The Big Move to the South–Why People Still Come to Australia

There are certain countries that are almost a right of passage for young travelers to come and live and work for a while. Canada is one. The UK is another. Australia, however, seems to attract more English-speaking working-holidayers than any other. The amount of English and Irish in particular working in recruitment consultant jobs or in restaurants or bars is astounding, and there’s a thriving expat diaspora of backpackers in all of Australia’s most popular tourist destinations. So why is Australia such a popular choice as a place to come and live and work, rather than just to visit? Here are a few reasons why…

Standard of Living

The standard of living in Australia is very high. There’s a good public health system, high wages and relatively high personal safety. With 90% of Australians living less than 2 hours’ drive away from a beach, the lifestyle is pleasant, the temperatures are warm and the locals are friendly.

Visas

Another reason people choose to live and work in Australia is that it has an excellent reciprocal arrangement with several English-speaking countries in the Commonwealth in regards to working holiday visas. It’s very easy to acquire a one-year working holiday visa if you’re from the UK, Canada, the States or most places in Europe. (providing you’re under 35) and should you want to extend that stay, 3 month’s work on a farm in rural Australia will grant you an additional year. There are also several industries in Australia that support skilled migration visas, such as trades, nursing or teaching, so if you are qualified and want to make your move to Australia more permanent there are avenues for this as well. Finally, if your workplace really, really values you and wants to keep you in the country for longer, it’s possible for them to sponsor you to extend your stay, after which time you can apply for residency and then citizenship.

Distance

Many young English-speakers thinking of doing a year (or longer) abroad want to find somewhere that is different, and as far away as possible from their normal lives. If they don’t want the added stress of learning a new language, Australia fits the bill perfectly–it’s almost as far away as one can get from Europe or the States and yet it’s easy to navigate, has similar cultural values and English is its national language, making the prospect of a year living there less daunting than moving, say, to Madagascar.

Whether you’re after a recruitment job, want to learn to surf, are a skilled migrant or just want to test yourself by living in another country, Australia has something to offer you. Australia boasts many residents who only intended to come for their one year working holiday, but after seeing the way we live down here–well, they couldn’t bear to leave!