While the Australian government announced last year that changes to skilled migration programme would be made in 2012, they weren't forthcoming about too many specifics as to how the process would be affected; we wrote at the time about the changes which were proposed.

However, with so much in the news recently about Australia's immigration issues, whether it be gaps in the job market or lengthy application processes, the Australian government has responded by publishing their new site SkillSelect, intended for a 1 July, 2012 launch.  

But with so many changes promised and moving to Australia already being such a daunting process, how do you know if SkillSelect applies to you?

Here is a look at the new scheme, what it is and how to use it.  

What is SkillSelect?

SkillSelect is a new method for the Australian government to manage its skilled migration programme. Based solely online, SkillSelect will require everyone who is intending to migrate to Australia to submit their application through the new system.

Applications made through SkillSelect will be made available to employers looking to recruit staff, as well as local state or territory governments. Selected applicants will then be invited to apply for an Australian visa.

Why is it needed?

Australia has struggled in recent months to balance its immigration policy properly. While the Asian fuelled mining boom continues across the country, people looking to cash in on rising wages have flocked to the mines. This means that labour shortages have cropped up in a variety of industries with 35,000 vacancies in the hospitality industry alone.

The SkillSelect programme will mean that the Australian immigration authorities can specifically target which occupations they have a shortage of and manage those applicants who are capable of filling the vacancies.

Who can use it?

When SkillSelect opens for applications on 1 July, 2012, anyone wishing to move to Australia as part of any of the following visa programmes need to apply using the SkillSelect website:

• Independent Skilled Migration
• State or Territory Sponsored Skilled Migration
• Family Sponsored Skilled Migration
• Business Skills
• Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
• Temporary Business (Long Stay), subclass 457 programme

How it affects you

Existing clients

The Australian government has been quick to maintain that the SkillSelect website is still subject to change while particular details are finalised with further details of the SkillSelect process expected to be announced in April 2012. Therefore, if you are an existing client at the Australian Visa Bureau and are eager to continue your application as quickly as possible, you can move forward with your application without worry; the Australian Visa Bureau has significant experience under the current system and we are confident that the majority of our clients whose applications are properly assembled will be able to lodge before the 1 July deadline.

New clients

However, if you are yet to begin the application process or you are unlikely to lodge your application before 1 July, 2012, then you may have concerns about how the new system will be handled.

The Australian immigration process has undergone significant changes with the past and the Australian Visa Bureau has always successfully adjusted to the new process. SkillSelect will bring further changes but it will also bring benefits to the applicants as well as the Australian government; once the new steamlined process has been finalised and implemented, applicants will be able to get responses to each portion of their application much quicker.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is Online Editor for the UK Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have released further information regarding the changes to the Australian general skilled migration system that are proposed to be implemented at the start of the next migration program year in July 2012.  

What is being proposed?

DIAC are considering making significant changes to the way a potential migrant submits an application for a skill-based Australia visa. From July 2012, it is proposed that the current system will be replaced with a two-stage application process under a selection register called 'SkillSelect' which is designed to ensure the Australian government selects the highest quality skilled migrants from a waiting pool.

This will affect all applications in the skilled stream, including visa subclasses 175 (independent); 176 (state/territory sponsored) and 475 (provisional) applications, as well as business skills visa applications.

See below for a diagram that illustrates how the SkillSelect process will work:

How will the new Australian visa application process work?

Prospective applicants will start by submitting an ‘Expression of Interest' (EOI). This is not an Australian visa application, but instead an indication made to DIAC that an individual wishes to be considered for migration. Prior to submitting the EOI, a prospective applicant will need to have obtained an appropriate skills assessment and any English language scores needed to ensure they would be eligible to apply, if invited to do so.

DIAC will note the points test score of the prospective applicant and the time the EOI was lodged. This will help DIAC rank the EOI. Each month, DIAC will invite applicants who rank the highest to apply for a visa. The first of these invitations are expected to be made on 1st August 2012.

How can I ensure my Expression of Interest ranks as highly as possible?

The precise criteria by which DIAC plan to rank EOI’s has not yet been confirmed in full, however it is clear that the points attained prior to invitation will be a determining factor in the ranking of an EOI, with those who score the most in the best position to be invited to proceed. Ranking will be determined electronically, and preference will be given to those who express their interest earliest.

