Migration to Australia

Hi there,

My name is Tiffany,

In January 2024 I arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa for 1 year. I'm originally from Belgium but I seem to feel a lot more at home here in Australia.

The last 8 months I have lived with a guest family as an au pair. During the week I look after their 2 young children, in exchange for accommodation, food and some pocket money.

I unexpectedly found my home here. I never had the feeling of settling down in Belgium. I always felt restless and unhappy even. Now I have the dream of settling down here in Australia. Beside a home I also found love. Love for the country, the community, the beautiful nature... and last but not least in a beautiful soul I met during this adventure.

I reached out to family for some support, but no one is really in a position to help me financially.

My partner who I met here wants to support me where he can. But the decision to try and move my live to Australia and build a future here is one I made for myself. This doesn't mean it's not really nice to have someone beside me who is going through a similar process. Someone to lean on when I feel overwhelmed, someone to share dreams with and insecurities.

I'll end my time with the guest family here in December and than I'll look for a proper job with a sufficient income that makes saving up myself too easier. Hopefully here in Australia but worst case, back in Belgium. Why didn't I look sooner for a sufficient job? Because I made a commitment to the family and the kids. Once I commit to something I don't want to let people down. I started looking for an extra casual job in the evenings or weekends a few months ago, but haven't found anything suitable unfortunately.

I know this is a big favour to ask from family, friends, strangers...

But I'll try my best to give back to the community where I can, mostly as a nurse. Besides that I want to do some volunteering for animal rescues, helping and learning more about the native wildlife here. And I have a soft spot for helping the elderly within the community too.

I'll do my IELTS test the 16th of November. So hopefully my registration with AHPRA will be finalised soon after that...

As long as that proces isn't finalised I can't apply for a sponsored visa, and I'm running out of time. So I'm trying to find other ways to make this work. To start building my future, to make a dream come true.

As mentioned before my plan B is going temporarily back to Belgium. Focus on working as much as possible and do the application process from overseas. This would feel like a massive step back in building my future. And the thought of that makes me really sad.

It's very much out of my comfort zone to ask for help, especially financial help, but I'm just trying every possible way to help me reach my goal. I would be forever grateful and you would always have a place to stay if you ever come to Australia.

Every amount donated will be really appreciated. But support in every other way will mean a lot to me too. Sharing my post, kind words of encouragement or wisdom...

Thank you. ❤️

Kind regards,

Tiffany