cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/45605798
Australians love hopping over to Europe [and Europeans over to Australia] for a holiday, but actually moving there isn’t so easy, at least for now.
That could soon change, with the European Union offering to make it easier for Australians to live and work across the bloc as part of a long-awaited trade deal with Canberra, sources familiar with the proposal say.
The plan would make it simpler for Australians to take up work in EU member states without needing to secure employment beforehand, with the same rules applying to Europeans heading to Australia.
Four-year limits have reportedly been floated, along with potential settlement pathways, one European source said.
…
The Albanese Government is weighing the offer, with Australian officials noting it could help fill labour shortages in sectors with comparable training standards, such as construction.
NewsWire reports the initiative was presented as a “sweetener” to bring Canberra over the line on a free-trade agreement.
A majority of EU nations last week backed a trade deal with a five-member bloc in South America, ending 25 years of talks and fuelling optimism that an agreement with Australia could be next.
European insiders said a pact with Canberra now ranks as Brussels’ “top priority,” with one adding it was “the next cab off the rank.”
…
Huh, with the sheer volume of Aussie bartenders and waiters I’ve met here in Copenhagen I assumed there was already an open border agreement in place.
Happy to hear they’ll be free to bring more great banter from down under.
Even our Queen is from down under! :D
They often have families in the UK and are able to get a passport that way. When UK was in EU they could then travel and work in other countries.
Yeah we go backpacking and do work visas a lot. It’s not just a thing done here, a few of us like to do it as well.
I know a couple of Aussies working in Europe, ones on a travelling or working visa, the other’s mother is European entitling them to dual citizenship.