The Sudden happy twist in the tale - Canberra is Calling with an awesome Job!!

Well, its time to say Hello Canberra :)

       All these days right from day 1 we were thinking about Melbourne and even made our first landing short trip to Melbourne. And then, one fine morning everything changed.

        We both randomly were applying jobs all over Australia, as ours is an independent visa (visa 189). After our surprise short trip to India this Jan 2015, the blessings from all elders and temples worked out instantly and we both were greeted with interview calls in our emails when we had landed back in Singapore. We both had skype interviews on Jan second week. And now, for the climax we both were successful. By February first week I had an offer letter for full-time Phd in Melbourne and when were about to celebrate my victory Arvind's offer came pouring in after that.

        My husband is a lark and I am not that much of a morning person. And all the good news, be this job offers or our PR or any other news for that matters comes to us early in the morning and Arvind rushes to me, wakes me with a jerk and shouts the whole thing even before I get conscious. The same happened for this and my heart skipped few beats for seconds when he told be about his offer.

        That's only when I realized we are not only a smart-working couple but we can't get more lucky for 2 reasons,

1) Our plan had always been that we would be migrating by June 2015, look for a Job and that's why we had saved money to face the migration expenses and sustain financially during the job search period. But now, we not only land in Canberra with a job, but the relocation expenses are covered by Arvind's employer too. I know its all bragging but I can't be more proud.

2) My only concern to Arvind was not to limit himself by searching only for satellite related jobs, which is current field in Singapore. To encounter more opportunities I requested him to expand his search/interests in anything related to embedded systems. But very fortunately, all thanks to LinkedIn he was able to find the same kinda defense job in Canberra too. Now, I can proudly brag that my husband works for Australia Defense Research, Canberra ACT.

        Eventually we decided to let go my Phd offer, as the purpose of this whole migration itself is to stay together and start a family. So I find it meaningless when I have to stay 500 Kms far from him. Fortunately Arvind tops my priority list. And more importantly I will be going as a student and Arvind as a full time employee with maximum benefits. So obviously we chose Arvind's path. This may put an end to my Phd and Melbourne dream temporarily, but with a supportive husband like this, I am sure that I will make myself worthy some day in Canberra too.

        Now we are all set, one way flight bookings - done, Shipping - arranged, temporary accommodation - done, Sg matters- settled, investments - closed, contracts- terminated, Packing- done. We leave Singapore on April 14 th and the date is not far away :)
Years became months, Months became days, Days became minutes and Canberra here we come.

"Good bye Singapore" post and "Things to do during Migration" post coming right away. Stay Tuned!

See you in Canberra :)

Melbourne is Calling (Part-5) - Things we did during and after stepping foot in Australia !!

        It has been two months since I updated the blog. So many exciting things - a surprise short trip to India, a dream date, few temples etc had kept us busy.Wishing everyone a happy prosperous 2015 :)
Now, back to our migration journey.My previous post was about what we did before our first landing. Here is the continuation.

        You can read the other parts of our migration experiences here.

Things we did DURING our first landing:
-----------------------------------------------------
1)Finish everything in our TO-DO List:
------------------------------------------------
        This was  a cakewalk. Once a plan is ready, following the plan is no big a deal. With everything accomplished, the satisfaction and the peace it gives is truly enormous.

2) Buy MYKI Cards:
--------------------------
        MYKI is a smart card which serves as ticket to ride on the public transport in Melbourne. It is just as same as eZlink in Singapore or Octopus in HongKong or T-Money in Korea, except that the fare calculation was not that easy. You are charged according to different zones, tap-in tap-out types etc. The recent updated news is that the CBD area is fare-free zone (only for trams, though!)

