# Health Coverage in Australia



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hello to All 

I have been reviewing this topic in your forum. I was wondering if I move to Australia from the US can I qualify for the same health coverage that the citizens receive or would I have to pay for my insurance? My husband is a citizen of Australia and we are wanting to move to Melbourne where he is from. My mother is dependent on us and I also wanted to know if she could come with us even if her health is not great. Would she need to pay for her own insurance. If so how much is it? Any information you can pass this way would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Halo (May 8, 2008)

Do you have to sponsor your mother?

Download Booklet 3 on this page (form 1129) for info.
Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 31. Parents


----------



## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Ronda said:


> Hello to All
> 
> I have been reviewing this topic in your forum. I was wondering if I move to Australia from the US can I qualify for the same health coverage that the citizens receive or would I have to pay for my insurance? My husband is a citizen of Australia and we are wanting to move to Melbourne where he is from. My mother is dependent on us and I also wanted to know if she could come with us even if her health is not great. Would she need to pay for her own insurance. If so how much is it? Any information you can pass this way would be greatly appreciated.


Hi Ronda,

If you have a permanent visa you will receive Medicare, however private medical insurance is really pushed to people over here in Oz and you get tax benefits for it. It will cover things like dental and opticians that Medicare doesn't cover. 

You probably need to check with an agent about your Mother since immigration usually looks at whether she will be a drain on the economy but I think there are special circumstances if she is dependent on you - but I'm not an agent. 

You can get a family health insurance but that is usually for parents and younger children. There is a website called Private Health Insurance Australia - iSelect - they do not have all the health insurances in there but it will give you an idea of prices. 
We went with a non-profit health insurance but haven't had to claim on it yet, and that's when you find out how good they really are. 

Regards,
Karen


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Kaz is right, but even with private health insurance, the cost is nowhere near what it is in the US usually. The premiums tend to be lower and the cost of healthcare even if you're paying out of pocket is also lower here. The lack of regulation in the health care system in the US has really screwed the American people, but I'm not trying to get all "michael moore" about it.


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.


Ronda said:


> Hello to All
> 
> I have been reviewing this topic in your forum. I was wondering if I move to Australia from the US can I qualify for the same health coverage that the citizens receive or would I have to pay for my insurance? My husband is a citizen of Australia and we are wanting to move to Melbourne where he is from. My mother is dependent on us and I also wanted to know if she could come with us even if her health is not great. Would she need to pay for her own insurance. If so how much is it? Any information you can pass this way would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> Kaz is right, but even with private health insurance, the cost is nowhere near what it is in the US usually. The premiums tend to be lower and the cost of healthcare even if you're paying out of pocket is also lower here. The lack of regulation in the health care system in the US has really screwed the American people, but I'm not trying to get all "michael moore" about it.


Hi Tiffany,

Thank you for answering my questions. I take it you are from the US? How would compare living there to living here? My husband says it is a better way of living there in Australia than the US.


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Ronda said:


> Hi Tiffany,
> 
> Thank you for answering my questions. I take it you are from the US? How would compare living there to living here? My husband says it is a better way of living there in Australia than the US.


Hi Ronda,

I am from the US (North Carolina) and there are things I prefer about here and things I prefer about the US -- nowhere is perfect, of course!

Things I prefer about Melbourne: much better work-life balance, higher salaries, laid-back but helpful and friendly people. You will have to adjust your expectations of when things get done. The work-life balance means that people tend to work less than in the US so sometimes and immediate response isn't possible. You get used to that because they're not slackers by any means. Their honesty also means that you can get saved from a screwing because people who work at a shop will tell you "you can get it in the shop downstairs for cheaper" LOL That is much appreciated after you get over the shock that it's actually happened.

Things I prefer about NC: the weather (Melbourne is colder than I had anticipated, and wetter, actually), being able to get what I want when I want it (again, the work-life balance is affected here though), and lower prices for pretty much everything.

Our quality of life is much better here, but we can't afford a house. That's the only real downside.


