Your First Two Weeks in Australia: Checklist

Welcome to Australia. The to-do list looks long, but it untangles itself once you do things in the right order, because each step unlocks the next. You do not need to do all of this on day one. A realistic, calm sequence for a fortnight looks like this:

• Day 1-3: Get a local SIM so you can receive calls and texts, and settle on a short-term address (an Airbnb, a relative's place, or a hotel is fine to start).

• Day 2-5: Open a bank account (do this early while the easy-passport-ID window is open) and apply for your free Tax File Number online.

• Day 4-10: Set up a myGov account and enrol in Medicare if you are eligible. Get your transport smartcard.

• Week 2: Contact your local school to enrol the kids, and start hunting for a longer-term rental so you have a permanent address.

One thing to set up first that makes everything smoother is a myGov account at my.gov.au. It is the single front door to Medicare, the Tax Office (ATO) and Centrelink, and you link those services to it as you go. Create it with your email address, then link each service when you have its details.

Your Tax File Number is a personal reference for the tax and superannuation system. You need it to start work, to avoid being taxed at the top rate on every dollar, and to open some accounts. It is free, and it is one of the first things to organise.

If you are a permanent migrant or temporary visitor already in Australia with a work-rights visa linked to your passport, you apply online through the ATO's Individual Auto-Registration (IAR) system. You do not need to post any documents. It takes around 20 minutes.

• When you submit, you get an ATO receipt ID on screen. Write it down. It is how you track your application.

• The ATO posts your TFN notification letter to the Australian address on the form. This can take up to 28 days, so have a reliable address ready before you apply.

• If it has not arrived after 28 days, contact the ATO and quote your receipt ID.

Scam warning: applying for a TFN is always free and always done directly with the ATO at ato.gov.au. Websites that charge a fee to 'get your TFN' are simply reselling a free government service. Never pay one, and never give your passport details to a third-party TFN site.

This is the one with a clock on it, so it is worth doing early. Australian banks use a 100-points-of-identity system, where a passport is worth 70 points and you normally need 100. As a brand-new arrival you cannot yet hold Australian secondary documents, so banks apply a new-arrival concession: if you open your account within roughly six weeks (42 days) of your arrival date, your foreign passport alone is usually enough.

• Many of the big banks (CommBank, Westpac, NAB, ANZ) let you open an account online up to about 14 days before you fly, using an overseas address.

• You then verify your identity in person at a branch shortly after you land (CommBank, for example, asks you to verify within 20 days). Take your passport and visa details.

• After the six-week window closes, you fall back to the full 100-points check, which is harder before you have a Medicare card, an Australian driver licence or local statements. So front-load this.

Once your account is live, you have an Australian account number to give your employer (for pay) and the ATO (for super and refunds), and an Australian bank statement you can later use as ID for everything else.

Medicare is Australia's public health scheme. It gives you free or lower-cost treatment in public hospitals and rebates on many doctor visits. Who can enrol:

• Permanent residents (and people who have applied for a permanent visa) can enrol as Australian residents.

• Some temporary visa holders can enrol if their visa is covered by a Ministerial Order (for example certain partner and contributory-parent visa applicants).

• Visitors from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia may be covered for medically necessary care while here. Check your country's status on Services Australia.

To enrol, prove your identity and that you live in Australia. You can do it online through myGov, or complete the Medicare enrolment form (MS004) and submit it with your supporting documents. Once enrolled you get a Medicare card.

Two practical notes. First, if you are not yet eligible for Medicare, your visa most likely requires you to hold Overseas Visitor Health Cover (private insurance) instead, so confirm your condition. Second, the Medicare card is worth 25 ID points, so getting it helps you clear the 100-points hurdle for anything else once your easy-passport bank window has closed.

Get a SIM early, because you will need an Australian mobile number for bank verification codes, school forms and job applications. Every prepaid SIM in Australia requires you to verify your identity with photo ID when you activate it. This is a legal requirement set by the communications regulator (ACMA) to prevent fraud, so it is normal and not a scam. Bring your passport.

