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Immigration Daily News Hong Kong citizens offered extended Australian visas as extradition agreement suspended amid China crackdownAustralian Immigration Daily News
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Hong Kong citizens offered extended Australian visas as extradition agreement suspended amid China crackdown
Australia will offer a path to permanent residency for thousands of Hong Kong citizens, while suspending its extradition agreement with the city in response to China's crackdown on personal freedoms and dissent.
The changes apply to people already in Australia, offering safe haven and a path to remaining in Australia.
Temporary work visa holders and student visa holders currently in Australia will have their visas extended, and will have the opportunity to apply for permanent residency after that period.
It is understood the visa changes will affect about 10,500 students and 1,500 people on other relevant visas, most of whom are already in Australia.
But while announcing the changes, Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not detail any plans for a humanitarian intake of Hong Kong residents.
"The most significant impact of the decisions we've made today are for those around 10,000 people who are already in Australia," he said.
Comments
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Friday, 10 July 2020Jaleh suggests on one hand that the changes put in place do nothing but on the other hand is also competing with UK. If it offers nothing more than before where is the competition?
I believe that the extension of the graduate visa to 5 years is very significant. It offers the chance to gain more Australian work experience which can be beneficial for points tested skilled visa and also affords a greater opportunity to find a sponsor for other visa types.
Given the current situation where there is a "brain drain" of highly skilled Australian workers choosing more lucrative positions overseas, it seems only sensible to try to lure similar persons to our shores.
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The reality is, all of those that are supposed to be covered by this generosity are already entitled to apply for PR and remain in Australia, with through graduate visa and then skilled migration program if student now, or through employer sponsored transition from temporary to PR.
I am not sure what if any, kindness we are offering the temporary visa holders from Hong Kong.
Decades ago when Late PM Bob Hawke granted invitation to Chinese temporary residents in Australia, the current PR paths were not available to them and the invite was a genuine generosity of his government. The UK offered granting citizenship to the already SAR passport holders. That was a right thing to do and UK does have an obligation to the people of HK that are now being used as sacrificial lambs. I am not sure in the midst of all the problems we are dealing with in this country why we felt the need to compete with the UK and jump in with this half baked offer which does nothing in fact.