Income and Expenditure
Summary of findings for LSIA 2
The median income for Primary Applicants at Wave 1 was $239 per week. By Wave 2 this figure had increased to $433 per week. Incomes varied widely between different Visa categories, those from the Humanitarian and Preferential Family/Family Stream had the lowest median incomes ($204 and $224 per week respectively). In contrast, Independent migrants and those from the Business Skills and Employer Nomination Scheme had much higher median incomes ($730 and $949 respectively).
In both waves of the LSIA, Humanitarian migrants spent a greater proportion of their income on basic items such as housing, food, clothing and transport. In Wave 2, on average, three-quarters of the gross income of the migrating unit was spent on these basic items. In contrast, the equivalent expenditure for migrants form the Business Skills and Employer Nomination scheme was only 38%.
Selected LSIA 1 comparisons
| LSIA 1 | LSIA 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 1 | Wave 1 | |
| Income ($ pa) | ||||
| None | 25% | 12% | 26% | 16% |
| $1-25000 | 55% | 60% | 36% | 38% |
| $25001-$50000 | 16% | 22% | 27% | 32% |
| More than $50,000 | 4% | 6% | 11% | 15% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Tables and charts for LSIA 2
There are six tables and charts available in PDF format:
- Gross weekly income at Wave 1 & 2 : Primary Applicant
- Gross weekly income at Wave 1 & 2 : Migrating Unit
- Median weekly expenditures at Wave 1 & 2 : Migrating Unit
- Expenditures on basic items as a proportion of median income at Wave 1 & 2: Migrating Unit (chart)
- Fund transfers at Wave 1 & 2: Migrating Unit
- Remittances and financial help at Wave 1 & 2 : Migrating Unit