I’m moving to Australia and can’t seem to contain the excitement. They say you won’t feel it till it hits you. It hit me when I landed. This was a 5 year-long wait that got me here and making this move at 30 is very different than making a move at 20.

I have enjoyed the last 15 years in India. I enjoyed the freedom, the people, the culture and rituals, the food, the serene noise amidst the chaos, and all the tiny problems one has to face that comes along with these things which has its own ability to teach you one thing or two. There is a lot of benefit growing up in a developing country than in a developed country. You learn to endure a lot more than others (or maybe that has been my experience). You learn to look at situations to appreciate them than to complain about them.

I have also taken the opportunity to document my journey towards my PR and the impact it had on my decisions.

How I started out?

Well it all started out after my visit to the US when my school buddies talked me into moving to the US or Canada. This was 2009-10. I started to look at courses that I could apply for – an MS or an MBA. I set out to plan for an MBA thinking this was what I wanted to do. I would apply to an university, get an admit, finance myself and move. Things would be great. But I do not think I was ready to invest a great amount of money and time with around 4 years of experience with the responsibilities I had at home (unfortunately this has been number one reason for most people who quit). But did I quit?

Life changing advice

One of my friend from Australia suggested to apply for a Permanent Residency as it was not only financially advantageous, the benefits were way higher, and would keep in mind my skills. This started the journey to work towards the goal of applying for a PR to Australia.

First Rejection

I was rejected by Australia in my initial application. I had applied along with my sister (who is a Downs Syndrome child) as a non-migrating dependant. However my dear case officer read a part out in the law which stated that if one dependant fails the health condition, ALL FAIL. Yes that includes the dependants that are NOT MIGRATING as well. This really was a blow in the face. I decided not to go ahead with Australia and starting searching about Canada.

A ray of light

Only when I had thought all my doors to Australia were closed and Canada was to emerge as a saviour, Canada shut its doors for my skill category. I was doomed. I now needed a job to be eligible to apply to Canada.

I vividly remember it being early September 2013 when I started reading about how to get around my rejection. After running through many loops I was able to re-apply. I applied late January 2014 and got my grant notification in July 2014. Then it was all planning and execution. It took me one and half years after my grant to enter the country.

Why Australia?

I didn’t choose Australia because it was my only option but because it was THE option. Initially I was taken away by the end goal without understanding what I wanted or deserved or without considering my circumstances. However once I understood the Migration game and understood what the best option was I think I can say choosing Australia was the best thing that happened to me.

Here are a few numbers why I think it still is the best place to migrate to.

 

These were my reasons to move. What are yours? You can leave a comment below writing about what motivated you to move to Australia.

If you haven’t moved yet, please read this blog to find out more. Also search for keyword “migration” to find more blogs on my blog.

Thanks for visiting.