As a U.S. citizen and an Australian resident, my travel plans are … complicated. My partner was born and raised in Melbourne, and has no intention to move. My best friend is firmly rooted in Portland, OR, and is having a baby this year. As for my parents, they rarely travel anywhere beyond the East Coast.
I’m grateful that I work remotely and have enough housesitting cred that I can travel between the two countries at least once or twice a year.
Still, splitting my time between Portland and Melbourne is a constant balancing act in order to avoid re-establishing residency in the U.S. and to maintain my permanent residency in Australia.
Add in the fact that I love to go on remote work trips to new destinations, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the complexity.
Fortunately, my partner is a data wizard, and created two spreadsheets for me to help me track my residency status and progress towards citizenship in Australia. I’m sharing them here to give you some insight into my thought process, and in case you’re dealing with a similar balancing act of your own.
