We are proud to announce the second infographic of 2013 for 457 visa compared!
If your looking to compare countries to work in you should consider:
- Unemployment rate
- Wage potential
- Application/Moving costs
The above working visa infographic highlights that the UK is by far the most expensive when it comes to visa applications. This could be due to the strong pound (although it has weakened considerably over the past few years). Canada has the lowest visa application fee at just $150 which may highlight the countries focus to attract skilled migrants which are needed in their mining focused country. Its important to note that visa applications above are for individuals (not couples or families even though they may use the same application). Australia changed their rules in July 2013 where each individual is charged rather then just an application. This means that for a couple that they will bay twice the $900 fee (leading to a total of $1,800). Children also cost additional within Australia and can very by country. Its therefore important to understand your situation before weighing up the costs of each country’s application fees during a comparison scenario.
The average full-time wage was based on OECD figures. It looked at full-time workers only (not part-time and casual workers). This is why the figure is higher then what most individuals will be used to seeing but clearly highlights that Australia has the highest wages of the countries compared. The high wage number is a combination of a strong Australian dollar and mining boom that has increased some specialty wages exponentially. UK and the USA have some of the lowest wages in the developed countries compared which Canada is higher due to their own mining boom. Australia’s high wages are a key reason why not only many working professionals overseas are looking to move to Australia but also why many Australian expats working overseas have been moving home since the GFC.
Another key strength of Australia is their unemployment rate which at the time of this was 5.5%. This has fluctuated between 5.8% and 5.6% since which is still very low compared to other developed nations. the UK and the US have higher unemployment numbers due to the GFC which led those two countries in the prolonged period of recession. Both countries are now recovering which may change the dynamics of word-wide skilled migration. It should be noted that as of October 2013 the unemployment rate in the USA is 7.3% and in the UK its 7.7%. Canada has also decrease to 6.9%.
Naturally, there are a lot of other factors but this comparison is a good start. The full article that shows this comparison as well as focusing on other costs such as 457 visa health insurance can be viewed on this page. Australia has a lot to offer but the rising costs should be considered prior to your moved. There are plenty of government websites that document these costs, rises in inflation, GDP and other facts to work out cost of living.