5 Lesser-Known Benefits of Relocating Your Family to Australia
- Written by Bevan Berning
Committing to relocating your family to Australia is no easy decision. There’s a lot of upheaval for a start. However, the biggest worry most parents have is related to how easy (or difficult) it will be to raise their family in a different country. Crucially, as a parent, you want to know: “Will my child thrive in Australia?”
Australia is famous the world over for some incredible sites: Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour, and Fraser Island, to name but a few. It’s an incredible place to travel and explore.
There’s also Australia’s beautiful climate, thousands of beaches, and its famously relaxed, outdoors lifestyle; all perfect for raising a family.
However, there are other lesser-known reasons to consider a family relocation to Australia. Here are 5 family-friendly facts:
1. Its Air is Some of the Healthiest on the Planet
Australia regularly appears on lists of countries with the cleanest living conditions. Air pollution is much lower in Australia than almost anywhere in the world.
The good news for families is that this makes it a much healthier place to raise a family. The only other country to match in terms of air quality is Sweden. By living in Australia, you’re over 500 times safer from harmful air than in the world’s most polluted countries.
2. Its Quality of Life is Ranked Third in the World
The United Nations Development Program regularly publishes their Human Development Index report. This seeks to rank the development of nations and assesses countries’ progress in expanding human choices.
It takes into account not only economic growth, but also life expectancy, education data, crime statistics and many other factors that contribute to the people’s overall quality of life.
Australia’s HDI in 2018 was the third highest in the world. Very high life expectancy (83.1 years) contributes to this, as does positive environmental data. There’s low crime rate and impressive educational data, too.
The other good news is that Australia’s HDI figures have an upward trend, making it a great place to be.
3. It Has a Multicultural Society to Be Proud Of
In 2018, the country’s prime minister declared his belief that Australia is the “most successful multicultural society in the world” and it is built upon “a foundation of mutual respect”.
According to the 2016 census, just two-thirds of Australians were born in the country. Three hundred languages are spoken in Australia’s homes, and the country is religiously diverse, too. In fact, the Land Down Under is described as a ‘fast-changing, culturally-diverse nation’.
All this makes Australia an especially welcoming place for international families. Its cultural diversity feeds into film, music, art and particularly its cuisine. It’s a very exciting place to live and learn for all the generations of your family.
4. Australia Has a Particularly Well-Educated Populace
The United Nations’ HDI statistics for Australian education are very impressive as well. The expected years of schooling for a child entering school in 2018 is an incredible 22.9 years, meaning that a very high proportion of the population will study at university.
Australia has some truly world-class universities; in fact, five of them sit in The Times Higher Education ‘Top 100 Universities in the World.’ They are:
University of Melbourne (Rank 32)
Australian National University (Rank 49)
University of Sydney (Rank 59)
University of Queensland (Rank 69)
Monash University (Rank 84)
The quality of higher education is reflected in the number of international students in Australia’s campuses. Around a quarter of a million study in Australia, which makes it the fourth most attractive destination in the world for international students.
5. It Has Family-Friendly Immigration Rules
Finally, Australia’s visa requirements are simple to understand, and the country is particularly welcoming to skilled workers and their families.
If you have the right skill set and meet their straightforward criteria, you can get an Australian visa to live and work in the country. Your family will be able to join you and you will all benefit from the excellent health care and education systems here.
You and your family can gain citizenship in the future once you are in Australia and have met the eligibility criteria.
Above all, Australian society is really welcoming.
Immigrants to the country benefit from an amazing quality of life in this beautiful place, and the fantastic systems and infrastructure in place for the country’s citizens.
If you are interested in making an international move with your family, Australia should definitely be considered.
Author
Bevan Berning is an Immigration professional and owner of Pathway Visas, an Immigration Agency dealing mostly with skilled immigration to Canada and Australia. Bevan’s enthusiasm for the industry has kept in the Immigration field for the past seven years. Bevan is South African by birth and has been residing in Dubai for the past eight years.