Mummies in Australia?

[nnchander]

Hi Tweetie,
Yup, the RRV allows you to exit Australia when your PR expires.

As I understand it, if you enter before the PR expires, there is no breach. What is tricky though... (and I'm not sure abt this...) is that if your PR expires and you are still in the country...

It would be really complicated if you want to visit Singapore every now and then. I would recommend that you apply for an RRV as soon as possible before the PR expires to avoid potential problems.

Also, and this is a suggestion... why don't you bring your baby here for the vaccinations? It's FOC

I recently brought my boy for his pneumacoccal vaccination ... and it was FOC! He had his first dose in Sg, which cost $170! Also, they have an additional jab here -- the meningococcal (meningitis C).

HTH

 

[ozziemummie]

wah!

didn't realise so many mummies having probs with renewing PR visa!!! well at least having fears of not being able to...
our visas expires Feb 2011 but can remain indefinitely in Oz after....of 'cos like Andrea says, that'll be a prob coming back to Sgp and returning to Oz. cos u'll become a tourist then!

Andrea, u'r lucky hubby working in Oz. think as long as one party is contributing to their economy then they'll usually be lenient...then again it depends on the case officer lah.

mspiggy was really lucky!

Tweetie, i also think u should try to return to Oz earlier. do your jabs in Oz 'cos it's free. dun have to worry abt medical insurance like in Sgp.

I'm betting on my son 'cos he's Oz citizen. Hopefully it'll be easier for me to renew mine since i'm his mother. or maybe get Oz citizenship.

Although hubby was the main applicant for our PR, he may have to travel back to Sgp quite often 'cos my in-laws quite old liao and not well...so that means he won't be able to fulfill his PR requirements in time....that's why got to depend on me now. sigh...

 

[tweetie]

Hi Andrea, Ozziemommie,

Oh really

I didn't know jabs are free over there. Actually, I had wanted to deliver in Oz but my preg is bit unstable initially, so we decided not to tk the chance instead. Delivering her here and apply the PR for her thru the Australia Embassy, heard it shdn't b an issue since both parents are PRs.

Yeah, I agree the tricky n most confusing part is when yr visa expires when u r in Oz and wat's gonna happen then? Applying the RRV seems the best bet like wat both of u said.

 

[hentang]

Hi,

Well, looks like I'm not the only one with lots of concern abt the PR thingy & RRV.

Bcos of my past few miscarriages, I decided to give birth here in Dec. Will apply PR for her sometime in Mar next year. Hopefully she can get it since both parents n her elder sis are all PRs.

My hubby is deciding whether he should go to China to join his brother n pick up a new skill for the sake of next time moving to AU. But problem is if he goes, he will have to work in China for few years, estimated till 2010. But our PR expires in Mar 09. Worse case, I'll go over to AU end of next year n stay till Mar 09 while hubby continues to work in China. Then in Mar 09, he will come over to AU n we'll try to apply for extension. Hopefully our case gets approved. Bcos of this, we are in dilenma now.

Like Tweetie, I'm confused how do we renew our PR status when it expires in Mar 09.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Hen,
If you come to AUS first and get a job, it should not be a prob when your hubby joins you in 2010. But you will have to apply for RRV b4 it expires.

As for your husband, it might be a little more difficult, if he hasn't got two years before the PR expires in 09. Would it be better if he came to AUS to pick up a skill at TAFE or something?

just a suggestion...

 

[jojos]

andrea,
thks for ur advice & help on the child visa appln for my boy. i managed to get the PR for my boy 2 wks ago. it was quite fast, took them only 2 weeks to process ...

hen,
i may hav a same situation as u. me & hb also worry that we are not able to chalk up 2 out of 5 yrs period b4 ours expire in 2010. hb cant move with us to aus due to his work committment here.

... thus i m kinda "scarifying" myself to go over & look for a job in jan08 and start working till he joins us. hoping that he would be able to get RRV base on our (me & kids) commitment there ...

andrea,
is the RRV also kinda "tied" as a family? just like when we 1st apply the PR as a whole family ...

