It's been quite a few months since I updated anything in the blog. After 3 blissful and busy months here in Canberra, with so many ups and few downs, I have challenged myself to finish all the remaining parts of this migration episode and post it by this week.
Here we are today, in our cosy warm home enjoying our first Canberra winter amidst friends who have become our family. God manifests in human forms –so true in our case. We met amazing people all along the way. I just cuddled a lab poodle yesterday on the streets, got a drop home from a kind lady when all I asked was for directions, a lunch invite from a random kind grandma and gifted a cute little girl a pink piggy bank who hugged me out of nowhere in the mall. Things just fell in right place. Canberra couldn’t welcome us more.
Now back to our migration journey, this post will be covering the things to do when you permanently vacate a country. You can read the other parts of our migration experiences here.
Things to do when you PERMANENTLY VACATE A COUNTRY:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Terminate all the Contracts/ Services:
--------------------------------------------------
This is the first and foremost thing we did when we planned to leave the country. Terminating requires time. So planning ahead saves from mess. This includes services like
Water, electricity, gas and garbage - (PUB), TV and Internet - (Starhub), Rental accounts etc. All this does not end in a day. Be sure to fix appointments, know the procedures and follow accordingly.
2) Pay ALL your Bills:
------------------------------
All the services in Singapore work in a contract based system. Most of the service providers charge an early termination fee, when a contract has to be terminated before its end period. And because it is Singapore, these fees would be expensive. Now, because a person permanently vacates the country, the easy and stupid option would be to escape it and make a run. But Singapore being a central hub, it is a transit for most of the countries. And failing to pay any of these fees may result in a civil case when you pass through the transit even after years. So it is safe ,best and ethical to terminate all the services, settle the bills inclusive of phone, TV, Internet, PUB, rental, Income tax, loans if any, credit cards etc. and keep the name in the records clean.
Simply put, Two reasons:
--------------------------------
a) Because it is the right thing to do.
b) Never risk your return to the country, even for transit.
c) Be sure that all the records are linked in some way, shared at some point and the immigration has access to them.
PS: You can sit down with the providers and negotiate these charges, providing the regularly paid bills, how loyal you have been to this provider (taking up all mobile, internet and cable-Tv with same provider for years), and your visa expiry (if that's the case), or your employer terminating your contract.
3) Revisit Memories:
---------------------------
Singapore was our second home. We started our lives there. Each corner and place in the country- we have memories and stories. We never thought leaving the country would be hard but it was terrible. From east to west, north to south we had many places, restaurants, kopitiams, temples, family, friends to visit. We planned and printed a 60 day schedule exclusive for this, dedicated all our weekends. Ticked off one by one. I never knew reliving those moments would make up best memories. And we made personalized magnets and gifted all friends, family and colleagues. That way when they see the magnets, they remember their moments as well as us :)
4) Back up all your data:
--------------------------------
This will include photos, videos, non confidential office files, pay slips, income tax statements, monthly bank e-statements for multiple accounts, employer service certificates, offer letters, resignation letters, migration documents ,contracts etc. Dedicate a separate folder for all the countries you have lived, companies you have worked, your UG, PG, essential docs like passport, birth/marriage certs, and school/college certificates. Categorize everything to folders and make portable multiple copies of the entirety. If you update any folder, never forget to update the copies. You will never know your future needs.
5)Quitting procedures:
-----------------------------
Plan your one way migration trip accordingly that you leave the country after you serve your notice period with your employer. Never skip this for these reasons.
a) It is always good to maintain a good name with the boss/ex-boss. You never know when you will need a reference/recommendation from him.
b) They might blacklist/ proceed legally by suing you.
c) Pay the salary back or the demanded figure worst case. Never burn the bridges. Think wise before you act.
Never leave the country before you double check that all the income tax has been deducted. It is a criminal case to leave the country before paying your tax.
6) Sell /Give away your belongings:
---------------------------------------------
Thankfully, we never bought any expensive furniture or appliances as all rented houses came furnished in Singapore. We had few cheap Ikea stuff for which I made appointments with charity and salvos. They came the day before we left the country and picked up all the clothes and other items. I also used gum tree and carousel for selling other remaining stuff. It was good fun and I enjoyed negotiating and reselling the used stuff for decent money.