3) Explore the departmental stores:
---------------------------------------------
        Just like NTUC Fairprice in Singapore, Melbourne has three big super market chains. For some reasons, I have always preferred a departmental store over a local market. It's an all in one place. The veggies are fresh and then there are promotions, discounts now and then, membership privileges and what not. When it's a market I spend little here, little there and lose track of the money I spend and eventually end up spending more. Buying stuffs at markets occasionally is fine though.
       To even summarize the comparisons we made between Sg and Melbourne would take a separate post. Bottom line is that it was all just what we wanted.

4) Drink all the coffee in Melbourne:
------------------------------------------------
        Forget all the awesome things of Melbourne - The trams, the sporting capital, the parks, the alleys, lanes, arcades, the coastal drives, the fed-square, the cosmopolitan feel, the museums, the Italian restaurants in Lyson Street or the Vietnamese food, the considerate people, the country feel, the top of the list for me is Coffee and the Melbourne styled artisan cafes. And what more does a coffee addict want? I had 32 coffees in 7 days and it does not include Arvind's .Those are the Best coffees I ever had.

5) Meet Recruiters:
--------------------------
        The second goal of the trip. If being a foreigner and securing a job in Australia is almost impossible (Hello Bankers, not you!) getting a PR made it bit easy. Though we had few Skype and phone interviews from Singapore, for recruiters, potential candidates were those who reside there and could join immediately. So all we could do was to meet them and drop the resumes and register our faces. Overall, I would say LinkedIn helped us more than what Seek did.

6) Great Ocean Road:
------------------------------
        Visiting 12 Apostles was one of my fantasies for few years recently, more like paradise falls for Carl and Ellie. So no matter how short or long the trip was, we planned to accomplish this GOR drive. And we are glad we did. The pictures speak for themselves. It is the first, best and most beautiful coastal drive we ever did together.

7) Explore the local area:
--------------------------------
        Want to become a pro in exploring routes, people, prices? The best way is to choose one area at a time - walk up, down, left, right for days and voila, now I know where I could get cheap or expensive ugg boots, leather jackets or cardigans, food, wine, coffee or any other products for that matters in Swanston street. It is big, but it is fascinating on what you can know, if you can walk for 8 days in an area. Though it is going to be our home, we did not want to miss the touristy look on us. We went almost to all the attractions including fed-square, MCG, Victoria market, Yarra river and many more. The best part was that we walked everywhere.

Things we did AFTER the First Landing:
---------------------------------------------------
1)Thank you/ Follow up Email:
-----------------------------------------
        Networks/Contacts/Making friends- The most important part. So never forget to drop a follow-up email or a thank you note for all the times people have helped. Get in touch and get started immediately.
You don't build life.  You build people and the people build your life, as someone rightly said.

2) Start planning Phase 2:
--------------------------------
        Again major part of it involves research and planning. Things like packing, shipping, finding accommodation, sorting out the finances, temporary service apartments, terminating the existing contracts  in Singapore etc. Change does not happen overnight. Unless and until you plan for it.

Stay tuned for Part 6 - Our Melbourne Experiences.

Melbourne is Calling (Part-4) - Things we did before stepping foot in Australia !!

        You can read our other parts of migration experiences here 

       I remember reading somewhere that it takes 5 years to completely settle down into a new country. Considering that statement our migration is a just started "process". Well, a job well begun is half done.Our first trip to Melbourne was overwhelmingly successful. 

        Precap: We are a couple from India, living in Singapore for 5 years now and one fine morning, back in 2013, we decided to migrate for many reasons. We chose Australia because it was a safe bet. But we've never been to Australia in our lifetime until we got our PR. 

        Here we are are, after our first landing, done with validating our visa. We really can't wait to make the permanent move from Singapore to Melbourne which will be around first quarter of next year.

        I will be covering the whole journey of our first entry to Australia in 3 posts. The first one being this- Things we did before our first landing. The second being (Part 5)- Things we did during and after our first landing, and the third being (Part 6)- our various experiences in Melbourne. 

