Australia vs United States

Companies in Australia register with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and receive an Australian Company Number (ACN); most also obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN) and register for GST. A proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd) is standard.

There is no federal company registry in the U.S. — you form a company (usually an LLC or C-corporation) at the state level, most often in your home state or Delaware. Formation is fast and online in most states; you then obtain a federal EIN from the IRS for tax and banking.

Australia's banking is led by four major banks and is highly digital. Newcomers can often open an account online before arrival and activate it with ID afterwards. A Tax File Number avoids higher withholding tax on interest.

To open a U.S. business bank account you generally need an EIN, your formation documents, ownership / beneficial-owner information, and ID for the signers. Banks run KYC (identity) and anti-money-laundering checks. Requirements vary by bank, business structure and owner residency. Non-residents can often open an account, but some banks require a U.S. address, a U.S. phone number, or an in-person visit. Personal accounts follow similar identity checks but use personal ID and a Social Security Number (SSN) or ITIN.

Australia is open to foreign investment, promoted by Austrade, but proposals above monetary thresholds (and any in sensitive sectors or land) need Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval. There are no exchange controls, so profits repatriate freely; R&D and other incentives are available.

The U.S. welcomes foreign direct investment — starting a company, expanding, acquiring a business, or building manufacturing/R&D/logistics operations. There is no single federal approval office: SelectUSA promotes investment at the federal level, most incentives are offered by state and local agencies, and some deals are reviewed by CFIUS for national security. Public-company filings are free on SEC EDGAR, and FDI statistics are published by the BEA.

Australia taxes income federally through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) at progressive rates and levies a Goods and Services Tax (GST) on most supplies. Residents are taxed on worldwide income; the tax year runs 1 July to 30 June.

The U.S. taxes federal income (IRS) plus state and often local taxes; rates vary by state and some have no income tax. U.S. citizens and residents are taxed on worldwide income — the U.S. is unusual in taxing citizens who live abroad. Businesses file federal and state returns.

Australia uses a points-tested and employer-sponsored visa system. Common routes include the employer-sponsored Skills in Demand / Temporary Skill Shortage visa and points-tested skilled visas. The Department of Home Affairs administers visas, often via SkillSelect.

Most people work in the U.S. on an employer-sponsored nonimmigrant visa such as the H-1B (specialty occupation, capped and lottery-based), L-1 (intra-company transfer) or O-1 (extraordinary ability). Almost all routes require a U.S. employer to petition for you with USCIS; there is no general 'work visa' you can apply for on your own.

The Student visa (subclass 500) lets you study full-time at a CRICOS-registered provider. You apply online through ImmiAccount with an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE), Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole stay, evidence of funds and English, and you must satisfy the Genuine Student requirement. The visa allows limited paid work during study — confirm the current hour limits with Home Affairs.

Full-time study in the United States generally needs an F-1 student visa (M-1 for vocational study). An SEVP-certified school admits you and issues a Form I-20; you then pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, complete the DS-160 and attend a visa interview at a US embassy or consulate. You must show funds for tuition and living costs and ties to your home country.

Everyone needs a visa or travel authority before arriving in Australia. The main options are the Visitor visa (subclass 600), the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for eligible passports, and eVisitor for eligible European passports. Stays are typically up to three months per entry, and visitor visas do not allow ongoing work.

Short visits to the United States use the B-1/B-2 visitor visa, unless you qualify for the Visa Waiver Program — nationals of participating countries travel for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA instead. B-visa applicants complete Form DS-160 and attend an interview at a US embassy or consulate. Visitor status never permits employment.

Australian permanent residence comes through skilled (points-tested or employer-sponsored), family, or business/investment streams. PRs can live and work indefinitely; a separate Resident Return Visa is needed to re-enter after the initial travel period.

U.S. permanent residence (a green card) comes through family, employment, investment (EB-5), the diversity lottery or humanitarian routes. Employment green cards (EB-1/2/3) usually require an employer and labor certification, and priority-date backlogs can be long.

