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Financial-Emigration Playbook

SA → Australia Financial-Emigration Playbook

A guided, document-by-document checklist that takes you from “thinking about it” to landed — with the tax and money steps in the right order, the pitfalls to avoid, and what you can do yourself vs. pay a specialist for. Updated 2026-06.

Get the full playbook — $49

All 5 phases. Phase 1 is a free preview below.

What's inside (5 phases)

  1. 1 · Decide & qualifyFree
  2. 2 · Tax & money prep🔒
  3. 3 · Visa lodgement🔒
  4. 4 · The move🔒
  5. 5 · Landing (first 30 days)🔒

Why get this before calling a specialist

A tax consultant or immigration lawyer can charge $3,000–$10,000+ to handle financial emigration — and you often pay before you even understand what you actually need. This playbook gives you the full sequence first, so you:

  • ✓ Walk into any specialist conversation knowing exactly what to ask and prepare.
  • ✓ Do the steps you can handle yourself — and only pay for the ones you can't.
  • ✓ Avoid the expensive ordering mistakes (touching your RA or moving funds before ceasing tax residency) that specialists can't undo after the fact.

It's not a substitute for advice on your specific situation — it's the map that makes that advice faster, cheaper, and far less stressful.

Let's be honest about what this is

We'd rather you skip this than buy the wrong thing. So here's the straight version:

This is for you if…

  • ✓ You're seriously planning a move to Australia (roughly within the next 18 months).
  • ✓ You want the money & tax steps in the right order, with the pitfalls flagged before you hit them.
  • ✓ You'd rather do what you can yourself and only pay specialists for what you genuinely must.

It's NOT for you if…

  • ✕ You want someone to do your visa paperwork — we don't (we tell you who can).
  • ✕ You're after a shortcut or a way around the rules — there isn't one here.
  • ✕ You need personalised legal, tax or migration advice — this is an educational plan, not advice.

Every figure links to its official source and is dated. When the rules change, we update it — accuracy is the whole point.

1 · Decide & qualify

Weeks 1–4

Confirm you actually qualify before spending a cent — occupation, points, and which visa fits.

  1. 1

    Find your occupation on the skilled lists

    Do it yourself

    Search the skilled occupation lists for your job title and note which visas it supports (189 independent, 190 state-nominated, 491 regional). Your occupation also determines which body assesses your skills.

    Why it matters: If your occupation isn't listed, the skilled route is closed — better to know in week one than after paying for tests.

    ⚠ Pitfall: Job titles differ from SA. Match by the ANZSCO duties, not the title you currently use — a 'systems analyst' may be assessed under a different code.

    💡 Tip: Note every visa your occupation supports; 190/491 often have lower points cut-offs than 189.

    Official source ↗
  2. 2

    Score your points honestly

    DIY — but double-check

    Tally age, English level, qualifications, and years of skilled experience against the points test. Compare your score to recent invitation cut-offs for your occupation.

    Why it matters: Invitations go to the highest scorers — a 'pass' isn't enough, you need to clear the actual cut-off.

    ⚠ Pitfall: Overstating experience that your skills assessor later discounts (years before your qualification often don't count) can collapse your score after you've committed.

    💡 Tip: A higher English test result (e.g. 'superior') is often the cheapest way to add points.

  3. 3

    Book your skills assessment

    DIY — but double-check

    Apply to your assessing authority early — it's the longest-lead item and is required before you can submit an Expression of Interest.

    ⚠ Pitfall: Each authority has its own evidence rules; thin reference letters are the #1 cause of delays and rejections.

    💡 Tip: Get reference letters on company letterhead listing duties, hours and dates while you still have good contacts at the employer.

Documents to prepare

ID/passport · Degree certificates & transcripts · Detailed CV with duties · Reference letters on letterhead

That's Phase 1. Unlock Phases 2–5— the tax, money & visa steps.

2 · Tax & money prep

Months 1–3 (start early)

The part everyone gets wrong. Set up correctly before you leave to avoid double tax and trapped funds.

🔒 4 steps — unlock with the Pack

3 · Visa lodgement

Months 2–6

Submit cleanly the first time — errors here cost months and money.

🔒 3 steps — unlock with the Pack

4 · The move

Months 5–8

Logistics, sequencing and the money mistakes to avoid in the final stretch.

🔒 3 steps — unlock with the Pack

5 · Landing (first 30 days)

Arrival + 30 days

The setup checklist that gets you operational fast in Australia.

🔒 4 steps — unlock with the Pack

Unlock the full playbook

$49 one-time

All 5 phases, every document checklist, and free updates when the rules change.

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Educational information only — not financial, tax, legal or migration advice. Verify current rules via the official links before acting.