Relocating To a Foreign Country: Immigrate to Australia Essay

Introduction

The contemporary world is characterized by increased movements of people from one country to another as they seek foreign opportunities that are not available in their country of origin. In addition, advancement in communication technology has facilitated electronic travel among many people. However, in all these experiences, cross-cultural sensitivity and skills are needed to ensure effective global communication.

Relocating to a foreign country presents people with an opportunity to alter their lifestyles. Additionally, the process involves a life-changing experience that can assist an individual in advancing or regressing as opportunities become numerous; however, sometimes tragedies may be inevitable as a result of the transition (Moran, Harris and Moran, 2007, p.264). Indeed, as observed by Simons, Vazquez, and Harris, many people are “landing as immigrants on the doorstep of the 21st century” (Simons, Vazquez, and Harris, 1993, p.8). This means that most people in the 21st century are largely migrating from their original places to foreign places for various reasons, with work being the dominant reason. However, as people continue to migrate, they are faced with cultural shocks as rapid changes cause stress and cultural weakness. Nevertheless, responses to cultural shock may vary ranging from resistance to assimilation and acculturation (Simons, Vazquez and Harris, 1993, p.10); indeed, all the three responses will pose some changes to one’s culture.

Relocating to Australia

Australia is a relatively young country that is becoming one of the preferred destinations for most experts in the world. The country has its capital city in Canberra which is situated at an equal distance between two cities of Sydney and Melbourne (Living in Australia, n.d), with Sydney city being rated as one of the world-class cities characterized by warm and sunny climate (Living in Australia, n.d). In addition to this, Australia has one of the best immigration policy frameworks whereby it is more global in nature and does not express discrimination based on race, culture, or religion.

How living in Australia may affect the family

When people relocate, they get sandwiched between their own culture and that of the host society, with each of the cultures possessing different elements of attitudes and behavior. In most cases, it will be assumed that as time passes, the migrant family will become ‘assimilated’ to the host society’s culture and in the process, substitute its original culture with that of the host society. In most cases, the motivation to migrate is to seek a better lifestyle; indeed, Australia will not only provide this for the moving family, but it will also affect the other members of the family who remain behind. Children in most cases are least affected by relocating to the new environment as their adaptation will be fast due to support from close family members. Therefore, although the process may be relatively stressful, for children it is largely temporal (Anonymous, 2008). Conversely, older children may find the process confusing and stressful as it disconnects their already established social life in their parent country, the short-term result of which will be resistance.

Older members of the family on the other hand seem to be more affected due to the emotional tenacity in their home country, more so given that they will be separated from their family members; however, the perception that moving abroad will open opportunities to better family life motivates them to support the idea (Anonymous, 2008). The relocation will mean that they are divorced from the close attention they are used to and therefore, it is advisable for individuals moving to broadly put their older family members in consideration before moving. What should be noted is that the decision to relocate to a foreign country does not create happiness for everyone and therefore concrete and convincing reasons regarding the necessity to relocate should be elaborated to the concerned family members, while at the same time outlining what benefits will be accrued as a result of relocating and how the benefits will be appropriate to each member of the family (Anonymous, 2008).

Assistance offered to Australia’s immigrants to adapt to the strange environment

Australia has one of the best healthcare facilities; the healthcare system does not condone any form of discrimination, while it ensures that all public hospitals are open to all people in the country who may at any given time require health care. In addition, ambulance services are provided to all individuals through dialing numbers (000) (Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship, n.d). Moreover, vaccinations programs are provided to children and elderly people and in most cases, these services are free of charge; indeed, it is usually advisable for the relocating children to be immunized against harmful diseases.

In terms of housing, Australia and specifically Sydney city has a wide range of housing whose architecture has been based on European and American styles. At the same time, individuals are presented with the opportunity to select from the available terrace houses and ‘Queenslanders’ that are designed in such a way to accommodate weather and lifestyle elements of Sydney city (Immigration Portal in the World, n.d). Primarily, the houses in Sydney city are designed with large backyards and swimming pools as well as being near to the playing fields, parks, and shopping centers to suit overseas people.

Sidney city has categories of mini-cities that are occupied by different categories of people. These mini-cities include North Sydney where most affluent people reside; Western Sidney for those described as Bogans; Inner West Sydney, largely occupied by those who appear and are described to be trendy; East Sydney, for those described as pretentious and lastly, South Sydney mostly for those viewed to be Christians (Living in Australia, n.d). In addition to this, Inner West has many excellent schools, North Sydney is known to have a high rate of drug addicts, and West Sydney is usually metropolitan while Sutherlandshire tends to have people who value money above children and religion (Living in Australia, n.d). Nevertheless, those migrating to Australia have the opportunity to be presented and exposed to one of the best recreation facilities in Sydney.