 

[hentang]

ozziemummie, andrea,
You got info on the jab that they offer for new born over in AU? If we are moving to China in Jan 08, I'm still planning to fly back to SG for my baby's jab. If its free in AU, maybe I consider flying to AU for jab instead.

jojos,
If you are going to work over there while your hubby is still here, how abt the kid? You going to put into childcare? I have the same concern that if hubby working in China, how am I going to work & take care of 2 kids in AU. Btw, which part of AU would you be moving to?

Andrea,
Thanks for the suggestion, we did consider that. My hubby feels that he should be the one bringing home the income, so if he goes to AU to pick up a skill (ie attends TAFE or whatever courses), he would be spending money rather than earning. Whereas if he goes to China, he is working and at the same time, picking up new skillset.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Jojos,
Good to hear that your boy's visa is settled

actually it's quite fast ... I think they put a bigger/longer timeframe just to scare us.... mine was also settled within weeks

As for the RRV, my hb's and my applications were separate, because when we applied for PR, it was also separate applications (we weren't married at that time). I'm not sure if it would be easier for family units. Do you and your husband have your own visas?

Anyway, I think at the end of the day, the Immi Dept really couldn't have rejected our applications, since my hb already has a permanent job here. I think if they want to be nasty, they could have denied my my RRV... In fact, the person at the counter wasn't very nice... thankfully our case officer was very nice

Hi Hen,
All vaccinations (the compulsory ones) are free here. I will outline the list for you here:

Birth - HepB

2 months - DPT, HepB, Hib (haemophilus influenza type b), Rotavirus, Prevenar (Pneumacoccal)

4 months - DPT, HepB, Hib (haemophilus influenza type b), Rotavirus, Prevenar (Pneumacoccal)

6 months - DPT, HepB, Hib (haemophilus influenza type b), Prevenar (Pneumacoccal)

12 months - MMR, Hib (booster dose), MenCCV (Meningococcal C infections)

18 months - VZV (Chickenpox)

4 years - DPT, MMR

I hope this helps. I managed to find the website link for you as well (look under 'I' for 'immunisation' -- there is a pdf on the vaccination schedule). It contains detailed information of the vaccinations required. Hope the info will help you

http://www.health.wa.gov.au/health_topics/index.cfm#c

 

[hentang]

Andrea,
Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

Wld someone be able to throw some light on this one? Let's say we are in AU when our PR visa expires, do we apply for PR visa to be extended or do we apply for RRV? If our PR visa extension is not approved, can we remain in AU? If our PR visa extension is approved, do we still need to apply for RRV to leave the country?

 

[hidora]

Hi hen,

Immunization is also free for adult. I just got my cervical cancer jab here FOC.

Au medical benefit is really good. My son got his MMR jab here when he was not even a PR. Was under bridging visa then. You will need medicare card thou if your child wants to go for jab.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Hen,
I've just checked with my Mig agent. She says that for PR holders, once the visa is past the expiry date, we can <font color="0000ff">remain</font> in Australia for an unlimited period of time... BUT if we want to travel at any later stage, we would need to apply/organise for an RRV in order to legally get back into the country.

Therefore if there are plans to visit Sg or anywhere for that matter, we will need to apply for the RRV in advance, as it might take a while to be approved.

HTH

 

[jojos]

andrea,
yeah, it was quite fast. when we were at the high comm, they told us could take up to 3 mths. but in the end got it in 2 wks.
me, hb & our 2 elder kids' visa were applied as a family units. my 3rd bb is a separate one which i jus applied for him. so i was wondering if we applied for the RRV, shld we be applying as a family or individually?

hen,
i m planning to move to syd in Jan08. i will bring all my 3 kids with me (cant imagine leaving any one of them with my hb, dun think he can take gd care of them .. keke). my elder 2 kids will be attending school next yr. as for my bb, i will be bringing my mum with me temporary, so that she can help me to look after my bb & kids.

it's gonna be tough lor, esp when childcare is so ex, and my bb is still too young to be in infant/childcare.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Jojos
actually, since your 3rd child has just received the visa... then it is not expiring yet, in which case, there is no need to apply for the RRV. But for the rest of the family, it is necessary to apply for it then.

 

[hentang]

jojos,
I've got a SG friend who married an Australian n is now living in SYD. She just gave birth to a baby girl in Jul over there. So, maybe I can get her to join our forum n you get a chance to know her too.

