RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2015–16              UPDATED 7 AUGUST 2015

Permanent and temporary migration: a quick guide to key internet links

Gareth Larsen and Janet Phillips

Social Policy Section

This Quick Guide provides key internet links to information about:

•        general immigration resources

•        permanent migration

–      skilled

–      family

•        temporary migration

–      temporary work visa (subclass 457)

–      students

–      working holiday makers

–      other temporary visas

•        migration and population

–      multiculturalism

•        international links

Note: A separate immigration quick guide is available for Humanitarian entrants and asylum seekers.

General immigration resources

•        The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has responsibility for managing and reporting on entry, stay and departure arrangements for non-citizens, citizenship, ethnic affairs and customs and border control, providing a large array of statistical, research and policy-related information.

•        The Department of Social Services has responsibility for settlement and multicultural affairs, including Humanitarian Settlement Services, Settlement Grants, Complex Case Support Services, the Humanitarian Entrants Management System, the Australian Cultural Orientation Program, Diversity and Social Cohesion Grants, Multicultural Arts and Festivals Grants and the Building Multicultural Communities Program.

•        The Department of Education and Training has responsibility for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).

•        The Australian Bureau of Statistics collects national and regional data along with select data from DIBP.

•        Tourism Australia also releases research and statistics including visitor arrivals data, research reports and fact sheets.

•        The Migration Institute of Australia produces various reports, research and submissions on issues relevant to Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) and other migration professionals.

•        The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) provides advice and information in relation to migration agents.

•        The Parliamentary Library offers research briefs and general distribution publications regarding current legislation as well as a wide range of other issues of interest to the Parliament, including immigration.

•        The Productivity Commission produces research and advice on a range of economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of Australians, including immigration.

•        The Fair Work Ombudsman offers a single point of contact to obtain accurate and timely information about Australia’s workplace relations system.  

•        The Joint Standing Committee on Migration was established by a resolution of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and conducts inquiries in regards to migration-related issues.

•        The Migration Act 1958 underpins migration policy in Australia.

Broad overview of immigration

•        For a broad overview of Australian immigration, the Parliamentary Library offers the following publications:

–      The immigration debate in Australia: from Federation to World War One

–      Migration to Australia since Federation: a guide to the statistics

–      Skilled migration: temporary and permanent flows to Australia

–      Skilled migration flows to Australia

•        The following DIBP fact sheets and publications provide summaries across immigration matters:

–      Immigration

–      Key facts about immigration

–      Immigration research

–      More than 65 years of post-war migration

–      Abolition of the 'White Australia' Policy

•        Online forms contain visa information and requirements.

•        Annual reports provide information and statistics and report on program outcomes.

•        LEGENDcom is the migration law database on DIBP’s website.

•        DIBP issues media releases across a range of emerging immigration matters.

•        DIBP publishes statistics including arrivals and departures, permanent and temporary migration program matters. 

Permanent migration

•        DIBP statistics and fact sheets on Australia’s Migration Program include:

–      Migration Programme statistics

–      Historical migration statistics

–      Migration Programme planning levels

–      Managing the Migration Programme

•        DIBP publishes reports on the Migration Program, including the Report on Migration Program
2013–14

•        Since 2009, DIBP has been collecting data from surveys of migrants in the Continuous Survey of Australia’s Migrants to identify labour market outcomes. A fact sheet outlining the survey is also available.

Skilled

•        DIBP fact sheets on Australia’s Skill Stream of the Migration Program include:

–      Overview of Skilled Migration

–      Priority processing for skilled migration visas

–      State-specific regional migration

–      Business migration 

–      Labour

•        Recent departmental reports and publications on skilled migration and the economy include:

–      The place of migrants in contemporary Australia—a summary report

–      Working papers on the dynamics of migration flows

–      Regional retention of migrants: critical success factors

–      Contribution of family migration to Australia

–      More than additions to population: the economic and fiscal impact of immigration

–      Colloquium on the economic and physical impacts of migration

–      Skilled Migration Selection Policies: Recent Australian Reforms

–      How much do migrants account for the unexpected rise in the labour force participation rate in Australia over the past decade?

–      Competing for skills: migration policies and trends in New Zealand and Australia 

–      Immigration, labour supply and per capita Gross Domestic Product: Australia 2010–2050

Family

•        DIBP offers a range of fact sheets on family migration including:

–      Overview of family stream migration

–      Family stream migration: partners

–      Family stream migration: parent (non-contributory) visas

–      Family stream migration: other family

–      Family stream migration: child

–      Assurance of support

–      One-year relationship requirement for De Facto partners

–      Adopting a child from outside Australia

–      International surrogacy arrangements

–      Processing priorities for family stream migration

–      Family violence provisions 

–      Contributory Parent

•        The Parliamentary Library provides information on the Family Stream including Immigration: we can choose our skills, but we can't choose our family. 