        There is not a definite guideline to follow in this process. What works for us may not work for everyone. I know friends who did a better job than what we did. This is just our experiences. If any of you could benefit from any of this we are more than happy. Any suggestions or alternatives, readers please do enlighten us. 

         RESEARCH: Research is the word. It is an essential, mandatory, absolutely necessary process. All we could do sitting in Singapore before first landing was to think/ research/ plan. So that is exactly what we did, research about the following things.

        

1) Book the Flight Tickets & Accommodation:

-----------------------------------------------------------

        Early is the new late. We booked our flight tickets 106 days early and almost for free. Arvind is a frequent flyer to US. So we had flyer miles loaded in his Krisflyer account which was about to expire this October. So replace miles for money and all we had to pay was few hundreds for the round trip. It is always book early and save big. And we stayed in Swanston Street, Melbourne CBD.

2) Get the documents ready:

------------------------------------

        I may sound old school, but when I step out of the house, I always carry a diary. And if it is a vacation, I take a file along with all the documents printed including itineraries, photocopies of passports, visas, passport photos and the schedule. I personally believe in hard copies and treat e-copies always an alternative. Hard copies are just difficult to destroy, does not vanish easily and more than anything, it documents memories.

        But all we needed to validate our visa at the immigration counter of Melbourne was just our passport. They did not even look at our visa papers. That is how much upgraded they are.

3) Luggage:

---------------

         The original plan was to pack and ship all the stuffs only during our permanent move. But we did not want to waste the 100 kg allowance offered by the airlines - one of the perks of being a Krisflyer Elite gold member. And all thanks to Karthik & Babu- who offered us to drop our luggage at the Airport and A & S, a very generous couple in Melbourne who we made friends with. Thanks to the blog community. They offered to accommodate our luggage at their place in Melbourne temporarily for few months.  

4) Bank:

-----------

        Again, Research is the word. Australia is a continent and Singapore is a small country. That is how much the difference is when it comes to gaining knowledge and expertise in any subject. Nothing comes and knocks the door like it always does in Singapore. When there is a change in anything, let it be banking, taxation, contracts, bills, even mobile plans, you get a letter and it gets automatically upgraded in Singapore. May be, the maximum you have to do is to make a call. But that is not the case in Australia, at least to my understanding.

        The one key thing to keep in mind is, it is not just us migrating, our money is migrating too. So the bottom line of the research, (definite mention to few friends who shared information) is we chose NAB isaver- a special account for migrants, which has the following benefits. Zero Account fees, application from overseas (personal identification required to activate the account), great advantage of no monthly fees, a generous 4 % P A interest rate(promotional rate), great internet banking services, and one last most important factor- security.
PS: For one way money transfer from any international account, (preferably DBS if Singapore, because of the great exchange rates) no activation of the isaver account is required.

5) Mobile Sim:
-------------------
        All we need was a Australia number which also has international roaming (basically Singapore, US, India), no roaming charges for incoming calls, nominal/usual charges for outgoing calls, free text message, maximum validity, prepaid service- so no bill shock, and online credit top up. And one sim ticked all our boxes,with few more perks too. Thanks to the Prepaid Travel Sim +.
And what do you do when there is a promotional ALDI prepaid sim for 5 $ with 5 $ credit? You buy that too.

6) Plan and print the schedule:
--------------------------------------
        The final step before the trip- Print the schedule, day by day, if possible hour by hour. And we were all set to go.

PS: Though we did make maximum effort in all this, we could not have accomplished everything this successfully without friends help. Strangers became friends. Friends became close friends. Be it sharing info or offering to accommodate luggage or cheering us and giving hope, we got all the help we could ever imagine. Special mention to A & S, Subha, Margaret, Charles, Chris, Priya, Felix Choo, Karthik, Babu, Pooja and definitely our migration agent AIMS.

        I strongly believe in Karma. We would definitely want to repay/give back. So any fellow migrants who is need of any help regarding migration related issues feel free to contact us. We will be happy to help in all possible cases.

