Brits will be able to move to Australia more easily and for longer under new rules poised to be introduced.
Young UK passport holders will be able to head Down Under for three rather than two years, with the upper age bracket increased from 30 to 35-years-old.
Those who make the journey will no longer need to do ‘regional work’ for three to six months, meaning to no more trooping off into the Out Back for stints on cattle ranches, kangaroo paddocks or koala sanctuaries.
Instead Brits will be able to work in the tourism and hospitality sectors instead, meaning they can swap birthing calves for working behind a bar or in a hotel lobby.
The only catch is the new rules - which were agreed between the Australian and UK governments two years ago - are yet to come into force, and it's unclear when they will.
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One traveller in particular who has been left in an uncertain position is Charlotte Whelan from Leeds. She arrived in Australia in 2019, before having to return home in less than a year due to the pandemic.
Now 35, she is older than the current upper age limit and - unsure when the new law will kick in - she doesn’t know what to do
Charlotte told Welcome to Travel: “I ended up falling in love with the place right away and staying for eight months.”
Bush fires on the East Coast curtailed Charlotte’s plans to go travelling around the area. Instead, she remained in Melbourne where she settled and worked while waiting for the situation to calm down.
Then, Covid hit. As borders were closing around her, she made the tough decision to return to the UK to be with her loved ones.
Charlotte said: “It wasn’t an easy decision. I panicked and thought: what’s really important? My family.
"And I thought, ‘God forbid; if anything happens to my family and I couldn’t get home - I would never forgive myself!’ And so with that, I booked a flight home.”
However, at 32-years-old, Charlotte had already exceeded the upper age limit of the working holiday visa programme.
“From the first time I went to Australia, I knew that this was my last chance. Ever since my second day there, I’ve been trying to look for loopholes that would allow me to work and live in the country regardless of age," she said.
"So much so that for the last 10 years, all I have ever done is apply for Team Leader roles to possibly try and get a skilled visa.”
Since returning to the UK, Charlotte has been working hard and saving as much as she can in the hopes of returning to Australia to the life she loved.
“I was 31 when I was living my best life in Australia and am now 35. My life is very different now because of the bushfires, Covid and the age restrictions on the WHM visa," she said.
"It’s certainly been a bitter pill to swallow.
“I have been checking in on (the new visa) every single day since it was announced. It’s frustrating that they’ve agreed to it but it could be any time between now and 17/12/23 - I am just counting down the days."
“It’s like dangling the carrot. A lot can change in a person’s life in just 24 hours. Let alone between now and December."
Other Brits have also been speaking of making the move to Australia recently. Aoibhín Bradley, 27, decided to turn her back on the NHS and find a job in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and now earns £1,000 more a month than she would in the UK.
The young Brit has been a doctor for three years and worked on the frontline during the Covid pandemic. She often worked three hours past her end time but only took home £2.1k-a-month based on a 48.5-hour week.
Now, she earns $6,000 AUSD a month - £3,202.53 - for a 36-hour a week and Aussie doctors are paid a double rate if they stay late and for Sundays.
Aoibhín said: "I have absolutely no reason to go home – apart from my family not being here. Here people love their job. Life out here is different. It's better. Everyone is happy."
