The extent to which entry of migrants results in a positive impact on living standards as measured by models of the economic impact of immigration.

Recent modelling by the Productivity Commission and Econtech confirms the positive impact on living standards of additional skilled migration. The Treasurer’s 2007 Intergenerational report also noted that, ‘Because the proportion of migrants of prime working age is higher than for the resident population, an increase to migrant numbers leads to a rise in GDP per person…’

The extent of positive impact on the Australian Government Budget from immigration including long term entry as measured by models of the impact of immigration on the Australian Government Budget.

Recent modelling by Access Economics confirms that the Australian Government Budget gains significantly from immigration. Continuation of the Migration Programme at the 2005-06 level would yield a cumulative benefit in excess of $5 billion over four years and $35 billion over 10 years.

The proportion of skill stream principal applicants with either an occupation tested against the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) or who are employer sponsored.

Within the skill stream the department has increased the level of targeting by giving priority to:

• employer-sponsored visas
• migrants who have occupations listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).

Collectively these groups made up 60 per cent of the skill stream in 2006-07 compared to 51 per cent in 2005-06.

The extent to which migrants living in regional Australia are participating in the labour force, helping to address local skill shortages and intending to stay in the regions as measured by relevant surveys.

The third Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA 3) indicates that skilled migrants settling in regional or low population growth areas of Australia are achieving excellent employment outcomes 18 months after arrival they have a participation rate of 97 per cent and an unemployment rate of less than one per cent. Of those who were working, 84 per cent were in a skilled occupation.

In an earlier round of interviews, six months after arrival, around 80 per cent of these principal applicants indicated that they would stay in their current city or town for at least a year. Only six per cent said that they would move, and the remainder were not sure of their intentions.

The extent to which the labour market and income outcomes of recent migrants to Australia compare with those of other countries as measured by comparative studies of migrant policies and outcomes.

Comparison of data from LSIA 3 with the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) shows that the labour market and income outcomes of recent migrants to Australia were superior.

After six months in the country, 59 per cent of skilled principal applicants to Canada were employed, compared with 80 per cent for Australia. Similarly only 39 per cent of those coming to Canada on a family visa were working, compared with Australian figures of 49 per cent.

Skilled principal applicant migrants to New Zealand (NZ), on the other hand, are achieving comparable results to their equivalents in Australia. Twelve months after residence approval, 94 per cent of skilled principal applicants in NZ were employed compared with 92 per cent in Australia after 18 months. Median annual income for NZ principal applicants was $NZ50 000 pa, compared with $A47 000 for their Australian counterparts.

The extent of overseas students trained in Australia access permanent residency through the general skilled migration category.

In 2006-07 the outcome for Skilled Independents Onshore (the subclasses that are specifically for onshore students) was 19 352 principal applicants. This was an increase of 26 per cent over 2005-06.

The extent to which those former students who have gained a skilled visa are employed in their field of study as measured by relevant surveys and the Graduate Destination Report produced by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia.

The LSIA 3 shows that around six months after grant of a permanent residence visa, 40 per cent of former overseas students with a Bachelors degree from an Australian university were working full time in skilled occupations. A further 27 per cent were working full time in other jobs, 18 per cent were in part time jobs and 15 per cent were not working.

In comparison, the 2005 Graduate Destination Report shows that at a national level 46 per cent of recent Bachelors degree graduates had a full time job in a skilled occupation.

The extent of convergence in the unemployment rates of migrants from English-speaking countries, non-English speaking countries, and people who are Australian born.

Unemployment rates for all three groups stabilised over the past year after converging in the previous few years. The average monthly unemployment rate between May 2006 and May 2007 for migrants born in non main English-speaking countries was 1.5 per cent higher than the Australian-born unemployment rate and 2.3 per cent higher than the main English-speaking countries, compared to 1.1 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively for the same period in the previous year. The average monthly participation rate for these three groups has improved in the last 12-month period with the highest increase experienced by the non main English-speaking countries.

Extent to which visiting overseas students and tourists contribute to growth in education and tourism service industries.

Tourism and international education are two of the largest service export industries in Australia. The department continues to implement client service strategies aimed at supporting sustainable growth in both areas, ensuring they gain maximum benefit from arrivals to Australia.

During 2006-07 there was a 19.89% increase in student visa grants compared to the previous programme year.

A record number of visitor visas were granted in 2006-07, with 3 627 803 visas granted - more than in any previous year. Another important milestone was reached by the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme with more than 84 000 visas being granted in one programme year for the first time and the 300 000th ADS visitor arriving in Australia.

