The latest published CDC data shows that 8,882 new Melanoma cases were reported in NYC and Long Island, of whom, 1,015 died. In 2019 The Australian Community is working to reduce these deaths.
#KoalaGiving is The Australian Community’s charitable initiative where Australians have the opportunity to give back to the broader New York community. Since its inception, it has raised money for other charities including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Bowery Mission and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
For the past four years #KoalaGiving has raised money for MSKCC through Cycle for Survival. C4S has also served as a platform for The Australian Community to raise awareness of skin cancer. However, as C4S now focusses on funding rare cancers, and skin cancer is not a rare cancer, in 2019 we are raising money to directly fund our own #SlipSlopSlap campaign to save New York lives through skin cancer prevention, and screening for Melanoma.
According to the CDC, there were a total of 8,882 annual new cases of Melanoma diagnosed in NYC and Long Island, of whom, 1,015 died.
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for H.R. 7164; Legislation that would allow Irish citizens to take up any of the unused 10,500 E-3 visas annually allotted to Australians.
H.R. 7164 is the Bill that has passed Congress and is now before the U.S. Senate. Originally, the proposed Legislation allowed Irish citizens to compete directly against Australians for the 10,500 annual E-3 visas, but only after last minute negotiations, the Legislation was amended to Ireland picking up any unused E-3s in the following year.
On the surface, this may appear to be a win for the E-3 Hopeful Australian considering a move to the U.S., given the legislation preserves the annual 10,500 E-3 visas. However, a deeper analysis of Irish Immigration data reveals that like Neanderthal, the Australian E-3 Hopeful may be facing extinction, displaced by a more sophisticated species who is better adapted to finding work. Continue reading “Is the “E-3 Hopeful” Australian Job Seeker an Endangered Species?”
Lobbying by the Irish special envoy to the US, John Deasy, has culminated in draft legislation currently before the United States Congress that would have Australians and the Irish both competing for the E-3 visa!
An article published in the Irish Times on November 13 stated that hopes for additional US visas for Irish people was hit by a setback after the Republican Congress decided to defer a vote on the E-3 Legislation.
The article states: “under the current draft that has been brought to Congress, Ireland would compete with Australia for the 10,500 visas, rather than simply take up the unused quota.” Continue reading “Are the Irish entitled to the E-3 Visa?”
For a number of years we have been publishing data on Australian visas from the Department of Homeland Security. The information is released at different times of the year, and some remarkable data has recently come to light.
Given the growth in the number of Australians in New York and other large cities, a persistent question is how many Aussies are living in the US, and how many are just visiting?
The latest data from the DHS is shedding some light onto whether the Aussie sitting at the table next to you is likely to be a tourist, or on a work visa.
November 2018 marks the seventh anniversary of the founding of The Australian Community, and all of our members are invited to the celebration!
Members and guests are invited to attend this special evening at One Art Space located at 23 Warren Street, where they will also have the opportunity to mix and network with other professional Australians.
Beer, wine and alcohol will be served on the evening, so you must be 21 or older to attend.
A buffet of cheese and vegetarian snacks with also be provided.
Complimentary admission for Members and one guest.
Non-member admission is a suggested $20 donation per person. Please use the link below after you RSVP.
Visitors to this site will know that since 2017 we have featured a number of Australian cafés in our posts. Most are located in the City, but one Aussie Café is located in Upstate New York.
Considering this is the time of year when New Yorkers are preparing to head north on 87 to visit a tree farm or embark on a ski trip, we spoke with Anthea and Mark who opened Village Coffee and Goods in Kingston, NY.
Anthea White and Mark Palmer are accomplished musicians from Sydney, Australia, who have moved to Kingston by way of Brooklyn.
“If there is a better rate on International wire transfers, we have not seen it!”
Members of The Australian Community transfer millions of dollars every year for business and personal needs. Based on this volume, a preferred rate on International wire transfers has been negotiated with OFX.
According to New York State Law, once an Australian expat becomes a New York State resident, they have only 30 days to obtain a New York State driver license, as their Australian license is no longer valid.
Starting a family is a big step for any prospective Australian parent. Starting a family whilst living in the US, is going to add an additional layer of complexity – emotionally, legally and financially.
Before we drill down on this article, the topics covered clearly do not cover every scenario when it comes to starting a family in the US. There are a plethora of needs and wants when it comes to having a child. This article covers some of the basics, and is intended to frame some of the challenges you will face, as well as the conversations you need to discuss with your spouse and close family. Continue reading “Moving to the US for Aussies: Chapter 14”
In Chapter 3, we speak of the Expat Continuum. This is a similar model to one used by corporations to measure their Capability Maturity.
The Expat Continuum has five stages:
Basic
Reactive
Planned
Aligned
Integrated
A question was recently asked in a Facebook group that highlights the difference between an expat operating at Level 2 (Reactive) and another expat operating at Level 3 (Planned). Continue reading “Moving to the US for Aussies: Chapter 13”
The Top 5 Differences Australians Notice about New York.
