Are you thinking of living in Australia? I don’t blame you. What’s not to love? The laid-back culture, sunny BBQs and surfing babes are all major draws. Plus, if you can avoid all of the creatures that are trying to kill you, it’s a beautiful country with one of the lowest people-to-land-mass ratios in the world. If you like your open spaces and raw, natural scenery, you have come to the right place.
Applying for visas
Depending on how long you plan to spend in Australia, you might want to apply for a working holiday visa or a skilled visa. A skilled visa shows that you will benefit the Australian economy with your career prospects, meaning that they will want to accept you into the country. Some desirable skills include engineering, accountants, vets, dentists, and electricians (but there are many more). If you can get a company interested in your credentials, you can try and get them to sponsor your transfer to Australia.
Australia can be a bit unforgiving, when it comes to immigration, so the more attractive you can make yourself look professionally, the better your chances are of getting a cushy visa.
Reskilling overseas
The Australian government supports all sorts of training facilities across the country, in order to top-up or educate people further. They also run Aboriginal courses. If you feel like your career profile needs updating, there are plenty of options, once you have gotten settled in. Give yourself around a year to find your feet, however, before you try to pursue this.
Committing to the decision
Before you decide to move to Australia, be sure that you’re serious. You need to completely commit to the decision. Sell your house, accept your job, formalise your visa; don’t hesitate, otherwise it will remain just a pipe dream. It takes a lot to travel across the world to start up a new life. Don’t chicken out!
Retirement visas
If you are over 55, you can apply for a retirement visa, as long as you don’t have any dependents (a partner is different). However, you will have to demonstrate that you can look after yourself. You will need at least £484,000 in assets (or £323,000 in regional Australia), before you will be accepted by the Australian government. That’s a pretty steep sum, but there you have it!
Finding a job from the UK
First of all, decide which area of Australia you want to live in. It’s probably safest to choose a city at this point, as it opens up your job prospects drastically. If possible, see if you can get a natural transfer to an Australian branch of your current company. If that’s not possible, then there are plenty of sites that you can search for jobs on. You will probably have to conduct your interview via Skype, but coming across from the UK may give you that extra edge.
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