utas.............cheapest...........cheapest living costs too.........

but boring place...........

if you are tech savvy, i can suggest buying the important parts in msia and assembling the deaktop there.....

motherboard, cpu, ram, (videocard if gamer), and hdd are worth buying in msia........

get the rest (casing, cd drive, input devices) in oz.........

if you have capacity, get a good mouse too from here.......mices can be double or triple msian prices there..........

otherwise, just get a notebook here with an international guarantee.......

rural toowoomba would be a LOT cheaper than sydney.........maybe half in terms of accommodation cost........

but you are comparing sydney, a top 3 uni with usq, a bottom ranked uni..........not the same thing lah........

it happens in cycles........there was an economic downturn last year, and policies were set in place which will now affect graduates who wants to stay on.....

so what are they doing to you?.....

you are still eligible for the 18 mths bridging visa, no?........i am not aware that has been removed..........but it may take a while to get it, somebody just got it after 6 months, she was stuck in oz with a temporary visa which does not allow you to leave............

if you have a full time job relevant to your qualification, you should have enough points to start applying for a pr..........and as far as i know, the points, and conditions have not changed, just the 'shortage professions' lists........which of course will change depending on labour conditions......

of course you need to graduate first before applying for any visa other than your student visa.........

as i understand it, you will have a few months of student visa left after graduating.......and you can then initiate your application for the bridging visa, and will be given a temporary visa while waiting for the bridging visa to be processed.........you can stay on, do part time work, look for a permanent job etc, but will not be able to leave oz while on this temporary visa.........

once your 18 mths bridging visa is approved, then you have that 1 1/2 years to get enough points and start applying for a pr visa........and you can also leave and return to oz anytime.......

the pr processing takes time, i am not sure what happens if your bridging visa runs out and your pr is not approved yet..........

do you need to physically graduate ie convocate first?....or you can graduate once you achieve all your requirements.....once you get the official confirmation from the uni, probably in december, you can start the process.......

i don't know why 457 is called 'business' visa, but it is actually a skilled employer sponsored visa, ie you have a skill in demand, and an employer is willing to employ and sponsor you........

in your case, once you have got an internship placement, you can apply for 457 and you employing health authority will be you sponsor........

for most other professions (with the possible exception of some types of engineers) it will be a struggle to find an employer willing to employ a non-resident and willing to sponsor your 457 visa before one graduates...........

actually, what is the purpose of this 'assessment' of your degree?...........since applicants will be graduates from oz unis anyway.......

in star's case, no he will not need 'assessment' as his degree will need to be (and will be) registered with amc before he can start work........it normally flows seamlessly from graduation to housejob as part of the registration process with amc...........

you will be surprised how many people actually choose a course of study in oz for the reason of it being an in-demand profession and to optimise their chance of getting a pr...........mostly from prc and india.........but increasing so from msia as well............

real world reality check.........

it's the eternal question of what is right.........the means justifies the end, or the end justifies the means.........?

for many people, the end (staying on in oz) justifies the means (study any course in oz).......

like life itself, it's a gamble.......but some jobs are always in demand.....like health care paramedics (nursing, physiotherapist, optometry etc)........

on a sale, cameras are cheaper than msia........especially low end ones........they were on sale for aud100 last time (kodak, panasonic 8mp), which then was rm240.......they sell them for rm399 in kl.........

when the exchange was 2.4, the sony a200 dslr with 2 kit lens was cheaper in oz..........aud750=rm1800 compared to rm2100 then........but in general, most newer cameras, and higher end ones are cheaper in msia........

@grimm

options 1 and 2 are within you power to decide.........you decide........

option 3 is not within you power to decide, you are at the mercy of employers........

seems like the obvious way is try option 3, see if you get lucky......gonna be difficult for someone without actual work experience.........

if not, you will have to decide on either option 1 or 2.........

that is INCORRECT.........

the 2 years of onshore study is only for eligibility to apply for the 18 months bridging temporary resident visa, which allows you to stay on in oz and work........even if you get that, you will still need to formally apply for a skilled migrant pr visa........

on the other hand, you do NOT need to even have studied in oz, to be potentially have the required points to apply for pr.........many people apply and have successfully obtained a pr visa from outside oz..........

mr.google is your friend..........

it covers gp consultations......you uni will have inhouse medical services (student health), which will be the usual ones you use........medications you need to pay, but i believe that is also partly subsidised, the cost of medications in oz is often cheaper than msia.........

your mum doesn't make sense, local msia insurances do NOT cover outpatient care, they only cover you when you need to be admitted...........

please note that these 2 unis law degree is not in the 'qualifying degree' list of the Legal Profession Qualifying Board Malaysia............

http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/admission_requirements.html

for just one semester (4 months), it will be too short for a formal lease, which is usually for at least 1 year...........and certainly to rent a whole unit to expect to share with others will be out of the question.......

the most convenient option is to stay in a hall of residence, there are many around parkville, some within melbourne u, and some independent.........they should all be walking distance from the victorian college of pharmacy..........

otherwise, if you have friends, just do an informal 'sublease' from them........

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Added on February 5, 2010, 8:04 amdon't bother to bring heavy stuffs like paper lah..........oz is quite a civilised place, and they have paper there too..........

your overweight baggage charge will be more than whatever savings you get from buying paper in msia..........

This post has been edited by limeuu: Feb 5 2010, 08:04 AM