Why I Feel Like I’ve Earned Permanent Residency in Australia

I’ve learned a lot on my extended travel around Australia this year and have had to basically go through the process of becoming a permanent resident even though the only way for me to be granted permanent residency in Australia is to bring $15,000,000 AUD or get married. I don’t have $15,000,000 AUD and while I’m open to getting married, it hasn’t happened yet…

Here are some of the hurdles I’ve navigated on my Big Lap of Australia:

1. Although I’ve driven on the left before traveling in the UK, this is the first time I’ve done it for an entire year. And let me tell you I’m getting REALLY good at roundabouts and feel like I finally understand the whole logic of them… I’m comfortable and confident driving on the left and think I’ve earned “extra points” for navigating all the way around Australia in a diesel, manual transmission, campervan!

2. I successfully navigated the process of purchasing, registering, and insuring an Australian vehicle in my name.

3. I initiated roadside assistance insurance with NRMA and have used it twice in the last 10 months: once to fix a flat tire and once to rescue Vinnie from being pinned in a ditch.

4. I have an Australian driver’s license! And I still can’t believe that Service NSW didn’t require me to at least review the Australian rules of the road before issuing me this driver’s license! I also think the Australian government should consider requiring visitors to have to display a red “T” for tourist on their cars during their first year in Australia for everyone else’s safety.

5. I figured out how to “park” my USA mobile phone number and I continue to receive texts on that number through a forwarding service so I can deal with codes and things needed to verify accounts when logging in…So this means I can still navigate all of my USA based accounts while living overseas…

6. I initiated local mobile phone service in Australia through Telstra and have had a very good experience with their services. And it only took me two weeks to memorize my Aussie phone number!

7. I carry private health insurance and have used it multiple times passing through two emergency rooms when I had bruised ribs that were disguising themselves as a gall bladder issue as well as a number of visits to GPs for a sprained ankle, two sinus infections, and burning a very large area on my left leg with scalding water. I’ve submitted a number of claims to receive partial reimbursements and have been impressed with how quickly refunds come from BUPA to my bank account.

8. I opened an Australian bank account with NAB (National Australia Bank) and successfully transferred money into it which I use to fund my wanderings. I’ve already checked with NAB and they don’t charge any fees and say I can leave my account open when I return to the USA so I definitely won’t be closing this when I depart in February 2026.

9. I made it through the process of renewing the rego (registration) on Vinnie which was the most stressful thing I’ve done in my year in Australia so far. See my separate blog post for more details on what was involved to get this done.

10. Many people I meet tell me I’ve seen more of Australia than most Australians have…

11. I’ve picked up quite a bit of Aussie slang and use it liberally in my chats with locals…

12. I’m a curious person and like learning new things and ask a lot of questions about why things are the way they are as I chat with others…Sometimes, I get an interesting answer (Q: Why are Queenslands roads so bad? A: The number of tax paying individuals is low compared to it’s relative size making it difficult to fund all of the things needing funding such as roads) but most of the time I hear, “I don’t know,” or “I never really thought about it…” So, extra points for being curious and wanting to dive deeper and learn more about Oz!

13. I’ve never outstayed a travel visa or been arrested

14. I pay all of my bills and have the funding needed to live in Australia the rest of my life without ever becoming a burden on the Aussie system.

15. I was in the state of Victoria not too far from Melbourne the day of the Melbourne Cup (which is a famous horse race in case you didn't know what that is...). I was fascinated watching "cup fever" and everyone I know was placing bets on the race (Aussies really do love to gamble!). So I asked a mate how to place a bet and watch the race (since I don't have a TV in Vinnie). He directed me to the Flying Horse Tavern in Warnambool which has a TAB (the place you go to place a bet) and plenty of beer and TVs. I briefly reviewed the short descriptions of the 24 horses and selected "Half Yours" as it seemed favoured by whomever makes these lists and the jockey was a female. I placed a $5 AUD bet "to win" (PS - I've never placed a "professional" bet in my life - I've bought a lottery ticket once and dropped a few quarters in a slot machine but that's about it). The entire race is only like three minutes long and another horse was way out in the lead for the first 2+ minutes of the race but the last 30 seconds or so of the race were completely crazy with everyone changing position and my horse won! How good is that??? So my $5 AUD bet to win produced a $43 AUD payout! When I told my Aussie friends my horse won the Melbourne Cup they said two things: 1) "Most Aussies go through their entire life betting on the Melbourne Cup and never actually pick the winning horse," and 2) "You betting and winning like you did automatically qualifies you as an Aussie!!"

How many of you think I could get the Australian Immigration Department to accept this as enough evidence to grant me permanent residency?