Country Project

Selected Country: Australia

1. Rationale For Choosing The Country

The decision to select Australia for my project country is informed by several factors, including the United Nation’s declaration that Australia is the second-best country globally to live, because of its outstanding quality of life index. The country has a high quality of life expectation, greater access to education and high socioeconomic wellbeing, implying that a citizen from the first country such as the United States can still learn and even work in Australia (Thomas, Wakerman & Humphreys, 2015). Visa processing and approval process for qualified foreign citizens willing to enter and stay in the country also takes on average 18 months, which is fasters than other countries. Professional validation before issuance of the visa is also needed for several occupations, facilitating insertion into the country’s local labor market. International students with some educational level such as a diploma can get job opportunities in the country while advancing their career.

• Cultural Factors Considered When Making the Decision to Move to Australia

One of the cultural factors considered is the language. Language spoken in a country can significantly affect international students or any foreign visitor’s ability to interact and socialize with locals and get help when necessary. Australians speak Australian English which an American can understand even though it has some slight differences with American English. The second factor is cultural rules and religion. It is important to understand religious and cultural practices before deciding to move to a new country. In some societies, living with a partner without proof of marriage may be a challenge. Therefore, it is important know if any of your lifestyles may not be acceptable. Australia is a bit open in terms of culture and religion, though not like the United States, but good enough for a foreigner from an open society such as the US.

Reference

Thomas, S. L., Wakerman, J., & Humphreys, J. S. (2015). Ensuring equity of access to primary health care in rural and remote Australia-what core services should be locally available?. International journal for equity in health, 14(1), 1-8.