Posts with tag: lifestyle
South Africa By Candlelight
Africa, sometimes described as the "dark continent" was never darker than on the evening of 17 April 2012. More specifically at 7 PM at the Endless Horizons Hotel in Umhlanga.
The electricity went down about 3 PM that afternoon and as the minutes became hours the realisation began to dawn on me that there was a real possibility that as the hotel did not have a generator, I might not have electricity for the seminar that evening.
Notwithstanding the advice from the electricity company that it would only take a couple of hours for the fault to be remedied the electricity did not come on line and I had to present a seminar by candlelight. I have been to some remote places to present seminars [including Zimbabwe] but that was a first for me.
I found out subsequently that there was a fire in one of the transformers and a large swathe of northern suburbs Durban was without power.
The candlelight glow did add a nice ambience to the seminar. Little consolation for those seated in rows 2 onwards who had to view our dvd and PowerPoint presentation from my laptop. I think the audience’ sentiment could loosely be translated as “now you see what we have to put up with".
I don't need to travel abroad to do my job. I can effectively communicate with clients from within Australia by Skype and e-mail and I specifically travel to present seminars so that audience members can get an idea as to who I am. This irony wasn't lost on me as I had to shine a torch on my face so that the audience could see what I looked like.
I started every consultation in the days following the seminar by introducing myself as Myer Lipschitz, the guy who presented the seminar.
Thanks to the HP Probook S Series laptop’s battery I managed to present the DVD and PowerPoint presentation with about 60% of its battery life. Imagine what this kind of technology could do for South Africa?
For one person who attended the seminar and had a subsequent consultation with me the power cut presented some relief. At the consultation she confided to me that she attended the seminar with some trepidation and was fraught with anxiety as so many patriotic South Africans are who almost reluctantly attend these migration seminars.
She was praying for a sign that she was making the correct decision in considering immigration to Australia only to find that the seminar had to be held by candlelight. It was just fortunate that the sign was in the form of a power cut rather than hijacking!
I was touched by the spirit in which the audience embraced the concept of a seminar by candlelight and accepted the experience as part of life in Africa. This generosity of spirit is part of the reason why I enjoy my trips to South Africa.
I’m just about to return to Melbourne after a two week trip to South Africa and although I miss my wife on these trips if she does have any notions of a candlelit dinner on my return she can forget it!
As South Africans are fond of saying “tot later” (until later), more precisely 14 June when I will be back in South Africa for another round of seminars, this time with torch in hand.
Changes to Australian Returning Residence Visa Policy
The only thing constant, regarding immigration policy, is change and there are several significant changes to Australian immigration policy that have recently taken place or will take place in the forthcoming months.
This blog is the first of a 3 part series of weekly updates that provide a brief overview of some of the more significant changes and they include:
1. Validity period of Resident Return Visas
2. Changes to the way in which Australia selects its skilled migrants ie those that are not dependent upon offers of employment
3. Changes to pathways available for Employer Nomination Scheme and Regionally Sponsored Migration Scheme (pathways that exist for those who do have offers of employment in Australia)
Return Resident Visas - the insurance policy just got shorter
Overseas applicants fall into two distinct groups:
1. Those wanting to leave as soon as possible (“get me the hell out of here”) and
2. Those with golden handcuffs that enjoy the material benefits of life but are not blind to problems that may occur in the medium to long term and are looking for an insurance policy.
The changes to the Return Residence Visa will not affect those in group 1 above but will impact upon those in group 2 above.
Until 15 February it was possible to obtain a five-year Residence Visa whilst abroad and then to obtain five-year Return Resident Visas (subclass 155) at five yearly intervals if one could prove substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties with Australia which are of benefit to Australia.
This was an attractive insurance policy for those shackled to the home country with golden handcuffs and we have processed applications for second Return Residence Visas for clients who haven't spent very much time in Australia during the preceding 10 years.
Obviously this lack of commitment to Australia has proven to be an issue for the Minister of Immigration because on 15 February applicants for Resident Return (Subclass 155) visas who have spent less than two out of five years in Australia before making their application will be granted visas valid for only one year. These applicants still have to meet the “close ties to Australia” criteria mentioned above.
I can see the logic behind the change. With more and more skilled migrants relying upon state sponsorship it doesn't make much sense if state governments audit their economies annually, produce lists of skilled occupations in demand and make sponsorship decisions based on those criteria only to find sponsored migrants making their ultimate move up to 15 years from grant of the visa.
As a consequence of this change I would suggest to those thinking "insurance" to view the insurance policy as follows:
Time to process visa + 5 years + a potential further year if "close ties" can be established.
The insurance policy mentioned above applies to independent 175 visa applicants (called independent because they are not sponsored by family members nor state governments) and 176 visas (sponsored by either family members or state governments) but not 475 temporary residence visas as they are subject to a different timeframe.
Most applicants will have to consider moving to Australia after a period of six years from date of filing their residence visas and this is still a generous timeframe especially when you consider that countries like New Zealand require applicants to make the move within 3.5 years of grant of the residence visa.
Australia still offers a generous insurance policy, it’s just not quite as generous as before.
Next week I'll be focusing on the changes to the way in which Australia selects its skilled migrants ie those that are not dependent upon offers of employment due to be implemented on one July under a policy called SkillSelect.
Forthcoming free seminars – SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg:
Thursday 12 April 2012 – Michelangelo Hotel at 7pm
Consultations : 13, 14, 15, 23, 24 and 25 April in Auckland Park.