The approval rate for visitor visas remained at a high 98.57 per cent, with a non-return rate of only 1.23 per cent.

The department continued to support growth in both industries by developing new modes of service delivery, such as enhanced electronic lodgement processes, and engaging service delivery partners to increase the number of locations for lodgement of visa applications. The department works closely with other government agencies and the bodies that represent both industries in developing and enhancing client services.

Diversity of nationalities as measured by the number of countries with more than 100 visas under the Migration and Humanitarian Programmes.

Through the 2006-07 Migration Programme the department issued 100 or more visas to 78 nationalities. Through the 2006-07 Humanitarian Programme the department issued 100 or more visas to 16 nationalities.

Extent to which the settlement of skill stream migrants matches the needs of each state/territory as measured by the percentage of Skill Stream taken up by state-specific and regional migration programmes.

In 2006-07 the outcome for state-specific regional migration initiatives was 25 845 people, representing 26 per cent of the skill stream outcome.

Extent to which Australian employers and state governments are aware of potential skilled overseas workers.

In 2006-07 Australia Needs Skills expos were held in Melbourne, Sydney, London, Manchester, Dublin, Perth and Brisbane. In addition the department participated in the Emigrate Fair in Utrecht.The department continues to get very positive feedback from industry and employer groups about the benefits of the Industry Outreach Officer (IOO) and Regional Outreach Officer (ROO) networks. The number of permanent employer sponsored visa grants rose to 16 585 in 2006-07 as compared to 15 226 in 2005-06. In 2006-07 state governments sponsored almost 7000 migrants who were granted visas after an assessment by State governments that they had skills in demand in their labour markets.

Non-return rate for visitors relative to the approval rate for visitor applications.

In 2006-07, the non-return rate increased slightly to 1.23 per cent (compared to 1.20 per cent in 2005-06), while the approval rate for visitor visas decreased slightly to 98.57 per cent (compared to 98.69 per cent in 2005-06).

Proportion of visitors and other temporary entrants who apply for a protection visa.

The percentage of visitors and other temporary entrants who apply for protection visas has risen slightly from 0.05 per cent in 2005-06 to 0.08 per cent in 2006-07.

Decrease in unauthorised arrivals over time (as a proportion of total passenger and crew arrivals) in the context of passenger movements.

In 2006-07, there was a 13 per cent decrease in air arrivals refused immigration clearance at airports despite a four per cent increase in air passenger and crew arrivals. The decrease is a positive indicator. It represents the increasing return from Australia’s layered approach to border processing and, in particular, the Airline Liaison Officer network and the Advance Passenger Processing System.

In support of border integrity, seek to make certain detention of unlawful non-citizens is lawful, humane and efficient to ensure availability for processing and removal where required.

Detention Review Managers (DRMs) provide independent assurance, removed from compliance activities, about the lawfulness and resonableness of decisions to detain persons under s189 of the Migration Act 1958. DRMs undertake their review within 48 hours of the detention decision, or 24 hours if identity is not confirmed. They continue to review the cases of people in immigration detention on an ongoing basis to ensure their detention remains lawful and reasonable.

The incidence of tuberculosis relative to the percentage of overseas born in the Australian population compared to the same ratio for other major developed countries.

5.3 per 100 000 (total Australian)¹
4.0 per 100 000 (total Australian born)¹
19.1 per 100 000 (overseas born)

The extent to which the Humanitarian Programme is delivered in line with government planning levels.

13 017 visas were granted against a planned programme of 13 000 new places and 11 314 nominally available places² - 6003 refugee category visas were granted and 6031 places were available, 7014 SHP component visas were granted and 5283 places were available.

The extent to which the Humanitarian Programme is globally accessible.

In 2006-07, 11 186 visas were granted within the offshore component to people representing 48 nationalities across three continents, reflecting the broadly accessible nature of Australia’s programme. Officers were placed in high volume locations including Africa, the Middle East and Asia and worked closely with local representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure cases referred were appropriate for resettlement in Australia.

The extent to which the Humanitarian Programme is aligned to international resettlement priorities as determined in consultation with the UNHCR and the Australian community.

The size and composition of the Humanitarian Programme is decided by the Australian Government each year following extensive formal consultations. These include:

• inter-governmental consultations
• an invitation from the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship to state and territory leaders and their opposition counterparts to provide submissions
• a submission, funded by the department, from the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) incorporating the views of its member organisations
• consultations with peak refugee and humanitarian bodies
• advice from the UNHCR.

