“The UK was just so s***, with inflation and the move to far-right politics, I think people were just a bit done … Australia was a good answer to that,” says Izzy, a 29-year-old teacher who lived in Brisbane for a year and is now travelling across NZ.
This increase has partly been fuelled by a new free trade deal: the maximum age was raised from 30 to 35, the mandatory 88 days of gruelling graft on a rural farm was scrapped, and now young Brits can live in Australia for up to three years without having to meet any specified work requirements.
In 2024, nearly 50,000 people moved from the UK to Australia via a working holiday visa, up by 31,000 from the previous year.
Others are travelling for a long holiday or backpacking adventure, rather than making a more permanent move; 590,000 people from the UK enjoyed a vacay down under last year.
Nearly 50,000 people moved from the UK to Australia on a working holiday visa in 2024.