7) Safe home for pets if ineligible to relocate:
---------------------------------------------------------
The far most stupidest thing to do is to adopt a pet, when we are unsure of our migration plans. We were never an exception (or should I make it singular?! It was me who pursued this idea and convinced Arvind). We had a 2 year old guinea-pig named Jaangi. We loved her, she loved us and it was all a happy story till we had to give her away. The quarantine process of Australia is the most complex and strict one in the world and she was too little to undergo all this. At the end of the day, after all the drama I put up, we are just happy that Arvind's colleague who used to take care of her when we went for vacations was happy to adopt her. She resides peacefully in a happy home now.
Moral of the story:
-----------------------
a) Never adopt a pet in a country you are going to live temporarily. Pets are family and they remember everything.
b) Worst case, Be sure to relocate him/her to a good happy home.
8) Take care of your Investments/ Bank matters:
-------------------------------------------------------------
We had a gold account with UOB, Singapore. It was easier to handle as it was paper gold. Though maintaining it was online, we wanted to close the account as we thought it would be an added risk and responsibility managing it from Australia. It never took more than 10 minutes to close the account.
Opening an account online in any bank in Australia from any country is a no big deal for expats. So find out the bank that suits your needs, make use of the migrant banking deals, find out the exchange rates and transfer the funds early. Never put this in a hold till last minute.
And regarding the existing bank accounts in Singapore - it being a central hub, is always better and convenient to have one open. Opening one is never easy with all the list of documents you have to submit. So we retained Arvind's account with DBS and closed all other accounts and sub-accounts. Make sure you have the minimum balance so they don't keep deducting service charge each month. Make a last visit to the nearest branch and update your card and online banking pin. As the card is valid for 7-8 years and the banking pin is valid for 4 years. You can regularly check the account online and use it during transit.
These are the things we did when we vacated Singapore. Again this is simply our experience and may not be a complete guide. Following this post is Things to do during migration before you land permanently .
Stay tuned :)
Here we are today, in our cosy warm home enjoying our first Canberra winter amidst friends who have become our family. God manifests in human forms –so true in our case. We met amazing people all along the way. I just cuddled a lab poodle yesterday on the streets, got a drop home from a kind lady when all I asked was for directions, a lunch invite from a random kind grandma and gifted a cute little girl a pink piggy bank who hugged me out of nowhere in the mall. Things just fell in right place. Canberra couldn’t welcome us more.
Now back to our migration journey, this post will be covering the things to do when you permanently vacate a country. You can read the other parts of our migration experiences here.
Things to do when you PERMANENTLY VACATE A COUNTRY:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Terminate all the Contracts/ Services:
--------------------------------------------------
This is the first and foremost thing we did when we planned to leave the country. Terminating requires time. So planning ahead saves from mess. This includes services like
Water, electricity, gas and garbage - (PUB), TV and Internet - (Starhub), Rental accounts etc. All this does not end in a day. Be sure to fix appointments, know the procedures and follow accordingly.
2) Pay ALL your Bills:
------------------------------
All the services in Singapore work in a contract based system. Most of the service providers charge an early termination fee, when a contract has to be terminated before its end period. And because it is Singapore, these fees would be expensive. Now, because a person permanently vacates the country, the easy and stupid option would be to escape it and make a run. But Singapore being a central hub, it is a transit for most of the countries. And failing to pay any of these fees may result in a civil case when you pass through the transit even after years. So it is safe ,best and ethical to terminate all the services, settle the bills inclusive of phone, TV, Internet, PUB, rental, Income tax, loans if any, credit cards etc. and keep the name in the records clean.
Simply put, Two reasons:
--------------------------------
a) Because it is the right thing to do.
b) Never risk your return to the country, even for transit.
c) Be sure that all the records are linked in some way, shared at some point and the immigration has access to them.
