Americans contemplating on obtaining a visa to move to Australia after the result of the 2016 presidential election may want to head to the Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection. If moving to Australia has never looked so appealing to you, consider Melbourne. It is the most liveable city for the past 5 years. It is a necessity for some Americans who are dumbfounded that their new president is Trump.
Australia’s Immigration website has not crashed
Unlike the Canadian’s immigration website that crashed, most likely from the amount of Americans seeking refuge, Australia’s is standing strong. Although finding the right page in the website to view the types of visas available for Americans is equivalent to navigating through a labyrinth, the website page on the types of visas available is easy to use.
Americans’ quickest visa option to move to Australia
The easiest Australian visa to obtain are for US passport holders between the age of 18 to 29. It’s called Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). This is not to be confused with Working Holiday visa which Americans are not entitled to. This visa allows Americans to stay to up to a year. Not only does this age bracket address the demographic of Hillary Clinton supporters, it also gives them a year to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
For American women who feel their dignity and safety has been compromised by the Trump victory, Women at Risk visa (subclass 204) is available. It’s a permanent visa so it allows women to stay for as long as they want. Whether the president elect will stay for 4 or 8 years or less than 4 years, you need not worry about the duration of your stay.
For those Americans who are 55 years old and over and would like to start their retirement away from the United States, Investor Retirement visa (subclass 405) is the way to go. Financial proof will be required before this application can be processed. Only the spouse of the visa holder can tag along on this visa.
The other temporary option is to come in as a tourist. It will allow you to stay up to 3 months each time the visa is used. Note that New Zealand is considered a separate country and it is the closest foreign country at 4 hours from Melbourne.
Other Australian visas available to Americans will take longer
There are about 71 different Australian visa categories that are available to US passport holders but some will take time. It is of no use for those who want to just up and leave.
Find out more about Australian visas available to Americans
To find out more about these, go to the Australian visa finder and under Passport, select “United States of America” and choose the duration of your stay. Select that you are also applying from the United States.
Do not arrive by boat
Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world for 5 years straight. It will be the wisest option for Americans moving to Australia. But under no circumstances should you arrive by boat. Super yachts and cruise ships might be tolerated.
