Hey there,
So I landed in Australia on 17th January 2022 in Melbourne and spent my quarantine there before the borders of Queensland were made open to fully vaccinated international student travellers.
Here are the few essential things that I think one should do once you land:
Getting a sim card
Opening a bank account
Figuring out your accommodation.
Getting an Australian Standard Immunization certificate
Applying for TFN
Applying for ABN (for Uber Eats, Door Dash, etc.)
Looking for jobs
Getting a sim card:
This entirely depends on your usage. The major telecom brands here are Optus, Amasym, Telstra, Vodafone, etc.
It would be best not to buy it at the airport as you might get a bad deal. It would help to get a better deal if you had international roaming activated on your currently active mobile number so that you can survive for a couple of days with your current contact details.
Now, you search for deals on the internet and choose which one to go with (preferably the one you can buy from the store and not have the sim delivered).
Opening a Bank Account
You cannot use your forex card throughout your stay as a student life here, and anywhere you work here will give you your salary in your bank account directly.
Documents required for account opening are:
1. Passport
2. COE
3. PAN (For Indian Nationals)
That's all I needed.
I would also suggest having 2 bank accounts in different banks to separate your savings and increase your gains. Generally, go for the higher rate of interest for your savings account. Currently, 'WestPac' is providing the highest interest rate of 2.5%. You can read more about it here.
Pro tip (Commonwealth Bank Only)
Always have a 'Netbank Saver Account' and 'Smart Access' as Netbank Saver will give you some interest on the amount stored here. Do not worry. The transfer between Smart Access and NetBank Saver or vice-a-versa is done instantly.
Remember to refuse card delivery as it takes up to 10 business days to make it to you. Order a card only when your accommodation is finalized.
Figuring out your accommodation.
For your accommodation, you can take the help of the university. Apart from this, I would suggest going on scouting if you are in town and this way you will explore the city as well and be able to explore some new properties, alongside having a constant eye on the following websites:
A suggestion would be to make a google form to track all your progress and inspection dates, which will be easy to organize.
For example, your form can have details like:
1. No. Of Rooms
2. Rent per week
3. Furnished or not, etc.
Getting an Australian Standard Immunization certificate
Once you are done finalizing your accommodation, the next thing is to open a myGov account and create an IHI number. Once done, you need to make an appointment with a GP and validate your International vaccination certificate, which will help you check in at various locations.
Visit here to make your myGov id.
Applying for TFN
As we had PAN back in India, we need to have a TFN to work. Now there are two options you can apply:
1) Foreign
2) Australian Resident for Tax purposes.
The only difference is that an Australian resident gets a tax-free slab of approx. A$18,200, whereas the international resident, must pay tax on the first dollar they earn. But you do not need to worry; even if you apply as a Foreign, the authorities change your residency status automatically. I proceeded to apply as an Australian Resident for Tax purposes, and you can check your residency here; it is a residency calculator provided by ATO (Australian Taxation Office).
I applied as an Australian Resident for tax purposes, as the calculator provided above made me decide to apply as a resident. So the process is straightforward. You need to have 100 points of verification.
There are 2 options to apply:
1. I applied by visiting Australian Postal Service. In this process, you must complete the online application form and visit the Australian post on the appointment time to get your TFN number. The documents required for the appointment are mentioned in this link.
2. After you get your TFN, do not forget to link it to your myGov id.
Applying for ABN
ABN stands for Australian Business Number, and you should apply for this if you are thinking of doing Uber or any other delivery service. It is necessary to have this because they do not pay you on an hourly basis but pay you on a per task basis.
A suggestion would be to apply for an ABN only after receiving your TFN number so that you get your ABN number instantly. Also, when applying for it, choose as a sole trader (if you are doing so for Uber or other similar services).
Looking for jobs
Best way to start is to ask within your network. After this look at
1. Seek
2. Indeed
3. Uber (Here)
4. Your university website
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