Australian citizenship generally requires four years of lawful residence including at least one year as a permanent resident, good character, and passing a citizenship test. Australia allows dual citizenship.

U.S. citizenship by naturalization generally requires five years as a green-card holder (three if married to a U.S. citizen), continuous residence, good moral character, and passing English and civics tests. Those born in the U.S. are citizens by birth.

Australian employment is governed by the Fair Work Act and the National Employment Standards (NES) — a national minimum wage set by the Fair Work Commission, four weeks' paid annual leave, and unfair-dismissal protection. Most jobs are also covered by a 'modern award' or agreement; the Fair Work Ombudsman enforces the rules.

US employment is generally 'at-will' — either side can end it — but federal law (the FLSA via the Department of Labor) sets minimum wage and overtime, and the EEOC enforces anti-discrimination rules. There is no federal statutory paid annual leave; states add their own protections, so your state matters.

Australian traders import and export through the Australian Border Force using the Integrated Cargo System. You need an ABN, classify goods under the Customs Tariff to find duty (plus 10% GST), check biosecurity and permit rules, and lodge import declarations for consignments over AUD 1,000. Tariff advice and disputes go through the ABF and Home Affairs.

US importers and exporters clear goods through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). You file entries under an importer number, classify goods by HTS code to find the duty rate, meet any partner-agency rules (FDA, USDA…), and pay duties. Exports follow the Export Administration Regulations; binding tariff rulings and disputes go through CBP.

Australian trademarks are registered with IP Australia. You search the register, file an application classifying goods/services under Nice, and after acceptance it is advertised for a two-month opposition period before registration. An Australian trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; IP Australia also grants patents and registered designs.

US trademarks are registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You search the register for conflicts, file an application specifying goods/services classes, and respond to examination before it publishes for opposition and registers. Registration lasts 10 years and is renewable; patents go through the USPTO and copyright through the Copyright Office.

Workforce Australia is the Australian Government's official employment service and job board, delivered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and it replaced jobactive in 2022 — so older references to jobactive are out of date. It is open to any job seeker. Skilled foreign workers usually need a work or skilled visa, and because many regions and occupations have skills shortages, the official skilled-occupation lists are the practical tool for targeting where you have the strongest case.

There is no single national job board for the US private sector — hiring is spread across company sites and commercial boards, so anyone looking for one official place to search will not find it. What does exist officially is split by sector: CareerOneStop, run by the Department of Labor, is the hub for job search, training and career tools, while USAJOBS covers federal-government roles. Foreign nationals generally need work authorisation in place before taking up a job, not after finding one.

Australia's largest employers concentrate in a handful of sectors — mining and resources, banking, retail and healthcare — and those sectors do not hire in the same way as one another, so knowing which sector an employer sits in tells you more about the process than knowing its size. Resources employers often staff operations away from the major cities on roster-based patterns, while health employers hire against registration and credentialling requirements that decide eligibility before any interview. The Workforce Australia board is the official place to search, Global Australia sets out the priority sectors and major investors, and the biggest listed firms trade on the ASX.

There is no official ranked list of top US employers, and the ones circulating online are commercial or editorial rather than authoritative. The reliable approach is to build your own list from three official sources: filter the CareerOneStop job board by employer to see who is actually hiring, use SelectUSA to see which sectors and regions are growing and which major investors are behind them, and treat stock listings as a proxy for scale, since the largest private employers are generally listed on the NYSE or Nasdaq. Because no central list exists, fake employer pages and fake recruiters fill the gap, so applications belong on the company's own verified careers domain.

Most Australian Public Service jobs require Australian citizenship, but the requirement is not absolute: an agency head may waive it where appropriate for someone who is otherwise eligible to work in Australia. That makes the APS a discretionary door rather than a locked one, and it means a well-made case put to the right agency can matter in a way it could not under a hard statutory bar. Vacancies are advertised on APSJobs, the gateway to the service, and state and territory governments recruit separately under their own rules.

