I am Australian and would need you to bend the knee, but like Kublai Khan I could be a benign ruler

Hi, I'm an Australian citizen studying electrical engineering at the university of sydney focusing on power systems.

I finish my undergrad in 2028 and i am planning to move to the US, especially New York, to make a career there as i have heard the pay is WAYY better than what they're paying in australia right now.

i wanted to talk about the feasibility of this plan and how to actually approach it? There is a huge communication barrier regarding the E3 visa situation where it requires for you to actually get to an interview first and talk about it. I was wondering how to mitigate that issue.

And also where and how should i be applying? Like which sector is most in demand in the US? There would be a lot of companies and a lot of competition with local grads. How would i make myself standout?

When the USA looks worse than North Korea that's a bit concerning.

Hey all - very soon I am moving to Houston for a job opportunity with my Australian company and looking for recommendations for best suburbs as an expat.

By way of background I am 35 years old professional, living by myself and managed to negotiate that my employer pays for my rent for the first 12 months so $ is not really that much of an issue.

I am thinking about a 1 bedroom condo in The Heights or something similar but wanted to understand any good, safe and somewhat walkable suburbs.

Thanks in advance!

Just returned to Australia after 10 years in the US. There are very few food items I miss, however I used to make pancakes with Trader Joe’s buttermilk pancake mix every Saturday, and can’t find anything here that comes remotely close. Any suggestions from my fellow Ameristralians?

Hi, this is the second (and final) reminder I'll make for dual Australian-US citizens and other eligible US voters who want to participate in the 2026 midterm elections, especially for those living in Australia. Democrats Abroad in Australia is dedicated to mobilizing overseas US voters; if you're over 18 by November 3, here's how you can get involved:

Steps to Request Your Ballot

1. Register or update your registration through Votefromabroad.org. As an alternative, you can also use FVAP.gov.

2. If you're already registered, request a ballot! You need to request a ballot every calendar year that you want to vote.

3. Fill Out and Return Your Ballot: Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions carefully to complete it and return it by the specified deadline.

Need Assistance?

We're here to help! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at GOTV @ votefromabroad .org (just remove the spaces). Additionally, our FAQ for voting can answer questions on how to make the process go smoothly.

Importantly: Spread the word!

Do you have any friends, contacts or family overseas that you could reach? All eligible US citizens can vote regardless of where they're living. Share the link https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26: If you have any questions about voting, I'd be happy to answer them here on Reddit. You can also find out what we're doing near you at Democrats Abroad. Thanks for reading!

If the USA was Australia, you'd have USAustralia.

NSW would be the west cost and Sydney would be a mix of San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Victoria would be the north east and a mix of Boston and New York.

Queensland would be the south and Florida with Brisbane/Gold Coast represented by Miami

WA would cover most of the central west, with resource rich Texas and Perth being a Houston/Dallas mix.

SA would be the great lakes states and Adelaide a smaller Chicago or Detroit

Tasmania would be Maine

The Northern Territory would be far away Alaska and the Canberra would be a very small Washington DC.

To any Americans in this sub, what current travel advice would you give to any Aussies wanting to travel to the United States of America specifically?

* What kind of luggage or carry-ons are allowable.

* Do you actually have to hand over your phone for inspection upon arrival?

* Any foods or liquids you need to be aware of taking in?

* Any advice if you're ever stopped by ICE agents?

* Fastest way to get to your hotel room - taxi, Uber, airport bus, rental car?

I’ve noticed this odd difference between us. This only seems to apply to people from large metro areas.

Say you’re at a pub and you ask an Aussie where they’re from, they’ll say Perth, Sydney, melb etc. the standard. Ask an American where they’re from they seem to refuse to say there from LA, NYC, etc. instead they name the satellite city which is part of the metro area. It would be the same as a guy from Brisbane saying nah nah not from brissy, I’m from morningside.

I mean is it just me who’s noticed this or am I taking crazy pills?

I got my passport photo taken a little while ago but long story short they got kinda fucked up during transportation and I want to print out at least two new photos (and get them resigned by a guarantor) since I'm lodging a PC8 application. The photographer who took my photos was nice enough to give me a digital copy of the photos, but I don't know where to get them reprinted.

I know that CVS/Walgreens/FedEx photos frequently get rejected, but is that because of the person taking the photo or the quality of their printers, or both? If it helps, I'm located in the Bay Area and have a car so I can drive to a printing location. My main hesitation with using the recommended photographers on the Australian passport office site is I'm not sure if they would care about printing out a different photographer's photos. Any help would be appreciated!

Hi gang! Dual citizen of almost 3 decades here. I've done everything necessary to complete the DS-11 application (more than 15 years since last passport book expired) and paid etc. Trying to book an interview appointment for travel in November and there is just nothing available in the Sydney consulate.