Although points scores will be accessible, rankings will not be made available to the prospective applicant, and can be amended by DIAC at any time. An EOI can also be updated at any point prior to receiving an invitation. Having issued invitations each month, DIAC will make available the lowest score of a successful EOI for each occupation, which will provide an indication of the minimum score needed to maximise the chance of receiving an invitation.

What happens if I am invited to apply for an Australian visa?

DIAC will contact the applicant or agent directly to invite the prospective applicant to apply in earnest. Having received an invitation, a deadline of 60 days will apply to lodge the visa application, which will be submitted electronically through DIAC's online system.

A maximum of two invitations will be given before the EOI is removed from the pool if no application has been made. DIAC have yet to confirm precisely how the application process will proceed once an invitation has been made, however it is likely that further documents will be required along with a completed application form and associated fee. The application is then likely to be assigned to a case officer who will assess the application manually and liaise with the applicant or agent as necessary.

How is Australian state/territory sponsorship affected?

SkillSelect will make the pool of prospective applicants available to state/territory representatives, who will be given the opportunity to issue invitations for sponsorship in accordance with their own State Migration Plan. If sponsorship is agreed, the sponsored applicant will then be invited to apply for a visa.

Will this affect Australian visa processing times?

While processing times have not yet been confirmed, DIAC have indicated that each occupation under which an application can be made will be subject to a 'ceiling'. The ceiling will act like a quota, allowing DIAC to invite prospective applications in any occupation until the ceiling as been reached.

DIAC is conscious that the migration program can occasionally be dominated by specific occupations or industries and are seeking to avoid this from reoccurring. If the ceiling has been reached for any occupation, no further invitations for that nominated occupation will be allocated and no invitations for state/territory sponsorship will be issued until at least the next migration program year. EOIs will remain active for two years before they will expire if no invitation has been made prior to that point. Prospective applicants may then submit a fresh EOI which will be subject to the same procedure.

See below for a diagram from DIAC that illustrates how the ceiling process will work:

What should I do now?

At this stage, there are still significant areas which DIAC have yet to clarify. For example, no information has been released regarding the points test or how points will be allocated. We don’t yet know whether the core occupations on DIAC’s skilled occupations list will be amended. Additionally, no information has been released about the occupation ceilings, and it is unclear what period of time prospective applicants may be waiting for an invitation or for an invitation to move to a finalised application.

Given this uncertainty, Visa Bureau recommends that anyone wishing to apply under the visa streams affected lodge their application prior to the end of June 2012, when the current migration year will end. Applications lodged before this time should be assessed under the legislation in place at the point of lodgement, and will not be affected by changes to the application process implemented after that point.

Also, Visa Bureau clients should approach their caseworker to discuss in greater detail if they are unsure about any of this. Clients will be informed promptly of any updates that may affect their application.

Visa Bureau will be keeping a close eye on all information released from DIAC regarding SkillSelect and any changes proposed or updated. Prospective applicants wishing to benefit from the care of our experienced team of dedicated case workers are invited to get in touch through our assessment webpage, after which a consultant will be in touch to discuss your potential application in greater detail.

- Matt Parker is a caseworker for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

The Australian Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) is the body that all onshore Australian migration agents are required to belong to, in order to provide Australia visa advice to potential applicants.

MARA is responsible for regulating migration agents and making sure that migration agents provide clients with the best possible service. Part of this is providing a Code of Conduct that agents must follow, which is updated on a semi-regular basis.

The latest updates to the Code of Conduct are scheduled to take effect on 1 January, 2012. You can download a copy of the new Code of Conduct here, but see below for a list of these changes, as well as a brief explanation for each of them:

Changes to the MARA Code of Conduct set to be made on 1 January, 2012

• A requirement that notices and information to clients be in writing;

Note: A fairly simple one - this just means that in addition to information being conveyed by phone to clients, it will also need to be sent via email / post.

• Removal of the statement in Clause 2.9 that “a Registered Migration Agent cannot be responsible for misinformation provided by a client”;

Note: Previously, if a client provided incorrect information as part of their visa application, it was possible for the blame to be placed solely on the client. However, this has now been removed, so an agent will now take responsibility for ensuring that all info provided by the client is accurate.

