If you’ve ever felt like the universe is urging you to relocate to Australia, listen up because moving Down Under just became easier due to a visa change.
As the idea of emigrating from the UK becomes an attractive option for many looking to leave behind low wages and the rising cost of living, this change could help Brits pack up and make the move to the birthplace of Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth, to name a few.
Whether moving temporarily or planning on staying for the long term, there are now more options.
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The age limit for British nationals seeking a working holiday visa has been raised to 35 years, meaning that 16 million more people are now eligible.
Brits will be able to live and work in Australia for up to three years. Before the changes, people on working holiday visas were limited to working in certain industries, including an 88-day commitment to agriculture work. This rule was in place for every additional year that someone wanted to stay in Australia.
Data from Tourism Australia suggests that as many as 35,000 British people arrive in Australia each year on the working holiday visa and many choose to stay on.
According to the Office of National Statistics, 557,000 people emigrated from the UK in 2022, with 92,000 of them being British nationals leaving the country.
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Sally Cope, UK regional general manager for Tourism Australia, told the BBC: "It's an exciting time and these big sporting events, like the FIFA women's football world cup and Olympics in Brisbane in 2032, offer the temporary contract type work that young visitors want."
Tourism Australia has launched a social media campaign targeted at Brits who are looking for a working Holiday Visa to Australia now that the rules have been relaxed slightly.
Youth travel specialist group Gap 360 are offering three working holiday packages and all you have to do is share your favourite Australian adventure on social media if you’ve visited the country already.
It’s also open to those who have not visited Australia but you must re-share the official campaign content from Gap 360 and include the hashtag #HumblestBrag and follow @australia and @gap360official to be in with a chance of winning.
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The #HumblestBrag competition will be active on Instagram from Friday (11 August) until 1 September 2023.
The campaign has been launched to spread awareness of the recently announced changes to the working holiday visa.
Gregory Robinson