----------



## TGM (Jul 12, 2008)

*Temporary* residents can also get limited cover under medicare if there are reciprocal health arrangements between their country of residence and Australia. This applies to people from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Malta and Italy and it entitles them to limited subsidised health services for medically necessary treatment while visiting Australia. There are similar arrangements for people from Ireland and NZ.

If anyone falls into one of these categories please be sure to apply for your medicare card when you arrive. You'll be surprised at how much you'll be asked for your number (eg. on kids' field trips at school)

Visitors to Australia - Medicare Australia


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Thank you very much for this information. It has been very helpful.



TGM said:


> *Temporary* residents can also get limited cover under medicare if there are reciprocal health arrangements between their country of residence and Australia. This applies to people from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Malta and Italy and it entitles them to limited subsidised health services for medically necessary treatment while visiting Australia. There are similar arrangements for people from Ireland and NZ.
> 
> If anyone falls into one of these categories please be sure to apply for your medicare card when you arrive. You'll be surprised at how much you'll be asked for your number (eg. on kids' field trips at school)
> 
> Visitors to Australia - Medicare Australia


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi Tiffani,

That it so nice to know about work-life. It is so fast paced here and stressful most of the time. We have been talking about moving there off and on for 3 years. I have been weight the pros and cons and I think it would be a wise decision if we did. It is so nice of all you to have this forum for people who need advice. It also great to talk to a fellow American who is acutally there. Would you say that houses are really expensive there? My husband and I want to move to Pakenham. I dont know if you know where that is. It is between Narre Warren and Tynong. By the way I am from Nevada. It is nice to know the people are nice and helpful there. How long have you lived there if you dont mind me asking? What is the food like there? Is it different from here? My husband tells me that they have little markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Like little farmer stands I guess you would say. What about utilities and water are they cheaper. I know you said the cost of living is less than here. In Nevada we have some of the highest utility rates in the country. Well I hope I havent overwhelmed you with questions. Thanks for being a good listener.

Ronda




Tiffani said:


> Hi Ronda,
> 
> I am from the US (North Carolina) and there are things I prefer about here and things I prefer about the US -- nowhere is perfect, of course!
> 
> ...


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Ronda said:


> Hi Tiffani,
> 
> That it so nice to know about work-life. It is so fast paced here and stressful most of the time. We have been talking about moving there off and on for 3 years. I have been weight the pros and cons and I think it would be a wise decision if we did. It is so nice of all you to have this forum for people who need advice. It also great to talk to a fellow American who is acutally there. Would you say that houses are really expensive there? My husband and I want to move to Pakenham. I dont know if you know where that is. It is between Narre Warren and Tynong. By the way I am from Nevada. It is nice to know the people are nice and helpful there. How long have you lived there if you dont mind me asking? What is the food like there? Is it different from here? My husband tells me that they have little markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Like little farmer stands I guess you would say. What about utilities and water are they cheaper. I know you said the cost of living is less than here. In Nevada we have some of the highest utility rates in the country. Well I hope I havent overwhelmed you with questions. Thanks for being a good listener.
> 
> Ronda



Hi Ronda. Yes I know Pakenham. It's a bit further out than where we live, but we are also in the Outer East (Pakenham is at the end of our train line; our suburb is about halfway down the track). Why Pakenham? Do you have a job offer there? if not, you may find it too far from town for your liking. Melbourne is also a bit strange in that most of the suburbs are quite dense compared to the US (obviously the closer you get to the CBD, the more dense they become) but housing isn't much cheaper or more spread out in Pakenham than it is in Oakleigh (where I live). If you're planning to work in the CBD, you may want to consider living closer in. There also aren't great interstate highways to get you quickly from A to B. There are freeways and highways (and tollways ) but they get congested so it's not really a quick trip into the city from Pakenham. The train's not bad though. Also, there's not a real suburban atmosphere in the US sense where you can be shortly out of town but have a lovely house with a huge yard for significantly cheaper. And it basically goes from dense suburbs to rural. Pakenham is at the boundary  But if you're working there, it makes sense to live there.

