Australia is Portsmouth's top dream destination for moving abroad, study finds

A new study by immigration law experts Reiss Edwards has revealed where people across UK cities dream of relocating, based on search data. An analysis of Google Ads search volume data across 71 UK cities found that Australia is the most-searched emigration destination.
Residents in Portsmouth are most interested in moving to Australia, with the country attracting 347 average monthly searches over the past year. New Zealand ranked second with 161 searches, followed by Canada with 119, giving the city's three most popular destinations a combined total of 627 searches. Australia proved to be the clear favourite, generating more than twice as many searches as New Zealand at 2.16 times and almost three times as many as Canada at 2.92 times, reinforcing its position as Portsmouth's top dream destination for relocating abroad.

The top five cities that search for emigration destinations

Topping the list overall, London recorded 3,386 searches for Australia, more than double the 1,498 searches for New Zealand in second place, and nearly three times Canada's 1,190. Together, the capital's top three destinations totalled 6,074 searches.
Manchester saw 1,048 searches for Australia, 492 for New Zealand, and 381 for Canada, a top three total of 1,921. Australia outpaced New Zealand by 2.13 times and Canada by 2.75 times. Manchester outranked Birmingham by just 77 searches, which is a much tighter margin than the 2,338 searches that separate Manchester from London.
Birmingham's 971 Australia searches were more than double New Zealand's 452 and almost three times Canada's 333. As the UK's second-largest city by population, Birmingham accounted for 4.1% of the national Australia total, only narrowly behind Manchester.
Glasgow generated 716 searches for Australia, 319 for New Zealand, and 241 for Canada, putting Australia's lead over New Zealand at 2.24 times. As Scotland's largest city, Glasgow's total was well ahead of Edinburgh's further down the list and made up 3% of the national Australia search volume.

Liverpool was one of only two cities in the top 10 where Australia wasn't the top destination. The United States led with 692 searches, just 44 ahead of Australia's 648, while Canada trailed in third with 223.

Amar Ali, managing director of Reiss Edwards, has commented on the findings:  

"These figures reflect a familiar pattern; Australia remains the default first choice for UK residents considering a move abroad. For those looking to move abroad, Australia offers a familiar visa pathway, a shared language and a similar legal system, as well as the possibility of existing family connections. Portsmouth has long been a city with strong international connections, and the fact that Australia attracts more than twice the search interest of New Zealand and almost three times that of Canada in Portsmouth suggests that, for many people, it remains the benchmark destination when they're thinking about starting a new chapter abroad.
"What's more surprising is how consistent that preference is across the country, from London right down to smaller cities like Preston and Derby; the ratio of Australia searches to New Zealand and Canada barely changes. The exceptions are interesting as well. Liverpool and Oxford are the only cities where the USA edges ahead, which may reflect stronger academic and business links in those areas."