One very famous Australian was quoted as saying “Imagine seven million people all wanting to live together. Yeah, New York must be the friendliest place on earth.”
Pre-conceptions notwithstanding, Australians who move to New York are constantly reminded of the multi faceted differences that separates Australia, and the city that never sleeps. Here are just five of those difference Australians quickly notice.
Join The Australian Community for our May 16th Social Gathering at Taproom #307.
It has been a few years since we last held a social gathering at Taproom 307, but it was one of our most popular. The location at 23rd Street and 3rd Avenue in Gramercy, which makes it geographically desirable for many members – including those in Brooklyn.
Taproom is known for its wide selection of beers on tap and great pub food.
You can RSVP using the link below. Cash Bar, No Cover.
Our monthly gatherings are an excellent opportunity to meet other professional Australians in NYC, share knowledge and make new friends.
In 1993, the Hon. P.J. Keating gave a eulogy for the Unknown Soldier that is regarded as one of the greatest speeches ever delivered by an Australian Prime Minister. Speaking to the ANZAC legend:
“It is a legend of free and independent spirits whose discipline derived less from military formalities and customs than from the bonds of mateship and the demands of necessity.”
The Australian Community Creative Challenge was first held in 2013 to recognize the diversity of Australian artistic talent living and working in the Greater New York area.
Everything you wanted to know about Expat Filing Requirements – but were afraid to ask!
Many Australians are still coming to grips with the US Tax Code as well as Expat filing requirements. You may feel confident in filing your first E-3 visa, but first time tax filers should seek an “Australian Friendly” US accountant to make sure you have all of your bases covered.
Over the past seven years, The Australian Community has connected over 5,800 Australians living in New York. We reached out to members who have returned home, and asked them to share their perspective on living in NYC and their transition back to Australia.
What advice would you give to Aussies contemplating the move to NYC?
Over the past seven years, The Australian Community has connected over 5,800 Australians living in New York. We reached out to members who have returned home, and asked them to share their perspective on living in NYC and their transition back to Australia.
Over the past seven years, The Australian Community has connected over 5,800 Australians living in New York. We reached out to members who have returned home, and asked them to share their perspective on living in NYC and the transition back to Australia.
Thank you to all of our Members and their guests who attended this event.
The evening featured a brief presentation from HSBC discussing the expat credit services, including home loans, available to our members. Currently our members are able to open bank accounts and access credit cards before they receive their social security number, and startbuilding a US credit score from Australia.
Through this new program, our members can now access HSBC’s expat mortgages, an important service for those members who may be considering selling their Australian property and reinvesting in the US before the proposed changes to Australian Capital Gains Tax that come into effect in June, 2019.
The Australian Community’s 2018 Creative Challenge art competition was also announced on the evening.
The Creative Challenge is an art competition open to Australian artists living in the Greater New York Area, and the entry can be in any medium of art that embodies Australia, Community and New York.
Click here to learn more and submit an entry in this year’s Creative Challenge.
The fact is that finding work in one of the most competitive cities on the planet is going to be a challenge for most Australians. Landing in a US city with a freshly minted EAD or Green Card is only a ticket to the big league.
If you go into the game without understanding the rules or having a game plan, you will quickly start to accumulate some very unnecessary scar tissue.
Members of the Australian Community have access to resources inside our Private Social Network to assist in the job hunt. They include our Employment and Mentoring Groups where they can make professional connections, access job resources and learn from the experience of other Australians.
In 1887 Oscar Wilde wrote: “We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.” This observation is very true for Australians who move to the US.
Firstly, Americans have a very different Language of Friendship which can be puzzling to an Australian. For example when two American women first meet they may positively remark on the other’s clothing, shoes or a pocket book (hand bag) to start a conversation.
“I have that exact same Birkin. Did you buy that here or Hermès in Paris?”
This does not necessarily reflect materialism, rather Americans will lead with visual cues in an attempt to create an instant connection with the other person on a socioeconomic level.
Australians on the other hand will look for common personal interests to connect. This requires conversation, and some Americans are not so comfortable in sharing personal information with a stranger. Continue reading “Moving to the US for Aussies: Chapter 6”
There are literally dozens of Australian businesses who have opened shop in New York. Some we know well, and others not so well.
We want our readers to learn about these businesses, where they are located, as well as share the personal stories of their owners.
We spoke with Mitch Kidd, one half of WellBuilt Co – an Australian Construction and Development company making waves in New York and the Tri State Area.
It was a sold out, star-studded, Black Tie event at Pier A that recognized the contributions of Australian performing artists Amanda Bishop, Marika Aubrey, Ben McHugh, Kaye Tuckerman, Nick Hardcastle and Jeremy Youett. Our Honorees were Stella Pulo and Sullivan Stapleton.
