Australia is on the list of countries open to immigration. The state needs highly qualified personnel, so there are programs to attract labor resources from abroad. Businessmen also go to Australia who, for investments in the local economy, have a chance to obtain a residence permit in the country. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, about 170 Russian citizens move to Australia annually. According to the 2021 census, Russians in Australia numbered almost 85,000.
Historical reference
On February 18, 1804, a resident of Belarus, a Russian citizen John Pototsky, arrived in the Australian city of Hobart (Tasmania). He was arrested in Britain for theft and sentenced to hard labor on the island of Tasmania. It was he who was destined to become the first Russian to settle in Australia. In 1820, 4 Russian families already lived in Hobart, which consisted of former prisoners.
Historians identify 5 waves of Russian emigration to Australia:
- 1880-1905 - the flight of Russian-speaking Jews from persecution.
- 1905-1917 - migration of opponents of the monarchical regime in Russia, as well as deserters from the armed forces of the empire.
- 1917-1939 - the flight of representatives of the White movement.
- 1945-1960 - resettlement of displaced persons of Russian nationality from European camps who wanted to avoid deportation to the Soviet Union.
- 1990s - modernity - migration in search of jobs and for the purpose of doing business.
Talking about how many Russians live in Australia today, it should be noted that the above 85,000 people who declared their Russian roots in 2021 make up less than 0.5% of the population of this multinational continent.
How does Australia treat immigrants from the Russian Federation
The peculiarity of the Australian mentality is friendliness. There are no prejudices here either in relation to the average Russian immigrants.
True, many immigrants from Russia who moved to this state note in their reviews: in certain areas of Sydney and other large cities, where some of the nationalities predominate in number, it is difficult for Russians to find work.
Newcomers do not have problems with the police as long as they do not violate Australian laws. The attitude towards Russians among representatives of law enforcement agencies is objective, as well as towards immigrants from other states. In the country, in general, the police do not seek to stop passers-by without reason to check their documents.
Australia offers every law-abiding immigrant a chance to build a decent life. Only in the case of unwillingness to work or an overwhelming homesickness, life for Russians in Australia can turn out not in the best way.
Take a sociological survey!
Adaptation process of emigrants from Russia
The first step after arrival is to find temporary accommodation for yourself. It can be a room in a motel, hotel, Boarding House (in addition to a roof over your head, it additionally provides food). The budget option is a hostel or a hostel. Families with children can rent the Family Room.
If you do not want to look for housing on your own, you can enlist the help of non-profit organizations. For example, the Russian Charitable Society in Melbourne provides a hostel for emigrants from the Russian Federation and helps them settle in Australia during the first months after arrival.
Next, you need to open a personal bank account. Popular banks include Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ. To open an account, you will need a visa and passport.
After that, you can start looking for permanent housing. It is not recommended to immediately buy a house or apartment, even if there is enough money for this. It is better to familiarize yourself with real estate prices, find a job and choose a place to live nearby.
Another integral aspect of adaptation in Australian society is registration with government services. Each person who receives income in the country must have an individual taxpayer number - Tax File Number.
To obtain it, you should contact the Australian Taxation Office.
When exploring the question of how Russians live in Australia, it is important to mention that families with children are entitled to cash child support. To register and receive social benefits, you need to register with the Family Assistance Office.
It is not worth delaying the registration of the state medical insurance policy - Medicare. It is best to do this within a maximum of 10 days after arriving in Australia.
The state will reimburse the owner of the insurance for the costs of treatment in public medical institutions (except for dental, orthopedic, ophthalmological services), X-ray examinations, and blood tests.
Having settled in a new place, you can start looking for a kindergarten / school for children. To register a child in an educational institution, you must provide a visa, passport, certificate of residence, birth certificate of the child or a record about him in the foreign passport of one of the parents.
Public schools in Australia are free. Private tuition fees range from AU $ 2,000 to AU $ 13,000 per year.
Before entering school, children of immigrants take an English language test. With its help, it is determined whether the child needs to attend additional language courses. If the children do not know English at all, it is better to send them to one of the Russian-language schools.
Read about the structure of the Australian education system, language schools, cost and duration of education in the article "How to get education in Australia".
In the context of the topic of whether it is good for Russians to live in Australia, it is important to consider the prospects for employment.
Anyone who speaks only spoken English should not count on a qualified position at first. It is only as they learn the language and gain experience that employment opportunities will expand.
You can search for job advertisements in newspapers, on specialized sites. Resume must be sent in response to suitable vacancies. At the interview, employers most often ask about the applicant's previous experience, his knowledge, professional skills. Often they are also interested in what the applicant knows about the company in which he wants to get a job.
Those who want to move to live in Australia will not be superfluous to ask questions about wages and taxes, which are described in detail in the article "Taxes on income, property and wages in Australia".
Activities of the Russian diaspora
The Russian diaspora in Australia has weakened over the past several decades. This is due to the fact that now it consists mainly of the descendants of emigrants from the Russian Federation who were born and raised on the territory of the Green Continent. Most of them are not even familiar with Russian customs and traditions.
And those who move to Australia from Russia these days are mainly interested in improving their financial condition. A minimum of time is devoted to preserving their own national originality.
The Australian government does not impede the development of the Russian community. Cable television broadcasts Russian channels here, and the local TV channel SBS broadcasts the Vesti TV program 6 times a week. There are 3 Russian newspapers in the country, and there are Russian-language radio programs.
Russian communities in Australia hold meetings in clubs where representatives of the diaspora communicate, participate in entertainment events, and discuss news from their homeland.
In Melbourne there is a non-profit organization "Russian Charity Society", which provides emigrants from the Russian Federation with assistance in finding housing and work, and provides legal support. The society operates a parish school for children of immigrants from Russia; in the summer, cultural and entertainment events for young people are organized.
In which cities do emigrants from the Russian Federation live best?
Immigrants from Russia live in all regions of Australia. But their greatest concentration is noted in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide. These are the so-called Russian cities in Australia.
- According to unofficial data, over 25,000 emigrants from the Russian Federation live in Melbourne and its suburbs. There are entire Russian quarters in this city, in which exclusively the Russian-speaking population is concentrated.
- Between 20,000 and 25,000 Russians live in Sydney. Most of them are in the Bondi area. There are two Russian restaurants, a club for Russian-speaking Jews. There are 9 Orthodox churches in Sydney, most of whose parishioners are from the Russian Federation.
- About 20,000 Russians live in Brisbane. This city has a Russian-language school open on weekends, Russian shops and parishes, monuments to Prince Vladimir and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky have been erected.
- There are up to 15,000 emigrants from the Russian Federation in Adelaide. The club "Russian House", the Russian Center, which helps the citizens of Russia who have arrived in Australia, operate here. There is the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas.
Read about the features of life in the country, social security for residents of the state, the level of development of medicine and other important issues in the article "Australia: the life of ordinary people".
Summing up
As an afterword, let's list the pros and cons of living in Australia for Russians. So, the advantages include:
- high quality of life;
- excellent job opportunities, especially for people with higher education;
- cleanliness of big cities;
- quality medical care;
- the opportunity to settle in regions with a favorable climate (moderate continental, mild Mediterranean).
Among the disadvantages, it should be noted:
- high cost of housing;
- high taxes on personal income;
- high prices for goods and services;
- remote location from the rest of the continents, which makes travel home long and tiring;
- problems with fresh water.
Consider the strengths and weaknesses of life in this country when planning your move.
