The Paper Chase

Paper, paper, paper, and MORE paper. Did I say paper? PAPER. That about sums up my tip on navigating the highly regulated Australian legal system.


Boxes, boxes, boxes, and MORE boxes. Did I say boxes? BOXES. That about sums up the extremely anal visa application system. Gotta tick them all. You think they read all the submissions not to mention the attachments? Hey? Shaking my head. Just inundate them with so much paperwork they'll KNOW you're legit. My tip on breezing through the requirements. Did I say breeze? More like typhoon signal #6 winds. Nothing gentle nor smooth about applying for a permanent visa. I have nothing to compare this experience with so I'm sure it's just as onerous in other countries. But man, what a lot of work. So many forms, police clearances, stat decs, medical clearances, marriage certificate (of course, NSO-issued), evidence of residency, relationship, financial ability, ad nauseum. Every document I had to chase I had to grit my teeth and stay focused on my man. Worth it? Absolutely. What I do for love........sigh.

I swear you have to be perfect to be awarded (really!) a permanent resident visa here. So if anything goes wrong with my marriage it's Stan's fault not mine. I'm perfect that's why ha! This whole boat people issue I am clear on. I have no sympathy for those who take advantage of Australia's generosity yet have no paperwork to prove their legitimacy. I'm with Tony Abbott on this one--no paper, no entry. So there.

Had to renew my passport this year. Had I known how much it would cost me I would have renewed it on my last visit to the Philippines. The Philippine embassy makes a killing over here on passport renewals and they are sooo slow. Took 3 months to process. Why? Because the passports are sent to the DFA in Manila and back!! Plus they only give 5 years! How crazy is that? And they're computerised now too? Ha! Au immigration said I don't need a visa stamp so we'll see how it goes on my next trip to Manila in Dec. Fingers crossed.


Job-hunting. Very important to retrieve all original docs such as official transcripts of record from university and other qualifications as Australia recognises prior learning (RPL). Very good of them to have this system. I managed to get all of mine recognised so I didn't have to start (God forbid) from scratch. I'm too old and too proud to do that. I had to do a lot of research to find out about this as there is no guide book for migrating professionals in finding work commensurate to qualifications and training. Although I do take great pride in my academic achievements, I find that most Aussie employers do not put a lot of weight on them (read: they don't care). In fact, in the smaller country towns with most people having that famous BS detector, they consider high-falutin vocabulary wankin off! Very down-to-earth, they value experience and attitude topmost, which is very refreshing. Fortunately, I can tick all those boxes so no worries. It took me roughly 3 months of continuously sending my resume out before I landed my first job in Mildura. The interim was the hardest.