US federal jobs are posted on USAJOBS, and the citizenship question turns on a distinction most applicants have never heard of: under Executive Order 11935 most competitive-service positions are restricted to US citizens and nationals, while some excepted-service roles and agencies can hire non-citizens in limited circumstances. The useful question is therefore not whether foreigners can work for the federal government, but which service a specific posting sits in. State and local governments fall outside all of this and run their own recruitment under their own rules.

Australia is unusual in that minimum pay is set mainly through the award system rather than a single national floor: most employees' minimum pay comes from the award covering their industry or occupation, and the National Minimum Wage covers award-free employees only. Rates are reviewed annually by the Fair Work Commission and updated on 1 July. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool gives official rates for your specific award.

US pay is largely market-set, with the federal minimum wage as the legal floor — and that floor has been USD 7.25/hour since 2009, so in much of the country it is no longer the operative number. Many states and cities set higher minimums, and where they do, the higher rate applies. For earnings by occupation and area, use the Bureau of Labor Statistics' OEWS rather than crowd-sourced salary sites. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces minimum wage and overtime under the FLSA.

Australia's best-known government scholarships are the Australia Awards (funded by DFAT, largely for students from developing countries) and Destination Australia (for study in regional Australia), alongside the Research Training Program for HDR students and many university scholarships. Explore options on Study Australia and each university's site, and apply by their deadlines.

There is no single US government scholarship for all international students — funding is mostly institutional (university assistantships, fellowships and merit aid) plus flagship programs like the Fulbright Foreign Student Program. Start with EducationUSA advising and each university's financial-aid office, and apply early because deadlines are often a year ahead.

To study in Australia you apply to a registered provider and, once you accept, receive an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE). You use the eCoE to apply for the Student visa (subclass 500), showing Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), funds and that you are a Genuine Student. Explore options on Study Australia and apply by the deadline.

To study in the US you apply directly to each university, and once accepted the school issues a Form I-20 that lets you get an F-1 student visa (pay the SEVIS fee, complete the DS-160 and attend a consular interview). Use EducationUSA advising to shortlist schools, and apply about a year ahead because admission and funding deadlines are early.

Renting in Australia uses a residential tenancy agreement with a bond (usually about four weeks' rent) lodged with a state bond authority. Buying by foreign nationals generally needs Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval and is usually limited to new dwellings, not established homes; buyers use a conveyancer, the state land titles office and pay stamp duty plus a foreign-purchaser surcharge.

The United States places no restriction on foreigners renting or buying a home. Renting usually means a credit/income check and a security deposit (commonly one to two months' rent, capped by many states). Buyers use a realtor and a title/escrow company; non-resident buyers can get a mortgage but typically need a larger down payment. Annual property tax is set locally.

Australia's public scheme, Medicare, covers citizens, permanent residents and people from the eleven countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. Most other temporary residents need private cover, and international students must hold Overseas Student Health Cover. Medicare does not cover everything — most dental, ambulance and private-hospital care sit outside it — and higher earners without private hospital cover may pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

The US has no universal public healthcare. Most people are covered through an employer plan or buy coverage on the ACA Marketplace at HealthCare.gov, with Medicare for those 65+ and Medicaid for low-income residents under state-varying rules. Foreign nationals usually rely on employer or private insurance; lawfully-present immigrants can buy Marketplace plans but typically wait five years for Medicaid or Medicare. Care is very costly without coverage.

Australia's main form of social insurance is compulsory superannuation: employers must pay a percentage of your wages into a retirement fund. There is no separate payroll social-security tax beyond the Medicare Levy. Compulsory Third Party motor insurance is required to register a vehicle — it attaches to registration, not merely to driving — while home and life cover are optional. APRA prudentially regulates insurers and super funds, ASIC oversees conduct, and the government's Moneysmart site gives independent consumer guidance.

US insurance has two layers that answer to different authorities. Federal social insurance — Social Security and Medicare — is funded by FICA payroll taxes and administered by the Social Security Administration. Almost everything else you buy (auto, home, life) is regulated by your state, not federally. Auto liability insurance is mandatory in almost every state, and to check an insurer is licensed you go to your state insurance department, whose directory is on the NAIC site.