The Travel / Living Abroad Thread

[Ronnie Jane Devo]

I didn't see a thread of this sort upon searching, and it's something I like to talk about, so here it is. Discuss any plans, experiences or advice you have on travel and/or living abroad.

To start with, I'm thinking of jumping ship from the U.S. around June, and the destination that's currently at the top of my list is Melbourne, Australia. My first choice would actually be somewhere in Europe, but it seems that most of Europe has really strict work permit policies and that it would be hard for an outsider with no connections to find a (legal) job there. Australia, on the other hand, has massive immigration, a fantastic unemployment rate, widely spoken English, and a pretty nice climate to boot.

The main catch I've seen so far is that Australia's immigration site says I have to take a skill assessment before I can apply for a work visa, and the fee for the assessment is $400.00 AUD. That's just friggin' nuts, especially if there's a chance that my visa app won't even be accepted, and I really have to wonder if that's what the majority of Australia's 100K+/year of immigrants go through in order to get into the country. Anyone over there have any knowledge/experience with that? Sounds like your government is making a killing off of immigrants.