Australia?

[peroxidepirate]

How welcoming is Australia to immigrants from the U.S? Do you need money/health/connections/useful skills to be eligible?

Just found out there's something that could very well be a miracle drug for BookGeekGal, but it's not available in the U.S. She's bounced Australia, the U.K, and France as places she could stand to live, where it is available. I can't speak French to save my life (I can read it, some, but fail epically at pronunciation), so I think I'd have to part company with her if she decided to move there. And if I was gonna move anywhere 1000s of miles away, I'd want it to be someplace with a lot of nature nearby (even if the weather is basically the opposite of Alaska, which was my first choice).

I'm fairly sure it's all a pipe dream anyway -- but I like to be informed, even in fantasy. Help please?

ETA: And can you import pet dogs?

2nd ETA: It looks like a no-go for BookGeekGal, more than likely, because of her health issues. Perfectly understandable -- most countries, especially those with any degree of publicly run/funded healthcare, take that stuff into consideration. But I hadn't researched Australia before.

Comments

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

Immigrants from the US have no advantage over immigrants from anywhere else, but I don't believe it's particularly hard. The trick would be getting permanent residency: at that point you could access the Australian public health system. I'm not sure if there's a VISA for "we need to move here for medical treatment" - there probably is, but it's possible that there are conditions on it to impede progress to permanent residency (as with student visas: you can get PR after your degree, but it's not automatic).

This would be your starting point, and there are links from there to the Dept. of Immigration website. You would probably also want to talk to your medical provider, they may have more specific advice.

I believe you CAN import a pet dog, but it would have to spend considerable time in quarantine (a month? three months?): there are all kinds of bugs and diseases which we don't have here and don't particularly want. Rabies, for starters.

[peroxidepirate.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the linky-link!

It looks like there's a health screening requirement, as there is most places, so it's probably a no-go for my BFF. Ah, well.

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Might be worth investigating, though - you do get the occasional fluff story on the news about X family who moved here for medical treatment, so I think it *can* be done. :)

[girl-called-sun.livejournal.com]

Like ineptshieldmaid says, importing dogs is a bit of a process. There is quarantine, and a lot of vaccinations and blood testing before they travel, but (like all these things) it's ok if you are organised.

[peroxidepirate.livejournal.com]

Ok, thanks for the info!

[kitty-ryan.livejournal.com]

quarantine is mandatory and $1000 a month for cats--on both ends, to start. Not sure how the process differs for dogs, but I'll get back to you with more information.

As for people...well, I'll also get back you on that, because Ali and I are currently undergoing it. Our plan (deceptively simple) is a working holiday visa for her entry, followed by my application for spousal sponsorship. Yours would be, probably, working holiday visa followed by getting a job willing to sponsor you for a skilled worker visa if the moving is for longer than two years. Unless you want to study here?

[peroxidepirate.livejournal.com]

*nods* I figured you'd know more about it than anyone. Though it's not a parallel situation, really -- it sounds like Ali stands a really good chance of being allowed to stay, which is awesome!

For us, I don't know. Cooking wasn't on the skilled worker list, and neither was customer service, which is the main thing M. has done professionally. (Writing -- which both of us do as much as possible, but not professionally yet -- is also not on the list.)

Studying, though... that's a idea.

[q-sama.livejournal.com]

there's something that could very well be a miracle drug for BookGeekGal, but it's not available in the U.S.

things like this make me cry in frustration over the way the U.S. handles medicine patents and safety. I understand caution, but it sucks that any drug for erectile dysfunction gets pushed through like fucking candy, while something like this will probably take a long time. :(

Hang in there, both of you. *hugs*