Once You Are in Australia...

After arriving in Australia, there is some burocratical work to do depending on the type of the visa. The list below is a general guideline for students and immigrants. The tourists do not have to be concerned about any of the points below. They should just secure themselves with a proper travellers health insurance.

Obtaining a tax (TFN) number: Every person, who has an income in Australia, is obliged to pay income tax. In case of not having a tax number, the income gets taxed with the highest rate, regardless of the amount. After the application, it usually takes around 10 days until the number is issued. Those, who start to have an income within this period, should let their employer know that they applied for tax number. In this case, only the appropriate value is taxed out of the wage.
Applications to get a tax number can be done online. You can also apply by filling in the forms that can be obtained from the web sites of Australian Tax Office and Centrelink. Australian Tax Office also posts the necessary forms to a given address if required.
Health Insurance: Australian Government provides medical treatment free of charge to its residents/citizens through Medicare. To be eligible for this, the employee has to pay 1-1.5% of his salary as Medicare levy every month. This service requires registeration. Normally, one should wait for 10 days after arrival, before registering to Medicare. After this waiting period, the Medicare number can be obtained very fast, upon a valid application with the required documents. But in case of an emergency where a doctor must be visited without being able to wait for 10 days, a temporary number can be requested.
Please note that:
- Those who arrive to Australia with temporary working visas are not eligible for free health care through Medicare during the first 2 years after their arrival. It is recommended to buy a private health insurance.
- Medicare pays only for the medical treatment at public hospitals and the cost of medicine. But the cost of an ambulance, glasses, dental treatment and physical therapy etc... are not covered. Therefore, it is always recommended to have a private insurance additionally and many private insurance companies have relevant packages for 'what Medicare does not cover'.
- It is wise for tourists to obtain a travellers health insurance just to be on the safe side.
Bank account: The bank accounts are widely being used for salary payments in Australia. For this reason, it is good to open a bank account as soon as possible. In case an application for a bank account is issued within 1 month after arrival in Australia, it is enough to simply show a passport. After this 1 month, the banks request tax number to open an account. As soon as a tax number is obtained, the bank should be informed. Otherwise lack of tax number leads to taxes over the interest with the highest taxation rate.
Registering to Centrelink: Centrelink has 2 basic functions. Centrelink consultants help people to find a job. Furthermore, Centrelink takes part at some social security payments. That is why it is a good idea to register to Centrelink as soon as possible. It is also possible to find the form, that is necessary to apply for a tax number, on Centrelink web site.
Obtaining a driving licence: It is allowed to drive for 3 months in Australia with a non-Australian driving licence under the condition where either the driving licence should be issued in English or a certified translation (or international driving licence) should be available. After the 3 months period, an Australian driving licence should be obtained. It may be possible to easily exchange the licence depending on the country where it was issued. In the worse case a written and a practical test should be taken.
Driving licence (NSW)
Children at school age: Education is mandatory for every child in Australia. Children between 5-15 years old should be registered to school as soon as possible.
English courses for immigrants: Australian Government provides free of charge English courses for the immigrants through AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program) in order to integrate them to the society faster. Everyone is welcome to take free course up to 510 hours. In case the registration to the course is not done within 3 months after arrival, this benefit is lost. If anyone has any difficulty in joining the course due to having small kids, a free of charge child care is being arranged by the state. The courses are prepared in different forms like full day, half day, and distance learning. There is also a possibility to study with a private teacher at home.