Stay tuned for next two parts :) Cya soon !!

Money Management to Migrate (Part-3)

You can read our previous parts of migration experiences here. 

Migration means 2 things.

1. Patience

2. Money, Lots of Money

Not a pro in both. But I really try. At least I'm closer than I was yesterday.

Learning money management starts at home. I look back at my childhood and I couldn't be taught more.

What my Father taught me:

 -----------------------------------

1. Never ever LEND money. Lend money only if you don't expect it back.

2. Never ever BORROW money. Period.

What my Mother taught me:

------------------------------------

Oh! So many things from compulsory savings to radical budget.

They never gave me a single lecture on money management. Their actions did more than any lectures.

Its 4 years now I've started to handle money on my own. And I was terrible with it. Oh! God knows!   I loved useless crap.

Same cut dress in 4 different colors?? - Yes, Please!!

Sandals that I won't / can't even use?? - Add to bag!!

A book just because its cover page is red?? - Totally!!

A coffee mug just because I want to reach the count of 20 mugs?? - Can't stop!!

Now I look back, all I have is too much of guilt and possession of more useless crap. Yeah I ended it eventually and I have to. Saving money just works like dieting. Losing weight or getting rich- Both not gonna happen in one day.

Here are few tips, we follow.

1. Savings account that we can't access:

------------------------------------------------------

        When I want something, I definitely want it. And when I handle the money, I easily buy it. And Arvind never says no to anything I buy. So the first job was to make Arvind strict towards me. The second job- we started a account where it requires both of us to withdraw/ transfer. So all my needy list goes through Arvind and the useless crap gets filtered out.

2. Be a Cheap Date:

-----------------------------

        Do not try this when you date, before marriage or even after few months of marriage. Once the glamour part is gone, when it is comfortable and familiar seeing the partner after a tiring sleep or walking around the house with night dress, that is the best time to take this step. 

A SWEETHEART is milk, A BRIDE is butter, A WIFE is cheese, as someone rightly said.

        Think creative. A carpet, some cheap wine, battery operated fairy lights/ a candlelight, homemade gobi manchurian and watching Friends can be as romantic as an expensive date. The best part is you feel the same and maybe a bit more proud saving few bucks.

PS: Don't be a cheapskate too. When the wife feels to dress up and go out, please do so. 

3. Cut down eating out:

--------------------------------

        Though I love cooking, I can't handle if its 24X7. We eat out a lot, like 4 days a week. Then we challenged ourselves to eat outside only twice a month and failed miserably. So we formulated a new plan, to start slow and now its eat outside once a week. Draw a plan which will work out, stick to it and it just feels great. 

4. Pay your bills, Pay your Savings too:

-----------------------------------------------------

         Treat your savings like a bill. At a particular date a large chunk of money automatically goes into our savings account. Its non negotiable. This way money adds up real soon. 

Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving- Warren Buffet.

5. Make a Pact:

----------------------

        I started a no-spend August. But mid week I stapled my finger unfortunately and ended up crying all day. Convincing me became so tough for Arvind and eventually he ended up buying 2 gowns for me. So again its no-shopping September. I've taken a vow not to buy anything that isn't food or household or transport related.

PS: Don't beat yourself too much. At least you have to keep yourself alive and happy.

6. Cut back movies:

----------------------------

        Every Friday is a compulsory night out. Its there in our family rules. Staying home at Friday nights, I literally feel like I am being punished. We used to go to meaningless movies, just for the pleasure of popcorn and coke. So Arvind switched the household shopping schedule to Friday nights. Its a win-win. 

        1st and 3 rd Fiday nights- House hold shopping. 2 nd and 4 th Friday nights- Movies.

So all Fridays are a night-out and the family rules are obeyed too.

        All these are nothing new and I am not an expert too. Just few things we follow. It is not always easy. But it's completely worth it. After all these years, if we don't learn to manage money, the future will make us learn in a hard way. And that is not the risk we wanted to take.