PS: You can sit down with the providers and negotiate these charges, providing the regularly paid bills, how loyal you have been to this provider (taking up all mobile, internet and cable-Tv with same provider for years), and your visa expiry (if that's the case), or your employer terminating your contract.
3) Revisit Memories:
---------------------------
Singapore was our second home. We started our lives there. Each corner and place in the country- we have memories and stories. We never thought leaving the country would be hard but it was terrible. From east to west, north to south we had many places, restaurants, kopitiams, temples, family, friends to visit. We planned and printed a 60 day schedule exclusive for this, dedicated all our weekends. Ticked off one by one. I never knew reliving those moments would make up best memories. And we made personalized magnets and gifted all friends, family and colleagues. That way when they see the magnets, they remember their moments as well as us :)
4) Back up all your data:
--------------------------------
This will include photos, videos, non confidential office files, pay slips, income tax statements, monthly bank e-statements for multiple accounts, employer service certificates, offer letters, resignation letters, migration documents ,contracts etc. Dedicate a separate folder for all the countries you have lived, companies you have worked, your UG, PG, essential docs like passport, birth/marriage certs, and school/college certificates. Categorize everything to folders and make portable multiple copies of the entirety. If you update any folder, never forget to update the copies. You will never know your future needs.
5)Quitting procedures:
-----------------------------
Plan your one way migration trip accordingly that you leave the country after you serve your notice period with your employer. Never skip this for these reasons.
a) It is always good to maintain a good name with the boss/ex-boss. You never know when you will need a reference/recommendation from him.
b) They might blacklist/ proceed legally by suing you.
c) Pay the salary back or the demanded figure worst case. Never burn the bridges. Think wise before you act.
Never leave the country before you double check that all the income tax has been deducted. It is a criminal case to leave the country before paying your tax.
6) Sell /Give away your belongings:
---------------------------------------------
Thankfully, we never bought any expensive furniture or appliances as all rented houses came furnished in Singapore. We had few cheap Ikea stuff for which I made appointments with charity and salvos. They came the day before we left the country and picked up all the clothes and other items. I also used gum tree and carousel for selling other remaining stuff. It was good fun and I enjoyed negotiating and reselling the used stuff for decent money.
7) Safe home for pets if ineligible to relocate:
---------------------------------------------------------
The far most stupidest thing to do is to adopt a pet, when we are unsure of our migration plans. We were never an exception (or should I make it singular?! It was me who pursued this idea and convinced Arvind). We had a 2 year old guinea-pig named Jaangi. We loved her, she loved us and it was all a happy story till we had to give her away. The quarantine process of Australia is the most complex and strict one in the world and she was too little to undergo all this. At the end of the day, after all the drama I put up, we are just happy that Arvind's colleague who used to take care of her when we went for vacations was happy to adopt her. She resides peacefully in a happy home now.
Moral of the story:
-----------------------
a) Never adopt a pet in a country you are going to live temporarily. Pets are family and they remember everything.
b) Worst case, Be sure to relocate him/her to a good happy home.
8) Take care of your Investments/ Bank matters:
-------------------------------------------------------------
We had a gold account with UOB, Singapore. It was easier to handle as it was paper gold. Though maintaining it was online, we wanted to close the account as we thought it would be an added risk and responsibility managing it from Australia. It never took more than 10 minutes to close the account.
Opening an account online in any bank in Australia from any country is a no big deal for expats. So find out the bank that suits your needs, make use of the migrant banking deals, find out the exchange rates and transfer the funds early. Never put this in a hold till last minute.
And regarding the existing bank accounts in Singapore - it being a central hub, is always better and convenient to have one open. Opening one is never easy with all the list of documents you have to submit. So we retained Arvind's account with DBS and closed all other accounts and sub-accounts. Make sure you have the minimum balance so they don't keep deducting service charge each month. Make a last visit to the nearest branch and update your card and online banking pin. As the card is valid for 7-8 years and the banking pin is valid for 4 years. You can regularly check the account online and use it during transit.
These are the things we did when we vacated Singapore. Again this is simply our experience and may not be a complete guide. Following this post is Things to do during migration before you land permanently .
Stay tuned :)
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