The food is really good here. I feel much healthier out here than I do when I'm back home (I've been here since the end of Jan, btw). Usually I have quite a sensitive stomach in the US and I have to be very careful what I eat, but that's less of a problem here. The lower stress levels probably affect it as well. I think that generally food tastes just as good or better -- but my boyfriend says he has yet to find a really good burger here; I don't eat burgers so it's not a problem for me -- but it must have less fat in it or something. The ethnic cuisine here is fantastic, even better than the US because they don't coat everything in grease just to make it palatable to Americans  The only thing I really miss is good Mexican. THAT is hard to come by. Food from Latin America generally is missing here. 

When I think of road-side stands I think of the ones on the Highway in eastern NC on the way to my grandmother's house  But that's not what they have here LOL They do have a lot of markets though and green-grocers and the quality of produce, particularly in the summer, is spectacular. Much much better than in the US. The downside is that in the winter the quality suffers and the price increases (presumably due to transport costs). But in the summer, it's salads every day!


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Ronda said:


> Hi Tiffani,
> 
> That it so nice to know about work-life. It is so fast paced here and stressful most of the time. We have been talking about moving there off and on for 3 years. I have been weight the pros and cons and I think it would be a wise decision if we did. It is so nice of all you to have this forum for people who need advice. It also great to talk to a fellow American who is acutally there. Would you say that houses are really expensive there? My husband and I want to move to Pakenham. I dont know if you know where that is. It is between Narre Warren and Tynong. By the way I am from Nevada. It is nice to know the people are nice and helpful there. How long have you lived there if you dont mind me asking? What is the food like there? Is it different from here? My husband tells me that they have little markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Like little farmer stands I guess you would say. What about utilities and water are they cheaper. I know you said the cost of living is less than here. In Nevada we have some of the highest utility rates in the country. Well I hope I havent overwhelmed you with questions. Thanks for being a good listener.
> 
> Ronda


Hi Rhonda, I actual grew up in the areas you are talking about.
I spent most of my years in Berwick (about 15 mins from Pakenham).
I also did all of my secondary schooling in Pakenham.
Most of our friends live in Bayles and Nar Nar Goon 
Pakenham has a GREAT Farmers market (at the racecourse)


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

@ Tiffany
That was an interesting piece of Information. The same goes fo rme as well, I dont eat much because of my banding but then Indian food is completely different then the continental and the rest. I was always worried about getting what I use in cooking here. My husband is a foodie but freaks on Indian food and show him anything else and he makes thousand faces. . He will have to get used it. But street food for me would be the tangy, fried, typically indian stuff. I dunno if you have had Indian food, but have it once and you will be a fan.


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Are you kidding me? I Love Indian food


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi Tiffani,

We chose Pakenham because it closer to Tynong where the church is that we would go to. I have seen pictures of the area and it looks very nice. I have not tried Indian food yet. My husband loves it and says that I should try it there because it is the best. It is so odd to me that our seasons are completly opposite of eachothers. My mom is wondering how living below the equator affects you. Could you tell a difference in the way that you felt when you first moved there? Kind of like when people go to higher elevations? I told her that it is probably like living by the ocean in Southern California. She likes lower elevation and more humidity in the air. Where we are it is high elevation and very dry. I am an Office Manager/Admin. Asst. so I think work should be easy to find there. I have been looking at The Age and comparing salaries to hear. There is quite a difference. My husband said that it is a healthier way of living there and judging from what you have said and what others have written it sounds very nice.



Tiffani said:


> Hi Ronda. Yes I know Pakenham. It's a bit further out than where we live, but we are also in the Outer East (Pakenham is at the end of our train line; our suburb is about halfway down the track). Why Pakenham? Do you have a job offer there? if not, you may find it too far from town for your liking. Melbourne is also a bit strange in that most of the suburbs are quite dense compared to the US (obviously the closer you get to the CBD, the more dense they become) but housing isn't much cheaper or more spread out in Pakenham than it is in Oakleigh (where I live). If you're planning to work in the CBD, you may want to consider living closer in. There also aren't great interstate highways to get you quickly from A to B. There are freeways and highways (and tollways ) but they get congested so it's not really a quick trip into the city from Pakenham. The train's not bad though. Also, there's not a real suburban atmosphere in the US sense where you can be shortly out of town but have a lovely house with a huge yard for significantly cheaper. And it basically goes from dense suburbs to rural. Pakenham is at the boundary  But if you're working there, it makes sense to live there.
> 
> The food is really good here. I feel much healthier out here than I do when I'm back home (I've been here since the end of Jan, btw). Usually I have quite a sensitive stomach in the US and I have to be very careful what I eat, but that's less of a problem here. The lower stress levels probably affect it as well. I think that generally food tastes just as good or better -- but my boyfriend says he has yet to find a really good burger here; I don't eat burgers so it's not a problem for me -- but it must have less fat in it or something. The ethnic cuisine here is fantastic, even better than the US because they don't coat everything in grease just to make it palatable to Americans  The only thing I really miss is good Mexican. THAT is hard to come by. Food from Latin America generally is missing here.
> 
> When I think of road-side stands I think of the ones on the Highway in eastern NC on the way to my grandmother's house  But that's not what they have here LOL They do have a lot of markets though and green-grocers and the quality of produce, particularly in the summer, is spectacular. Much much better than in the US. The downside is that in the winter the quality suffers and the price increases (presumably due to transport costs). But in the summer, it's salads every day!


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

That is so neat that you grew up there. Did you like it? We love Farmers Markets and I like the area it seems like it is still open country. We want to move in that area because of the church that is in Tynong. Could you please tell me a little more about life in Pakenham? What you liked and disliked. Are there jobs in that area?



sgilli3 said:


> Hi Rhonda, I actual grew up in the areas you are talking about.
> I spent most of my years in Berwick (about 15 mins from Pakenham).
> I also did all of my secondary schooling in Pakenham.
> Most of our friends live in Bayles and Nar Nar Goon
> Pakenham has a GREAT Farmers market (at the racecourse)


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Hi Ronda,

That makes sense, the church thing I mean.

I don't think you'll have trouble finding work. There are admin jobs needed everywhere! 

We have a weekly local free paper that ends up in our mailbox sometimes which has lots of ads for jobs in the area (and by "area" I mean about a 5-10 km radius so really quite close by). I bet there's something similar in Pakenham. You may get lucky looking in The Age, but most of those jobs, at least the admin ones, are more in town. At the moment there's plenty of employment availability so you shouldn't have trouble finding something. The only thing I made sure was to change my resume to put the email addresses of my references on there as well as the telephone numbers and addresses! Email is much easier.

As far as being south of the equator is concerned, the only real difference is that the water drains the opposite way LOL The rest is pretty much the same. You won't have much humidity at all in Melbourne; the summers are warm (70-75 degrees much of the time) to hot (sometimes it goes over 80 and very occasionally soars into the 100s) and dry. The winters are mild and sort of wet. The strangest thing climate-wise, apart from being the opposite to the northern hemisphere, is that the change in seasons is not drastic at all. In NC we have four defined seasons and while there may be a little overlap, it's generally pretty obvious when it's Spring, Fall, Winter, or Summer. Here you sort of ease into Autumn and then gradually into Winter. I imagine it works the same the second half of the year as well. 

Also, you should note for the weather that the direction of the wind is HIGHLY important in Melbourne, more than anywhere else I've ever been. A northerly or northwesterly wind means that it'll be warm because it's coming from the tropics or the hot hot middle of the country. A southerly wind means it's blowing from Antarctica so carry your jacket with you! Even in the Summer! Pay very close attention to wind direction when you are here


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> Also, you should note for the weather that the direction of the wind is HIGHLY important in Melbourne, more than anywhere else I've ever been. A northerly or northwesterly wind means that it'll be warm because it's coming from the tropics or the hot hot middle of the country. A southerly wind means it's blowing from Antarctica so carry your jacket with you! Even in the Summer! Pay very close attention to wind direction when you are here


wow, the wind thing is interesting.. no wonder every site said people carry their clothes or plan their day only after going through the weather forecast. .

Another thing, since we were talking jobs, I wanted to know, what is the scene there for advertising people? I run an advertising agency here. I design, I copy write, handle print production, and ofcourse estimation and office management, do you think I have a good scope for work and what would be the salary scale for someone like me with a good 10 years experience?