Durban:
Monday 16 April 2012 – Endless Horizons Hotel at 7pm
Consultations : 17 and 18 April at the Endless Horizons Hotel
Cape Town:
Thursday 19 April 2012 – Southern Sun Newlands Hotel at 7pm
Consultations : 20 and 21 April at the Commodore Hotel
To book seats for our free seminar please go to :
http://immagine-immigration.com/seminars/south-africa/
To book a consultation please email Ruth on ruth@immagine-immigration.com. Cost applies for consultations.
Botswana
If you would be interested in meeting with Myer in Botswana in April please email Ruth to register your interest (ruth@immagine-immigration.com).
Best wishes
The IMMagine Australia Immigration Team
Will the real Mr Lipschitz please stand up?
It's often the little things that make one feel at home in a new country. Yesterday I was at the local pharmacy waiting for a prescription to be filled when the pharmacist said "prescription for Mr. Lipschitz". I approached the pharmacist at the same time as another gentleman of a similar age. We looked at each other, smiled and then burst out laughing.
What are the chances of two people with the surname of Lipschitz being at a pharmacy at the same time? After spending most of my life in a small town in South Africa and then in New Zealand I had grown accustomed to the fact that I might very well be unique in terms of my surname. In my early years I had come to think of it as God's cruel joke and longed to meet someone called Bumface who would be lower on the surname pecking order than I.
When I moved from Vereeniging to Johannesburg to attend university I did come across a few more Lipschitz’s and one also got to hear of those that could not bear the heat such as Ralph Lauren who changed his surname from Lipschitz to Lauren. To be fair "an original Lipschitz creation" does not have the same sophistication as "an original Lauren creation".
Whilst on the subject don't bring up my father's cousin who incurred the ire of the Lipschitz clan by changing his surname from Lipschitz to Lipworth. I suspect every Lipman, Lipworth and Lipton is a turncoat. But please forgive me if I digress, I am carrying 49 years of baggage in this department.
The other Mr. Lipschitz must also have been carrying a fair bit of baggage judging by his reaction. It was a cathartic moment for both of us. I felt like putting my arms around him and shouting, "Landsman what happened to you?”
I don't imagine that this kind of experience is unique to only those with the surname of Lipschitz. Melbourne has such a rich diversity of cultures that I'm sure the same thing is happening to Mr.Dung from Vietnam , Mr Wang from China, Mr Dick Ramsbottom from England and Mr Haasbroek (rabbit pants) from South Africa . It is one of the things that I love about Melbourne and made me feel instantly at home.
Who Moved My Cheese?
I wonder how many migrants read "Who Moved my Cheese?" by Dr Spencer Johnson.
The book is a very short story about change that takes place in a maze where 4 amusing characters look for "Cheese" -- cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace, or even just a better quality of life.
The Story
The story describes 4 mice running around in a maze and looking for cheese. They happen to come across a wonderful supply of cheese and live in close proximity to that source. When the cheese begins to run out, 2 of the 4 go off looking for more. They can tell that the cheese won’t be there for much longer and that it’s getting old and mouldy. So they adapt to the situation and forge ahead, ultimately finding more cheese. The 2 other mice, however, get too comfortable when they find the cheese and don’t believe it will ever disappear. When the cheese runs out, they stay put, waiting for more cheese to appear. They think everything will be fine. They didn’t smell the rotten cheese.
The cheese runs out and they begin to starve. They’re scared to move. They don’t adapt and resist change. Eventually, one of those 2 mice leaves and finds more cheese and brings the other one over the ‘good side’.
The Moral
The moral of the story is that we need to adapt to the changing circumstances around us and that our cheese (whatever it is) may not always be there and we need to recognize that the supply of "cheese" should not be taken for granted.
Immigration Context
We can tell from the number of the people finding our website and attending one of our free seminars that there are many people out there that recognize that the supply of cheese in their home country might be running low or else becoming decidedly "gamey".
It's easy to look back in history and wonder why certain populations didn't see the writing on the wall or recognize that the cheese might be diminishing. In the South African context this writing may take the form of increased violence, crime, lack of opportunities in workplace and education because of affirmative action programs, increased corruption, declining educational standards and general degeneration of the moral fabric of society.
In a Singaporean context the writing may take the form of long working hours, comparatively low wages, and too much pressure on children to achieve academically, high youth suicide rate, overpopulation, lack of recreational facilities and generally dissatisfaction with quality of life.
People resist change because let's face it change is difficult and stressful. This is never truer than in an immigration context when one is going to leave one's friends, family members and comfort zone and move to a new country to improve the quality of one's life.
I hope that I am not stretching the analogy too far but many may be thinking that the cheese supply might be diminishing but how do we know that by immigrating to Australia we are guaranteed a better cheese supply?
I'm not advocating that people should without any preparation or planning move countries at the slightest hint that there are concerning signs however I think every responsible individual owes it to themselves and their families to at least read the writing when it does appear on the wall and investigate opportunities to improve one's lot. One doesn't necessarily need to sever one's ties with one's home country at the slightest hint that there may be writing that appears on the wall but one should recognize that writing for what it is and investigate opportunities to improve one's life.
Attending our FREE australian immigration seminars and contacting us to arrage an immigration consultation for a nominal fee are just 2 small steps that one can take to investigate whether there might be more/better cheese in Australia.
