GENERAL INFO (Regardless of country)

Question: Where can I find info on the IELTS language tests?

http://www.ielts.org

Question: Where can I find Immigration Bureaus?

http://www.migrationbureau.com
http://www.dorchester.co.nz
http://www.immigrationnz.com
http://www.austimmigration.com.au
http://www.nsis.co.nz
http://www.macleod.co.nz
http://firms.findlaw.com/JSUppal
http://www.australian-immigration-consultants.com
http://members.aol.com/ianharrop/mig.htm
http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au for South Australia only

Question: What if I am lesbian/gay?
http://www.glitf.org.au

Question: Where can I find another site that answers my questions?

http://freespace.virgin.net/jeremy.jenkins73

AUSTRALIA

Part 1 Migration and the process

Question: Where can I find info on migration to Australia?

http://www.immi.gov.au

Question: Where can I find info on assessment of my qualifications and skills for migration to Australia?

http://www.deetya.gov.au/noosr/index.htm
http://www.bhtafe.edu.au/VetAssess
http://www.acs.org.au

Question: I am about to lodge my migration application sometime in the next month but I was hoping to travel to OZ on a holiday visa to check out the work/housing situation. Are there any restrictions to entering the country once you have lodged your application ?

Answer: Any positive decision on your visa application made whilst you are
in Australia will be invalid, but in your case, it is unlikely that the
decision would be made so soon. Otherwise, you would have been best advised
to let DIMA know so that they were aware of the situation.

Part 2 General info - weather, tourism etc

Question: Where can I find general info on Australia?

http://www.australia.com

http://www.aussie.net.au

Everything you ever wanted to know about Australia but were afraid to ask:

http://home.mira.net/~lions/aussie.htm
Blackstump's Australiana section with links to every possible Australian
thing there is.

http://www.dreamtime.net.au
on Indigenous Australians.

Question: Where can I find maps of suburbs?

Answer: You can use the maps at http://www.whereis.com.au to see where the suburbs are.

Question: Where can I find info on public transport

Sydney: http://www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au
Victoria: http://www.victrip.com.au
Queensland (Brisbane): http://www.maxlink.com.au/bcl/trans.htm
Perth: http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au

Question: Where can I find info on climate and weather?

Bureau of Meterology http://www.bom.gov.au

Question: What is the national anthem?

http://www.immi.gov.au/citizen/index.html

Question: Do you have some more general information?

In Australia, very little is calculated on a monthly basis. Rent is
usually per week, wages are either per week or per year. Some things are
"per fortnight" meaning every two weeks.
The drinking age is 18 in all states.
Most states allow learner drivers to start learning at under 18 - 17
and 6 months, sometimes 17.
For high school and primary school (up to year 12 or about 17)
a fee is required (up to $350 a year).
Permanent residents or citizens can go to University for fairly small
fees - $2500-$5000 a year. See http://www.hecs.gov.au
For information about government services in each state that are not
covered in the FAQ, start at the govt websites
http://www.fed.gov.au for Federal things
http://www.nsw.gov.au for New South Wales
http://www.vic.gov.au for Victoria
http://www.wa.gov.au for Western Australia
http://www.qld.gov.au for Queensland
http://www.sa.gov.au for South Australia
http://www.tas.gov.au for Tasmania
http://www.nt.gov.au for the Nothern Territory
http://www.act.gov.au for the Australian Capital Territory

For general searches, along with http://www.yahoo.com.au try
http://www.anzwers.com.au

Part 3 What can I bring?

Question: Where can I find info on taking my cat/dog to Australia?

http://www.aqis.gov.au/docs/anpolicy/dogcat.htm

Question: What household goods can I bring?

http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/q_ref.htm
http://www.aqis.gov.au/docs/pr/whatcan'tI.htm

Question: What about my car?

importing:
http://www.customs.gov.au/bizlink/imports/motor/index.htm#top

licence and registration:

A page on the Western Australian Dept of Transport (DOT) site listing links
to other states' DOTs. Go to the state's site to find out how to transfer
your foreign license to a local one.

http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/out_wa/links.html
http://www.drive.com.au is a good site to find out about Australian cars -
prices of new & used cars, car reviews, tips, etc.
http://www.tradingpost.com.au prices of used cars

Part 4 Daily life - money, taxes, insurance, cost of living

Question: Where can I find a list of banks in Australia & New Zealand:

http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/cea/accounting/banks.html

Question: How much is an Australian dollar?

Currency converter: http://www.sydney-australia.net/business/currency.shtml
http://www.x-rates.com (no it's not what you think...)

Question: Where can I find info on health insurance?
at http://www.phiac.org.au/phiac/fr_index.htm

Question: Where can I find info on taxes?

http://taxreform.ato.gov.au
http://www.law.flinders.edu.au/tax

Australian Tax Office (ATO) site: http://www.ato.gov.au
Stamp duty calculator (you pay this tax when you buy a house or a car):
http://www.quicken.com.au/banking/tools/stmpcalc.htm

Question: Where can I find info on social benefits?

Centrelink is Australia's agency for social & family assistance and
benefits:
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/WebPagesByTitle/Centrelink

Question: Where can I get info on comparative costs of living
e.g. shopping in Australia?

http://www.woolworths.com.au - try the demo of the home shopping service
Cost of living estimators:
http://www.yourmortgage.com.au/calculator/compcost.htm
http://www.dewsons.com.au
For rental prices, try http://www.selecthome.com.au which has details for
SA, Vic, and Wld.

Question: Should I buy a house or rent?
Answer: It is better to rent at first, to get to know the neighbourhood - crime
rate, noise level, demographics, accessibility to things that are important
to you, future plans for the area etc. When you are very sure where you
want to live you can make the big & expensive decision of buying a house.

Part 5 Where can I go to find a job?

Different sites for looking up jobs (however most will not have salaries):
http://www.mycareer.com.au
http://www.fairfax.com.au
ITJobs: http://www.itjobs.fairfax.com.au
(IT job search site): http://www.jobnet.com.au
http://monster.com.au
http://jobsearch.deetya.gov.au
http://www.employment.net.au
http://www.employment.com.au
http://www.seek.com.au

Question: How much will I earn?

http://www.wagenet.gov.au/index.html

Question: Where can I find links to newspapers and current affairs?

http://www.abc.net/newsradio this has a 24 hour Real Audio
newsfeed of the Parliamentary and News Network, plus on the Useful Links
page are links to newspapers around the world including Australia.
The Australian is the national newspaper:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/home
The Age is Melbourne's main paper: http://www.theage.com.au
The Sydney Morning Herald is Sydney's main paper: http://www.smh.com.au
The Canberra Times: http://www.canberratimes.com.au
Brisbane's Courier-Mail: http://www.thecouriermail.com.au
Western Australia's main paper: http://www.thewest.com.au
Australian Financial Review for business news: http://www.afr.com.au

Part 6 Miscellaneaous

A list of ISPs in Australia: http://www.cynosure.com.au/isp

http://www.whitepages.com.au look up phone numbers, and also find out what
time it is in Australia or other parts of the world. Also, there's links to
the Yellow Pages, and "WhereIS" street atlas of Australian streets.