And, I am glad you love Indian food, lemme come there and I will surely invite you over for a feast..


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

ooh I'll definitely take you up on the feast!  There is some really good Indian food to be had here, too, so if you ever decide to get it out (although why would you? LOL) you can find it. 

I have no idea about the advertising sector though. It sounds like you're pretty experienced though; would you want to start a business here or work for an ad agency? I am assuming you have a pretty large portfolio to demonstrate your work. Are you planning to live in Melbourne? If so, you can check out The Age - Business News, World News & Breaking News in Australia | theage.com.au and look under the want ads for advertising specialists or execs. I would think the salaries would be quite high for that kind of skill...


----------



## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> ooh I'll definitely take you up on the feast!  There is some really good Indian food to be had here, too, so if you ever decide to get it out (although why would you? LOL) you can find it.
> 
> I have no idea about the advertising sector though. It sounds like you're pretty experienced though; would you want to start a business here or work for an ad agency? I am assuming you have a pretty large portfolio to demonstrate your work. Are you planning to live in Melbourne? If so, you can check out The Age - Business News, World News & Breaking News in Australia | theage.com.au and look under the want ads for advertising specialists or execs. I would think the salaries would be quite high for that kind of skill...


When we go out for dinner her, we prefer chinese or italian or maybe mexican, since we eat indian at home all the time. and we both love chinese, and since my bro imports italian, we like italian too and ofcourse mexican has a bit of indian touch to it, so mexican is welcome as well. 

i will go through the site for sure, i started as an interior designer some 10 years back, i worked as a designer for good 2 years and then joined a company whose backbone was advertising, i joined them as the head of interior and exhibition department, that was how i got into advertising, and i have been running my own firm since 6 years now, i have all the papers to prove my existing company, I would want to take up a job initially and understand the market there, I dont mind doing a freelance work as a designer at times, I paint as well, so I am looking forward to taking that as well as a freelancer. I really dont know what would i be working as but i think i would fit even in an admin job since i dont want to stress my life too much by working in a higher position, I love exploring new places, so would love to explore the city and work along with it.

I really dont know where we will be moving, since we are a year away from getting the visa. This depresses me so much, there are so many thing that are out of our hands, but waiting is the best thing to do at times. I have done a good R&D on melbourne and i like what i have read so far, You know, every place that you read about looks so beautiful, if today i start reading about sydney or brisbane, i am sure i would want to change my mind and move to sydney or brisbane, so for now my focus is on melbourne. just a little scared about the initial hiccups if any. Main reason for deciding for melbourne is the weather, i am not a summer person, i have seen too much of it in India, i would love to move to canberra but i dont see many IT openings there, so melbourne it is.


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Ronda said:


> That is so neat that you grew up there. Did you like it? We love Farmers Markets and I like the area it seems like it is still open country. We want to move in that area because of the church that is in Tynong. Could you please tell me a little more about life in Pakenham? What you liked and disliked. Are there jobs in that area?



Hi Ronda ( I must apologize, I spelt your name wrong on last post),

Yes,I enjoyed living out that way. The area has changed a lot in the past few years. Not that to long ago, there was paddocks as far as the eye could see, now Pakenham have experienced a real boom in population, and there are a lot more hoses, businesses,schools etc.

Tynong isnt too far from Pakenham, and it is lovely area. Also that way are Drouin,Garfield, Nar Nar Goon, Bayles, Koowerup and a few other nice small towns.
I completed my high school years in Pakenham (we lived in Cockatoo at the time).
When I married, we moved to Berwick (about 10-15 mins away), but always travelled to Pakenham, as my hubby worked there, and we had friends in the area.
Pakenham is not the small town it used to be, but still has the country town feel to it.
Are you meaning the new Corpus Christi church in Tynong?

It is a lovely area.
If you look at Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au
Look at Victoria and scroll down to those suburbs to have a look at what rentals/houses for sale are available.