Andrea,
Thanks for checking up for me.

hidora,
Looks like u all settled in over there, know all the benefits (n making use of them already) n even have tomatoes growing in your backyard

 

[jojos]

andrea,
that was what i was thinking also. my bb visa wont expire so fast, but the rest of us will. so we probably have to apply our RRV b4 his.

hen,
that will b gd, would like to know more mummies in sydney. hardly see any of the mummies gng to sydney, most of u are gng to or already in Perth. Perth is a nice place to live, went there many yrs back.

 

[mngo]

Hi all
so many postings!
i've been busy, no time to check out the forum here

 

[mngo]

Hey Andrea
Wa, they got rota virus jab!
In sg, it is not compulsory.

Mmm.. my boy has been vacine with Prevenar, do i hv to proof to the medical clinic?

And also in sg, the kids r vaccine with MMR, do they need to be vaccine again at 4 yrs old?

 

[mngo]

Hi all

On this issue
Quoted -
On the issue of your kid's citizenship. I am not sure if your kid is girl or boy. But if he is born in Aust, he can hold on dual citizenship up to 18. He can decide then. And if your kid is a boy and is born in singapore, he has to serve his NS before he can drop his sg citizenship.


I ever checked with mindef, they din say my kid must serve ns if he is in au from now till old.

the serving of NS, is it for the boys who live in sg?

 

[mngo]

ozmummie
summer at subiaco?
which part of summer??
if i am there, i'll join u guys!!!

 

[mngo]

Pls refer to email from Mindef to me.
Esp 4). Those below 21 years can apply for NS deferment till 21 years pending renunciation of Singapore citizenship.

NATIONAL SERVICE LIABILITY

1. Please refer to your email dated 7 Mar 2006 regardin g your son's national service (NS) liability.

2. As a Singapore citizen, he is required for national service (NS) under the Enlistment Act. The holding of foreign citizenship does not absolve him from his obligations under the Act.

3. He is required to register for NS and apply for an exit permit to enable him to remain outside Singapore upon reaching the age of 16 years old. He is also required for NS enlistment at the earliest opportunity after reaching the age of 18 years, unless he is granted deferment from NS for overseas studies.

4. &nbs p; Under the Singapore constitution, Singapore citizens can only renounce their Singapore citizenship after reaching the age of 21 years. Those below 21 years can apply for NS deferment till 21 years pending renunciation of Singapore citizenship. For your information, only those who have left before 11 years and not exercised the rights and privileges of Singapore citizenship beyond 11 years old can be considered for deferment till the age of 21 years pending renunciation of Singapore citizenship. The rights and privileges of Singapore citizenship include holding of Singapore passport, residing and studying in Singapore.

 

[cake]

hi ladies

Thankyou Mngo for sharing that!! Must thread carefully as we don't want our kids to get into trouble.

ozziemummie: got outing in Subiaco? hehe..if in Perth, will also go..maybe going again in Dec to settle house issues..if u guys do organise, let us know..we can meet up!

 

[hopeac]

hi mngo,
It means that if your child leaves before 11 years old. Your child has not enjoy the benefits of being a singaporean. You can ask for deferment of NS until 21. After which, you can renounce his citizenship at 21. Meaning no need to do ns, if you intend to renounce the citizenship at 21 and you leave singapore before 11 years old.



yatie,
When did you apply for your PR?

 

[mngo]

hopeac
yes you are right

BUT ... better to confirm again and again on yearly basis. who knows, change of law?

 

[hentang]

Hi tweetie,
Counting down to your delivery date? Boy or girl?

My EDD is ard 18Dec. Been getting comments frm people that my tummy is small for 7+ mths. Last mth, gynae said baby is avg size, abt 1.5kg. As my elder daughter was 3.395kg at birth, guess has expectations that her sister is ard there as well.

I'll apply for baby's PR next Jan, so if we can get it approved before Chinese New Year, maybe we'll fly to Perth in Feb. Hopefully, get to meet those mummies who are already there.

 

[hopeac]

hi mngo,
But I got 1 question. DOes it mean he cannot go back after 11 years old to visit?