• The simplest route is to walk into a Telstra, Optus or Vodafone store, where staff verify your ID and activate the SIM before you leave. Telstra has the broadest regional coverage; Optus and Vodafone are often cheaper in cities.

• Optus generally lets you activate online even before you arrive; Telstra usually needs you to be in the country first.

On an address: you do not need a permanent home in week one. A short-term rental, hotel or a friend's place is enough to receive your TFN letter and Medicare card. But getting a stable address is the quiet key that unlocks the rest, so prioritise a longer-term rental in week two. When you sign a lease, update your address with your bank, the ATO and Medicare.

Scam warning: rental scams target new arrivals. Never transfer a bond or rent for a property you have not inspected (or had someone inspect), and never pay a 'holding deposit' by gift card or to a private overseas account. Genuine bonds in most states are lodged with a government bond authority, not the landlord directly.

Each city runs its own contactless smartcard, and they are not interchangeable between states. Pick the one for where you have landed:

• Sydney and NSW: Opal card. Free to get from stations and many convenience shops; minimum top-up is $10 adult / $5 child. Tap on and tap off trains, buses, ferries and light rail.

• Melbourne and Victoria: Myki. Buy at stations, 7-Elevens and retailers; register it to an account online to protect the balance if it is lost.

• Brisbane and South East Queensland: go card. Refundable deposit of $10 adult / $5 concession.

Across all three cities you can now usually skip the card entirely and just tap a contactless Visa/Mastercard or your phone directly on the reader for adult fares, which is the fastest option in your first days before you sort a registered card. For child, concession or capped fares, get the proper smartcard. Other capitals (Perth's SmartRider, Adelaide's metroCARD, the ACT's MyWay) work the same way.

School in Australia is run by each state and territory, not the federal government, so the exact process depends on where you live. Schooling is compulsory (generally from around age 6 to at least 16), and schools enrol new arrivals all year round, not just at the start of the year.

• Find your local public (government) school using your state's tool. Victoria has 'Find My School', NSW has a school-finder on the Department of Education site, and other states have equivalents. Most public schools have a catchment zone tied to your home address, which is another reason to settle your address.

• Contact the school directly to start enrolment. You will typically need the child's passport and visa, proof of your address, and immunisation records, plus previous school reports if they were schooled overseas.

• Ask about English as an Additional Language (EAL/EALD) support and any new-arrivals or 'Welcome' orientation program. These are designed exactly for children who have just moved and help them settle quickly.

Note on fees: government schools are low-cost for residents and many visa holders, but some temporary-visa families pay international or contribution fees. Catholic and independent (private) schools charge tuition and enrol directly. Confirm fees with the school and your state's overseas-student rules before you commit.

This checklist is for life admin after you arrive, not visa decisions. But because rules get confused, here is the calm version of the migration picture, with the firm caveat that immigration rules change often and only the Department of Home Affairs (homeaffairs.gov.au) is authoritative.

• The main skilled, points-tested permanent and provisional visas are the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). All three need a minimum of 65 points to be invited, and meeting 65 does not guarantee an invitation because applicants are ranked.

• You generally need at least Competent English, commonly proven with IELTS 6.0 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing, speaking), or an accepted equivalent such as PTE Academic. Higher scores earn more points.

• Fees are volatile. The subclass 189 base application charge is currently around AUD 4,765 for the main applicant, with extra charges per family member, but this is reviewed regularly. Always confirm the live figure on the Home Affairs visa pricing estimator before budgeting.

Most important: for a fee, only an OMARA-registered migration agent or an Australian immigration lawyer can lawfully give you Australian visa advice. Always check an agent on the official OMARA register at portal.mara.gov.au before paying anyone. Providing migration advice while unregistered is a serious offence carrying penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment, and unregistered 'agents' (often offshore) are a known scam that can cost thousands and ruin a genuine application. If your case is complex, professional help is worth it.