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Before moving to Australia there’s lots to think about and plan. Use this Emigrating to Australia check-list to assist you with your planning. 18 months prior Research, Research, Research ! Remember, Australia is a large country (30x bigger than the UK)! Compile a shortlist of where in Australia you'd like to live. Talk to friends and relatives already living in the State. Conduct research on the internet, useful websites include: PerthPoms http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/sa/home.jsp http://www.migration.wa.gov.au/Pages/LivingInWesternAustralia.aspx http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/live-and-work-in-nsw http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/ http://www.workliveplay.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v4/apps/web/content.cfm?id=3168 http://www.theterritory.com.au/ http://www.migration.tas.gov.au/ Learn more about property prices and the cost of living. Develop a budget for when you move. Useful property websites include: http://www.realestate.com.au/buy http://www.domain.com.au/ Research job opportunities and business opportunities for you and your family. Useful websites include: http://www.seek.com.au/ http://www.careerone.com.au/?disRe=true Attend migration expos to obtain more information and ask questions Find a migration agent or research your migration visa options if you plan to apply yourself. Useful websites include: https://www.mara.gov.au/ Make sure you’re ready Talk to your doctor about any medical conditions that may need attention. Prepare your current home for sale or rent. 12 months prior Apply for your visas Ensure that you and your family all have valid passports. Complete your visa applications forms – seek assistance from your Migration Agent if required. Communicate your plans Inform your children’s schools of your relocation plans. Request copies of all relevant documentation such as school reports. Talk to your family and friends about your plans to relocate. Organise your finances Consolidate accounts and reduce debts wherever possible. Check the cost of moving Research costs for relocation services and source airfare quotes. Familiarise yourself with Australia’s customs and quarantine requirements for your pets and belongings. 6 months prior Prepare to move out If your permanent residency visa has been granted, put your home on the market for sale and source temporary accommodation should your house sell sooner than anticipated Check the required notice period for vacating your property if you are renting Sell or donate unwanted furniture and household goods Research processes involved with transporting pets i.e. quarantine, vaccinations, costs involved Consider advising your employer of your relocation plans. Get paperwork sorted Undertake medical and police checks if required. Create or update your Last Will and Testament. Obtain copies of medical and dental records for you and your family. Request credit references from your bank and other lenders. Plan where you’ll live in Australia Narrow down your search for places you would like to live in Australia. 2 months prior Organise temporary living arrangements in Australia Source and book temporary accommodation in Australia for when you arrive. Useful websites include:<BR><BR> http://www.stayz.com.au/ http://www.homeaway.com.au/ http://www.gumtree.com.au/ http://www.big4.com.au/ http://www.perthpoms.com/forum/accommodation-available/ Investigate transport options to your temporary accommodation when you arrive. Investigate new schools or childcare providers for your children and register them if possible Book your pets into quarantine service and boarding kennels if necessary. Begin packing items you do not regularly use. Prepare for your job search Update your Curriculum Vitae/Resume including employer references. Start applying for positions via employer and recruitment websites. Follow up by phone if possible. Contact potential employers in Australia and notify them of your interest and expected arrival time. Arrange a telephone interview if appropriate. Get finances, insurance and legal matters sorted Obtain statements from your financial institutions and any pension /superannuation funds. Arrange necessary insurance cover for you and your family. Ensure it is valid until you take out a new policy in Australia. Settle any outstanding legal matters if applicable. Get ready to leave Service your vehicle, prepare for sale or storage. Confirm your departure date with removalists. 1 month prior Sell or store your car. Organise bills and records Provide a forwarding address to your bank, migration agent, post office, financial institutions, employer, friends and family, and relevant authorities. Arrange for your mail to be redirected. Compile personal records and paperwork into a secure travel file. Pay all bills, cancel subscriptions and ensure any direct debits will be stopped once you move. If possible, set up a bank account in Australia. Organise health and medical Arrange for current prescriptions and a sufficient supply of any medicines. Organise private health and other insurance for when you arrive in Australia. Get things ready in Australia Confirm temporary accommodation booking for when you arrive. If you are heading to South Australia, Register with Skilled Recognition Services and Employment Linkages Services if eligible.These provide workshops and information sessions to assist new migrants in making the transition into employment. If you are heading to Victoria, Register to attend a skilled seminar or business seminar for when you arrive in Victoria. These seminars will provide you with tips and contacts to make a rapid transition into work or business. 2 weeks prior Obtain some Australian dollars and/or travellers’ cheques for when you arrive. Finish packing all non-essential items. Back up your computer files. 1 week prior Organise transport to the airport. Pack essential items and on-board luggage. Include activities for children if applicable. Leave forwarding contact details for the new occupants of your home

Arriving in Australia Checklist When you arrive in Australia there’s so many things to think about and do. Use this checklist to help you while you settle in Australia. First things first Check into your temporary accommodation. Let your friends and family at home know that you have arrived safely. Set up communications Set up a pre-paid mobile phone account. Find your nearest internet service point. Explore jobs and schools Hire a car to explore the city / regional area / local area, including local schools if applicable. Purchase the weekend newspapers and acquaint yourself with your area. Here, you will also find job and property vacancies, and cars for sale. Get the paperwork sorted Apply for a tax file number and open a bank account if still required. Register yourself and your family for a Medicare card if you are eligible or arrange for private health insurance. Start serious job hunting Contact potential employers and recruitment agencies to set up interviews. Regularly check jobs advertised in newspapers and online websites. Settle in Collect your pets from quarantine if necessary. When you move into your new home First things first Set up utilities including phone, power, internet etc. Build your networks Contact your children’s new schools or child care provider and arrange for a progress report. Introduce yourself to your new neighbours. Look into social and recreational activities in your local area. Register with your local library. Increase your mobility Purchase a car if required and organise registration and insurance. Find out about local transport and timetables. Keep the following original documents with you as you travel: Identity documents Passports Birth certificates Marriage (and divorce) certificates Employment and school documentation Qualifications, Curriculum Vitae/Resume, job and employment references Children’s school reports and immunisation certificates Financial and insurance documentation Verification of your credit records Proof of no claim bonus for insurance purposes Copies of your life and other insurances A copy of your Last Will and Testament Records of trusts and companies you have operated Account and loan details Details of your investments Electronic records Backup files for your computer.