 

[hopeac]

hi hen,
It is ok one. SO long the gynae say the baby is growing, it should be fine. For my pregnancies, some people don't even know I preg until I 7 -8 months. Both times tummy also very small, but the baby come healthy. 8P. So my collegues always say don't know where I hide the baby.

 

[ozziemummie]

hi mummies,

sorry i MIA for a while 'cos had to settle some paper-work. attempting to export our car to Oz.So stressed out.U know bloody Oz a lot of paper work one. Have to apply for import approval first. We refused to pay extra 3-4K for so-called "agent services". in the end a lot of stuff still have to settle outselves. might as well put the $$$$ in our pockets and self-service! So if this gets thru, i'll be an expert with imports into Oz! haha!


Hen,

wah your 1st baby so BIG!!!! mine was 2.99kg! but very good size for my petite build. I could'nt ask for more! i was expecting my Joe to be smaller!
Dun stress ok? as long as baby healthy and normal average size according to gynae

mgo,
yes i'm flying into Perth 3rd Dec...would be busy for the first 2 weeks settling down. If u'r just around the corner can contact me! remind me...i'll give u the house number there

I'll probably get a mobile line too when i get there.
Subiaco is 5 min drive from the place i'm putting up till end Feb! yoohoo!!!
Think Hidora won't be able to meet us 'cos she'll be flying back to Sgp?!?!

hopeac and mgo,

think just be safe and get your son out of Sgp before he turns 11yr old. And come back to knock on Sgp's doors to tell them bye-bye when he's 21.
then u dun have to churn out paper work to apply for exit permit!
Anyway, can u gals tell me what kind of PRIVILEGES we Singaporeans get to enjoy? Those who have hubbies who have a hard time with reservice will tell u it's like getting imprisoned! plus underpaid! esp those hubbies who earn lots hourly or per day basis. u go and calculate the opportunity cost lor.

Plus u spend 18 yrs of your life taking care and grooming your son...plus education...then the Sgp govt takes him away for 2 yrs...possibly risking his life...he gets 200-300 bucks per month allowance from the SAF..where got enuff?!?!?! in the end u still need to give him transport allowance plus feed him. Does SAF compensate us!?!??!
If our son dies in the field, can SAF pay us back one baby?!?!?! u really want your son to "DIE FOR YOUR COUNTRY"? oh pls!
And so much competition here with education and career. all the so-called "foreign talents" taking over our jobs. U think Singapore really values its citizens? i mean true-blue SINGAPOREANS like us? Do u think we're really 1st class citizens? It's just a mentality.

look what's happening to our CPF! we're working our asses off to pay for our houses thru the CPF. Then need to work to pay insurance so that "touch-wood" if anything happens we HOPE the insurance will pay out. But what if u'r not working, how to pay our insurance premiums?

The Ozzie govt doesn't do that to us. Let's not say we intentionally want to take advantage of the welfare system. But at least if u'r truly out of job or very sick, they take care of u. Although everyone says the tax rate is high, it comes back to u in terms of life-time healthcare and social security in the long run.

So being a PR I won't have to worry that my son will have to take care of my medical bills when i'm old and useless.
Here in Sgp really work until die ah.

super long-winded. just my 2 cents worth of opinion.
Those who dun agree with me pls dun get upset with me hor? Still wanna be your fren

Yatie,
any news?!?!

 

[hopeac]

hi,
Just got my letter to do police report and health check. They give us so short a time to do everything. Anyone knows how long after we submit those reports, we will get our PR?

One question. For those with kids with school going age, do you worry about their education in australia. Independent schools are so expensive, and state schools are suppose to be not so good. sigh

 

[mngo]

hopeac
the visiting thingy, i am also not sure.
but i "think" and i "guess", he can visit.
And as long as he does not enjoy the benefits of being singaporean, he should be able to come back for holiday , without need to serve NS

 

[mngo]

ozmommie
i agree with u, both hands up, wholeheartedly!
some pple think i mad enough to bring my boy to AU, just to escape army.
But there's 1001 reasons to move downunder.

Oh .. Dec? i wont be in Perth.

 

[mngo]

hopeac
my written approval for PR came abt 3 -4 months after we submitted the medical report.

