Moving to America from Australia: The Book

Moving to America from Australia is a huge decision for Aussies. Our book Moving to the US for Aussies is the culmination of years of knowledge captured from the collective experiences of thousands of Australian members of our non-profit organization.

Moving to the US for Aussies is designed to assist Aussies moving to America from Australia to gain an insight into ex-pat life in the USA.

Firstly, our AI Assistant, Joey, connects you to the largest private Australian knowledge base in North America. If you would like more information on The Australian Community or join our organization.

Breaking the Cycle of Reinventing the Ex-Pat Wheel 

Moving to the US for Aussies encompasses the collective ex-pat knowledge of our organization and is intended to provide valuable knowledge for moving to America from Australia.

Given Australians are moving to New York from Australia in numbers, many chapters cover tips for Australians in New York.  However, chapters on U.S. Tax, Immigration, Employment, Health Insurance, Housing, Driver’s Licenses, and other ex-pat challenges provide important information, no matter where Australians live in the United States.

Australians culturally tend to dive in the deep end fearlessly, but the U.S. is a vast shark-infested pool, so this book will at least teach you how to swim!

Learning from those who have gone before!

Long before the inception of our organization in 2011, there was a culture of every Aussie in the U.S. for themselves.  Independently, Australians would go about overcoming the challenges they faced in day-to-day living, and hopefully, they did not accumulate too much unnecessary scar tissue along the way.

Then after their “tour” of [Insert US City], they would return to Australia, taking with them all of that knowledge and experience – and leaving the next Australian to go through the same process!

Before Moving to America from Australia

Let’s not get off on the wrong foot, so the first order of business is to clarify what we mean by “Moving to the U.S.”.

As we discuss in a later chapter, an important distinction between an Australian on a Green Card or an Immigrant Visa such as an H-1B and those who are on Nonimmigrant and Tourist visas.

Green Card holders are Legal Permanent Residents, and Immigrant visas allow the holder to have what is known as Dual Intent. That is, they can be on a visa AND have an intent to stay in the U.S.

For everyone else, unless you can clearly demonstrate that you have the intent to return home, you intend to adhere to the conditions of your visa, or if you have some legal or immigration skeletons in the closet, you may well find yourself on the next flight back to your original destination.

Under an Administration that is hardening existing Immigration Laws and creating policies to protect its borders further, Aussies on non-immigrant visas need to have well-prepared paperwork and clearly articulate their intentions of returning home and arriving at a U.S. border.

It is also important to note that changing your visa status within 90 days of arriving in the U.S. can be interpreted as “misrepresentation.”  This would be applicable if you married a U.S. citizen and applied for a Green Card, i.e., a change of status.  This is very different from leaving the USA after a visit on an ESTA or B-1,2 visa, successfully applying for an E-3 visa, and returning on a new E-3 visa within 90 days.

Having stated that, and for the record, with the exceptions of Green Card holders or Aussies on Immigrant visas, “Moving” in the context of this book means having a finite stay in the U.S. on a non-immigrant work visa, all of the time intending to return to Australia.

Moving to America from Australia – Keeping it Brief

If we documented ALL of the challenges Australians face when moving to America from Australia, this document would look like a set of encyclopedias. Understanding the US tax system alone could fill several volumes.

Further, addressing everyday challenges such as where to get Broadway tickets or where to find Aussie products or coffee shops could fill four or five chapters alone. These topics have been well documented in hundreds of blogs and news articles—some of them on this website—so a quick Google search will get you your answer in less than a second!

In 2016, we launched our own Private Social Network leveraging Microsoft Yammer. It contains the largest private Australian knowledge base in the U.S., with more than three dozen communities containing the collective wisdom of our members through conversations on topics ranging from Accounting to Visas.

This knowledge base is now accessible through our AI Volunteer, Joey.

Joey connects Australians to knowledge in Real-Time

Books and social channels are great references. However, you cannot ask them a question in real-time.  Joey can answer questions and connect you to “Australian Friendly” professionals who offer recruiting, taxation, legal, immigration, and other important business services in areas where you may need assistance now or further down the road.  These professionals have a track record of assisting our members.

Moving to the US for Aussies outlines how to overcome some of the more common challenges of moving to America from Australia. Our AI Volunteer, Joey, gives you access to the collective knowledge of other Australians living in America.

Caution!

Do not believe everything you read on social media. Much of what is out there in the blogosphere is hearsay. Further, what may have worked for one, may not work for another. If you follow bad advice, you could be denied a visa and or entry into the US.

Be wary of what you post on social media. It is now quite common for Australians to be denied visas, as well as entry into the US, based on posts that indicate Immigrant intent including posts seeking work! 

Our recommendation is always to seek professional advice in any matter that effect your Health, Finances, and Liberty (HFL) and not seek the consensus of social media.

You can follow the links below to read more, and we encourage you to explore the other articles on this website. To receive the full benefits of membership, including access to our private social network, you can Join the Australian Community.