Immigration to California or Australia - which to choose ? (uscis, money, requirements)

[Jonathan1]

Hi all,

I am from Western Europe and I am considering immigrating to California (San Francisco or San Diego) or Australia (Sydney or Melbourne). I am an IT engineer. My question is which would be in your opinion the most appropriate choice. My criteria are nice weather, good quality of life, career opportunities, fair/low taxes , good social life, commute time, etc.

I have already collected some information and high level metrics on these countries (tax levels, gdp/capita, debt, etc.) and I would like to complement it with the experience you might have (especially from people that have stayed in both places). Any reasonable advice is welcome as well.

Please don't turn this into a debate of US vs Australia !

Thanks in advance for your insights.

[jinj]

Taxes will be about the same, but in Australia you get services such as health coverage for your money. In CA it just costs a lot, for nothing.

I find Australia a mix between old fashioned England and Canada. You will have an easier life in Australia.

[London Girl]

Both have pros and cons.

I would agree with jinj that healthcare is a big issue.

As a fellow European I find the health care system here in the States exorbitantly expensive, terrible value for money and, overall, a fiasco.

I do enjoy living here in the States but were my American husband and I not tied here because of his business I think we'd probably go to Europe to live.

Australia is very nice but has some drawbacks - it has great weather and wildlife but the States does seem to have a far more varied climate. It's also very expensive to fly between Europe and Australia compared to flying from the US. Granted, neither are cheap routes but Australia-Europe really is a long and pricey flight. Worth bearing in mind if you were planning to visit family/have them come to see you.

[Gary Siete]

Country factors would include healthcare systems and distance & cost back to Europe to see the folks.

[chicagojlo]

You might want to consider how easy/difficult it will be for you to go to each country too.

I agree with the previous posters. Healthcare in the US is a disaster, especially when you're coming from Europe. But Australia is just so far away, and you will find that your friends and family will be much more reluctant to make the trip.

[Threestep2]

The days when IT meant employers in the US offered the sky are over unless you are top quality and even then immigration will take years.

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by Threestep

The days when IT meant employers in the US offered the sky are over unless you are top quality and even then immigration will take years.

Too true with thousands upon thousands of IT workers scrambling for jobs in the US. I would think your primary objective at this early stage (and if you haven't done so already) is to find out which country can offer you the easiest immigration route. You can easily find out the US requirements by going to the uscis website which is linked in the first "sticky" on this forum page. Good luck!

[Jonathan1]

Thanks for your comments. What about the easiness to meet people and get acquainted with locals ? Is there a general trend ? Going so far away means that integrating is mandatory.

I do understand these places are far away from Europe and the implications. Paying a visit to family and friends can reasonably be done only once a year I think.

Also, on the easiness to immigrate, I have read there was a shortage of qualified IT workers in Australia. Any information on that ?

In my opinion, i believe Australia is rationally a better choice (better future prospects, holidays,...) regarding quality of life but I steel have a preference for California, I feel like adjusting would be easier and it looks more "fun". But I might be biased as I have already been in California and not Australia.

[Threestep2]

In both places you will meet folks who merged with what little "natives" there are versus what I call the care-package-immigrants who mentally never left home. IT seems to be a different breed of cat especially when you consider working conditions/hours in the US.

[Vichel]

Just a note on health care in Oz, it's not free. Everyone pays 1.5% of their taxable income to the Medicare Levy on your tax return, unless you're very low income. Doctor's visits are about $65 and only half is covered by Medicare, you pay the rest, not even having Private Health Insurance pays any of it. I recommend Private Health Insurance but it is about $2k per year for basic, singles coverage, $3200 for families. Very little is 100% covered - blood tests, public hospital care, x-rays are some. Some years we pay about $5k-$6k for all our out-of-pocket medical expenses, levies and premiums (family of 4).

I'm in IT and I find it's a literal UN at my place of work with people from all over the world. It was the same when I lived in Canada. More offshoring is being done, particularly by the big companies - programmers, testers, even BA's, unfortunately. But great contract rates. $1k/day for BA's even in Perth. $700/day for testers in Melbourne. Contracting is a good way to go, good way to get into a place, and try before you buy. I've been contract for 4 years, love it, wouldn't go permanent for anything.

Australia is ridiculously expensive, so bear that in mind. Housing severely unaffordable, food, restaurants, clothing, travel, etc., everything more expensive. I go to San Diego regularly and do all my clothes shopping there. I'd pick SD over Oz any day btw. If you can manage to get into the States, go for it. But the job situation there doesn't look so hot now.

As far as Oz, I'd pick Melbourne over Sydney but Melbourne's weather is crap. Have been there for work, back and forth lately. Weather's all over the place. Hot, rain, cold, warm, humid, windy, .... all in one day. Too much cloud.

And yeah, flights out of here are like some sort of torture. Expensive too, because of the distance. Four weeks holiday (vacation) is standard but I've heard you can negotiate more than 2 weeks in the US as part of your salary package. At least my friends do.