Unveiling the truth: facts and stats
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in the financial year 2021-2022, 295,000 permanent and temporary visas were granted, excluding tourists. This number is getting closer to the pre-pandemic level of about 350,000 on an average year. So, it is a significant number of people who move to Australia each year, either permanently or temporarily, for the mid or longer term. What attracts them to Australia?
The two key drivers behind relocating Down Under
In general, people are motivated by two main things: health and wealth. They all want to have enough money and want to stay healthy to enjoy their wealth. Being sick can prevent you from enjoying your life to the fullest, after all.
You may think that the sunshine, kangaroos hopping around, delicious coffee, or the “who cares what happens tomorrow, let’s enjoy today” attitude could be reasons why people move to Australia. While these could be legitimate reasons, I wanted to explore why migrants who settled here chose this country over others.
10 Surprising? Reasons why people picked Australia as ultimate destination
At the beginning, in 1788, prisoners were forced into Australian land and had to accept their fate. This is no longer the case.
I have made a non-representative sampling among migrants of different backgrounds and nationalities, ranging from European, Latin American to Asian countries. Here is what they said and the common themes.
- The “Profit-Driven”: They came here for money. They all thought they could earn more in Australia than in their home countries and would be able to have a more comfortable life. Having more money can buy more things that can make you happy, so the saying that “money can’t buy you happiness” is kind of silly. Of course, real loving relationships are irreplaceable, but underlyingly, they all want the freedom that money can facilitate, like more free time and experiences.
- The “Career Conscious”: They arrived here for professional experience. They believed they could gain a different perspective, learn new things in their chosen profession, and enhance their career and advancement opportunities. Many young people listed this as a primary reason.
- The “Adventure Seekers”: They ended up here because they wanted an adventure far from their hometown. It is far enough away that no one really knows how things work here, and you can hear heaps of funny and scary stories on TV, YouTube, social media. The only way to find out if these stories are true is to pack up, come and live it.
- The “Sun Lovers”: They came for the weather. These non-representative sample people lived in the UK before, and they did not fancy the rain, clouds, and lousy weather. They wanted endless hours of sun to suck in vitamin D and generate happiness hormones. When the sun is out, people are smiling. It is so true!
- The “Naysayers, Whingers, Moaners”: They did not have a choice. They were either children and were ordered by their parents to pack up and go, or they were husbands or wives following their loved ones with a grumpy expression on their face. They hated it at the beginning, but sooner or later, they accepted their fate. Who knows? They might even enjoy it.
- The Students and “Got Stuckers”: They came here to study because it was cheaper than in other countries in their chosen field of academia, and then they got stuck here. They built relationships, integrated, and thought, “Why not? This is a great country to live in!”
- The “Ill-Fated Unfortunates”: They wanted to escape from something really bad, like war, domestic violence, fights, politics, extreme poverty, modern slavery, and other nasties. They really appreciate the Australian way of life.
- “The romantic lovers”: they visited Australia as tourists and found their true love here. They went back home to say goodbye to mum and dad, pick up the essential and unnecessary items they could not live without, and hurried back to their found better half. They all lived happily ever after.
- “The stranded tourists”: they went on a holiday that they did not want to end. They found a way to stay and start a new life. They also fall into the adventure seeker category.
- “The curious minds”: they journeyed here to check all those facts and myths that the world was talking about regarding Australia – most dangerous snakes – really? cuddly koalas, giant but harmless spiders, azure blue ring octopus, muscular kangaroos, speedy Gonzales emus, almost extinct Tasmanian devils, and more. They came and conquered the land and did not want to go back after finding out that you can live in harmony with wildlife.
No matter what. It is a land of opportunities!
It is true that for most people, the number one motivation and the most common theme is MONEY. Although the cost of living is higher, people can still earn a decent amount and live comfortably. Despite shelling out more money to get by, they can save enough to enjoy all the amenities Australia has to offer. Most people admit that they have a better quality of life here, and they can achieve this with less work, with one job, compared to having 2-3 jobs in their home countries with limited amount of free time.
Whatever your reason is – and you may have a different one than those mentioned above – let us know! We are interested!
Nestinsider is here to guide you and help you get ahead of the game. With insider tips and tricks you can figure out how things work before you land, so that you can enjoy all the wonders this amazing country has to offer from day one.