It was also great to see fellow Blindspotactor Luke Mitchell and his wife Rebecca Breeds stop by with Sully. World renowned Australian Classical Guitarist Rupert Boyd added a special touch to the evening with a live performance.
The guest list read like a who’s who of Australian performing artists!
Our monthly gatherings are always an opportunity to make new Australian friends and share your New York experiences, so on the evening of Wednesday December 13 we will be hosting a small gathering where members and guests are welcome.
December is a difficult time to organize after work drinks given the number of competing office Holiday parties that happen this time of year. However, what is more difficult is being away from family and friends in a newcity.
Our friends at Hole in the Wall's new café, which recently opened up on 15 Cliff Street in the Financial District, are opening up their doors for our members to gather together to share some Holiday cheer, and meet other Australians who are living in New York.
In addition to being a Café, the 15 Cliff Street location has a fully licensed bar so you have the choice of caffeinated or alcoholic drinks - not necessarily in that order!
An outside view of Hole in the Wall's Cliff Street location.
Space is very limited, so RSVP early as this event is likely to oversubscribe.
Details: No Cover - Cash Bar - Happy Hour Drink Specials - Snack Menu.
After a very positive response to our series of articles featuring Aussie Cafés in NYC, we are posting a series featuring Australian small businesses operating in New York.
We want our readers to learn about these businesses, where they are located, as well as share the personal stories of their owners.
We spoke with Aaron Cook, the Founder of Three Seat Espresso & Barber – a Barber Shop AND Café – located on Avenue A in New York City.
After a very positive response following a series of articles featuring Aussie Cafés in NYC, we will be posting a series featuring Australian small businesses operating in New York.
We want our readers to learn about these businesses, where they are located, as well as share the personal stories of their owners.
There has been a ton of recent press featuring Aussie cafés in NYC. Most feature either the highly successful coffee chains or those found only in NoLIta.
To highlight some of the other Aussie businesses in NYC, here is the third in a series of articles featuring Australian Cafépreneurs.
We want our readers to learn more about their Aussie owners, and what is unique about their businesses. We spoke with Adam Sobol who with his partner Sergio D’Auria opened Southern Cross Coffee located at 300 E 5th Street between 2nd and 1st Avenues.
There has been a ton of recent press featuring Aussie cafés in NYC. Most feature either the highly successful coffee chains or those found only in NoLIta.
To highlight some of the other Aussie businesses in NYC, here is the second in a series of articles featuring Australian Cafépreneurs.
We want our readers to learn more about their Aussie owners, and what is unique about their businesses. We spoke with Alastair McFarland who has recently opened Hutch and Waldo located at 347 E 81st @ 2nd Avenue.
There has been a ton of recent press featuring Aussie cafés in NYC. Most feature either the highly successful coffee chains or those found only in NoLIta.
To highlight some of the other Aussie businesses in NYC, here is the first in a series of articles featuring Australian Cafépreneurs.
We want our readers to learn more about their Aussie owners, and what is unique about their businesses. For our first location we sat down with Lee and Sid Chitnis, the owners and operators of Saltwater located at 345 E 12th Street between 2nd and 1st Avenues.
The fact is that finding work in one of the most competitive cities on the planet is going to be a challenge for most Australians.
Landing in a US city with a freshly minted J-1 or Green Card is only a ticket to the big league. If you go into the game without understanding the rules or having a game plan, you will quickly start to accumulate some very unnecessary scar tissue.
On Wednesday June 14, 2017 The Australian Community held a private networking event at Bluestone Lane’s DUMBO location in New York to record a video of the Top 10 Questions asked of The Australian Community.
Diving into the deepest end of the most shark infested pool on the planet may be no brainer when it comes to taking your career to the next level. However, without a social or professional lifeline, you are going to face some serious challenges.
The Australian Community is a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to connect Australians living in the US through social, professional and charitable initiatives.
Since the new Administration has signaled sweeping changes to the US’s policy on immigration, The Australian Community has been approached by many of its members who are concerned that the E3 visa may be abolished.
Clearly they are concerned about the potential economic and social impact that this will have on thousands of Australians living and working in the US.
In response to companies wishing to better connect with The Australian Community’s events, and expat services for their Australian employees, we have good news!
Our Corporate Membership classes promote closer engagement between sponsors and thousands of Australians in the US. We also provide bespoke in-house seminars to educate Australian employees on overcoming the challenges facing expats living in the US.
If you are not familiar with Shark Tank, the TV show features Entrepreneurs pitching highly successful business owners on why they should invest in their company.
Theoretically speaking, if you could successfully pitch the Sharks on the value proposition of our organization to Australian Ex-pats, then attracting new members to join The Australian Community should be a no-brainer.
