Since we returned from a holiday in Australia six weeks ago, we have seriously been considering migrating there. In an attempt to find out what it is really like we have been perusing this site and its threads for quite a while. Of interest is what people feel Australia is really like and the reasons for leaving and staying. Depending on what forum you are in, the mood is either upbeat or quite negative which just adds to the confusion. So, I thought the following statistics might shed some light on the situation:

In 2002, 359,000 people left the UK, of which 91,000 were UK born (representing 25% of those that left). Of those 91,000, 12,508 went to Australia. In 2002, 50,463 people left Australia of which 25,578 were Australian born (representing 50.68% of those that left) and 3,928 were UK born (representing 7.78%). There is no question that more Britons are leaving the UK than Australians are leaving Australia (65,422 more) and that less Britons are leaving Australia, so the question is:

Do the australians feel that the world offers greener pastures and people from the UK (and others) believe that Australia is the greener pasture?

Incidentally, in 2002 migration into the UK was 513,000 and into Australia 93,914. If you take into account the people that left, it still means that the UK had 154,000 more people and Australia only had 43,451 more. Is this because people want to live in the UK, or that other countries have more lax immigration laws?

Through our research, we have decided that 91,000 Britons cannot be wrong, and especially if you take those that go to Australia, vs those that leave, so have decided to make the move. We will be instructing our agent on Monday.

It will be interesting to see your views

Welcome to the forum. Personally I found that as much as I tried to make the decision logically over several months I just couldn't reach a conclusion. In the end I had to result to gut feeling. Paralysis by analysis I think is the appropriate phrase for where I got to.

I think you are right, but I thought the figures were interesting. Our gut feel has definitely been what has driven us. We have family over there as well and that definitely makes the move easier (though not leaving the family here behind!! )

I am Australian and left Australia because of a my future husband (he being British). I have been in the Uk for 5 1/2 years... We decided about a year or so ago that we should consider returning to Australia to live, as we could have a different life out there.. so we're going in 7 weeks time....

I tend to agree with the "go with your gut" approach. We had a holiday in australia last year and came away with so many positives that we are now genuinely trying to go.

We are less naiive than some and this will be our second move (we left England for Germany five years ago), but already its starting to get exciting.

I just go where the grass is greener, Aussie is next, got a good feeling about this one.

Make the move in April 05

Yeeeeeeeeehhhaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!

Yep - at the end of the day you have to go with what your heart's telling you and not your head. I think the people that succeed are the ones who embrace their new country's differences and spend more time making a new and better life than constantly comparing it their old one.

Think to yourself that every day is your last; the hour to which you do not look forward will come as a welcome surprise.
Horace (65 BC - 8 BC), Epistles

As long as you don't go to Australia because you believe that you will have none of the problems you experience in the UK that is a good start. Also I would recommend making sure that for at least the first couple of years you are able to make the move back easily from a financial perspective as it seems a hell of a lot of you don't last the distance out there.

Mine is - DONT bother with an agent. If you are prepared to do this research just to make up your mind the application process will not phase you that much. Unless you can spare 2/3k- do it yourelf Good luck

Almost everybody thinks the grass is greener elsewhere. But don't base your future on stats would be my advice!

The grass is much greener in the Uk because it actually rains over there
more then once every three months.

Dont think using stats is gonna make much of a difference. Think about current population sizes also.

Each case is individual (as you can tell on this web site).

Personally its a throw of the following

Standard of living / Potential improved career ability based on experience I already have gained (Though working standards are v.different - working in larger city (sydney).
Potential to live in a country & also travel within. Not seek holidays abroad.
Weather during the year (can you take 40degree heat / Cold 0 Degree - which do you prefer for potentially months at a time).
Enjoying my time away from work, play more sports apart from Football in UK.
The ability to have both - take a break from a career in UK with the ability to come back to similar standard of living if life doesnt pan out in Oz.
Chance to have to get out of coasting through life at the moment with same friends/ family - makes a challenge to try to work/live in different environment.
Previous experience of enjoying lifestyle & realising the pros/cons of both countries.
Also from watching programmes/reading about it as a kid & promising myself that if the opportunity occured that I would take it & live there. (not much to base it on but true none the less)

I agree with having the basis of being able to come back to the life you had in UK, personally this takes less pressure on me whilst also knowing that I dont really want to call on it.

In my experience It is far easier to get into the UK than Australia if you take into accounts, working holiday visas and ancestral visas etc

I reckon if they stopped giving Young Aussies working holiday Visa's to the UK the number of Brits moving here would drop off a cliff!

I was all happy going about my London life until this sexy Aussie Chic came into my life! :-)

Of course, best change of direction I ever had!

I reckon its part of their immigration plan!

Deploy surplus wenches to China instead?