7 Important Things After Arriving in Australia

1. Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN)

Do this first. To receive an income in Australia, you need a Tax File Number (TFN). Income includes wages or salary from a job, payments from the government, and money earned from investments including interest on savings accounts.

In Australia, you can telephone the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and have a TFN application form sent to you. Alternatively, you can apply for a TFN over the internet.

2. Register with Medicare

The Australian Government provides help with basic medical expenses through a scheme called Medicare. You may be eligible to join Medicare and gain immediate access to health care services and programs. These include free public hospital care, help with the cost of out-of-hospital care, and subsidised medicines.

How to enroll?

To enrol in Medicare, you should go into a Medicare office 7 to 10 days after your arrival in Australia and bring your passport or travel documents. There are also many different private health insurance options you may wish to consider, as Medicare does not provide for all services.

3. Open a bank account

In Australia, most income including salary or wages and government benefits are paid directly into a bank account.

You should open a bank account within six weeks of your arrival, as you usually need only your passport as identification. After six weeks you will need extra identification to open an account.

4. Register with Centrelink

Centrelink contributes to the social and economic outcomes set by government by delivering services to assist people to become self-sufficient and supporting those in need.

What Centrelink can help you with

Centrelink can help you find a job, arrange for recognition of your skills and qualifications, and to access certain courses.

Centrelink can also help you with Family Assistance payments to help with the cost of raising children.

What Centrelink can not help you with

As a newly arrived migrant, you are not immediately eligible for social security (unless you are a refugee or humanitarian entrant). You do not have access to the full range of government employment services. If you are a permanent resident, you may be eligible to access some services.

5. Register for English Classes

Communicating in English is very important and the key to your successful settlement.

English languages courses for new arrivals in Australia are provided under the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). As a new resident, you may be entitled to receive free English language tuition of up to 510 hours. Register as soon as possible or you could lose your entitlement. 

6. Enrol Your Children in School

Under Australian law, children must attend school until they are 15 years old. You should enrol your children in a school as soon as possible. 

7. Apply for a Driver's Licence

If you want to drive in Australia, you will need to have the appropriate driver's licence. In Australia, drivers' licences are issued by state and territory governments. You may be required to pass a knowledge test, a practical driving test, and an eyesight test. 

source: http://www.immi.gov.au