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The Unique Reasons People Want to Immigrate to Australia
Australia is one of the most sought after countries for immigration. People from all over the world try to get into Australia somehow. The general consensus seems to be that people come to Australia because they can earn more money here and get more services here. While this is indeed one of the reasons, it cannot be the main reason because there are many countries with much stronger economies and better welfare than Australia. Why do people leave all of Europe and North America to come to Australia? As someone who talks to a lot of people interested in migration, here is what we have learned:
The Culture
Australia has, somehow, one of the most tolerant cultures in the world. We say somehow because there hasn’t really been an active campaign to create this culture; we have never seen a government agency or anyone else intentionally promoting tolerance. The culture has just always been this way towards immigrants. This doesn’t mean that Australia has no racism issues at all; rather that the issues are very minor when compared to other countries.
Integration
The one arena where Australia seems to beat most of the world is immigrant integration. There is a large amount of immigration happening towards UK as well but the problems in UK are a whole other dimension. UK literally has immigrant ‘ghettos’; areas where the majority population is of immigrants. They don’t really integrate into the culture of UK and instead cause a lot of trouble for the general populace. They have issues with extremism, racism, and sexism. Australia, on the other hand, has not created such ghettos. People who migrate here become part of mainstream Australian culture.
Friendliness
You might think the open and fun culture here wouldn’t make too much of a difference, but go to any Nordic country and you’ll realize how tough life can be without the social aspect. Australians are very open people; we are very similar to Americans in this way. It is perfectly normal and acceptable to just strike up a conversation with random people you meet.
This makes a huge difference in how people feel. One of the immigrants I know works at a 7-11. He doesn’t hate it because pretty much everyone who comes into the store talks to him in a friendly manner. He has an engineering degree from his country of origin and is pursuing masters at a university here; working as a cashier is not demeaning at all because Australians treat him not just with respect but as a friend.
Ease of Assimilation
Australia isn’t just easy to assimilate into; it is also easy to get permanent residency for. Permanent residency is a win for everyone, as the migrant becomes a fully productive taxpaying member of our country. Our residency requirements are also very fair; in most cases all you need is a permanent job that matches your skills. So if you are here to study about engineering and get an engineering related job, you will be able to get permanent residency. There are many nuances and complications as well, but the main thing is that you have to show you won’t be a burden on society.
What , in your opinion, is the reason immigrants like Australia so much? Do tell us in the comments.
Comments
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Friday, 12 February 2016Great Lifestyle, No political issues and pressure from government.
Family oriented country, great for raising a family. -
Friday, 12 February 2016
I totally disagree
I you were to survey thousands of prospective migrants why they want to migrate, the mentioned reasons would struggle to get into the top ten. If the headline question had been what factors migrants thought made settlement easier, Thus the headline makes the article seem somewhat irrelevant indeed irrelevant -
Saturday, 13 February 2016
I will always call Australia home, and this is why so many want to call Australia home:
Multiculturalism, rule of law, minimal to no corruption, freedom of expression, exceptional education and good standard of living - especially the ability to enjoy life and not having to work like a dog (except for me... lol).
In various surveys about transparency, best cities in the world to live in, cleanliness, education, etc Australia always rank very highly.
We have the right to say what we think without repercussion and can very openly criticize and ridicule individual politicians, which would get people killed and at minimum jailed in some countries.
Change of government is always peaceful (which a lot of Australians take for granted) and the government, generally speaking, acts in the best interests of its citizens in order to stay elected. When we don't like a government we can vote to kick them out.
When we need to apply for a licence or deal with government departments, we can expect things to get done quickly without having to pay bribes, and without prejudice. When we disagree with the government, we can appeal and even go to court, where the court regularly rules against the government. People's lives are not in danger when going against the government through legal channels.
I agree with the respect thing - for example tradesmen in some countries are considered nobodies, but in Australia they are considered highly paid, highly skilled workers. The average Australian is polite to anyone that does any job and doesn't look down on others. It's just not built into our culture.
One thing that I really love about Australia is the culture of "fair go". To me, that means that anyone from any background will always have the ability to have a better future if they choose to do so, and can live a life of dignity regardless of their background. We do, however, need to work better to help our Indigenous brothers and sisters to improve their lives and reconcile after disastrous government policies since colonisation till the 70s/80s and even now.
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The multicultural nature of Australia. Our son was adopted from South Korea and went to a normal public primary school in Brisbane and there were children from over fifty different nationalities.