later. And that means planning – lots of it.

Luckily, this part of your journey doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds. When you choose Migrate 2 Oz as your migration agent, we will be able to assist you as you prepare to go to Australia – providing expertise, access to strategic

partnerships and sound advice every step of the way. But that’s not all…

Sell Rent

8 things to do soon after arriving

Migrate 2 Oz

Migrate 2 Oz aims to empower South Africans who are considering migrating to Australia but don’t know how to start by providing the advice and guidance they need and the value-added resources they can use to successfully start their new life down under.

Migrate 2 Oz is an established agency of Australian migration consultants providing professional migration advice and related services that make moving to Australia, for whatever reason, as smooth and uncomplicated as possible.

We are permanently based in South Africa with offices in Johannesburg, offering clients the advantage of being close to their Australian immigration agents throughout the visa application process. We also have offices in Sydney to provide you with the support needed after your relocation as well as assistance in seeking employment if necessary.

All of our Australian migration agents are registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA), the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) and the Migration Alliance. This affords you the protection and peace of mind that we have passed the required character tests, comply with the MARA code of conduct and possess the necessary immigration law qualifications.

About Migrate 2 Oz

Registered migration agents forinnovative immigration solutions

Migrate 2 Oz

Contact Us

0861 GO TO OZ (46 86 69)

Johannesburg (Head Office) Tel: +27 11 453 1229Fax: +27 11 453 6449

71 Linksfield Road, Dowerglen, Edenvale, Johannesburg, 1610

SydneyTel: +61 2 9037 4201Fax: +61 2 8323 4373

18 Grosvenor Street, Sydney NSW 2000

BrisbaneTel: +61 7 3177 7896

Level 1, 23 Middle Street, Cleveland QLD 4163, PO Box 3727, Victoria Point West, QLD 4165

www.migrate2oz.co.za