From work prospects to an educational adventure, there are many reasons why people choose to emigrate from India to Australia. And as of 2022, people from India are the second largest immigrant group moving to Australia.
Australia’s Changing Cultural Landscape
Australia is becoming increasingly diverse, with census data showing a nation of shifting demographics. In fact, more than 50% of Australian residents were either born in a different country or have at least one parent who immigrated in.
The data, released in June 2022, reveals that people from India are now the dominant migrant group, surpassing immigrants from the UK and New Zealand for the first time. It also shows that the number of Australians who identify as Christian has fallen below half, also for the first time, while the number of Hindus in the country has risen by 55%.
Why is Moving from India to Australia so Popular?
While every person migrating has their own reason for choosing to create a whole new life for themselves on foreign shores, there are a few reasons why Australia is so popular.
People from all around the world love to visit – or settle in – Australia for its climate, culture, impressive economic infrastructure, and unique wildlife and environment. India and Australia also share similarities as the two biggest democracies in the Asia-Pacific region, both having a free press and independent judicial system.
Some of the many added reasons (apart from a shared national love of cricket!) why Australia might be particularly appealing to people from India include:
The language – Many people in India are highly skilled or fluent in English, making those countries with English as the national language an attractive option to those planning a move overseas.
Excellent universities – Many people come from India to Australia to study thanks to its excellent reputation for further education. Attractive scholarship programs help sweeten the deal.
The COVID pandemic profoundly changed the student experience, but campuses around the world slowly but surely began to bounce back in 2022. Between late November 2021 – when the Australian Government announced the reopening of the country to international students – and March 18 2022, more than 28,000 Indian nationals lodged a student visa application.
Multiculturalism – From Melbourne’s thriving French community and the abundance of British expats to the rising number of people now identifying as indigenous, Australia is a melting pot of many cultures. Census data from June 2022 showed that over 27% of Australia’s population were born overseas.
One of the greatest impacts of this diversity combined with the easy availability of a wide range of fresh produce is the love of international cuisine which is shared by most Australians. Indian dishes are among the most popular and celebrated, but across cultures, people are able to enjoy almost any kind of food—at restaurants or at home.
Close national ties – Indian migration into Australia has increased in parallel to increased Australian investment in diplomatic resources in India, such as the Canberra consulate in Kolkata established in 2019. Recent years have also seen India become Australia’s seventh biggest trading partner and a closer security cooperation between the two countries.
Moving from India to Australia
Of course, in most cases, moving from India to Australia is not as easy as just jetting off into the Aussie sunset. For any stays longer than three months, you’ll need a visa, and, like many countries, Australia operates a points system for immigration. For students, a student visa is needed, but there are a number of scholarship programs that may be able to help.
You can find all you need to know about visas on Australia’s Home Affairs website.
Sending Money from Australia to India
If you’ve made the move to the “land down under,” you probably still have family and loved ones back in India. Maybe you’re even helping to support them from across the seas.
Whatever the reason, if you need to send money transfers from Australia to India, we’re here to help. Since 1871, we’ve been working to make it easy and reliable to send money across the globe, and every year millions of people trust Western Union to get their money where they need it to go.
It works great the other way too! Maybe you’re planning to head to Australia in the future or have a child going to university there. You can always send funds ahead to make settling in as easy as possible, with money ready and waiting in Australian dollars as soon as you or your loved ones arrive.
