Output 1.1 Migration and temporary entry
This output has seven components:
1.1.1 Economic entry (permanent)
1.1.2 Family entry (permanent)
1.1.4 Visitors and working holiday makers
The overall objectives of the migration and temporary entry programmes are to contribute to Australia’s economic, demographic and social well-being by facilitating:
- the permanent entry or stay of skilled migrants who have the skills and characteristics that will enable them to integrate readily into Australia’s skilled labour market
- the permanent entry or stay of close family members including the partners and children of Australian citizens and permanent residents and other close family in defined circumstances
- the temporary entry or stay of skilled people who will contribute to Australia’s economic growth by working in Australia under employer sponsored arrangements
- the temporary entry or stay of people for the purposes of study, tourism, working holidays or a range of more specialised activities such as sporting events, conferences and trade related activities.
Highlights
The government maintained the skill stream planning level in 2006-07 at 97 500 places. Priority for these places was given to employer-sponsored visas, state and territory-sponsored visas, and occupations in national demand. The family stream planning level was increased by 4000 places in February 2007, to 50 000 places. The government also conducted recruitment expos in Australia and overseas and delivered employer awareness seminars and workshops to increase understanding and uptake of the suite of skilled visa classes.
The Migration Programme planning levels were met, with 148 200 people granted migration visas including 97 920 under the skill stream (66 per cent of the programme), 50 080 under the family stream and 200 under the special eligibility component.
The volume and proportion of employer-sponsored visas continued to increase through 2006-07. The volume of state-sponsored visas decreased slightly as a consequence of an expansion of the number of occupations on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) which gives a migration advantage to people with skills in demand in the labour market. The proportion of primary applicants in the skill stream who had occupations on the MODL increased to a record 51.5 per cent.
These outcomes support the broad government objective of using immigration to help meet the needs of an expanding economy and a tight labour market at a time of record low skilled unemployment. As illustrated by the Treasurer’s second Intergenerational Report published in March 2007, the Migration Programme also supports broader demographic objectives and in future years will become increasingly important in helping to keep Australia’s working age population at stable levels.
Departmental Regional Outreach Officers continue to play an integral role in promoting and supporting regional migration initiatives, working directly with regional employers. Industry Outreach Officers work with peak industry bodies to promote skilled entry mechanisms to employers. The department continued the Australia Needs Skills expos holding three overseas and three in Australia helping to connect employers with skilled migrants.
General Skilled Migration reforms
In 2006-07, the department developed a major package of reforms to General Skilled Migration (GSM). The reforms, which will come into effect on 1 September 2007, respond in part to the Evaluation of General Skilled Migration Categories, which was conducted by a number of prominent academics and submitted to government in early 2006.
Key features of the reforms will be a restructure of the points test (the core selection mechanism for GSM) to give greater emphasis to skilled work experience as a selection factor, an increase in the threshold requirements for English language proficiency and rationalisation of the GSM visa structure. The reforms will improve even further the ‘job readiness’ of people coming to Australia under the GSM visa classes. Australia already performs very well in terms of the labour market outcomes of skill stream principal applicants. For example, survey data shows that the unemployment rates of skilled principal applicants 18 months after arrival are as low as 3 per cent.
Temporary business entry
On 21 June 2007 the Migration Amendment (Sponsorship Obligations) Bill was introduced into parliament. This Bill provides for tougher penalties for employers who do not abide by their sponsorship obligations including civil penalties.
The department has also taken a more targeted approach to monitoring compliance by subclass 457 sponsors with their sponsorship undertakings. During the year 188 sponsors were counselled or sanctioned for breaches of undertakings.
To further strengthen the subclass 457 programme, an English language requirement will take effect on 1 July 2007. This will enable subclass 457 visa holders to more readily raise occupational health and safety concerns and be aware of their rights and obligations.
These initiatives build on the work of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) which, on 14 July 2006 requested the Ministerial Council on Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (MCIMA) to identify and implement cooperative measures to strengthen the integrity of the temporary skilled migration arrangements. MCIMA met on 14 July 2006 and referred the matter to the Commonwealth/State Working party on Skilled Migration (CSWP).
The CSWP met five times during 2006 and 2007 to discuss matters to improve the effectiveness, fairness and integrity of the Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (subclass 457). The CSWP considered submissions, received draft papers on a range of aspects of the subclass 457 and consulted with a range of Commonwealth/State agencies, as well as a range of industry and peak bodies, migration agents and unions.
Draft recommendations were developed for presentation to MCIMA in July 2007.
Temporary entry
In July 2006 the department implemented measures to expand the definition of regional work for Working Holiday visas, which has underpinned the strong growth on this visa category and provides invaluable support to primary producers. The period that Working Holiday visa holders could work with a single employer was also extended from three months to six months and the period they can study extended to four months.
In August 2006 the department expanded the online tourist visa service (e676) to India, one of Australia’s fastest growing markets for tourists, students and business visitors. The service enables easy access to longer stay tourist visas.
During the year the department extended the e676 service to Romania and Bulgaria, following their accession to the European Union, and also extended the autogrant e676 service to the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Cyprus. These actions expanded to 48, the number of countries or regions with access to the e676 service. In September 2006, Australia renewed the Working Holiday visa agreement with the Netherlands.
In January the department helped pave the way for the arrival of hundreds of USA, Canadian and New Zealand fire fighters to work alongside crews engaged in the Victorian bushfire effort.
In February the department renewed the Working Holiday Maker arrangement with Germany, allowing young people from both countries to continue to enjoy the benefits of a holiday and limited work rights. In November 2006, Chile and Australia also agreed to increase the Work and Holiday Arrangement cap to 500 visas per year as a sign of the strength of the arrangement and as a growing investment in this increasingly important region. In March 2007 the Work and Holiday Arrangement with Turkey came into force as a means of further strengthening the growing people-to-people links between the nations.
In April the department signed a five-year contract with Health Services Australia to provide onshore medical services on behalf of the department for about 120 000 foreign nationals per year that require medicals while in Australia mainly to support a further visa application. In 2006-07 the department also supported the ANAO in its review of the offshore aspects of the health requirement.
Students
In May the government announced its intention to remove the requirement for foreign students to apply separately for permission to work while in Australia from 1 April 2008. Foreign students will benefit through the reduction in red tape and employers will benefit through faster, clearer and simplified work rights arrangement. Students will still be limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week while courses are in session. In May the department also completed the global assessment of student visa compliance which resulted in a number of countries improving their assessment level and thereby reduce the administrative burden on nationals from those countries when applying for student visas.
Research
In 2006-07, the department continued to undertake research into the economic, social and demographic impacts of immigration, including a particular focus on the potential contribution of a well managed Migration Programme to Australia’s future and to regional Australia.
The department has completed the second stage of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA3), which interviewed new migrants 18 months after arrival or onshore grant. The findings confirm that the department’s selection criteria are resulting in skilled principal applicant migrants who have very strong employment outcomes. The labour force participation rate was around 94 per cent and the unemployment rate was around 3 per cent.
The department also completed an evaluation of skilled migration to the Riverina region of NSW, a joint project with the NSW Government. The results were encouraging, with the evaluation finding that regional employers who have sponsored skilled migrants have benefited economically, the region has welcomed the newcomers and skilled migrants and their families enjoy living in the region.
Special activities
In 2006-07 the department worked with the Catholic church to develop arrangements in support of World Youth Day, which will be the largest event in Australia for many years with around 135 000 pilgrims expected to visit Australia for the event in mid-July 2008.