• Removal of the words “seek to” from the statement in Clause 2.9A that “a Registered Migration Agent must not seek to mislead or deceive the Authority [MARA] whether directly or by withholding relevant information”;

Note: This is just a change to the semantics, really - the message remains the same, but with the removal of 'seek to', the clause that says an agent must be completely honest with a client is just made firmer.

• Addition of “a review authority” to the Clause 2.19 requirement that “a Registered Migration Agent has a duty to provide sufficient relevant information to the Department to allow a full assessment of all the facts against the relevant criteria.” NB: This may be because of the number of review applications that are made without full submissions being provided;

Note: This addition has been made to accommodate for an independent review authority to be involved in the resolution of any disputed.

• A requirement that Registered Migration Agents notify the Office of the MARA of changes to their registration details in advance, or within 14 days of the changes if advance notice would be unreasonable in the circumstances;

Note: This change has been made to ensure that MARA is aware of any changes to an agent's registration in advance, or as soon as possible.

• A requirement that registered migration agents notify DIAC, Office of the MARA, any review authority and all current clients of any changes to the agent’s contact details in advance, or within 14 days of the changes if advance notice would be unreasonable in the circumstances;

Note: Again, this is a change that has been added to ensure that MARA is kept aware and up-to-date of an agent's details at all time and will be able to contact the agent when necessary.

• Contracts with clients, now referred to as an "Agreement for Services and Fees", to include the services to be performed, the fees for the services, and the disbursements the agent is likely to incur as part of the services;

Note: This is a change designed to make the process of a client securing an agent's services as transparent as possible, so there is no confusion as to what services the fees will be for. 

• Agents are not entitled to payment for immigration assistance unless the client has been given a statement that is consistent with the services, fees and disbursements in the Agreement for Services and Fees. The statement has to be an invoice or account which itemises each service performed and the fee for each service.

Note: This change is also designed to increase transparency and ensure that clients will only pay for work that has been performed by the agent.

What do these MARA changes mean? 

It's clear from these changes that MARA is doing its upmost to ensure that registered migration agents act in a responsible, transparent manner. It's also a reminder to any potential applicants for an Australia visa that the first thing they should do when choosing a migration agent is check whether they are registered with MARA.

At the Australian Visa Bureau, we currently have four registered migration agents on staff. You can find their details on our MARA page. 

Additionally, you can verify their registration status by going to the 'Find an Agent' section of MARA's website and search for them using their name, registration number or their place of work (i.e. Visa Bureau Ltd).

- Leonie Cotton is Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Applications for skilled migration to Australia are currently categorised into one of three priority groups, each with an associated processing timeframe set as per a Directive drawn up by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The application will sit in that priority group until it is allocated to a case officer, who will begin assessment of the information and documents provided.

The three Australia visa priority groups sit behind two faster employer-sponsored streams, so the skilled migration groups are subsequently labelled groups 3, 4 and 5. According to the existing Priority Processing Directive drawn up in July 2011, the timeframes for processing of general skilled migration visas are currently as follows:

Applicants who find their applications allocated to category 5 have not been given a specific timeframe by which they can expect their application to be finalised, and are instead at the mercy of the categories above them. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has now released fresh information that may help to put the timeframe into some context for those waiting.

Although DIAC's site confirms that no category 5 applications are currently being allocated to case officers, fresh statistics have been announced indicating that there are currently 42,631 applications in category 5 which have yet to be assessed. Of these applications, 64% were lodged from within Australia, and DIAC have announced that they will be processing these first (starting with applications that have been in the queue the longest).

DIAC have confirmed that processing of category 5 is likely to occur within the current migration program year, which runs until 30 June 2012, starting with onshore applications made prior to September 2007 before moving to offshore applications made at the same time. This should give a degree of comfort to applicants who continue to wait in hope for news of progress in their allocated priority group.

DIAC has been careful to note that processing of applications in category 5 will continue to depend on the number of applications received in higher priority groups, and is subject to any changes made to the Processing Direction.

Consequently, although this is a positive sign that DIAC is aware of the ever-growing period of time applicants in this category have had to wait and are indicating that things may start to move in the coming months, offshore applicants who with applications lodged after September 2007 may continue to face a significant wait before case officers are allocated.

Applicants who submitted their application prior to 1 July 2010 may have an option to apply for state sponsorship and subsequently move into priority group 3. Visa Bureau clients should approach their caseworkers with any concerns or to discuss this in greater detail.