Security precautions in Australia for Immigrants

Sydney city has a large number of police personnel who collaborate with other stakeholders to boost the safety of the city through community awareness and education programs. More importantly, the city has a published booklet that is used to offer assistance to victims that may experience domestic violence, by providing information on how and where to report the incidences. Further, the victims are protected through Apprehended Violence Order (AVO). In addition, the city, in collaboration with the NSW Attorney-General’s Department and the NSW Police, has initiated a process of publishing crime prevention facts sheets which are intended to provide basic guidelines on crime prevention related to apartment security, home security, personal safety, transport security, vehicle security and the business security (City of Sydney, n.d).

Type of Education available in Australia

The school system in Australia starts with a kindergarten which is later followed by twelve years of primary and secondary education. Normally, the final year of high school provides the student with an option of pursuing a government-endorsed certificate that makes one eligible to join any local institution of higher learning in addition to the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education which is “recognized by many international universities” (Study in Australia, n.d). It should be noted that the country boasts of having one of the best academic standards where students are examined in subjects that are aligned to eight key areas of: “English, mathematics, social studies, and the environment, science, arts, other Languages apart from English, technology and personal development, health and physical education” (Study in Australia, n.d).

The Australian academic year runs from February to December with a short break in between the four respective terms and a prolonged holiday at the end of the year extending to late January the following year.

Generally, attendance at school by Australian students is five days a week and although school hours vary, what is evident is that classes start from 9.00 am to 3.30 pm (Study in Australia, n.d). However, apart from providing academic excellence, the system provides room to promote students’ talents through sports, arts, and cultural activities.

How does cultural shock impact the family

Experiencing new culture in Australia may conflict with individuals’ determination to a better understanding of their culture. Individuals going to Australia experience a great existence of differences in “manners, beliefs, customs, laws, language, art, religion, values, the concept of self, family organization, social organization, government, and behavior, to mention only a few” (The Center for Global Education, n.d). However, the difference in culture tends to be overwhelming to the visitors and some extent may bring about culture shock. The cultural shock that befalls individuals moving to Australia occurs in several stages as suggested by Steven Rhinesmith who compares them to a roller coaster ride of emotions (The Center for Global Education, n.d). The ten steps include: “initial anxiety; initial elation; initial cultural shock; superficial adjustment; depression-frustration; acceptance of host culture; return anxiety; return elation; re-entry shock; and reintegration” (The Center for Global Education, n.d).

Normally, every immigrant to Australia will go through these processes of cultural shock where the individual gets subjected to moments of “depression, disorientation, and frustration” (The Center for Global Education, n.d). Furthermore, the process of undergoing these stages vary among individuals, but all in all, the process is important and necessary as it makes the transition from one particular culture to Australian culture more systematic in addition to helping the individual and the larger family to balance out and make adjustments (The Center for Global Education, n.d).

Basic preparations before moving to Australia

After the big decision to move to Australia has been reached, it becomes necessary to undertake certain basic preparation steps to ensure the process of relocation is smooth. First, there is a need to find out the steps required to be fulfilled to move to Australia. Here, an individual needs to investigate the immigration laws of Australia, fill out the immigration forms and other documents, and then undertake a complete health examination of the family members. It’s worth noting that in the latter, it is vital to provide all relevant background information about the health status of the family members. Thereafter, it is mandatory to sign an Australian Values Statement which is requisite to all individuals above the age of eighteen where the individuals commit themselves to uphold and respect the Australian laws and other regulations.

Other preparations apart from the above will include: informing the family relatives and other friends, informing the management and authorities of children’s previous schools or colleges, initiating plans for those family members going to remain behind, establishing and agreeing on the frequency of how communication is going to take place and lastly informing the relevant authorities in USA (Mattingly-Arthur, n.d).

Conclusion

Immigration in the 21st century has become popular due to social, economic, educational, and political reasons. Ideally, Australia is one country that continues to receive high numbers of relocating people, and as the economy of Australia continues to grow and evolve, the number is likely to surge further in the future. For professionals relocating, proper, adequate, and early preparations are required to avoid a lot of stress during the relocation period. Nevertheless, relocation is further becoming common as globalization continues to influence many corporations and organizations.

References

1. Anonymous. (2008). Can Immigration affect your family?
2. City of Sydney. (N.d). Crime Prevention Fact Sheets.
3. Immigration Portal in the World. (N.d). Houses in Australia.
4. Living in Australia. (N.d). Where to live in Sydney. Web.
5. Mattingly-Arthur, M. (N.d). How to Move to Australia from the USA. Web.
6. Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R. and Moran, S. V. (2007). Managing cultural differences: global leadership strategies for the 21st century. MO, Butterworth-Heinemann. Web.
7. Simons, G. F., Vazquez, C. and Harris, P R. (1993). Transcultural leadership: empowering the diverse workforce. TX, Gulf Professional Publishing. Web.
8. Study in Australia. (N.d). Australian School System.
9. The Center for Global Education. (N.d). Adjustments and cultural shocks.