The composition of the Humanitarian Programme takes into consideration resettlement priorities identified by UNHCR, RCOA and other peak refugee and humanitarian organisations.

The level of community awareness of the Humanitarian Programme.

A communication strategy is in place to provide consistent and accurate public information on the Humanitarian Programme. Specific activities in 2006-07 included:

• organisation of and support for a range of events to mark Refugee Week in October 2006, Refugee Week in June 2007 and UN World Refugee Day on 20 June 2007
• preparation of a range of media releases on the planning and effective delivery of the Humanitarian Programme.

The extent to which Australia contributes to international resettlement policy and operational developments.

Australia contributes to more efficient international resettlement policy and operational developments by working with like-minded countries, by participating actively in UNHCR governing bodies, in the annual UNHCR Tripartite Resettlement Consultations and the biannual Working Groups on Resettlement. It provides dedicated funding for refugees and internally displaced persons under our overseas aid programme and through support for UNHCR and its programmes. Australia’s annual offshore programme complements this support by providing resettlement places to those in greatest relative need of resettlement. Australia is one of around 10 countries with well established resettlement programmes and is one of the top three resettlement countries in the world.

Levels of support for the international protection framework as measured by the level of Australia’s contribution to international resettlement, Australia’s representation in key international forums and effectiveness of implementation of domestic protection legislation.

Australia continued to play a major role in key international forums in promoting practical solutions to international protection problems and in seeking solutions for refugees that support managed humanitarian movement where possible. Australia was represented at senior official level at the Executive Committee of the UNHCR, in bilateral dialogue on these issues with like-minded countries and with the European Commission (EC). Australia was also represented at senior official level in a range of other UNHCR forums and at meetings of bodies such as the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) on Asylum, Refugee and Migration Policies and the Asia Pacific Consultations (APC) on Refugees, Displaced Persons and Migrants. Australia continues to administer one of the three largest humanitarian resettlement programmes in the world and maintains an effective onshore protection system.

No children in detention centres except as voluntary visitors.

Children who come into immigration detention are initially placed in immigration residential housing or in alternative detention arrangements while their case is referred to the minister for his consideration of placement in community detention (residence determination).

Appropriate placement of people in the immigration detention services network.

People were appropriately placed in the immigration detention network following assessment and review.

Individual health management strategies available for all people in immigration detention.

The management of the health and wellbeing needs of those in immigration detention requires a person-centred approach which recognises that each individual has unique health and well-being requirements. Each person has a health service provider and their health needs are individually managed.

Contractors’ performance is reviewed quarterly to ensure appropriate care and accommodation for people in offshore processing centres (OPC).

The department monitored the performance of all contractors engaged in projects related to OPCs on a weekly basis. The departmental liaison officer in Nauru and Canberra-based officers who travelled to Nauru, at least on a quarterly basis, reviewed performance and ensured that the care and accommodation provided for residents of OPCs was appropriate and of a good standard. IOM met its requirement of quarterly reporting against the agreed assurance framework.

All contracts are managed on time and within budget.

All contracts in Nauru that the department managed were completed on time and within budget. Schedules were occasionally adjusted when circumstances, such as delays in international shipping of materials, were entirely beyond the department’s and the contractors’ control.

Key relationships with governments, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Australian agencies are managed and prosper.

The department maintained an appropriate level of personal and formal contact with the governments of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Canberra based officers met with Nauru Government officials in Nauru as required. The department maintained a very good professional working relationship with IOM and kept in direct personal contact with its officers in Nauru and Canberra. It hosted regular logistics meetings that brought together representatives of key agencies involved in OPC activities, using the format of a teleconference between Canberra and Nauru.

Offshore processing facilities are capable of accommodating residents according to government requirements.

The government requires a total of 1500 places to be available in OPCs. Five hundred places in Nauru are available immediately and 1000 nominal places in Papua New Guinea (Manus Province) are maintained in contingency mode.

Operational readiness, including contingency facilities, is maintained in accordance with the capacity provided by the Memoranda of Understanding with Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The department participated in negotiations with the Nauru Government to (successfully) draft the text of a new MOU that gives the department continued access to the OPC site in Nauru until 30 June 2009. The department advised and consulted with DFAT on extending OPC site arrangements in PNG (Manus Province) for 12 months but the inter-governmental discussions on the extension were deferred pending appointment of ministers in the newly elected PNG Government.