rajparmar1

Hi All - I moved over to Perth on 12 Dec with my fiancee and have had a wonderful few weeks trying to settle in and enjoy Christmas etc before I start my new job next week.

I managed to find work with BankWest here so that's why we decided to move over. Melissa is an Aussie citizen and we're getting married here in March so I came over on a Prospective Marriage visa.

We flew over with Singapore Airlines and managed to get a 40kg allowance as I was migrating which proved to be very useful indeed!

Just thought some of you might find the following useful:

1) Go to a Medicare centre as a priority and get a Medicare card - just take in your passport. They will give you a slip of paper with your Medicare number on it whilst your official card comes out in the post. Medicare card/slip is very useful as ID for getting mobile, bank account etc

2) Opening Australian Bank Account - I went into the BankWest branch in Garden City, Booragoon with my UK passport, UK birth certificate, medicare number and my letter of employment and managed to get an account opened straight away. They also printed out a piece of paper with my name, address and bank account on it so I could use it for ID to get a mobile and driver's licence.

3) Mobile Phone - I managed to get a contract straight away with 3 Mobile using my passport, bank account details and letter of employment.

4) Australian Driver's Licence - I visited the Licencing Centre in Willagee (corner of Leach Highway and Stock Road) with my passport, UK licence and letter from BankWest and managed to get a licence straight away. Didn't have to sit the theory test as they recognise UK licences but did have to take an eyesight test. I read somewhere on one of the threads that they punch a hole in your UK licence but they didn't so now I have both a UK and an Australian licence.

We've also got a homeloan pre-approved so are now busy looking for somewhere to buy although we're in no rush at the moment as we're living with Melissa's parents for now.

Really enjoying the lifestyle here - making the most of the beaches and the river by getting out and doing things!

Hope someone finds this useful!

mark213

Great read - you made it sound pretty stress free...

But still wondering why you chose 3 for a contract phone??

rajparmar1

3 Mobile have a cap plan for $49 per month which gives me $300 of calls, including $120 worth of international calls. great for keeping in touch with my family and friends and even allows me to call my Dad in the UK everyday for a quick chat!

sj oldfield

1) Go to a Medicare centre as a priority and get a Medicare card - just take in your passport. They will give you a slip of paper with your Medicare number on it whilst your official card comes out in the post. Medicare card/slip is very useful as ID for getting mobile, bank account etc




I thought you had to give it a couple of weeks before you went to Medicare?????????

When we arrived in Perth a few years ago, we went to medicare within about 3 days of arriving and was told to come in a few weeks time they need to update your arrival on their system (Or something like that) or has it changed now???

mark213

I did consider 3, but the charges for the calls within the cap are really large. So they give a good $ value away in the cap, but take it all back as the call values attributed against the cap are so high.

Basically say a telco give you $100cap and all your calls are say $1 per min. Thats 100 mins of talk time..... Another could give you £150 in the cap, but charge you $1.75 per min thus only getting 85 mins.

I feel a spreadsheet coming on

ohippy

you have to wait 10 days before you can apply for a medicare card

GinaUK

As long as you go to the Medicare centre with your passport with the visa in it, you'll get the paper slip that rajparmar is talking about. Getting the "proper" card takes a couple of weeks until you are "properly" in the system.

Gina

AliMay

Hi, Rather than racking up bills on your mobile for international calls one alternative is an international phone card. You have to dial a few more numbers (I find this no big deal) and the cost is minimal. I buy a $20 card that lasts me for months. I happily chat for hours with family in the UK.
You can get the cards in newsagents and some Asian shops.
I know I should get Skpye which is free but have never quite got that sorted.

Hope this might help someone.

Alimay

mark213

But you still gotta get a decent broadband plan with a decent number of Gb's included. Also requires a phone line. In addition if you use the calling cards you need a landline at another expense or a trip to a phone box.