For international students and new PR holders
Australia, without the guesswork
I arrived in 2019 as an international student and worked this out the hard way, one expensive mistake at a time. This is everything I learned, organised so you do not have to.
Arrived as an international student
Mapped from student visa to PR
Every guide on this site
Straight answers
Sound familiar?
Most advice about moving here is either too vague to use or written by someone selling you a service. These are questions I actually lost sleep over, and the short version of what I found.
How much do I actually need per week?
Roughly 450 to 650 AUD in a major city, and noticeably less regionally.
What does an Australian resume even look like?
Two to three pages, and no photo, date of birth, or nationality.
Can I hit 79 on the PTE if English is my second language?
Yes. The test rewards technique and format as much as raw fluency.
Do I really need to pay an agent thousands for PR?
Not always. Many people lodge a points tested application themselves, though genuinely complex cases are worth paying for.
The journey
Five stages, in the order you'll live them
Moving here is not one decision. It is five stages spread over several years, and most people only ever get advice about one of them. Find the stage you are standing in right now.
Before You Arrive
Visa, OSHC, budget, packing.
Settling In
Bank account, TFN, SIM, Medicare.
Study & Work
Work rights, resumes, first real job.
Visa & PR Pathways
The 485, points tests, the road to PR.
Living in Australia
Costs, culture, renting, city guides.
Start with these
The guides people come back to most.
Before You Arrive
The Before You Arrive Checklist
Visas, OSHC, money, and what is genuinely worth packing.
Study & Work
Crafting an Australian Resume
The format Australian employers expect, and what to leave out.
Living in Australia
Cost of Living in Australia
Real weekly numbers for rent, groceries, and transport.
Who's behind this
I made these mistakes so you don't have to
I’m Ahsan. I landed at RMIT in 2019 with a suitcase and no idea how any of this worked. I picked the wrong phone plan, misread my work rights, and spent weeks on things that should have taken an afternoon.
None of the advice I found back then was much help. It was either too vague to use or written by someone selling migration services. So I wrote down what actually worked, in the order you need it.
The Ultimate Australia Guide
All five stages, in one free download
The whole roadmap, from the paperwork before your flight to the year you apply for permanent residency. No sales pitch, no agent fees.