- Matt Parker is a Caseworker for the Australian Visa Bureau. 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

In 2010-11 the Department of Immigration and Citizenship issued 3,543,883 temporary visitor visas, including a 3% increase in total offshore visitor Australia visa grants.

Visa compliance by holders of Working Holiday and ETA visas is up to 99 per cent, up from 95.3 per cent in 2009-10. The report said this increase is largely due to its own actions. The report states the following:

"In 2010-11 the department used a range of tools to minimise the potential for non-genuine visitors to enter or remain in Australia or to contravene their visa conditions."

"These tools include the no further stay condition, security bonds, sponsor sanctions and Safeguards profiles".

In fairness, as well as these positive outcomes that are in line with the Government's underlying temporary immigration goals, there were also a number of setbacks in 2010-11, particularly with regard to its lucrative international student market.

Demand for a student Australia visa has fallen sharply, with the department awarding 126,186 student visa grants over the year, down from 158,240 in 2009-10, representing a 20.3 per cent decrease. Similarly, student visa finalisations fell 26.6 per cent to 143,127.

The department attributes the decline to a number of factors beyond its control, such as "the strength of the Australian dollar over this period, increased marketing activity by competitor countries, college closures creating uncertainty about the stability of Australian education providers, and the decoupling of education and general skilled migration".

The demand can also be attributed to a substantial decline in the number of Indian students, with enrolments down 36.5 per cent. The official response to the diminishing Indian demand contained in the annual report is that it is "the result of a high concentration of students with the vocational education and training (VET) sector which was most affected by measures to de-couple study in Australia from permanent residence".

But while factors may have played a part, the drop in Indian demand is also undeniably related to a negative perception of Australia that has persisted in Indian politics and its media over the past year following a spate of violent and possibly racially-motivated attacks against Indian students in 2010.

Tourism Australia has launched a campaign in conjunction with the Australian immigration department to try and repair the Australian national image in India. This is likely to remain a key challenge and area of priority for DIAC in the coming year.

- Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau. 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Of the total Australian immigration intake in 2010-11, 113,725 places were allocated to the Skill Stream, indicating a 5.6 per cent increase from 2009-10 and making up 67.5 per cent of total Migration program grants.

The rise in skilled migrant visa grants suggests a return to business as usual after a deliberate drop in numbers in 2009-10 due to the global recession, as was commented on by Australian Visa Bureau Managing Director Guy Bradley:

"The percentage increase revealed in the Annual Report 2010-11 suggests that the decrease in visa grants in 2009-10 was a temporary aberration based on global economic circumstances rather than a change in long-term immigration policy direction.

"It seems the Australian Government’s commitment to skilled migration remains strong".

The report explains that skilled migration is a key priority for the Australian Government as Australia visa holders of this kind are more likely to "contribute to the Australian economy through their skills, qualifications, entrepreneurialism and future employment potential". 

However, the number of granted visas actually fell just short of the 113,850 departmental planning level 2010-11, meaning that 125 prospective skilled migrants missed out on a visa despite the stipulated quota and high demand.

The report also found that the department has achieved its objective in boosting the state-specific and regional migration (SSRM) programs, which attempt to alleviate skills shortages in the regions by offering location-specific visas to skilled foreign workers.

"The SSRM programs continue to be a priority for the government and these programs accounted for 32.9 per cent of the Skill Stream of the 2010-11 Migration Program," the report states.

"A total of 37,410 visas were granted under the SSRM programs in 2010-11, representing an increase of more than 2.3 per cent over the previous year".

Most Australian states and territories saw a significant increase in the receipt of SSRM visa grants in 2010-11, including the Australian Capital Territory (up 48.5%), Tasmania (up 22.8%) and New South Wales (up 14.3%). Only South Australia saw a decline in regional skilled migration, down 21.8% to 7460.

These figures show firstly that the Government is interested in extracting maximum economic benefit from its skilled migration program, tailoring the system to patch up any skills shortage tears in the immigration quilt.

Secondly, this move towards regional targeted migration is the product of the Government's more general commitment to regional Australia and its current political siuation. The current Labor Government does not hold a majority in the Parliament and is reliant on the votes of 1 Green MP and 4 Independents, 3 of which are from rural and regional seats, which has meant regional issues like skills shortages have attracted much more attention over the last year.