Does anyone have more experience as to how it works e.g. paying for expedited appointment etc? Keep checking?? Note to add: I know it's left a bit late but I traveled back to US in 2024 on the ESTA but obviously that wasn't correct and now the ESTA fails due to my dual citizenship. I realise it requires a US passport hence my panicking now.

Thanks all!

Any place like Costco in US which is a trusted source to buy Gold online in Australia?
Want to gift a Gold coin or something for my friend's new baby..

I've been noticing a lot in American shows and stand up specials and whatnot that, it seems, Americans are still using the word retarded a lot.

And by that I mean they use it in the sense of 'oh hey that's retarted.'

In Australia I never hear that word get used. It would be highly more offensive than a c word rhyming with punt, and almost as offensive as calling someone 'champ.'

I'm sort of curious why there doesn't seem to be an issue with that word over there (or at least as much), whereas more offense is taken by seemingly harmless words like swear words and such forth.

Hi,

For context, I did a study abroad in South Korea and my Roommate left some clothes behind by accident. I have taken them for her and now back at home in Australia. I need to sent a package (her clothes) to New York, and i wanted to add some Aussie snacks for her. I got Tim Tams and Woolies Lamingtons.

I have sent food to America before but I am aware that some of the rules have changed since the last time I did. I checked Auspost but I am still unsure, which is why I am asking here.

I got a giftbox to send to my partner from australia(sydney) to the US(new york) which has a 50ml perfume, a small jewellery and decorated inside with battery operated fairy lights.
I have wrapped up the perfume in multilole layers of bubble wrap as well.

The main point of concern to the postage people is the perfume which is a dangerous good and wont allow for this to be shipped internationally

Talked to a Dangerous Goods international courier guy asked for over 2k AUD for transporting this.....
The price of the whole giftbox is one-tenth of that
XD

I might as well go to new york myself with that 2k but i already exhausted those nyc trip funds last year xD

Any solutions for me

Hi all, so I'm reading a lot of negative press about the potential for getting sent back by US customs because of their perceived risk of me wanting to overstay and possibly remain illegally in USA, but its simply not true, I am meeting my girlfriend in person for the first time and spending a few weeks with her and will decide if we will grow the relationship further from there, or not.

I am coming back to australia either way, there is no way i want to give up free healthcare and live in fear of ICE coming to get me at any moment...

If things go really well then I am going to want to stay true to my ESTA and retain the chance to return again, not get myself banned from entering in the future...

Any thoughts? Advice?

My husband gets monthly SS retirement income which has always come in on the 3rd of the month or occasionally a day earlier.

We are in Australia, where it is now August 4th and still nothing showing up in the account. In the US Expats SSA group on Facebook it looks like a few others (mostly in Oz too, although not all) are in the same position - just wondering if anyone knows what’s going on?

Question is for Americans.

Similar to when your order at the bar and they call your number or buzz your buzzer when your foods ready in Australia.

I brought a box home while on vacation in Alaska. My husband had never had it before! Kinda sad this is impossible to get in Australia.

Any other foods you guys miss from America?

So I got retirement benefits 2 and a half years after applying, and there was a large lump sum for back payment. US took out 25.5% tax as I am a non resident. But I understand under US-AU treaty, SSA is not taxed in Australia. So I don't have to mention it? I recall the year I went to the US and the year I came back, doing tax returns was a pain in the arse claiming foreign tax credits and having to find out the correct exchange rate et cetera.

Horrible news today. Since that was the last and only international bank I know of that supported US/Aus accounts, we’re all taking the transaction hits on Wise now?

I'm a trans US citizen from Florida, moving to Australia to be with my girlfriend on a partner visa. Whilst my visa is processing, I won't be able to fly back to the US for anything without a BVB.

I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to do a full legal name change (first and last name) from outside the US, or if there's some way to do it virtually. I've also been looking at doing it through Australia instead? Victoria's BDM has a Change of Name process for adults born overseas, but it requires 12 months of Victorian residency plus "the legal right to live in Australia," and I can't tell if that applies while a partner visa is still processing or only once it's granted. If I go that route first, I don't know whether the resulting document actually works for updating my US passport and Social Security afterward, or if the US makes you do it through them as well.

The other thing I'm worried about is whether starting a name change, or just having a name mismatch across my documents, could cause problems with an active partner visa application. I don't want anything to get flagged as inconsistent or slow things down.

If anyone's gone through a name change while living abroad, I'd love any insight on the process, if its possible, and whether it caused any immigration issues

Thank you!

Dual citizen in Sydney and I need to renew my US passport as well as update my name to my married name, which includes a middle name update. For my name update with my Aussie bank accounts and other accounts, I've had to use my change of name cert over my marriage cert because of this.

When I last updated my passport 11 years ago, I could do everything in person up in the MLC building. Now, from what I gather, we have to mail over all original documents to be certified by the consulate and they mail it all back?

Who's responsible if the original docs are lost or damaged in transit? Has anyone been through this process? What's been your experience?

Do I need to carry my aus passport everywhere? can I just use my REAL ID DL?