Happy Saving !! 

Second Anniversary @ Ko Samui- Sandy toes & Salty kisses !

Ko Samui- Another place ticked off our travel bucket list. This place was our long-time dream. We planned to spend our honeymoon here, went Genting instead. Then the first anniversary and went Bali instead. This time we made sure not to miss this, as this is one of the few last trips from Singapore and so we booked the tickets 3 months early.

So as usual, this vacation started with duty free shopping at Changi Airport. It was just an hour-long flight to Ko Samui from SG. We stayed at the Nora Beach Resort in Chaweng area. The next day, we explored the area, booked our tour tickets at kiosk, tried the local cuisine and relaxed at beach. We planned 5 days for sight-seeing and 4 days to just calm down and relax.

Koh Tao & Koh Nanguan : The Perfect escape to Paradise:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            All set with hat, sunscreen, towels and sunglasses, the high speed boat departed for Koh Tao. Koh Tao- The Turtle Island is blessed with beautiful bay and beaches and has spectacular coral reefs along its shoreline. It’s a paradise for snorkelers and divers. We did all the snorkelling like it was the last day in the world. After lunch we left for Koh-Nanguan. This Island is considered one of the beautiful islands in the world where 3 islands are connected with sandy beach. There was an option to hike up to viewpoint. But it was more than breath-taking at the beach. So we spared the hard hill climbing and sweating for some beach time. Thus ended our day 2, at this beautiful island.

The Full day Safari:

----------------------------

            This was the most tiresome day in the vacation. The day started with 4x4 jeep ride. We did elephant trekking, experienced elephant massage, elephant shows, monkey shows, visited the Grandfather Grandmother Rocks(Also known as Hin Ta & Hin Yai), The Mummified Monk, The Big Buddha Temple, The Tanim Magic Garden, The Secret Waterfalls and hiked up all the way up to Namuang Waterfalls.

The Tree Top View- Welcome to Safari Massage:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

            After lunch, we started to the highest view point of Ko Samui on a 4X4 Mountai Jeep. This was the most adventurous road travel we’ve ever done so far. Bouncing over the rocks through the dirt paths, few throw ups here and there, few doses of adrenaline rush, we finally reached the viewpoint which was all worth it. To see Ko Samui with all its beaches, it was just spectacular. The best view ever seen so far.

Ang Thong National Marine Park @ The Anniversary Day:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            These are group of 42 limestone islands encircled by coral bands and are surrounded by shallow water edged by secluded beaches, covered with evergreen forest and a wide range of flora & fauna.

Kayaking – PANIK !

-----------------------------

            At PhiPhi, Phuket, it was all canoeing and there was a Canoe guide who did all the canoeing for us. Here it was wilder than I did imagine. We both were first time kayakers and the feeling was more than nervous, Scary !. There were around 20 other couples (sure not first timers), kayaked with much ease and seeing them made us believe, that it was a real easy adventure. It was our turn, with all the nervousness and discomfort we were seated in the kayak.

            In spite of all the explanations, videos, instructions and lifejackets, I turned panic. A rush of faces passed in my mind. Though very near to our boat, it was in the middle of a sea and I made Arvind even more panic. The whole group was waiting for us in a direction and we were rowing the other direction. I rowed left, Arvind rowed right. The few others in the boat shouted and waved us to turn. I cried for help. Arvind tried to calm me down. We were a total mess. Few minutes later we figured and finally reached the group. Unfortunately we were taken in a long route and we had to kayak through 4 beaches. Others did it with much perfection and ease, enjoying the view and playing with each other. We had to sync our rowing. As Arvind was seated back he was the captain of our kayak, he instructed left right and to sync with him, I shouted left right with him. It was more like a march fast. It was too much of melodrama played by us.

More Kayaking- More PANIK !!

