FAQ's

Motor vehicle costs vary greatly in Australia, a second hand car can be purchased for anything from $5,000 depending on quality and design. A new car can vary from $15,000 for a small city car to whatever you want to spend with $25,000 – $50,000 being the average family car price. Most South African cars do not meet the safety standards in Australia and requires major upgrades costing up anything between AU$2,000 and AU$5,000.

Before importing a road vehicle into Australia you must obtain an approval to import the vehicle from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (the department).

A concessional RAV entry approval allows certain types of road vehicles to be imported and entered on the Register of Approved Vehicles (the RAV). A concessional RAV entry approval means that you have an import approval for that vehicle.

• Vehicles that may be eligible for importation under this application type include:
• Vehicles to be modified by a registered automotive workshop
• Vehicles more than 25 years old,
• Vehicles imported when the applicant is moving to Australia,
• Special purpose vehicles, and
• Certain trailers.

See this website for more information: Australia Government Vehicle

Migration is literally a process. The time period from making the decision to migrate to Australia, to actually being issued with a visa varies depending on your personal circumstances, how quickly you can acquire the necessary documentation such as birth certificates, police clearances, health checks, English test results, obtain a skills assessment and your points count.

External factors that will have an influence on the time line include State Sponsorships, the Australian Government's migration program, the number of places allocated to your specific visa group in any year, occupation ceilings and unforeseen events such as the world-wide covid-19 travel ban.

The Australian skills migration program for 2021-2021 includes 79,620 places for skilled and business visas and 77,372 places for family migration. Whilst partner and child visas are not capped, permanent parent visas are capped and queued as the demand for the visas outstrip the supply.

The average processing time of a skills visa is 12 - 18 months.

Having a migration agent in Australia greatly assists in reducing time wastage by eliminating the time to forward applications from your home country to the relevant offices in Australia. A migration agent will advise on the best pathway for your migration application and ensure that all documentation is completed and filed correctly. A migration agent in Australia is able to follow up on a regular basis on the processing of your application for qualification accreditations, business plans or migration application.

By engaging the services of a registered Australian migration agent, you can be assured of a professional and reliable service. The profession is strictly regulated by the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). Complaints against registered migration agents can be made at the MARA. Click here to read the Code of Conduct.

We can arrange a hire car for you at the airport or provide you with instructions on how to use the public transportation system to get to your destination. We could also arrange to personally pick you up from the airport if your end destination is Brisbane or the Gold Coast airport. Request Meet and Greet services

We would recommend that you rent a fully furnished dwelling (unit,townhouse, house) at first arrival until you decide where you would like to settle permanently or until you find a job. Australia has quality accommodation in the major centres including residential townhouse complexes with swimming pools, tennis courts and barbeque facilities. The cost of hiring a furnished three bedroom unit or house is approximately $300 – $400 per week depending on where you choose to live. A bond covering one month’s rent is required when entering into a lease agreement. We can arrange accommodation for you should you require us to do so. Request accommodation

Should you come to Australia for work, then it is particularly important that you obtain a Tax File Number (TFN) so that you can earn income from your employer. It is also necessary so that you can pay taxes. You can apply for a TFN through the Australian Tax Office.

A scheme known as Medicare provides Australians and eligible residents assistance with the cost of healthcare. The federal government also subsidises medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which can be accessed through an account with Medicare.

The program allows access to free public hospital care and other health programs so it is essential that if you are eligible, you apply for Medicare as soon as possible by visiting a branch or contacting the website.

It’s a good idea to open a bank account when you arrive, simply because it provides an easier way to access your money as opposed to managing an overseas account. Label this as a priority, because after six weeks of being here, you will need to provide more forms of identification than just your passport.

Providing your bank with your TFN will also prevent you from incurring higher taxes and less interest on your savings.

If you have children, finding a school is also a priority as it is Australian law that a child has an education up until they are 17 years of age. Australia offers a first world public school system, but there are private facilities available if you wish to pay for them.

It’s a good idea to research schools around the area where you will be living before you migrate, so when you arrive you can inspect a few final options.

Centrelink is also important if you are eligible as it provides assistance for a range of circumstances.

You must have a valid driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle in Australia but depending on your country of origin, your licence from your home country may be valid for the first three months that you are down under.

Do make contact with ex-country men and women through the various organisations and clubs listed on our website . They represent a very valuable pool of information, referrals and friendships.

Enjoy the experience and never loose sight of your dreams!