Your First Month in Australia: New Migrant Checklist (Week by Week)
A week-by-week checklist for the first month after arriving in Australia — TFN, Medicare, bank account, housing, schooling, credit history, customs thresholds, and the visa-specific reporting duties some visas carry. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Start the slow stuff first
- 0:11 Week 1: TFN, Medicare,
- 0:22 TFN takes 10 to 28 days
- 0:41 Week 3: Medicare and TFN
- 0:52 Credit cards often need
- 1:11 Citizenship needs
- 1:29 Customs thresholds
- 1:49 Bridging visa holders:
- 2:07 Visa status shapes
- 2:19 Where to read more
Transcript
Your first month in Australia isn't about doing everything at once — it's about starting the slowest-moving things first.
Week 1: get an Australian SIM, apply for a Tax File Number online, apply for Medicare in person if eligible, and open or activate a bank account.
A Tax File Number takes 10 to 28 days to arrive — applying on day 1 is what starts that clock.
Week 2 is house-hunting and, if you have children, visiting local schools and gathering enrolment documents — birth certificates, immunisation and academic records.
Week 3 is usually when the Medicare card and TFN arrive — direct debits, registering with a super fund, and updating your employer with your TFN all follow from there.
Some banks want 6 months of account history before approving a credit card — that clock only starts once your account is open.
By week 4, driver's licence conversion is often complete, children are established in school, and job search results start coming in if you're looking for work.
For permanent residents, this is also around when the citizenship clock starts — a 4-year residence requirement.
The most common first-month mistake is applying for a TFN too slowly — without one on file, extra tax gets withheld from the very first paycheck.
Customs declarations kick in above set thresholds: individual items over $900, or declared currency over $10,000.
Some visas carry their own first-month obligations — a subclass 482 holder needs to report to the sponsoring employer and keep working in the nominated occupation.
Bridging visa holders can carry their own reporting requirements too — the visa grant notice is what actually states them.
Sydney and Melbourne often take 2 to 6 weeks of active searching for a rental. Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide typically run 1 to 4 weeks.
Visa status quietly shapes these decisions too — work rights, Medicare access, schooling fees — which is why settlement choices and visa pathway often need to line up together.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
Short versions
- The TFN mistake that costs you money (0:31)
- 2 customs thresholds you need to know (0:24)
- How long to find a rental? Depends on the city (0:26)
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