Whatever the reasons, it is likely the move towards location-targeted migration will continue, as will many opportunities for skilled workers to emigrate to Australia.

Read Part Two of our Australian Immigration Report 2011 blog series on Student, Tourist and Working Holiday Visas.

- Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

As the perennially hot topics of boat arrivals and mandatory detention of asylum seekers continued to dominate news coverage of Australian immigration issues in 2010-11, many of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's other policies, programs and achievements were often swept under the carpet of national political discourse. While DIAC makes full acknowledgement of the challenges it faces in the difficult area of humanitarian migration, the department gives its Migration Program an overall positive assessment in its Annual Report 2010-11.

In his review, DIAC Secretary Andrew Metcalfe highlighted his department's successes over the past financial year:

"During 2010-11 we made significant improvements to our programs supported by engagement with our partners and the evidence of our research and evaluation programs."

The report states that the department's policy direction and implementation has been consistent with its "social and economic aims" in 2010-11.

Australia recorded a total migration intake of 168,700 over the year, a figure unchanged from 2009-10. When you look more closely at the figures, the Australian immigration priorities become clear.

The following blogs summarise some of the reports key findings and offers some Australian Visa Bureau analysis.

• Australian Immigration Report 2011: Skilled Migration
• Australian Immigration Report 2011: Student, Tourist and Working Holiday Visas

- Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

We've recently heard from another happy family who we've helped with their application for an Australian visa. Cathy and Neil Parker from Swansea had their State Sponsored (subclass 176) visa granted in early June on the basis of Cathy's experience as a Registered Nurse. They're now planning on moving to Adelaide at the end of October.

They had Joe Tindle as their caseworker and passed on the following message to share what their plans are and how their Visa Bureau experience was:

"We are now all systems go and are flying out to Adelaide on the 31st of this month. Being a Registered Nurse there appears to be a lot of opportunities for work and I have started applying already.

We are going to be staying in the centre of Adelaide until we decide where we want to settle to rent. Our two little ones Izzabella (5) and Antonia (2) are not fully understanding of the situation but excited just the same. I will admit we are nervous of the upheaval but ready for the exciting rollercoaster ride.

Having never been to Australia we hope it is all we are dreaming it will be, however we do have family friends who are always encouraging with any news they have. We must say a big thank you once again to you and your colleagues for doing such a great job in helping us achieve our Skilled Sponsorship (176) visa and wish you all well.”

That wasn't it from the Parkers though - Cathy also wrote us a poem about their visa application process!

Where do I start? What can I say?
To tell how the Visa Bureau helped us on our way.

A wonderful welcome and informative start.
All helping together playing their part.

On-going advice and updates galore.
Helping us feel that there is always an open door.

Lucas, Joseph and Lauren all great.
Emailing and phoning to keep us up to date.

We can say only thanks and let everyone see.
That without your help, goodness knows where we would be.

Our Visas are granted congratulations you say
We are so grateful for you all helping us on our way.

We just wanted to say thanks in a different way!

If you've recently used the Australian Visa Bureau to emigrate to Australia and would like to get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Don't worry if you're not quite as creative as Cathy (though poems are always welcome) - just send an email directly to your caseworker or send it through to us using the contact form and we'll be in touch shortly to gather more information from you.

- Tom Blackett is Marketing Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

NSW is one of the most popular migration destinations in Australia and from the world class city of Sydney to the snowfields of Thredbo and Perisher to the almost 2000 kilometres coastline, it's not hard to see why.

The NSW Government has just added a number of new occupations to its State Migration Plan, which means it will sponsor workers in these fields to obtain an Australia visa and emigrate to NSW. The new occupations on the NSW SMP list are:

• Financial investment advisor;
• Chief information officer;
• Systems administrator;
• Construction project manager;
• University lecturer in nursing;
• Early childhood (pre-primary school) teacher; and
• Painting trades worker

It is expected that applicants for financial investment advisor, early childhood teacher and painter sponsorships have at least three years experience in the occupation. To be eligible for any of the other new additions to the occupation list, you must have at least five years experience.

The addition of the teacher, painter and construction project manager roles are especially significant as they suggest a change in pattern of skills demand in NSW.

"In the past the NSW Government has largely focused on pharmaceutical,  finance and IT professionals with certain specialisations," said Australian Visa Bureau spokesperson Leonie Cotton.

