“When I came here to study English, I planned to stay for 7 months. Five years have passed and I now call Australia home”
If only we had a dollar for every time we heard this story! You may think it could never be you, but we suggest you think again. We don’t know if it’s the sunshine, the weirdly cute animals or the good work-life balance, but Australia has a way of winning over the hearts of its visitors.
So if you’re planning to visit Down Under, or already enjoying your first few months here, taking a minute to entertain the idea of Permanent Residency could change your life.
Here’s how it usually happens: you come to Australia as a student and study English for a few months. At the end of your course you decide you want to improve further (and stay longer), so you renew your course or enrol in a VET. By the time you’ve been here for a year, you’ve become part of a community, found a job that pays well (even if it’s a casual job doing something you never imagined you’d do), and want to explore the country more - you can’t go home just yet! As you continue studying, it slowly but surely becomes clear that Australia is where you are meant to be. So you begin thinking about pathways to PR, and get in touch with an immigration agency.
If you can imagine yourself taking this route, let us save you some time!
A migration strategy is made by looking at where you are in life, identifying where you want to be and then filling the gaps. That means, the starting point is the here and now. The sooner you begin your strategy, the sooner you will reach your goals. As most students arrive in Australia without the long-term vision of PR, they can waste those first few years by studying irrelevant subjects and thinking only of the present. But if you want to make the most of your student visa and decrease the time it’ll take to reach PR, start planning now.
Student visas are the most common starting point - so make them count! See our 3 tips below to get the most out of your time as a student.
1) Know where you’re going
Most students arrive in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. These are Australia’s largest cities: they have the most schools, the most events and the most migrant communities. It makes sense that they are the most popular places for new arrivals. And of course we think these three cities are amazing places to live… but have you seen the size of Australia? The country has amazing things to offer from coast to coast! By choosing to live in a regional area (and by ‘regional’ we mean anywhere other than Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) you can speed up the PR journey. English schools and VET courses are available all over the country, so consider broadening your search and getting a headstart on your strategy.
2) Know what you’re doing
Whenever you submit an application to the immigration department, especially for PR, they want to make sure you are genuine. By genuine we mean that you are telling an honest story of who you are, what you can offer and what you plan to do. And it makes sense, right? Why spend your life doing things you don’t enjoy? Many students decide they want to stay in Australia for longer but don’t want to invest in their education, so they choose the cheapest course available even if it is not related to their professional goals. We know that saving money in the now is tempting, but it could end up costing you much more in the long run! To ensure you have a genuine application, and are enjoying your life to the full, choose a VET course, or even a higher education course that makes sense for you.
3) Know how you’re getting there
Australian immigration is all about meeting requirements. It can feel unnatural collecting documentation you would usually ignore, or taking an English test you’re not sure you’ll need. But, if you do make the decision to apply for PR, you’ll be thanking your past self for doing all the heavy lifting before the pressure was on! Once you have figured out which PR pathway suits your life best, the next step is to find out what is required. Then you can work out what you need to do early in order to meet those requirements. That’s if you haven’t met them yet, as many people do not realise they can come to Australia as a permanent resident from day one if they’re eligible, but that’s a topic for another day. Some states may only nominate you after you have been a resident in that state for a certain period of time, maybe studying something specific or meeting work requirements. Our point is, the sooner you know about that, the sooner you can plan your strategy, which normally impacts your entire life. . .
Know what we mean?
Using student visas to your advantage can be difficult, especially when you don’t know what you want from your future. Remember, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. Our best advice: Never say never, and book a consultation with 4Migration so you can see your options clearly. Make informed decisions from the beginning and then, let the rest flow.