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Move to Australia or New Zealand from the UK? Six differences that could decide it

Tips · 2026-10-22 · 10 min read

If you are deciding whether to move to Australia or New Zealand from the UK, the choice for most workers comes down to which country has an employer ready to hire you, because the main work routes in both are employer-led: Australia's Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and New Zealand's Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). After that, the practical differences are smaller than people expect. Both run working holiday schemes for younger Brits, both let you drive on a UK licence for a while, both have partial reciprocal health cover, both recognise dual citizenship, and in neither does your UK State Pension rise each year.

This side-by-side is for people anywhere in the UK, whether you are a chippy in Belfast, a chef in Manchester or an engineer in Edinburgh, who want the differences in one place before spending money on applications. It is general information, not advice on your own case.

Australia and New Zealand side by side

Sponsored work: the 482 and the AEWV

Home Affairs describes the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) as a temporary visa that lets an employer sponsor a suitably skilled worker for a position it cannot fill with a suitably skilled Australian. You need at least 1 year of relevant work experience gained within the last 5 years, you can work only for your sponsor in the nominated occupation, and the visa runs for up to 4 years. Partners and dependent children can be included, and the employer may later be able to sponsor you for permanent residence through the subclass 186 visa.

One point in your favour: UK passport holders are exempt from the 482 English test. Our full guide to the 482 visa for people moving from the UK covers the streams and costs.

New Zealand's Accredited Employer Work Visa starts with the employer too. The job offer must be for at least 30 hours a week, from an accredited employer with an approved job check, paid at least the market rate. You need 2 years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand framework, in the same field. INZ lists the visa from NZD $1540, and our AEWV guide for UK applicants explains each step.

Tradespeople should look at the trade rules as well as the visa. For Australia, Trades Recognition Australia lists the UK on its offshore assessment programme for trades such as chef, baker, hairdresser and fitter-welder, and every electrician and plumber needs an assessment through that programme unless applying for a 482 or 485 visa. In New Zealand, electrical workers register with the Electrical Workers Registration Board, and restricted plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work needs a New Zealand licence.

Working holidays: the gap year option

If you are under the age cut-off, a working holiday can be a lower-commitment way to test a country. Australia's arrangements for UK passport holders are generous: Home Affairs' page on arrangements for UK passport holders says the age range has been 18 to 35 since 1 July 2023, and that from 1 July 2024 you can be granted up to three Working Holiday visas without doing specified work. You must apply before midnight on the day before your 36th birthday. The six-month limit with one employer still applies.

For New Zealand, a Home Office news story of 29 June 2023 said the age limit was rising from 30 to 35 and that Brits could work throughout a stay of up to 3 years. INZ's own conditions change, so check its UK Working Holiday Visa page before you plan. For background on how Australia's wider scheme is shifting, see our piece on the working holiday ballot debate.

Day-to-day life: driving and health cover

Driving. gov.uk's Living in New Zealand guide says you can drive there on your UK licence for up to 18 months for cars and 12 months for motorbikes or trucks, after which you convert to a New Zealand licence. In Australia the rules sit with each state. NSW lists the UK as a recognised country, so a current UK car licence can be swapped for a NSW one without knowledge or driving tests, though heavy vehicle licences get no exemption. A visitor can drive in NSW on an overseas licence for up to six months, but someone who arrived on or after 1 July 2023 and stays longer must switch within six months.

Health cover. Services Australia says visitors from the UK may get Medicare care under the reciprocal agreement if they were living in the UK before arriving. It covers medically necessary care out of hospital and as a public patient in a public hospital, plus some PBS medicines, and it ends when your visa expires. You still pay for most GP surgeries, ambulance travel and dental care. In New Zealand the agreement gives some cover for UK citizens visiting for up to 2 years, including emergency treatment in a public hospital. On a 482 visa, adequate health insurance is a visa condition whatever the agreement covers.