However, it is unclear whether painters have to have an AQF certificate IV or whether an equivalent will be sufficient, in demonstrating qualification.

NSW has also announced that it will sponsor metallurgists and electricians (special class) under the Skilled Regional migration (475) program, whereby migration is conditional upon relocating to regional areas where specific skills are required. The government is currently inviting applications to settle in the state's Northern Inland, Riverina, Orana and Murray regions. Under the 475 program, you must first be sponsored by a regional certifying body before applying to the NSW Government.

Applicants for NSW state sponsorship must first meet the following criteria:

• Under 50 years of age;
• Competent English language skills;
• 65 points in the Australian immigration department skills test; and
• Have skills assessed by the relevant Australian assessment body.

What are the benefits to being sponsored under a State Migration Plan?

One of the main benefits of being sponsored under a State Migration Plan is how it will affect visa processing timeframes. Applicants whose occupations appear on this list will be assigned, or re-assigned, into Priority Group 3, according to the current processing directive. This means that these applicants should see their applications finalised in approx. 12 months after lodgement, or as soon as possible if their existing application has already be lodged longer than that.

- Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau. 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Half a century on from the fall of the White Australia Policy, which created obstacles for non-European people trying to emigrate to Australia, support for immigration is on the increase Down Under.

The findings of a nationwide study were released today by the Scanlon Foundation at Monash University in Victoria. The study investigated attitudes among the Australian public about immigration, racial tolerance and prejudice, government trust and national pride, in order to gauge the level of social harmony and cohesion in Oz.

The study's author, Professor Andrew Markus, said the study has shown significant short and long-term trends in public thinking, particularly in relation to the often controversial issue of Australian immigration.

"Questions related to the immigration intake have been a staple of public opinion polling for over 50 years.  Responses indicate considerable shift in opinion over time, with negative view of the level of intake in the range 36%-73% since 1990," Prof Markus explained.

But while considerable trends over a decade are expected, the study also found an increase in support for immigration from last year's results.

In response to the question: "what do you think of the number of immigrants accepted into Australia at present?", 55% answered "about right/too few" as opposed to 46% in 2010.  At the same time, 39% answered that the intake is "too high" down from 47% last year. 

Similarly, in response to the statement that "accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger", 24% strongly agreed (up from 19% in 2010) and 16% disagreed (down from 19%) while the number that strongly disagreed remained stagnant at 11%.

The change may not seem all that great, particularly when you consider that the results for 2011 are a return to the pattern of results from 2007 to 2009.  However, as Prof Markus points out, the result for this year is significant as it "was obtained despite a widespread perception that immigration had increased over the last 12 months".

So, in other words, more than half of the Aussie public is happy with the immigration intake despite the fact they think it is increasing. That's a far cry from the Pauline Hanson era!

The study also looked at various perceptions of specific national and ethnic migrant groups, and how these perceptions may be changing.  Despite the endless Aussie jokes at the expense of Kiwis, Poms and Seppos (Septic tank...yank...full of...you make the connection) "negative sentiment" towards migrants English-speaking countries like New Zealand, the UK and the US was found to be less than 5%. 

However, this number is expected to rise if the All Blacks or English win the Rugby World Cup (not stipulated in the study).

Traditional negative perceptions of some migrant groups are also on the decline, the study has found.

"It is notable that some 95% of respondents are positive or neutral towards immigrants from Italy and Greece, almost 90% positive or neutral towards Vietnam and over 85% towards China.  These findings point to a substantial change in Australian attitudes in a relatively short period of time," Professor Markus wrote in the report.

Negative sentiment towards Middle-Eastern and or Islamic immigrants has increased. But at the same time, the study found that "even with regard to immigrants from Lebanon, who recorded the highest level of negative response (24%), those with positive (32%) and neutral (41%) feelings, a combined 73%, formed a large majority".

 Immigration is often a controversial issue, overlapping with other debates on population, sustainability and racial predjudice. As Professor Markus explains, "in all countries of immigration there is a hierarchy of ethnic preference, which influences attitudes to newcomers, at times determining categories of admission and exclusion".

The Scanlon Foundation study gives a realistic account of the attitudes and sentiments a new migrant to Australia might encounter.

But if the Wallabies win the cup, you can expect a warm embrace!

- Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor for the Australian Visa Bureau. 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.