Things to Know Before Moving to Australia

Many of the 6.32 million Americans who choose to live out of the United States have chosen “The Land Down Under” as their dream place to live. Who wouldn’t love to live somewhere that has beautiful scenery, adorable animals and in my opinion one of the best New Years celebrations in the whole world?

There are several things to know before you choose to move to Australia though.

First you would want to make sure that you are choosing the correct Visa. There are numerous types to pick from, one being a Family Visa if you already have relatives there. Another type is the Student Visa obviously if you are looking to expand your education there and lastly a Working Visa if neither of the above fit your needs.

You would also want to make sure that there is a way to get there. I am the type of person that would pack very lightly to leave the US, but remember belongings that are less than 1 year old may be subject to a tax. Pack carefully!

Before you leave be sure to cancel your subscriptions that you have here in the US, but also don’t forget to get new subscriptions. I love reading the news online so you can sign up for newspaper services local to your new living area. The Australian offers digital subscriptions starting at just a mere $4 per week. The Sydney Morning Herald allowed me to read online as well.

Another huge part of moving to Australia is getting your medical records in order. You wouldn’t want to get stranded in another country being brand new and needing medical assistance and have no records to help you obtain that.

Make sure your “financial slate” is wiped as clean as possible as well. This means getting rid of your mortgage if you have one or making sure that it is covered by a renter. Having no student loans would also be a perk, but that is often a hard one to wipe clean with the rising costs of education.

Something I totally would have forgotten about but want others to remember is that as Americans we do have civic duties such as jury duty and in my research I found that advising banks, IRS and the immigration department will help remove such civic duties as jury duty and will also assist in voting as well.

When planning to move to another country things can be scary, but with these tips we hope that your move will be smooth fun!