Going to live and work in Australia is one of the situations that has become more common for young people who wish to expatriate. The reasons are many, and we will see them shortly, the causes are known in a Canadian system that guarantees few possibilities, especially for less specialized and trained profiles.
Despite its strict immigration rules, Australia has managed to attract a large number of young people who have decided to tackle this adventure, both as a concrete possibility to start a working career, and as a simple life experience, useful for increasing the wealth of knowledge.
So let’s see a series of useful considerations on living and working in Australia with some practical advice for those wishing to undertake this experience.
Go to live in Australia:
As soon as you think about going to live in Australia, the first thing that comes to mind is that relating to immigration rules, which in the southern continent have always been very strict and articulated. For years, the Australian government has been committed to keeping migration flows under control, despite the island’s remoteness from the rest of the world and the lack of overcrowding problems (Australia has always been one of the countries with the average population density lower). The latter aspect is actually partially true, as the continent has large areas of unusable land and unsuitable for human settlements, while in cities the population is high and the density of inhabitants per square km skyrockets.
However, the fact remains that before embarking on the experience of traveling to Australia for work, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the visa situation that permits the stay. Without these, you are rejected without the possibility of an appeal from the airports, returning immediately to your country of origin.
Some visas are possible to live and work on Australian soil, each with its own specific characteristics:
Student Visa:
This is a specific student visa, which is issued based on participation in the certain study/work programs. Compared to other visas that we will discover later it has some fundamental advantages such as:
- There is no age limit
- It allows you to extend this visa also to dependents
- It can be requested more than once
- It allows you to work for a total of 20 hours per week in part-time mode and 40 full-time hours during the suspension period.
- It allows exceptions for the number of working hours based on the type of study course. For example, if you are attending a course that includes an internship or similar, the hourly working limit is abolished.
- The visa can be requested directly at the Australian embassy in Rome, at the Australian immigration centers or more simply, you can follow the online procedure available on the Australian government website. The cost of the visa is approximately 535 Australian dollars (327 EUR), 405 Australian dollars for each dependent family member over the age of 18, while the figure is lowered to 135 AUD for 18-year-olds to whom the visa is extended.
Attention also to the minimum level of English, which is required for application to study programs, and to the probable request by immigrants for specially translated school certificates.
Finally, to obtain a visa it is necessary to present some documents, which are also valid for all other types of permits:
The outcome of the medical examination:
- Health insurance certificate:
- Documentation certifying the family relationship with the dependent person.
Working Visa:
The working visa has slightly stricter limits than the Student visa, even if it rarely happens to undergo all the checks required by the regulations. To access this 1-year visa, you will have to comply with the following conditions:
- Be between 18 and 31 years old.
- Really intend to spend the work/holiday period on Australian soil
- Have a minimum of money that guarantees coverage of the period of stay
- Have the money to buy a return flight ticket
- Have no dependent minor family members at any time during your stay during the visa period
- Never have entered Australia on another working/holiday
- Undoubtedly the most controversial part is that relating to the amount of which one must demonstrate the willingness to stay in the country. The rules prescribe a minimum amount of 5000AUD but on this thing, the checks that are carried out are actually less stringent than one might imagine. As for health insurance, thanks to a bilateral agreement between Canada and Australia, the mere fact of having a working/holiday visa accepted allows you to automatically have 6 months of coverage simply with your Indian health card.