----------------------------------------------

            Somehow we crossed 2 beaches (not to mention, there was a lifeguard kayak following us all the time after all this drama I made). When I was about to break my kayak ladle, thank heavens, we finally reached the 4^th beach. (Can’t describe the Joy !!).

            We hiked up the to see the Maekoh Island- A Fantastic view of the saltwater lake- Talay Nai and the Emerald Green Lagoon. Luckily, I had brought my most practical hiking shoes- The Crocs ! After lunch we left to Wua Ta Lap Island in a long tail boat. Couldn’t handle too much of adventure. So we never did the 500m hill hike to see the 48 islands from the top view point. We spent every hour in the crystal clear water, finning with the fishes. Thus ended this day of adventure.

            After such an active day, we weren’t bothered a bit for our anniversary evening celebs. All dressed up we were all set for the big dinner. The day was too much to take, but all worth it.

The Canopy Zipping Adventure:

--------------------------------------------

            This was absolutely the highlight of our trip. This was the longest zip line on Samui covering 780 meters with 8 Cables. We zipped through the jungle from platforms/treetops. Each treetop had a beautiful view of the Island. Cable 1 was for training. The platform 3 we could see 2 sides of Samui- Maenam and Lamai. The Platform 6 even had a waterfall.

            I posed for the camera with all smiles. But I screamed and cried out loud the entire time. I couldn’t slowdown at one platform and with all that speed I kicked a guide’s eye, as he was stopping me from hitting the tree at the platform. This made me realize one thing. I am a no fit for adventure. Later I picked up some expertise (or at least I thought so!) and finished the lines, as there was no other option to reach the end destination.  At the end of the day, no regrets! Except for hitting the eye.

Our Zipping Adventure Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXYAFKUeJY0

The Samui Crocodile Farm:

-------------------------------------

            They had so many crocodiles of various sizes. It was home for many other animals too. Crocodiles cannot be really tamed and basically they are wild dangerous animals that can eat people. The head in the mouth trick was rather worrying and we prayed that it should not be the trainer last performance. The trainer himself prayed too! It was a true display of bravado. Nevertheless both the crocodile and snake show was thrilling, nerve wracking and exciting. I love animals and I wouldn’t say this animal abuse. After all, it seemed like the crocs were friendly with trainers.

The Bike and The Beach!

-----------------------------------

            Samui is a beautiful Island with many long uncrowded sandy beaches. The only way to explore around the Island is to rent a bike. We rented a brand new Honda PCX 150 and toured all the beaches. After all we were in Samui! We stayed at Chaweng area. Though Chaweng beach area is so commercialized, we were able to enjoy the true beach experience as our resort had a private beach.

Lamai Beach: The very next beach to Chaweng. A Long beach with yellow sand and a very beautiful coast.

Crystal Bay: The mostbeautiful beach on the Island with white sand and crystal clear water.

Few other beaches are Bophut beach, Big Buddha Beach, Choengmon Beach, Maenam Beach- Each beach a unique experience.

Night Market @ the Bophut Fishermen Village:

------------------------------------------------------------------

       Ofcourse, An Island vacation does not come to an end without a night market. Nothing gives me pleasure like a shopping bargain. So thus came an end to our 9 day vacation @ Samui.

Just one word- AWESOME !

Migration to Australia- (Part 2) - When the going gets tough only the tough gets going !

You can read our other parts of migration experiences here.

All this started 1.5 years back on Jan 2013.  Thanks to few friends who inspired us to take this huge step. It’s been a roller-coaster ride so far. Also many thanks to our immigration specialists AIMS – Things wouldn't be this easy without them.

Migration- Pure Rocket Science:
-------------------------------------------
      
Of all the other things like money, qualification etc needed for migration, the most important thing is PATIENCE. 

Step 1- Do we qualify ?

