How To Move To Australia
If you’re thinking of moving to Australia, I gotchu, boo!
If you’re new here, I’m a Canadian living in Australia—I’ve lived here for a WHOPPING 7 years.
Whether you’re Canadian, American, European, etc. etc. and you’re thinking of moving to Australia, here are some tips on moving to Australia.
How Did I End Up In Australia?
I moved to Australia on a Work Holiday visa in 2016 with my ex-partner, who was Australian. (If you want the whole story, you can check out this TikTok.)
We lived in Melbourne for a year, and then I extended my visa by applying for a Partner Visa.
I could’ve also applied for a Work Visa, but I missed the deadline, and it was just faster to apply for a Partner Visa. Would I recommend this? Nope, but I know *a lot* of people who have ended up in Australia this way. 😅
It took roughly 3 years to get Permanent Residency through the Partner Visa & the process was *NOT* fun.
I was granted Permanent Residency in 2020, my ex-partner and I broke up in 2021, and I stayed in Australia!
So How Do I Move To Australia?
If your partner or spouse is Australian - the best way to move to Australia is through the Partner Visa. Sometimes these are faster to get if you apply OUT of the country, plus it allows you to travel freely wherever you want.
If you apply from within Australia, you will generally have to stay within the country while your application is processed. This means every time you want to leave to see your family, for example, you’ll have to apply for a Bridging Visa.
If you don’t have an Australian spouse or partner, and you’ve never lived in Australia before - I highly recommend either a Tourist Visa or a Working Holiday Visa for you to get acquainted with Australia and whether or not this is a place you might want to live. Explore the different cities, travel heaps throughout the country, and THEN decide if you’d like to live here.
If you’re a student, you can also try for a Student Visa and live here for a while. Beware though, if you can’t get on a Work Visa after your student visa, you will likely have to leave.
If you’ve been to Australia, love Australia and want to move here - your options are through the Family or Partner Visa (if you have family here), the Skilled Worker Visa (which entitles you to work in Australia for up to four years if you’re sponsored by an approved Australian employer) or a Business/Investment Visa.
If you’re really serious about moving to Australia, **I highly recommend hiring an Immigration Lawyer or a Migration Agent.**
Resources And Step-By-Step Guides
There are SO many resources out there on immigrating to Australia—I’ve compiled a few here:
Eligibility Assessment for Aussie Immigration (with a Migration Agent!)
Study Or Migrate To Australia (Pathway To Aus)
Moving to Australia: An Expat’s Guide (International Citizens Group)
How To Migrate To Australia (Live In Melbourne)
If you have any questions or just need someone to chat to about moving to Australia, drop me a line!