 

[cake]

hi ladies

ozziemummie: Wah..u exporting ur car? wah..next time mus consult you how to do it already wor..
i thinking of shipping 1 container over lor...but i think the costs can be quite high..especially when most of my furniture is wood..they will quarantine for along time

will u be house hunting? check out south of the freeway..lots of new estates.

mngo

i thnk can visit..but still need to report for NS @ 16..or something like that..then request for deferment.that way..everything more proper until D is 21.

Lots of ppl migrating to Aus now..esp Singaporeans. Many may want to go ..but the truth is the criteria for PR or even a work visa is getting more difficult.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Sunnycake,
We shipped all our furniture over as well (all wood)... there was no problem with quarantine at all

The company we used is an Aus company with base in Sg, so they are familiar with the rules and regulations here. In the end, our furn weren't quarantined and we cleared the customs quickly. In fact, container arrived earlier than expected

Which company are u using?

 

[cake]

hi andrea

oh really? can pass me the name of the company you used? I have not moved yet so now checking on information such as costs etc. I was concerned about the quarantine issue lor. What about GST? i remember reading that if the item is new, then must pay GST unless we can prove it is second hand.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Sunnygirl,
There were no problems for us at all... the company we used was very professional... completely fuss-free. It was a very pleasant experience for us...

In all, we paid abt $8800 for a full container (incl of GST and insurance...). this varies with how much you wish to insure. The only additional cost was for inspection on the Aus side ... abt AUD$200+. Of course, there's always the chance of quarantine (which will incur additional costs)... but the person handling our shipment assured me that it would be a non-issue. When he came to quote for us, he already told us that our furniture would clear... and he was quite confident about it...

Anyway, I'll pm you the details

 

[hentang]

Andrea, ozziemummie,
Gosh, so much things that u shipping over to AU. Even car!

ozziemummie, isn't it cheaper to get a car over there than to ship one over?

We initially plan to ship over our stuff too, but figure out that we probably can get most of our stuff over there, cheaper than shipping. Most of the things we need to bring r the kids stuff (need to bring all my kids' peronal stuff, toys n educational stuff so that they feel at home over there). Then again, if we ever need, will definitely consult u all.

 

[nnchander]

hi Hen,
Initially we only wanted to ship our boys' things and my clothes and some personal items... in the end, it wasn't worth the shipment. It worked out to cost more than to ship a full container.

And after doing the sums, it would cost more to buy from here ... so we shipped everthing over and just bought the basic white goods ...

 

[ozziemummie]

Andrea,
Good for u. My ex-colleague's furniture kena stuck under quarantine for 2 weeks in melbourne.
can PM details of the shipment company u used? the one we intend to use is taking a bit too long to get back to us. Doesn't seem to be familiar with car imports.
And after reading thru DAFF,AQIS and DOTARS websites, we realised that there are still quite a far bit of stuff we had to personally do by ourself. So we thought not worth throwing money at these agents.

Moreover, hubby says if we're successful with our attempts plus with the experience, next time easier for us to import stuff into Oz to sell if we ever come across opportunities.

Sunnygirl,
hub just want me to try and get familiarise with Oz system and ways of doing things...he say if PR application one of the toughest thing to get thru, then car import shouldn't be too difficult. just try. at the most last minute abandon mission and buy car there lor.

Hen,
long story.
we have a weekend car that's only 3 yrs old. Seldom drive so very good condition. Becos' we bought it when COE was expensive, it's not worth selling it here. pple rather buy new cars. When we deregister our Nissan Sunny here, LTA will give us some COE/Taxes rebate of abt $15-17K.

1) As u noticed, AUD now climbing like crazy. we lose lots when we change from SGD to AUD liao.

2)Altho' the price of a new car in Oz is comparatively cheaper than Sgp, it's at least 18-20K AUD out of our pocket at one go. That's a huge sum.

3) If we buy a 2nd car, we also worry abt the condition...somemore i have a baby on board. We are not willing to compromise on safety.

So best thing is if we can use our own car.

I've check with AQIS. I can either pack my belongings inside the car or in the same vessel.
Basically it's my babies stuff, some of our clothes and small electrical appliances. No furniture for us.
The shipping firm has an offer now for a 20-foot container - USD1100 only. plus all the taxes and surcharges here and there, we're looking to about SGD2000 to get my car (if i get my import permit from Oz) and personal belongings to Fremantle Port. And then just have to pay the necessary taxes and AQIS inspection charges over in Oz.

