A comparison of the classic, English-speaking immigration countries. Let’s also include New Zealand.
I have lived in all of these for several years, with the exception of Australia, in which I have taken a passionate interest though for decades.
If you are a well-educated, young person and most likely male, of some substantial means, with a clear business vision and full visa clearance for the country in question, all of these can be great.
If I had two million dollars and a dream of opening a restaurant, that would work brilliantly in all of these countries. Another option would be to work with the countries’ skills shortage lists, to see where your qualifications would find traction.
But not many immigrants have these possibilities.
Therefore, I will try to model the perfect immigrant profile for each of these countries.
USA: The place to be if you are an MD, a famous actor, or a highly qualified specialist. It used to be my dream to work in the car design industry in some leadership position, somewhere in California. A life like that, for a capable, driven, young professional is perhaps the only good reason to go to the US. It may still pan out for a woman with these qualities, but I would never choose the US without high qualifications, or to live family life. Health insurance is expensive, but the standards are worldclass. University tuition is incredibly high. What I loved about living in the US was the feeling of abundance. You can buy anything, experience climates and landscapes that represent the rest of the world, and feel like a bigshot driving around in V8 vehicles you can pick up for pennies. If you are young and strong, the US are a drug.
Australia: It used to be a great choice for skilled people with high flexibility, but it seems to me that the real estate prices are beginning to make it next to impossible for anyone who doesn’t earn really well to ever own their own place. For me, this would be a tremendous deterrent, and it is the reason why I have declined job offers in Australia in the past. It still is a good place to have a family – if you can afford the associated costs, which are lower than in the US, but not nonexistant. Health insurance is universal, with cost varying by region. University tuition is high. What I enjoy about Australia is the exoticism, the vastness, and the humour, as well as the incredibly upbeat, Australian mentality. You can be very happy in Australia.
New Zealand: this place only makes sense for immigrants in combination with a firm, permanent job offer at a notable organisation operating within a foreseeable longterm need for your professional profile on the official skills shortage list. Such as MD, nurse, carer, physiotherapist. That’s because employment opportunities are highly limited, and rarely robust in the longterm. If you are a successful researcher, professor, or lecturer with a long track record and experience working in a place similar to NZ, you could make it. But the idea of “giving it a go as a chef or mechanic” for example can set you up for a life of lots of ups and downs. If you have children, NZ is great for them – but beware that good schools will cost you. Health insurance is free for all. University tuition is lower than in Australia. What I loved about living in New Zealand was the ease of access to absolutely mindboggling landscapes and nature.
Canada: Basically a situation like in New Zealand. Health insurance is universal. University tuition is not exactly affordable, but cheaper than in the others. I think if the Teletubbies had a nationality, they would be Canadian. The place is warm and fuzzy through and through, despite actually being cold and full of pine trees.
UK: This is one place where you can actually exist at just about any level of demographic development you may have achieved. You do not need to earn a lot in the UK to possibly own a house, a car, and go on holidays. My neighbours in Warrington, Manchester, and Nottingham owned their semi detached homes, and were bus drivers, digger operators, and cabbies. Medical treatment is free at point of delivery, and I always felt in good hands with the NHS. University tuition is higher than in Canada, but the reality of the game is that the repayment of student loans is lenient, and many do not have to pay them off completely. The UK can feel like a rougher place than the above, but they do actually perform better than you might think.
Personally, I would choose the UK again, out of all of the above. I have moved there twice before, spending many years, and I have come to trust the UK over the others.
Besides, it is simply the most complex, intellectually stimulating, and romantic of all of these. I have fallen in love with the UK more and more throughout my life, by living there. I think that says a lot about the place.