--------------------------------

The very first step is meeting the basic eligibility criteria. Thanks to our young age, our master’s degree and Arvind’s years of work experience.  And now comes the money. Forget the second part of migrating over to the country, Just to get the Permanent Residence for a family of two, it costs around 15000 Sg $ approx (inclusive of the agents fee). Again Thanks to Singapore money, for making it affordable. After all this is an investment.

            So with choosing the visa category, satisfying the points test, going through with IELTS, (not whining about the preparation for the exams as it all ended good), and the next step was skills assessment.

Step 2- Getting ready with the docs:

--------------------------------------------------

            This was the most tedious step. Apart from Birth certificates, Education certificates, marriage cert, passports, we needed Service certs from all companies, bank statements from all banks, salary certs, letter of recommendations from all bosses of all companies, letter of resignations, letter of appointments, transcripts, medium of instruction certs, etc.. What more and what not?

            In Our case, we had to collect all these from India too, troubling our parents and friends back at India.

Step 3- Skill Assessment

----------------------------------

            Everyone who applies for a visa subclass 189/190 have to encounter this step. Simply put, the migration department of Australia evaluates the worthiness of our work experiences (to Australia standards) to offer us a Permanent Residence Visa. For this, they require us to write a CDR (Competency Demonstration Report) – A minimum 25 page report, listing all the work experiences detail for all the companies we’ve worked.

            The good part is, only the primary applicant has to submit the CDR and so for Arvind, he had 4 years work experience at 3 different companies. So it was 3 chapters in total accessed by EA (Engineers Australia).

PS: Now with India becoming a permanent member of Washington Accord, there is a rumor that the Indian engineering graduates may not have to go through this. But this remains a rumor till now.

Step 4- Submitting EOI and PATIENTLY WAIT, VERY PATIENTLY WAIT:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            So After a wait of 14 weeks, the results of CDR Assessment came in leaving way for the next step.

            Submitting EOI (Expression of Interest) is basically filling up all the forms including the IELTS, Skills assessment results, submitting it and waiting for the invitation rounds to get an invite. This is the crucial part, as it may take upto 2 years (max) to get an invite. The invitation rounds are conducted twice a month. Each and every midnight of first and third Sunday was a sleepless night for us for about 7 months.

Step 5- YAYY! The Invite:

-------------------------------------

            After a worthy anxious wait of 7 months, we were finally given the invite, allowing us to proceed with medical and police clearance. Though for the Police clearance we had to get from both India and Singapore. The end was not far.

Step 6- The Permanent Residence – The Great Escape:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Here we are, smiling with the granted visa. Thanks to our extremely supportive parents, AIMS, and all others who helped us in this journey. Words will never describe this Joy. Now that the seemingly hard part is over, can’t wait to migrate and start a relaxed calm, peaceful life in Australia. Of course with few fast races here and there.

After all what is life without UPS and DOWNS! J

NOTE: The whole migration process may vary from person to person, family to family. There is no least or max time. It depends on various parameters like points, age, qualification, nationality etc.

Sharing Our Timeline Below:

------------------------------------------

Occupation Code     :     233411 Visa 189

9 MARCH 2013       :      IELTS Exam Written

21 MARCH 2013     :     IELTS Results Acquired

         8.5                  :     IELTS Band Score

27 JULY 2013          :    CDR Approved

7 AUGUST 2013      :    EOI Submitted

24 MARCH 2014      :    Received Invite

2 APRIL 2014          :    PR Application Lodged

23 APRIL 2014         :    Medicals Completed

14 MAY 2014           :    Case Officer Assigned

15 MAY 2014           :    Police Clearance Applied

21 MAY 2014           :    PC Received (India)

5 JUNE 2014            :    PC Received (Singapore)

9 JUNE 2014            :    Form 18, Medicals and PC Submitted

10 JUNE 2014          :    Visa Granted (happens to be our wedding day at 2012 :) )

PS: Not making this a very vague post, listing all the details, providing the links etc. This is just a go-through post to understand the overall Process.

Migration to Australia- (Part 1) - When the going gets tough only the tough gets going !

