Net inward migration to Australia in the year to March 2014 stood at 380,910 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This is slightly down from the January 2013 figure of 411,000. But, it still amounts to 1.65% of the Australian population which is relatively large. DIBP figures indicate that the Australian government remains committed to attracting around 250,000 immigrants per year for every year at least until 2017.

Where are the migrants settling?

According to the ABS, across the Australian capitals, some common trends in settlement are evident. Suburbs located in or near city centres are strongly favoured by migrants. With the exception of Hobart and Darwin, the central business districts (CBDs) of every capital city in Australia had more than half its residents born overseas in 2011.

Suburbs incorporating or situated near universities also featured high proportions of migrants. These include suburbs like Clayton (70%) in Melbourne, Robertson (62%) in Brisbane, Bentley and Crawley (both 62%) in Perth, Bedford Park (49%) in Adelaide, and Acton (57%) in Canberra.

URGENT UPDATE HERE

In the latest migration programme, more places have been made available for the reunion of the closest of family members, partners and children and ‘contributory-parents’. These places have been taken from the other family and parent (non-contributory) categories to maintain the balance of the programme, according to DIBP.

Perhaps the writing has been on the wall for a long time given the lengthy wait periods for the non-contributory parent visas and “Other Family Visa” (which incorporates the aged parent, carer visa and aged dependent relative).

The Budget 2014-2015 has now made it clear that these visas will cease shortly. This is likely to happen before or by the end of this financial year.

“The Family Stream will refocus on meeting the increasing demand for close family reunions. The additional partner and child places will be made available as a result of the cessation of new applications from the other family and parent (non-contributory) places. This cessation will also enable faster processing of existing applications," states the Budget Paper.

Once it ceases, each parent application will be expected to contribute a substantial amount of money as part of the application. Together with the application fees this can come up to about $50,000.00. No date has been set as to when DIBP will stop accepting applications. It would be no surprise if DIBP is inundated with applications in the coming weeks as it is unlikely that lodged applications will be affected by the change, although no details have been released. 

The battleground in the government’s sc457 review has now become more defined with both unions and industry bodies targeting the English-language standard as the key question the panel must decide on: should the panel recommend that the standard be maintained, or lowered?

The unions want it to be maintained given the current high-unemployment rates. But industry bodies indicate that due to the unrealistic English-language standards here, unemployment rates will go-up even further should employers be forced to send more jobs offshore in search of skills.

This stark industry warning has been put to the sc457 review panel by the Australian Industry Group (AIG), according to a report in The Australian.

Minimum English-language requirements were introduced in 2007 by the Howard government and raised by the former Labour government a few years later. Unions concerned about losing out jobs to foreign workers maintain that low English-standards threaten local jobs, lead to rorting and exploitation of workers.

Employers however maintain that evidence from their workforce surveys reveal that there is a national skills shortage which can be addressed with the lowering of the language standards to a level that is actually required in the workplace.

Will job losses, fee hikes, a compromise on service standards and a dilution of Australia’s humanitarian commitments be the legacy of the new budget and the potentially departing immigration minister, Scott Morrison?

It has come as no surprise that the Budget has taken a tough stand on matters connected with illegal immigration. It is a culmination of Immigration minister Scott Morrison’s tough stance that has become steadily bolder and more uncompromising. But the new super-agency for border protection should not and cannot be allowed to be shaded in secrecy.

Noticeably, the Budget has hit illegal immigration hard. Unfortunately, it may also hit hard genuine refugees. For one, the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS) which largely helps pay for legal advice for protection visa applicants has been axed. In addition to this, some 4000 places in the family stream allocated to illegal maritime arrivals have been removed. These together have sealed a life-saving avenue for genuine refugees.

Of particular concern is the establishment of the Australian Border Force (ABF). Clearly emboldened by the success of 'Operation Sovereign Borders', the government has now decided to merge customs and immigration border operations into one unit with purportedly an uncompromising focus on border protection. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees and Amnesty International have criticised this suggesting that the Coalition government is plumbing new depths in international relations and obligations.

Skilled migrants with job offers will take top priority in the next financial year's immigration programme.

The Skilled Stream will continue to be the focus of Australia's immigration policy with almost 70 per cent of the visas allocated to address Australia's skills needs, including addressing skills shortages in regional Australia.

The 2014-15 migration program provides a total of 190 000 places including 128 550 for skilled migration, 60 885 places for family migration and 565 places for migration under the special eligibility stream.

'This Budget allocates almost 68 per cent of Australia's migration places to skilled migration, and reprioritises employer-sponsored visas,' said Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison.

'With the reprioritisation towards employer-sponsored visas, employers will be assisted in finding workers to fill vital positions where they have been unable to find local workers. This also protects Australian workers, who will have less direct competition from independent migrants who arrive without a guaranteed job.

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