Arriving in Australia — 10 Things to Do
ALITAX · Bilal Jivraj — Registered Tax Agent 25287564. Original guidance from 10+ years of DASP and tax casework.
If you have just arrived in Australia on a temporary visa — student (500), 485 graduate, 482/457 sponsor, 417/462 working holiday, 403, or another temporary visa — the choices you make now will make claiming your tax and super much easier later. Here is what Bilal Jivraj strongly recommends you do from day one.
1. Open two or three bank accounts
Open accounts with two or three different banks (we explain why in the departing chapter). In short: when you leave, some banks close accounts quickly, but others keep them open longer — and you need at least one open account to receive your refunds.
2. Protect your credit rating
Do not take out many credit cards and fail to repay them — it damages your credit score. A poor score makes it very hard to buy a car or a house later. Keep your credit clean.
3. Get a small mobile plan
A small post-paid mobile plan, paid on time, helps build a good credit history — and keeps a number active for verification.
4. Get your TFN — and guard it
Apply for your Tax File Number (TFN) early. Never share it with anyone you do not completely trust — not even friends or family. You can safely share it with your employer and a reliable registered tax agent like ALITAX, who will never misuse your information.
5. Protect your passport number and date of birth too
Your passport number, date of birth and TFN together are exactly what identity thieves need. Guard all three carefully.
6. Do not work on an ABN unless you truly need to
Many employers ask you to work on an ABN — but on an ABN you get no sick leave, no annual leave, and no super. Avoid it unless you genuinely need to run your own business.
7. Get a driver’s licence — even a learner
Even if you do not drive, a learner or full driver’s licence is a valuable second ID for identity verification later. It is worth getting.
8. Create a myGov account
Set up myGov and link it to the ATO. It lets you track your tax, super, and Medicare information in one place.
9. Lodge a tax return every year
Lodge a return every financial year, even with little or no income. Remember: the Australian financial year is 1 July to 30 June — not January to December.
10. Keep to your visa conditions
Maintain all your visa conditions — working-hour limits (for example, student visa work-hour caps), health insurance (OSHC for students), and any other condition on your visa. Breaching a condition can affect your visa and future applications, so stay within the rules and keep records.
🎥 Spoken version — video script (about 70 seconds)
Read straight to camera. Pause at each line break.
Welcome to Australia. Let me save you some trouble.
There are a few things that seem small now, but make a big difference when you leave.
Open two or three bank accounts. Keep at least one for the long term.
Get your tax file number. And this is important — never share it. Only your employer and a registered tax agent should ever have it. The same goes for your passport number and your date of birth.
Be careful with credit cards. Do not take on more than you can repay. Your credit record follows you.
Now, this one matters more than people realise. Be very careful about working on an ABN. If someone offers you work as a contractor, understand what you are giving up. No sick leave. No annual leave. And no superannuation. That is money you will never be able to claim back, because it was never paid in.
Get a driver licence, even a learner licence. It is useful identification.
Set up a myGov account.
And lodge a tax return every single year. The Australian tax year runs from the first of July to the thirtieth of June.
Do these things now, and when you leave, claiming what you are owed will be simple.
[End — on-screen: alitax.com.au/dasp · WhatsApp +61 422 665 268 · Registered Tax Agent 25287564]