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Australia is becoming an increasingly popular destination for expats to work-from-home as Covid-19 and political unrest impacts office vacancies, housing opportunities and the global economy.
During April 46.6 per cent of people worked from home in the United Kingdom including 57.2 per cent of people living in London according to the Office for National Statistics.
In this time there was a 500 per cent increase in emigration-related searches in the UK according to Google data and Bankrate.
Remote work Australia also increased to 46 per cent during this period however boarder closures have made it increasing difficult for emigration and immigration alike.
Australian residents have instead looked outside of metropolitan areas for housing, with rental vacancies swinging in favour of regional areas.
Meanwhile political unrest in Hong Kong has led to Australia recently announcing extended visa options to students and skilled workers creating pathways to permanent residency.
Top countries for British expats
| Rank | Country | City Apartment Price (2bdrm, 84sq m in $AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada | $538,495 |
| 2 | USA | $383,055 |
| 3 | Australia | $700,317 |
| 4 | Ireland | $569,492 |
| 5 | Spain | $424,688 |
| 6 | New Zealand | $619,482 |
| 7 | France | $931,730 |
| 8 | Germany | $715,055 |
| 9 | Italy | $495,038 |
| 10 | Japan | $1,087,170 |
^Source: Bankrate
Ray White New Farm partner Matt Lancashire said there were already people in quarantine ready to move to and buy in the country.
“What I'm seeing is a lot of expats,” Lancashire said during a virtual property breakfast in Brisbane last week.
“Hong Kong started before Covid when the Hong Kong market started to crash, there's a lot of people coming back; either coming back to Sydney—or coming back to Brisbane.
“What I'm seeing now, is people coming back from the UK.”
Despite the increases in relocation searches UK city apartments were cheaper than Japan, France, Germany and Australia according to the Bankrate research.
UK properties were more expensive than New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Spain and the United States.
“The housing market ground to a halt in March, as a consequence of Covid-19 but since then, buying activity has picked up,” the Bankrate researchers said.
“In fact, according to Google trends, ‘relocation’ searches have spiked 500 per cent in the last 90 days.
“One factor driving this is the desire to work remotely with incentives like the 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp teasing Brits to make the jump.”
Rental prices have also dropped most European cities over the past year a trend also seen in Australian metropolitan regions.