Pakenham falls under the Shire of Cardinia, so even pop onto their web site to look up information on rates, services available etc.
Cardinia Shire Council Home Page

Also look on line at local papers for jobs 
Look at papers such as Berwick News, Berwick Gazette, Pakenham News, Pakenham Gazette.

Good Luck, you will love it!


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi Tiffany,

Hope your day is well. I was wondering about holidays in Australia. Do employee's get a longer vacation from work than our two weeks in the U.S.? Did you have to do our resume differently? I am hoping to come and visit there in Dec of 2008. I am excited to see Australia and meet my husbands family. Can I ask if you came to Australia on a work visa? I also would like to know about the heath check and the immunizations for immigration. Any advice would be awsome. Once again you have been great in answering my questions for me. Thank you very much. 




Tiffani said:


> Hi Ronda,
> 
> That makes sense, the church thing I mean.
> 
> ...


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hello 

Thank you for all the helpful info. I am going to research it all. Yes the church is the Corpus Christi Church. Pakenham is exactly the place I think we are looking for. The church has a school my children can go to through grade 12. Does pakenham have shops and grocery stores close by? Anything else you could tell me would be awsome. Thanks so much.




sgilli3 said:


> Hi Ronda ( I must apologize, I spelt your name wrong on last post),
> 
> Yes,I enjoyed living out that way. The area has changed a lot in the past few years. Not that to long ago, there was paddocks as far as the eye could see, now Pakenham have experienced a real boom in population, and there are a lot more hoses, businesses,schools etc.
> 
> ...


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Ronda said:


> Hello
> 
> Thank you for all the helpful info. I am going to research it all. Yes the church is the Corpus Christi Church. Pakenham is exactly the place I think we are looking for. The church has a school my children can go to through grade 12. Does akenham have shops and grocery stores close by? Anything else you could tell me would be awsome. Thanks so much.



Pakenham is a thriving township.
There are a few large supermarkets, large fruit shop, Target, Post Office, and lots, and lots of individual stores.
There are also numerous cafes, restaurants, fast-food establishments, petrol stations, car yards, churches, schools, and a great sporting complex (football, netball, basketball, swimming, gym etc)
There is also a new fire station, police station, and SES station (State emergency service). There is also an ambulance station (there is a big hospital in Warragul, and a new large one in Berwick)

When I used to go to school there, it was still a smallish town- now Pakenham is very large, and everything you will need will be found in Pakenham (and if what you're after isn't there...it will be in Berwick or Warragul)

Pakenham also has a train line, which goes in the Melbourne's CBD (and a country train, which I believe still goes out to Tynong and beyond). There is also a country bus service.


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Ronda said:


> Hi Tiffany,
> 
> Hope your day is well. I was wondering about holidays in Australia. Do employee's get a longer vacation from work than our two weeks in the U.S.? Did you have to do our resume differently? I am hoping to come and visit there in Dec of 2008. I am excited to see Australia and meet my husbands family. Can I ask if you came to Australia on a work visa? I also would like to know about the heath check and the immunizations for immigration. Any advice would be awsome. Once again you have been great in answering my questions for me. Thank you very much.


Hi Ronda.. as for your questions:

I work 30 hours/week on a fixed-term contract and I get 16 days vacation/year (pro rata from the usual 20 days given to a 38 hour/week employee), so yes, the vacation time is great. I was pretty lucky in the US; I was working at Duke which happened to have fantastic benefits, including about 5 weeks vacation! so I'm actually worse off LOL But in general, the vacation time in Oz is far better than in the US. 

I didn't change anything on my resume except to make it more clear for an Aussie audience. I was working as an international student advisor at Duke and so a lot of acronyms were used in our field that wouldn't make sense to an Aussie, so I had to say things like "various student visa types" instead of "F1 or J1". I also added email addresses to my references instead of just mailing addresses and tel nos. 

Visiting Australia isn't a bad idea but I have to say that many of us didn't and we ended up alright  But if you've got the time and the extra cash, go for it!

We did come over on a work visa (a 457). We had medical checks, mostly for HIV and TB, and we front-loaded our medicals for our PR application so there was a bit more involved but it was all done at once. It was pricey, about $400 each. And you have to go to a specific doctor in your state. I think the DIAC website has a list of approved doctors in each state in the US. The entire process, from signing the employment contract to getting the visa, took about two months. The immigration attorney we worked with has been great, too. 

feel free to ask away  That's what we're here for!