Disclaimer: This blog post is not a guide for migration or an advertisement. This is purely based on our experiences and my understanding, written by me.
Thanks to few friends and family who inspired us to do this. Everyone has been a great source of inspiration, guidance and information for the past 1 year guiding us through each and every process. 

You can read our other parts of migration experiences here.

Precap: We both did Bachelors of Engg @ India, met at a conference. We fell in love, landed in Singapore,  did masters at NTU, got married, moved to 3 different houses, and here we are with the Australia Permanent Residence in hand - all ready for the next big step.

Why Migrate:

--------------------

A) From India:

--------------------

We are born and bred Indians. We love India and India is our first home. Having said that, coming to practical reasons, it’s not just money or career or the standard of living, it’s a loss of faith. Of course Arvind and I have had an awesome childhood in India. But to me have that childhood, my parents were in constant fear protecting me 24/7. They never did allow me alone to a shop nearby. I have traveled very few times in a local bus/train and have experienced many atrocities those few times. I was never allowed a night out/ sleep over with friends, nor a movie at theater with friends, unless it is a huge group, where the whole group is known to my parents individually or the whole group is guarded by one of the parent. I am sure many of the girl children would have experienced the same.

Now this is not just pampering, but it was all about protecting. And these days no matter how many good things are spotted, the bad things get worse.

Indian Passport- Awful for Travel:

------------------------------------------------

      Again, we love India and our roots are tied to India. Having said that again, Over this 4-5 years of travelling, the only few good things holding an Indian Passport is just collecting colorful visas and for people visiting Bhutan/ Nepal it’s a visa free entry. An Indian Passport needs a visa to enter almost all the countries in the world except for 50 countries roughly. With all the nationalities just swooping inside, we have to encounter the suspicious looks, showing our return flight tickets and our funds (??!!). It’s indeed an embarrassment. So I made a point that day. My kid should never ever suffer this.

PS:  My experience is not for everyone.  Though I try to see goodness in everything, this was way out of my acceptance.

(B) From Singapore:

-----------------------------

Singapore has given us numerous things. If it isn't Sg money, we could not have afforded staying at a beach front villa or visiting exotic countries or luxurious exclusive branded products or diamond jewelries. But among all these luxuries, relaxed lifestyle is not one of them.

We are done being ‘Foreign Talents’ for 5 years now. It’s high time we settle down, buy house, car, have kids. To do all this is Sg, it takes a minimum of 8-10 years from now, just for this. Forget the education system, the national service, the cost of living, ‘the tiny island- not so much to do’, and the work-life balance.  At the end of the day, life is nothing but a fast race here.

PS: I am sure all the foreign talents and the newly granted PR’s would agree.

Migration- Solution?

-----------------------------

      With all this being said, things aren't going to be rosy, out anywhere in the world. But giving it a try with hope isn't the worse thing.

Why Australia?

-----------------------

      Every time I get back to India, my first few minutes have been great. The hugs at airport, the smile at faces, sure feels at home. But enough reasons mentioned for why we do not want to continue our lives there.

      First being comparatively easy and safe, affordable luxurious life style, high standards of living, relaxed and calm lifestyle (it’s kinda black mark when a person stays at office after office hours). This is just awesome for me because of my workaholic husband. Besides India is just hours away. It takes 10-12 hours from Chennai to Coimbatore in trains and almost the same time from Australia to India in Flights. Truly it’s no big deal.

It’s very obvious that we ourselves have to do laundry, clean toilet, mow the lawn, cook every day, drive my car and cannot even think of having maid, helpers, drivers, cleaners like an upper middle class family in India could afford. But this is far better than corruption and rapes.

And people who whine about the racist problems, “Stop complaining that the rose bush is full of thorns, be happy the thorn bush has roses”. The cast creed discrimination in India is no better than the racism in Australia.

The Steps, Processing time and all other details followed in Part 2.