It was a packed house with members attending an exclusive networking event and private shopping experience at Microsoft’s Flagship Store on Fifth Avenue.
In January 2016, The Australian Community officially launched its Private Enterprise Social Network powered by Yammer at the Microsoft Store. Since then, our Yammer Network has grown to the largest Australian private network in North America and contains a searchable knowledgebase built on the experiences of over 5,000 members who have connected with our organization since 2011.
According to the latest US Department of Homeland Security statistics, 3,239 Australians obtained legal permanent residency in 2016, and another 5,609 obtained E-3 visas.
One of the main challenges facing these and thousands of Australian expats every year is how to access US credit without a US Credit Score.
If you are an Australian in New York City and you are seeking full time employment, we may have good news!
After our recent article on the challenges Australian Job Seekers would have faced if H.R. 7164 passed the Senate, a decision has been made to broaden our existing Community Job Fair to include ALL Australians who are seeking work in NYC.
H.R. 7164 was Legislation that would have allowed Irish citizens to access any unused E-3 visas in the following year. It was unanimously passed by the Lower House, but failed to pass solely on one Senator’s concerns. The challenge for Australia is that n E-3 Hopefuls is that there would have been will be the flood of new Irish job seekers, especially into NYC, who would be competing for the same ex-pat jobs as Australians, on the same visa.
As the article outlines, the Irish are far better adapted to finding work, and may well displace thousands of Australian job seekers each year.
Due to the limited personnel and financial resources of our non-profit, our current Job Fair (Version 2.0) is only open to members of our organization. However, by extending some of its components to all Australian job seekers in NYC, we can raise the number of Australians who successfully find work, and thereby mitigate the number of E-3 visas that go unused.
New E-3 visas have peaked in recent years at less than 6,000, leaving 4,500 E-3 available to Irish citizens if the Legislation passes.
In spite of receiving zero financial aid from the Australian Government, our non-profit provides expat services to tens of thousands of Australian citizens here in the U.S. Our new website has received more than 100,000 visits in the past year alone. It is only through the support of handful of sponsors and volunteers, and the small amount of funding we raise through memberships, that we can continue our Mission to assist Australians living in the U.S.
As there is no available budget for v3.0, a scaled down Community Job Fair v2.5 will be funded by a percentage of money we raise at our #OzDayNYC Black Tie Awards on January 26, 2019, as well as combining employment initiatives with scheduled member professional events.
v2.5 will launch early in the New Year so that all Australians in New York will be given the best opportunity in finding work through support of our non-profit organization.
The first step in the process will be registering with our Employment Database through a new form on our website. Job seekers will submit basic information including a link to their LinkedIn profile. Fields will include Industry so that we can quickly connect “Australian Friendly” recruiters and employers with lists of prospective candidates.
In addition to our quarterly Networking events, The Australian Community will be hosting regular employment seminars in Midtown where Subject Matter Experts on finding work will be invited to share end-to-end knowledge from resume writing to the E-3 process itself. Internal and external recruiters will be invited to these meetings.
Even after finding work, thousands of Australians have had an E-3 visa denied, many, simply due to bad paperwork.
For members of our private Yammer social network, we will also be proactively approaching internal recruiters and corporations who have Australian employees, and allowing them to directly post jobs to our Employment group. Videos and content from our seminars will also be posted to the Employment Group, for those who may not be able to attend, and to preserve knowledge for new members.
Our private social network works like all public social media. You can ask questions, post comments, Like, add #hashtags and there is even an instant message feature where you can connect with other members; but all member information and resources are private.
Finding work ultimately depends on your experience, your resume and how quickly you build relationships with recruiters and individuals who will make introductions to employers on your behalf. Understanding the interview process in the U.S. is also a challenge for many Australians, and we can assist with that as well.
The statistics tell us that there are more than enough Australian job seekers in the U.S. to fill the 10,500 annual E-3 quota, they just need to be better at finding work – and our Community Job Fair v2.5 is designed to do exactly that.
We can provide great resources and tools for Australians who are looking for work, but these resources only account for a percentage of the effort required to find employment: It is ultimately up to the individual and her or his motivation to seek work on a daily basis.
As soon as our Community Job Fair v2.5 is launched in early 2019, we will be posting the registration link on our Facebook page, Twitter and our LinkedIn company page.
We are confident that this charitable initiative will assist more Australian pursue their dream of living and working in the U.S. Expanding this initiative to other major cities in California, Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida is simply a question of funding.
NY and CA lead the states with the most number of E-3 workers, with TX, WA, IL, FL (and MA) also representing significant numbers.
If you are not a member of The Australian Community, you can click here to learn more about our member services.
About The Australian Community
The Australian Community is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity and its Mission is to connect Australian living in the United States through social. professional and charitable initiatives.
All contributions are fully tax deductible under Section 170 of the IRS Code. The Australian Community is also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code.
