Last updated on October 31st, 2019
“Is country X better than country Y?”
This is the foremost question in anyone’s mind who is seriously thinking about living overseas. The answer to this question can be very subjective as individual circumstances and preferences are quite different.
But one thing is clear – you have to do a lot of research. You need to consider a lot of aspects when choosing a prospective country. Things such as the cost of living, ease of employment, safety, weather, public infrastructure, family support – so on and so forth.
Why did I choose Australia? The foremost reason was to have a better quality of life for my family. Still not convinced? Maybe below top 10 reasons will win you over:
1. Ease of Immigration
One of the reasons to move to Australia was how easy it was to apply for a visa. Australia has got one of the best visa processes in the world. It is quite efficient, completely online and amazingly transparent. You can go through the entire process on your own without the need for the migration agent. All the resources are available online to help you, right from Points calculator to sample formats for a statutory declaration. As the process is completely online, it saves a lot of time trying to send documents physically to a different country. Plus given the different categories of visa, there is always a chance that if you don’t fit in one category, you will still have some fallback option.
2. Job Opportunities
Next, on my list of top 10 reasons is the job opportunities in Australia. This is the single most deciding factor for anybody migrating to a new country. Though the job market in Australia is small, it is quite diverse. You can find jobs in all sectors – from the retail sector to mining, from healthcare to banking and from hospitality to tourism.
In addition, due to the dignity of labour, everyone is treated fairly and respectfully. If you work as a branch manager in a reputed bank or you work as a window cleaner, there is no social stigma or class divide.
In fact, if you know skills like plumbing, chances are that you are going to earn the same or even more than a software consultant. Being in the software industry, I found that Australia is quite young in this sector and there is a shortage of skilled people, despite the steady flow of immigrants. The only thing that scared me that you cannot get a job offer unless you are in Australia. Well, most of the time!
3. Cost of living
Australia is generally considered to be an expensive country to live in. You might want to make your research before making up your mind. If you want to get an idea, there is an excellent online resource – numbeo.com – which can give you a detailed city-wise cost of living breakup. In general, one-third of your income goes for rent and childcare costs. Plus, if you are used to dining now and then, that can add up as dining out in Australia is quite expensive.
Again the cost of living can be different for each person, but if you make the right choices, you can still save a decent amount of money in Australia without compromising your lifestyle. Plus, you have to stop converting those costs to your home country’s currency to save some grief. (I know because I used to do that!)
Another important point to note here is inflation. One thing I noticed after coming here is that prices stay fairly constant for most of the consumer goods such as food, transport and other household items. If we look at the inflation rate, it was 5.20 for India in 2016 whereas Australia was just 1.40 which is an indicator of a healthy and stable economy.
4. Public Safety
This is a major factor especially when you consider raising a family and the reason why it is on the top 10 list. Australia is considered quite safe by all standards. It’s unique geographical location reduces the chance of any conflict with the neighbouring countries. Due to strict gun control and strong law enforcement, you will find Australia to be a quite safe and peaceful country. According to the Global Peace Index 2019, Australia ranks 13th – well above the UK at 45th and the US at 128th. This confirms my belief that I did the right thing choosing Australia.
5. Work-Life Balance
When it comes to raising a family, Australia is one of the best places to be. Australians are generally considered easygoing, fun-loving and quite flexible. Don’t get me wrong, they are not lazy. On the contrary, they are quite dedicated and hard-working. However, Australians know very well that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.
As an example, I have never worked past 5 PM, except for a couple of instances whereas in India working till 7 PM was a norm. Nobody called me on weekends or asked me to provide support over the weekend, even on-the-call support. In a rare situation, when my boss does call me, he will ask it as a favour, not as a command. Most of the times, you will also be compensated with either money or leave for putting in extra time. Australian companies respect the personal lives of their employees and know that we are not just a “resource”.
6. Public Infrastructure
Australia has a highly sophisticated public infrastructure similar to the other first world countries. Major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth have widespread public transport options including trams, bus and railways. In addition, all the regions are well connected by an admirable road network.
Australia is highly urbanised and yet it didn’t do this at the cost of nature. In cities like Melbourne, you will find at least a small park or reserve around every half a mile. Despite being the second-highest in car ownership, Australia is one of the lowest when it comes to pollution index. A significant portion of government spending goes into providing social welfare to the people who need it the most. Add to that a world-class healthcare system, better food and clean water, a safe environment and you will know why life expectancy rate is so high in Australia.
7. Government Assistance
In a country like Australia where everything is so expensive, there are a few things which are actually cheap. One of them is medical facilities and it’s not a small gain. Australian Government provide free healthcare facilities to all the residents of Australia. You can opt for private health insurance if you want but if you don’t, you are still covered by the Australian Medicare system. Moreover, public hospitals are equally good or even better than private hospitals when it comes to medical facilities, staff and services. Contrast this with the money one has to spend on getting medical cover in the US and you can see the reason why this is so important.
Plus, the Australian government provide certain other benefits like childcare rebate subsidy, family assistance, first home owner’s grant and so on. If you contrast this with many other countries where we can’t have many hopes from the government, you know why it made to my top 10 list. Do you still need more reasons, then please read on.
8. Education
Australia boasts one of the best education systems in the world. School education is free in Australia if you enrol your kid in a public school which accounts for 60% of Australian kids. The education system here is focused on practical learning, making kids independent and guiding them to explore their own talents, rather than forcing them to follow a certain pattern. When it comes to higher education, Australian universities rank very high against their global counterparts. All this makes Australia one of the best places to study and give yourself or your children a great starting point for their career. If this doesn’t convince you to move to Australia, I don’t know what will.
9. Weather
Weather can be an important factor when relocating to a different country. I, for example, was used to living in a sunny Indian terrain. So, it would be extremely difficult for me to migrate to a country like Canada which has a sub-zero temperature throughout the winter and has a very short summer.
I like the diversity of the Australian climate. Here you can find places where it snows in winter and places with the tropical weather too. It is sunny throughout the year, though in places like Melbourne, it is quite usual to experience four seasons in a day. However, most of the time, the climate is moderate and winter is not too severe.
10. Cultural Diversity
Australia is considered to be “the melting pot” of different cultures, communities, religions and races. It boasts of a diversified culture which borrowed a lot from different communities that helped shape it. Australians are considered quite tolerant, open-minded, helpful and friendly towards migrants contrary to what you might have heard or read. In my experience here so far, I have never heard any racist remark or generalised opinions from anyone. If you are polite and free of any bias, you will find this to be an amazing country full of beautiful people.
There you are. Those were my top 10 reasons to move to Australia. What makes you choose Australia as your home?
Moving To Australia Series
- Moving To Australia – The Idea
- 10 Reasons Why I Chose Australia
- Which Work Visa Is Right For You?
- Should I Go With Migration Agent?
- Introduction To Skilled Visa Points System
- How To Prepare For Skills Assessment – Part 1
- How To Prepare For Skills Assessment – Part 2
- How To Clear IELTS In First Attempt – Part 1
- How To Clear IELTS In First Attempt – Part 2
- How To Clear IELTS In First Attempt – Part 3
- EOI – Express Your Desire To Migrate
- Getting Visa Invitation
- Lodging Visa Application And Making Visa Payment
- Getting Evidence of Functional English
- Undergoing Health Examination – The Whole Story
- Getting Indian PCC And The Road Ahead