After careful considerations and calculations,

LTA rebate for deregistering my car = SGD 15000
My application for vehicle import approval = AUD50
Assuming shipment plus taxes = SGD2500 to 3000

I still have more than SGD 10,000 for expenses in Oz!!! Better than buying car there!

So now we keeping our fingers crossed. Should be quite smooth sailing once i get my vehicle import approval. Otherwise hubby say no choice lor...just have to spend money there buy new car.

 

[tweetie]

Hi Hen,

I am having a girl and EDD is 20 Nov.

Like you, I will be delivering here and once hv done her BC, then will apply PR for her and hopefully get it before CNY. I heard from my cousin who is AU PR that if both parents are PR, the child will get it v fast and no hassle.

Yap, I also checked with my lawyer friend, no nid to do anything if yr visa expire and u r in AU. Only need to apply RRV if u hv intention of leaving AU so that can re enter legally.

Btw, does anyone know which form do I need to fill in to apply the Visa for her? Can be downloaded rite?

For us, we are planning to move to Sydney like jojos as job opportunities might b higher there. Of cos, also depends on job availability for my hubby. For me, I tink I will not be working for the initial few yrs if I m there as my priority is to look after my bb. Sounds financially tough but hmmm...will c hw it goes lor!

Ozziemummies, cud you PM me yr shipping/logistics contact if its convenient coz I m also intending to ship most of my stuff there. I got a friend in the shipping line who keeps discouraging me to ship by container over there citing its more worth it to buy everything there which I all along dun agree. If u hv nvr staying in AU, u will nvr know how freaking expensive H/H gds and furniture can be. Was tinkg of using yr contact since its an AU company and gg thru customs will be loads easier i believe. Oh another thing, do you do packing yrself or its also taken care of by the shipping co? I tink that makes a difference also.

Seems like a lot of mommies gg to Perth or Melbourne and not much to Sydney lei. How come ah? Prospects no good?

Actually I also hv another worry on my mind and tat is hw much $$ to bring over there initially to tide over the first 3 mths? Anyone can share? Is AUD10k too little?

 

[cake]

Good Morning Mummies

Andrea: Thanks for your PM. Will definately call them. Looks like I may do the same and ship my car over

Ozziemummie :wow..u have done ur sums well... after looking at your logic, I may do the same and ship my car over then. My car is less than a year old and my hubby really loves it lor...so we may do the same and send it over especially now that the AUD is so strong.Will ask my HB.

Tweetie: Yes, the cost of living in Aus has increased quite a bit, but some of the incomes have increased as well...so i guess it does offset.

Am looking forward to the slower pace of life there and obviously the space...there is so much space!!

 

[mngo]

Tweetie
To be frank, i will prepare AUD50k or more to tie over in case hor.... touch wood! no job after 3 months
Cos there's car to buy, houses to rent, deposits, and some last min thing to settle.

 

[tweetie]

Sunnygal,
Yeah, I tot so too... unemployment rate over there is improving, so long as not too picky. Shd be ok.

Mngo,
Wow, tat's a lot. I dun even tink I hv tat much savings to bring. AUD50k is almost SGD65k....

Cars intend to get 2nd hand, when i was studying back then in 03, got a 12 yr old holden at AUD4.5k and nvr gave me any problems w regular servicing, housing is prob abt 2 mths rental in advance and other essentials would be on food.

Now, i m counting on HB to get a job before gg over.

 

[mngo]

tweetie
maybe ok lah. if is like tat.
maybe i am too ambitious

 

[ozziemummie]

Tweetie,

I think your baby needs Booklet 2 from www.immi.gov.au . The form if i'm not wrong is 47ch.pdf. Download the latest form only when u'r about to apply 'cos they always have updates. Mummies correct me if i'm wrong abt the booklet.

I'll give u my logistics contacts only when my car get approval to be imported. Will let u know if eveyrthing goes thru smoothly then can advise u right?