The long view: pensions and passports

If you might settle for good, two rules apply equally. Your UK State Pension will not get yearly increases while you live in either country: Australia is not on DWP's list, and New Zealand's social security agreement with the UK does not allow increases. And both countries recognise dual citizenship, so becoming Australian or a New Zealander does not mean giving up your British passport, although British-Australian dual nationals must enter and leave Australia on their Australian one.

Plenty of people do move between the two. Our look at what returning Kiwis can tell UK workers is a useful read if you are torn.

How to decide, in order

1. Start with your job. Check whether your trade needs a skills assessment in Australia or registration in New Zealand, and whether employers in your field sponsor.
2. Check your age. If you are under 36, a working holiday may let you try a country before committing.
3. Find the employer. Look for an Australian sponsor or a New Zealand accredited employer; roles such as this carpenter job in Christchurch or this chef job in Brisbane show what is being advertised.
4. Prepare your application. Build AI CV can help you turn a UK CV into one employers abroad can read quickly, and SelfIntroVideo helps you record a short self-introduction video, a simple way to stand out when you apply from overseas.
5. Plan cover and transport. Budget for health insurance and for converting your licence on time.
6. Think about the long term. Factor in the State Pension freeze and dual citizenship before you decide where to settle.

Tradespeople weighing New Zealand can also read why UK tradespeople are looking hard at New Zealand.

Common mistakes Brits make when comparing the two

• Treating a visitor entry as a work permit. Australia's eVisitor is not a work visa, and the FCDO says you need a visa to work in New Zealand, not just an NZeTA.
• Choosing the country before the job. Both main routes need an employer, so the employer usually decides the country.
• Paying for a job offer. INZ will decline an AEWV if money was offered to an employer for a job offer, and Australia bars paying for visa sponsorship.
• Leaning on reciprocal healthcare. It is partial, aimed at visitors, and leaves GP, ambulance and dental bills in Australia to you.
• Driving too long on a UK licence. NSW and New Zealand both set time limits before you must switch.
• Assuming New Zealand's pension agreement means increases. It does not.

Frequently asked questions

Is it easier for UK workers to get a work visa for Australia or New Zealand?

Neither is simply easier, because both main routes depend on an employer. Australia's Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) needs a sponsoring employer, and New Zealand's Accredited Employer Work Visa needs a job offer from an accredited employer. Your occupation, experience and the employers hiring in it matter more than the country.

Can someone from the UK do a working holiday in both countries?

Australia's Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) is open to UK passport holders aged 18 to 35 at the time of application. For New Zealand, a Home Office announcement in June 2023 said the age limit was rising to 35 with work allowed throughout a stay of up to 3 years; check Immigration New Zealand's UK Working Holiday Visa page for the current rules.

Can I drive in Australia or New Zealand on my UK licence?

In New Zealand, gov.uk says you can drive on a UK licence for up to 18 months for cars and 12 months for motorbikes or trucks, then convert. In Australia the process varies by state: NSW and Queensland both list the UK as a recognised country, so car licence holders can usually swap without knowledge or driving tests.

Does the UK reciprocal healthcare agreement cover me if I move?

Only partly, and it is aimed at visitors. In Australia it covers some Medicare care for people who were living in the UK before arriving, ending when the visa expires. In New Zealand it gives some cover for UK citizens visiting for up to 2 years. Neither replaces private health insurance where a visa requires it.

Do I have to give up British citizenship to become Australian or a New Zealander?

No. gov.uk says both Australia and New Zealand recognise dual citizenship, so you do not have to renounce British citizenship. If you become a British-Australian dual national, the FCDO says you must leave and enter Australia on your Australian passport.

Last checked: 22 October 2026 against the official pages linked above.

Key takeaways

• Both countries' main work routes, the 482 and the AEWV, start with an employer.
• UK passport holders are exempt from the 482 English test.
• Australia's 417 is open to UK citizens aged 18 to 35, with up to three visas and no specified work.
• Driving and health cover rules differ in detail, but both are temporary or partial.
• Neither country gets UK State Pension increases, and both recognise dual citizenship.

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