Account settings By selecting your name and then notification settings on the front end of the site, you will be presented with a screen similar to the below where you can change various settings related to your account as seen and illustrated in the image below. Overview On the overview page you will see the accounts you are connected to such as facebook, google+ and more, along with links to the other settings in which you can access from this page. You will also notice various tabs where you can change your email address, password, display name and any linked accounts. Linking accounts When clicking to link an account on any of the available you will be given the relevant options that you can select relating to this. For example, below you will see the Facebook settings which allow you to syncronise various elements of your site and facebook. Notification Settings Selecting notification settings on in the "Other Settings" section of the overview page will present you with all the options for how notifications are create for you by default when creating or replying to content, along with other events on the site. In the top section of this page you will see something similar to the below. First of all you will notice on the right the "Browser notifications enabled" sign. This means that if your browser allows desktop notifications, it will notify you even when you are not active on that page. On the left you will see a series of options which will allow you to set the automatic notification options relevant to your account. So for example you may want to be automatically set as following an item of content and receive notifications for that followed content whenever you reply to an item. From here you can set this up. In the botton half of the page, you can then set up the notification types for each notifiable item on the site. So you may wish to set up notifications and emails for when someone sends you a message on the site, however you may only want to get a notification in the notification list for someone who sets to follow you. Ignored Users You can get to the Ignored users list by clicking this item in the "Other Settings" section of the overview page. Ignored users is a facility on your site where you can (depending on permissions) set a member to ignored in order to not see any content from that member. So if they post within a topic and you are ignoring them, you will not see that ignored content. This can be useful for filtering out people who you have no interest in reading the content of. To do this you would simply add their name into the box provided and add them to the list.

Sending messages between members on the forum is a simple but powerful tool members can use to communicate with each other away from the forum. When receiving a message, you will see a number appear next to your inbox icon showing the number of unread messages that you have. This would be similar to the image below. Sending and receiving messages Clicking on the notification icon will show you the messages you have received. You can click on these to view any of the message or visit your inbox. You will see that you can also compose a new message from the same dropdown menu if you wish to do so. In addition to being able to sent messages from the "Compose new" button, you can also send a message to a user from anywhere on the site, direct from the users name. You would do this by hovering over the username and selecting the message button Composing a message is very similar to composing a topic on the site. You can send messages to multiple recipients by typing their names within the "To" box. This field will suggest names by filtering through the member list as you type. Managing your messages When entering your inbox you will be presented with a screen similar to the below. From here you can search you messages, click on them to view, reply to your messages, filter and more. Clicking on the button in the top right will allow you to add folders to organise your messages. Clicking on this button will present you with a text box in which to enter a new folder name. You can move messages to another folder using the button in the top right of any message.

Each member of the forum has a profile that can be viewed by other members (should they have permission to do so) and can be customised to the members liking. A members content and other important information relating a member can be found in this area. Editing your profile information To get to your profile you can select your name at the top of the page and select "Profile" as seen in the image below. Once you have entered your profile, you will see a screen similar to the below. At present you will see there is only activity showing, however if you have gallery albums, blogs and more, you will also see tabs for these with each having your own albums, blogs etc. To edit your profile information, select the "Edit Profile" button in the top right. Once clicked you will be presented with the edit profile screen. From here you will be able edit your Birthday, Enable and disable status updates on your profile, and change your "About me" information. In addition to this information, you may see custom profile fields that have been added within the admin CP. Changing your cover photo On IPS 4 you can change your own cover photo (subject to permissions) by selecting the "Cover Photo" option in the top right. Changing your profile photo Profile photos are shown on your profile, and throughout the site as your 'avatar' within posts and other community content. You can add a photo by upload or from another URL on the internet, then resize and position this as appropriate. Viewing content From any members profile, you can see all the activity of that member by selecting the "See My Activity" button in the top right of the profile. This will then present you with a filterable list of content that the member has posted on the community. Profile Privacy You can choose not to show your recent profile visitors on the page by disabling that block from being shown to other users by clicking the link provided for that purpost within the "Recent Profile Visitors" block on the left of your profile. You may also choose to disable the ability for users to be able to follow you. This can be achieved by changing the options within the followers block, as per image below.

Managing followed content With all the content that you can follow on the forum, it is important that you can manage this easily and in one place. You can manage your followed content in this way by selecting your name in the top right, then selecting "Manage Followed Content" When clicking on this option, you will be presented with the following screen. You will notice that you can filter through different types of content using the menu on the left of the page To change the way in which you follow (or indeed remove completely) you can select the Change Preference button provided next to a given item. This will then present you with the various options you can change. In addition to this method, you can also do this with multiple items at once. To do this, you select the checkboxes next to each item that you want to change. On clicking one or more of these checkboxes, you will be shown a menu at the bottom of the screen to change the options as you wish. This is shown in the screenshot below.