Immigration

The migration program—overview

Australia’s permanent migration program is currently set at its highest level for 20 years. The planning level (estimated intake) for the 2006–07 program year is in the range of 142 800 to 152 800 places, with a further 13 000 places for refugees and humanitarian entrants. Since 1996, the program has been geared primarily to meet economic, as distinct from social or ‘family reunion’, national objectives. Specifically, in the context of a buoyant economy and skills shortages, the program has had a strong labour-market focus. This year’s program comprises 102 500 skilled places and 50 000 family places.

Interest has grown in immigration as a tool for meeting broader population and demographic objectives (see the ‘Population ageing’ brief in this section for further detail).

At a time of low birth rate and ageing populations in Western countries, Australia is competing with the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States and Canada for skilled migrants. Temporary work movements have increased worldwide. In Australia, the employer-sponsored ‘457’ visa has been a major issue of contention (see below). To date, Australian governments have avoided introducing unskilled worker migration. However, calls continue for a guest-worker program to assist Pacific Island countries (by providing employment for Islander workers), as well as Australian horticultural employers. With the virtual stopping of unauthorised boat arrivals, attention and advocacy has turned from issues of border security and detention to the situation of asylum seekers in the community who are on Bridging Visa E, usually without work or welfare rights. In addition to the problems created by asylum seekers who enter the country illegally, difficulties experienced by refugees resettled from Africa under the humanitarian migration program are leading to questioning of longstanding refugee policies.

A heightened focus on issues of integration, following the July 2005 London bombings, has seen the introduction of a values declaration for temporary residents, and a citizenship test (see below).

Temporary skilled migration—the ‘457’ visas

Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people wanting to work in Australia on a temporary basis. This increase reflects a global migration trend, in which more people are seeking work on a temporary basis internationally. In response, many countries, Australia included, have begun to realise that, in order to attract skilled migrants, it is essential to allow non-permanent entry of business and skilled workers.

In August 1996, the Howard Government introduced a new temporary entry business visa that allowed employers to sponsor skilled workers in certain occupations on a temporary basis (between three months and four years). The 457 visa—the Temporary Business (Long Stay) Visa (Subclass 457)—is the visa that is most commonly used by employers to sponsor overseas workers to work in Australia on a temporary basis. In 2005–06, Australia granted 71 150 of these visas to skilled migrants and their families.

The practice of granting temporary skilled visas has been hotly debated in both public and political arenas over the last year and is likely to continue to be an issue during the 42^nd Parliament. Many have argued that:

• employers are using the 457 visa to employ cheap foreign workers
• the minimum salary and skill requirements are easy to circumvent
• some overseas workers are exploited, and
• employers are not required to advertise vacancies before they sponsor foreign workers.

The Howard Government’s position was that sponsoring overseas employees was costly, and employers only did so if it was not possible to fill the position locally.

However, the Howard Government did concede the need to introduce a stricter obligation and penalty regime for sponsors of 457 visa recipients, and introduced the Migration Amendment (Sponsorship Obligations) Bill 2007 to the House of Representatives in June 2007. Recommendations and further discussion of the issues are included in the 2007 Joint Standing Committee on Migration report, Temporary visas … permanent benefits: ensuring the effectiveness, fairness and integrity of the temporary business visa program.

Citizenship

There have been several changes in recent years regarding citizenship, including the qualifying period for applicants applying for Australia citizenship and the introduction of a citizenship test.

On 17 September 2006, the former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (2006–2007) Andrew Robb¹announced changes to the residence qualifying period effective from 1 July 2007:

• applicants must have been lawfully resident in Australia for four years immediately prior to making an application for citizenship, with at least 12 months as a permanent resident, and
• absences should be of no more than 12 months in total in the four years prior to application, and no more than three months in the 12-month permanent residency period prior to application.

Legislation authorising a citizenship test had bipartisan support and received assent in September 2007. The citizenship test was launched on Australian Citizenship Day, Monday 17 September 2007, by the then Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Kevin Andrews, who announced that prospective citizens would be given a free resource book, Becoming an Australian Citizen.

The rationale provided for the citizenship test is that it ensures that citizens can fully participate in the mainstream of Australian life, and can realise their opportunities through employment and education. The test’s objectives are two-fold: to ensure that immigrants have sufficient English (‘a practical command’) and that they have a sufficient sense of the Australian way of life, constitutional and legal framework, shared values, customs and history. Thus, applicants are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the country as well as to demonstrate proficiency in the official language. The Australian citizenship test was modelled on the United Kingdom’s test and includes questions about the parliamentary system of government, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, and ‘Australian values’.

Australia and the United Kingdom are not alone in their efforts to require future citizens to demonstrate knowledge of the language and values of their prospective countries. Other countries require a level of integration and knowledge of language as a prerequisite for immigration and naturalisation. For example, the Netherlands has required a test in the Dutch language and national knowledge since 2003. Denmark requires prospective citizens to sit an examination on Danish society, history and culture before citizenship can be obtained. In many countries, basic knowledge of the host society’s language, history and institutions is now expected of immigrants. Introduction programs have been established in most European Union states and are compulsory in some, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands.

Library documents

Adrienne Millbank, ‘A seasonal guest-worker program for Australia’, Research Brief, no. 16, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 2005–06.

Adrienne Millbank, ‘Asylum Seekers on Bridging Visa E’, Research Brief, no. 13, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 2006–07.

Janet Phillips, ‘Temporary (long stay) business visas: subclass 457’, Research Note, no. 15, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 2006–07.

Documentation

Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Becoming an Australian: Citizenship Test Resource Book, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra, 2007.

Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Temporary visas … permanent benefits: ensuring the effectiveness, fairness and integrity of the temporary business visa program, Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Canberra, August 2007.

1. Updated 7 January 2008