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Hi all. I'm a 23 year old female US citizen currently living in the US in a major east coast city. I'm looking to do a working holiday in either AUS or CAN, and I'm torn between which country is best to go to for this purpose, and hopefully also obtain permanent residency in.
I have a bachelor's degree in business mgmt and 1.5 year's experience in sales, as well as 3 years experience as an office assistant while in college. I'd like to do work in an area of interest to me, whether this is content/freelance writing, writing, digital marketing or content creation. I'd consider myself an outgoing person and I love to socialise, meet new people, and engage with and listen to other's stories.
I have relatives in Montreal and have visited several summers growing up and in the past few years; I loved it and found its citizens to be friendly. I've never been to Australia, however I've heard it's citizens are really friendly and extroverted. The reason why I'm considering Brisbane or Adelaide is because cost of living is lower than in Melbourne or Sydney. I'm single and not actively looking for a life partner, but it'd be nice if I came across a good man with good values (doesn't necessarily have to be extroverted).
Workplace environment/laws/rights is also incredibly important to me, I'm not a huge fan of work-life balance here in the US and would like to live somewhere where work culture is a bit more relaxed and women are respected in the workplace. I've been sexually harassed and flirted with a lot at work; I don't know if this is a US thing.
For context, I grew up in the Middle East, so don't mind the heat at all. I also don't mind the cold too much, and have withstood temperatures of -15C here with no real issues.
Which city do you all recommend for me considering these points, or which would be best/easiest for me to settle in/emigrate to? Thanks so much all for any responses.
Keep in mind that Montreal is officially French speaking while Australia is English, so not sure of your working situation you need to consider that.
Montreal would still feel more home to you due to Canada being close proximity to the U.S. and very similar system the feel and look even though Canada has a mix of European and American system.
Australia is more isolated and further away, drives on the left and very different from North America.
I would pick Montreal for permanent and Australia for short time.
I would not worry about Australia driving on the left, it is easy to adapt and we all do it frequently when overseas.
However the cities you mention, Adelaide and Brisbane both have higher unemployment than Sydney and Melbourne. I am not sure whether you qualify for a working holiday visa. But be warned, there is a strong push here to cut back on the migration quota because of the current pressure on the infrastructure in the main cities. The Prime Minister has been speaking about it this week.
So I would suggest that you start by investigating the type of visa you could get in each country, their cost and the employment situation. In Australia some visas give an entitlement to Medicare and others don't, requiring some sort of private medical insurance.
Keep in mind that Montreal is officially French speaking while Australia is English, so not sure of your working situation you need to consider that.
Montreal would still feel more home to you due to Canada being close proximity to the U.S. and very similar system the feel and look even though Canada has a mix of European and American system.
Australia is more isolated and further away, drives on the left and very different from North America.
I would pick Montreal for permanent and Australia for short time.
System?
What system in particular are you talking about? Certainly not government. Our parliamentary democracy is set up differently.
In Quebec they don't use common law, but a civic code based on the Napoleonic Code.
IMO Canada would be just as different as Australia for the OP, and Quebec extremely different, since you have to add in language etc.
What system in particular are you talking about? Certainly not government. Our parliamentary democracy is set up differently.
In Quebec they don't use common law, but a civic code based on the Napoleonic Code.
IMO Canada would be just as different as Australia for the OP, and Quebec extremely different, since you have to add in language etc.
Yeah, Quebec drives on the right-hand side, uses the same electrical plugs, has Walmart, Reese's peanut butter cups, real lemonade and gridiron football, etc.
But it seems to me that an entirely different language for most everything is probably a far greater practical barrier to overcome.
Yeah, Quebec drives on the right-hand side, uses the same electrical plugs, has Walmart, Reese's peanut butter cups, real lemonade and gridiron football, etc.
But it seems to me that an entirely different language for most everything is probably a far greater practical barrier to overcome.
I took system to mean how the province is run, but an electrical system is a system, and maybe driving, but the rest aren't a systems, they are cultural and one just a store.
Keep in mind that Montreal is officially French speaking while Australia is English, so not sure of your working situation you need to consider that.
Montreal would still feel more home to you due to Canada being close proximity to the U.S. and very similar system the feel and look even though Canada has a mix of European and American system.
Australia is more isolated and further away, drives on the left and very different from North America.
I would pick Montreal for permanent and Australia for short time.
Thanks so much for your response. I definitely have considered the factor of Montreal/Quebec being French-based. However, lots of jobs I'm seeing on Indeed Canada say French is a preference, not a requirement! I guess they're moving away from strict French-speaking requirements in lots of sectors. However, I'd also have no problem learning the language.
Yes, I've considered the distance of Australia...however, I don't have much tying me to the states as I barely have any friends here and I'm not on the best of terms with my family now. I'd have no issues with driving on the left.
Would you mind elaborating on some differences between Australia and North America? Thank you in advance.
I took system to mean how the province is run, but an electrical system is a system, and maybe driving, but the rest aren't a systems, they are cultural and one just a store.
I would not worry about Australia driving on the left, it is easy to adapt and we all do it frequently when overseas.
However the cities you mention, Adelaide and Brisbane both have higher unemployment than Sydney and Melbourne. I am not sure whether you qualify for a working holiday visa. But be warned, there is a strong push here to cut back on the migration quota because of the current pressure on the infrastructure in the main cities. The Prime Minister has been speaking about it this week.
So I would suggest that you start by investigating the type of visa you could get in each country, their cost and the employment situation. In Australia some visas give an entitlement to Medicare and others don't, requiring some sort of private medical insurance.
After reading your comment about higher UE in Adelaide/Brisbane and doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that Melbourne would be a great city for me to try out. Interesting point you bring up about the migration quota and pressure on infrastructure, thank you for bringing that up.
I definitely am eligible for a working holiday visa for both Canada and Australia. The only reuirment is that one is between the ages of 18-30 and can pay the visa application fee, as stated on the Australian immigration website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visa...rk-holiday-417. I have also read that it might be possible to obtain Medicare health coverage while under the 417 working holiday visa in Australia: https://www.travellers.com.au/plan-your-trip/medicare/.
Thanks so much for your input. Now it's a matter of me doing more research and making a final decision as to which country I'd like to (eventually) migrate to. Thanks again.
Why the insistence on Montreal, Quebec in Canada? It can be said that three quarters or more of Canada is English-speaking and there are tons of good cities big and small to live in in that part of the country.
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