Tweetie, if more $$ better of course. Depends on where u stay, whether your hubby gets job fast, and must restrain from shopping there. Do u have a bank account there already? we have a joint account with BANKWEST based in WA. the Telenet Saver gives almost 7% interest per annum. no minimum sum. Currently we have AUD20K there to accumulate interest. My hubby regretted not putting in more when the exchange rate was AUD1= SGD1.19. At the rate AUD is growing, very difficult to get that kind of exchange rate liao. the best my hubby is looking at is AUD1.28. He's watching the market these 2 weeks..hoping that the japanese yen unwinds...then AUD will drop a little...then we'll pump more AUD into our bank account there...

I think 20K can last u for one yr lah. Assuming rental plus utilities is AUD750 per month, food and transport about AUD1000. Dun put your bet on social securities first 'cos i think the 1st 2 yrs we're not entitled.
If u have bank account there start throwing money over...get the right kind of savings account set up...the interest accumulated can be significant!

Sunnygirl,

There's quite a bit of restrictions to car imports 'cos they rather we buy their Oz-made Holdens. So when u intend to export over, pls check criteria very carefully. Most likely u guys will fall into the same cat as us- personal import. U have to give evidence that ownership and use of the vehicle for the past 12 calendar months is your hubby...for example this yr Jan 15-Feb 11 my hubby went to perth to witness the birth of our son, so passport shows we're not in Sgp (where the vehicle is owned). I have to give this reason and provide a copy of my son's BC to verify. can be quite complicated so must do your sums and paper work very carefully. If mine gets thru successfully then i can give u guys some tips

The AUD so strong now everything there is expensive to us

That's why rather ship whatever we can. I was telling Hidora that even lousy quality toilet paper also very expensive! Diapers also ex!
I think if wanna ship stuff must be selective lor. esp if we not using agents or customs broker. Dun want quarantine trouble. So best to avoid wood furniture leh.

 

[mngo]

ozmummies
it's v funny. i dunno why my fren told me to buy things in OZ. he mention tat paying for container shipping is not worth. might as well us the money to buy wat we need in au.
aiyoh.. how how?
i am quite lost

 

[cake]

hi ozziemummie

yah thanks for ur advice..i looked through the AQIS website..and i think u r right..it can be complicated especially since our car is still below 1 year old. will consider very carefully. Cars there are much cheaper then here..but we don't relly want to plonk down too much cash upfront.
Agree with you on the interest rates...at 7%, can get pretty comfortable income if u have substantial deposits. I am not sure whether the AUD will drop that much..i remember 2.5 months ago when the AUD droped to 1.22 due to the Yen unwinding, i wanted to convert..but the bank rate was still very high about 1.28...i think the banks were hedging their positions with wider margins.

I will prob ship as many things over as possible..cost of living is rather high there.Must start earning AUD income quickly!

Tweetie:
Agree with other mummies, the more money the better, if only to give yourself more breathing space. I believe Sydney is rather expensive and transport especially, so the more the merrier. Start converting your money in small amounts and placing them in AUD interest earning account. Check out UOB, they have AUD current accounts. When you are ready to move, you can TT the whole lump sum over to Aus bank. Gives you more flexibility as our bank charges in Singapore are much much lower.

 

[mngo]

ozmummie
to park the $ in au bank, we need to provide ATO number right? else interest income tax can be quite high

 

[hentang]

Seems like we have a lot of info to share wz one another now that most of us are preparing to move over in the next year or so. Thats good n lets keep it going

ozziemummie,
Just like u, regret not parking more money there when the exchange rate was better. We opened our bank acct with National Bank. The interest earned is definitely better than over here.

Well, if your car is still so new, yeah, kinda tough to sell now, will loose quite a bit. It was for this reason that since we knew we were going over to AU someday after we got our PR, we resisted the temptation to change our car (which is 7yrs old now) for the past few yrs. Our car loan ends sometime next yr n if we sell the car the next yr, we still can get back few thousands dollars.

We'll prob get a 2nd hand car 1st when we move there, something cost less than A$10K. When get a job, then consider getting a new or better car.