Temporary migration

General

•        The following provide a general overview of temporary migration and conditions in Australia:

–      Visit Australia - Statistics

–      Waiving visa condition 8503 'No Further Stay’

–      Australia's entry system for visitors

–      Sponsored Family stream

–      The Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)

Temporary Work Visa (Subclass 457)

•        DIBP fact sheets on Australia’s Temporary Work Visa (457) Program include:

–      Temporary Entry

–      Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visa

–      Temporary Residence 

–      Helping skilled and business people

–      Enterprise migration agreements

•        DIBP offers regular statistical reports regarding the 457 program. Recent data includes Temporary entrants in Australia (stock data) statistics.

•        Recent Parliamentary Library briefings and publications provide an overview of the subclass 457 program: Parliamentary Library Briefing Book: Temporary skilled migration and The subclass 457 visa: a quick guide.  

•        Parliamentary Library Bills Digests help to distil recent legislative and policy amendments, including the Migration Amendment (Temporary Sponsored Visas) Bill 2013.       

Students

•        DIBP statistics and information on Australia’s student programs include:

–      Student visa and Temporary Graduate visa statistics

–      Obtaining a better understanding of the student and skilled graduate visa programs

–      Overseas students in Australia

–      Training and research visa (subclass 402)

•        Parliamentary Library publications include:

–      Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program

•        In 2011, the Australian Institute of Criminology investigated crimes against international students in Australia: 2005–09.

•        In 2011, the Government commissioned a review (The Knight Review) of Australia’s student programs and provided a response.

Working Holiday Makers

•        DIBP fact sheets on Working Holiday Makers include:

–      Working holiday visa programme

–      Work and holiday maker programme

•        Parliamentary Library publications include Working Holiday Makers and Australia’s hospitality and horticulture industries.

Other temporary visas

•        other DIBP fact sheets include:

–      Immigration Arrangements for Norfolk Island

–      New Zealanders in Australia

Migration and population

•        Departmental publications on migration, population and sustainability include:

–      Population growth

–      Net Overseas Migration statistics

–      Migration to Australia's states and territories, 2012-13

–      Migration in Australia

–      Factors that influence skilled migrants locating in regional areas

•        DIBP also publishes country profiles using immigration data and country rankings.

•        Citizenship facts and statistics are available from DIBP including Citizenship Quarterly Reports.

•        The Productivity Commission has also examined population issues in the context of migration including A 'Sustainable' Population?—Key Policy Issues, and Population and Migration: Understanding the Numbers.

•        The Australian Population Association promotes population research and education, particularly in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Multiculturalism

•        Departmental publications and fact sheets include:

–      Research into the current and emerging drivers for social cohesion, social division and conflict in multicultural Australia

–      Voices shaping the perspectives of young Muslim Australians

–      Australian Muslim Jobseekers: labour market experience, job readiness, and the relative effectiveness of employment support services

–      The people of Australia: Australia's multicultural policy

–      Life in Australia: Australian values

–      Abolition of the 'White Australia' Policy

•        The Department of Social Services produces community information summaries.

•        Information on the Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia are available for:

–      NSW: Multicultural NSW

–      Vic.: Victorian Multicultural Commission

–      Qld: Cultural Diversity Queensland

–      WA: Office of Multicultural Interests

–      SA: Multicultural SA

–      Tas: Multicultural Council of Tasmania

–      NT: Multicultural Affairs

–      ACT: Community Services (Multicultural)

International links

•        United Nations Statistics Division offers a vast array of statistical data on global issues including migration.

•        OECD: Demography and Population has a range of data comparing population and migration between member countries.

•        International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a leading international organisation working with migrants and governments on international responses to migration challenges.

•        OECD International Migration monitors migration movements and policies in both member countries and outside the OECD, and undertakes analysis of the economic and social aspects of migration. Its publications include International Migration Outlook (available electronically via the Parliamentary Library catalogue).

•        European Research Centre On Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER)

•        Migration Policy Institute

•        Immigration New Zealand provides statistical information from across the Tasman.

•        Agencies managing migration in the UK include:

–      UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal

–      UK Visas and Immigration

•        Agencies managing migration in the USA include:

–      Immigration and Customs Enforcement

–      Citizenship and Immigration Services is based within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This site also provides statistics, publications and information about various administrative and management functions and responsibilities now within the DHS that were once in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service.

–      State Department – U.S. Visas

•        US based immigration research organisations include:

–      Center for Immigration Studies

–      US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)

•        Citizenship and Immigration Canada was established in 1994 to link immigration services with citizenship registration. Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Research and Statistics contains research plans, statistical reports, technical papers, statistical publications and email newsletters.

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