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hello Tiffany,

I do have some more questions. As I think of them I try to write them down so I wont forget. First of all how are you doing? How is winter in Melbourne treating you? I wanted to know about T.V over there. Do you get any American shows? Also when you first moved there did you drink the water from the tap. Did it take time to adjust to the water. I know sometimes when people go different place sometime the different water can upset their tummies. Did you have to get immunized to go there. I know I will probably have to as I am in my 30's and havent had any since I was a little girl. Have a great evening.





Tiffani said:


> Hi Ronda.. as for your questions:
> 
> I work 30 hours/week on a fixed-term contract and I get 16 days vacation/year (pro rata from the usual 20 days given to a 38 hour/week employee), so yes, the vacation time is great. I was pretty lucky in the US; I was working at Duke which happened to have fantastic benefits, including about 5 weeks vacation! so I'm actually worse off LOL But in general, the vacation time in Oz is far better than in the US.
> 
> ...


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Hello there, 

How are you. I hope all is well with you. Thank you for the info on Pakenham. We are also considering Nar Nar Goon. I have been looking online for houses to rent and it seems they are all so lovely. Nice well built brick homes mostly. I would like to work in Pakenham or around there. Do you see many admin. jobs posted for that area. I could not find the newpapers that you told me about online. Have a great evening.




sgilli3 said:


> Pakenham is a thriving township.
> There are a few large supermarkets, large fruit shop, Target, Post Office, and lots, and lots of individual stores.
> There are also numerous cafes, restaurants, fast-food establishments, petrol stations, car yards, churches, schools, and a great sporting complex (football, netball, basketball, swimming, gym etc)
> There is also a new fire station, police station, and SES station (State emergency service). There is also an ambulance station (there is a big hospital in Warragul, and a new large one in Berwick)
> ...


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Ronda said:


> Hello Tiffany,
> 
> I do have some more questions. As I think of them I try to write them down so I wont forget. First of all how are you doing? How is winter in Melbourne treating you? I wanted to know about T.V over there. Do you get any American shows? Also when you first moved there did you drink the water from the tap. Did it take time to adjust to the water. I know sometimes when people go different place sometime the different water can upset their tummies. Did you have to get immunized to go there. I know I will probably have to as I am in my 30's and havent had any since I was a little girl. Have a great evening.


Hi Ronda,

I'm fine, thanks  

The winter is colder than I expected it to be. Even though it's not as cold as it gets in NC (it rarely goes below freezing), the past two nights have gotten down to about 3 degrees celsius which is really cold! And Australia is not quite as well-equipped to deal with the cold, so the buildings and homes tend to be cooler. Especially rental homes tend not to have centralised heating, so half of the house will be nice and warm from the gas fire, and the other half will be really cold! We have space heaters all over the house -- not exactly efficient 

We don't have cable and didn't in the US, but generally I would say that Aussie TV is nominally better than US TV. There are a lot of US shows here, too, but what's brand new here will be last season there, unless you get cable. 

The water in Melbourne is some of the cleanest and safest in the world (according to the TV commercials I saw over the summer, presumably to discourage use of bottled water which is an environmental problem). Australia is not one of those places where you have to adjust to water so you shouldn't have any trouble. It tastes like the water I grew up with! 

I didn't have to have any immunisation boosters but you may want to check with your doctor about getting Hep B and Tetanus. I think I had an MMR a few years ago too. I guess you should be vaccinated against whatever you would ordinarily be in the US, but nothing special. 

Hope that helps!


----------



## Ronda (Jul 18, 2008)

Thank you Tiffani for always answering my questions. You have been very nice. As I think of new questions I will ask. My husband and I are at the point where we are going to consult with an immigration lawyer in Melbourne. So after that we will know more on what are next steps will be. 




Tiffani said:


> Hi Ronda,
> 
> I'm fine, thanks
> 
> ...


----------



## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

no problem. keep us posted


----------

