Moving to Australia is an appealing prospect for people from all over the world, with large numbers of Brits, Kiwis and people from other countries making the decision to head to the lucky country every year. With a strong economy, a fantastic climate, loads of opportunity and friendly people, it’s really no wonder that relocation to Australia is something that so many people around the world want to do.

Things to Consider Before Moving to Australia

Of course, as with anything there is a lot to consider before you relocate. It’s not such a lucky country if you can’t arrange the means to support yourself and, depending on where you’re from (New Zealanders are particularly lucky in this regard) you’ll have to jump through a few hoops with the Australian immigration department in order to obtain the right kind of visa.

Moving to Oz from New Zealand

For Kiwis it’s really easy. Thanks to the reciprocal arrangements that are in place between the two governments, you can travel and work freely between the countries. New Zealanders only need to apply for a special visa if you have spent a certain amount of time in prison or have convictions for certain crimes. Be aware though that you won’t be able to get any financial support from the Australian government if you run into financial trouble, so you’ll need to make sure that you have enough funds on hand or a job already lined up before you leave New Zealand.

Qualifying to Immigrate to Australia

For everyone else, including nationals of Great Britain, the Philippines, India and the rest of the world, you’re going to have to satisfy the Australian government that you will contribute to the country in a positive way.  The most straightforward way is to either get transferred by the company you’re working for to their Aussie office, or to find a position there before you leave home. In order to do this you’ll need to make sure that your skills are a good fit for what is missing within the Australian workforce. One area that was historically huge for this was mining. While the mining boom is slowing down, there are still definite requirements for tradespeople, drivers and other mining related professionals in Australia.

Skills Shortages in Australia

UK qualified and certified tradespeople can find it extremely easy to move to Australia with a number of shortages across many of the trades and with the qualifications and certifications being easily transferable. Another big area is nursing – this is popular with people from the Philippines. While Philippines-trained nurses will have to undergo further training for qualifications when they get to Australia, experience in nursing and care-giving is highly regarded and medical professionals find no shortage of opportunity in the land down under.

Opportunities in Australia are not only limited to tradesmen, mining professionals and healthcare though. The Australian government publishes a skills shortages list which is a great place to start looking. The various individual states and territories also have different needs, so it can be a good idea to research both the federal government’s list as well as those from the state governments when identifying not only what you might do when you get to Australia, but also where you will head first.

The Points System

Australian immigration works on a points-based system and skills are not the only things that make up a part of this. You can expect to be asked to prove that you are of good character – you’ll probably need to provide police reports and the like from your home country – and good financial standing.

All things considered though, Australia is one of the greatest countries in the world to live in and it is well worth the effort. If you’re going to make the move, remember you’ll also have to move your money – visit our homepage to find out how OrbitRemit can help you do this much more cost-effectively than your bank.