Almost 10 yrs ago when I used to live there, I found that electronics & electrical stuff r expensive. Daily necessities & grocery were cheap though. For the last few yrs, we hv been going to different parts of AU each yr, staying for few weeks to a mth each time, we surveyed the market. Somehow, we found that things have got more expensive (daily necessities & grocery), but found that electronics & electrical & furniture r abt the same (those not branded ones, if u prefer like Jap brand, then maybe buy here cheaper). Unless u bring these in as check in luggage, than its cheaper, but if by shipping, with taxes n the hassle, I guess we prefer to get it over there.

Tweetie,
Your girl will be a mth older than mine then. My EDD is ard 18Dec but most pple told us that usually 2nd one wld be earlier.

We r also working out how much to bring over there. My hubby thinks A$10K too little. He said better to prepare what if neither of us also can't find jobs within 6mths.

Actually, we hv not decided which part of AU we r moving to. My girlfriend in Syd keeps encouraging me to go n join her there, she said shd hv more job opportunities there. While in Mel, I hv some friends back frm Uni days who have migrated to Mel rather than Per cos also more job opportunities there. But my hubby is more comfortable with Per cos thats where we have been most of the time, n he knows most of my friends in Per (we met & got married here, he never lives outside SG like I did before).

In summary, we r still contemplating which state to move to, n for that reason, we r not shipping our things over, cos we may move frm state to state in the beginning.

 

[nnchander]

Hi Tweetie,
yes you will need to fill out 47CH and 40CH. They can be downloaded from the website. I've also included a list of items they require in an earlier posting which is archived. You can check under the 'Archives through April 02, 2007'.

Ozziemummie is right about cost of living here rising. But once you've been here awhile, you will become a savvy shopper. We usually shop for our groceries wherever there is a sale on the items (the weekly catalogues from Woolies and Coles help)

Also we get our boys' diapers from Big W which is cheap as they sell in bulk

although Huggies is a regular brand here, some of the lesser-known ones are very good too

 

[ozziemummie]

mgo,

u dun need TFN to open bank account. but u may incur higher tax rates because of that. So best to declare TFN. u can apply for your TFN online on ATO's website. just need an Oz address for them to send the TFN to.

Shipping can be good and bad. Good if u have lots to bring, total value of your goods more than the shipment cost plus the hassle u may have to go thru to clear customs. On one hand it's tough to start all over again - that incurs lots of money to be spent upfront. On the other, it can be a nightmare to pack, clear customs and of 'cos a huge sum to pay for full services and shipment.

So u have to consider very carefully lor. must have accomdation settled first. then think about your furniture. at the most just be minimalist lor. bring only what u need. who cares if the house doesn't look cosy or posh? as long as roof over our heads and our baby's head first most important.

Just like Hen, I'm not bringing big items. but the small items do add up to quite a bit of weight. So if my car gets approval to move to Oz, i'll just pack my baby's stuff, our clothes & warm clothing, slow-cooker and perhaps the high-chair inside the car that's all. Becos we want to be mobile since my hubby may be doing free-lance GP practice. So we're just preparing for the need to travel around WA quite bit....worse case scenario then buy what we need there if no shipping for us.

Guess when we migrate, we kind of start our lives afresh. who cares about status or what expensive car u drive? whatever works can liao

Right now i can only think about spending all our $ and energy on our son

Sunnygirl,

same sentiments as u. We're reluctant to spend about AUD 10K upfront the moment we get there for a car. Esp when we're got a fairly new one with us. Although hub has enuff funds to tide the family thru comfortably for more than 2 yrs assuming no job, we still think whatever can save just save lor. Dun spend unnecesarily. yes, better start earning AUD soon!!!

Esp now times r so uncertain, there's climate changes that's affecting crop production and hence affecting food prices. Really serious problem.
Mummies like us are fortunate to have this chance to migrate to a place where food is considered PLENTY. Can u imagine the rest who r stuck here in Sgp?

Food prices one big issue liao...not to mention to have enuff cash to spend on ther stuff. so, very sad to say - the more $ the better.

As for the car, trek very carefully. Glad u know what i mean after u surfed AQIS!

Andrea,

i was telling Hidora i had to look out for toilet rolls on sale at 50cents per roll than i buy!When i shop at the nearby IGA, i always get stuff on offer also. sometimes really good offers!
I love Huggies. but diaper prices r absurd. where in perth can i find Big W? the nearest ones r woolies and IGA for me