REVEALED: The countries dominating Australia’s migrant intake – as new arrivals drop to the lowest number in 15 years due to coronavirus
- The Australian Government processed 140,366 permanent arrivals last year
- Indians topped the list at 26,000 citizens, followed by 18,587 from China
- More than 10,600 UK citizens and 8,960 Filipinos were granted permanent visas
People from India, China and the United Kingdom make up the bulk of Australia’s migrant intake, as the COVID-19 pandemic forces new arrivals to drop to the lowest number in 15 years.
The Australian Government processed 140,366 permanent arrivals last year, with Indians topping the list at 26,000 citizens, followed by 18,587 from China.
More than 10,600 UK citizens, 8,960 from the Philippines and 5,398 Vietnamese people were granted permanent visas.
Next on the list was 5,048 Nepalese citizens and 4,997 New Zealanders.
The Australian Government processed 140,366 permanent arrivals last year, with Indians topping the list at 26,000 citizens, followed by 18,587 from China
New South Wales took in the most new migrants with 44,182 settlers, followed by 34,189 in Victoria, 18,743 in Queensland, 11,996 in South Australia and 11,377 in WA
Most of the Nepalese migrants are believed to be former students who have been granted permanent skilled visas while still living in Australia.
The migration program delivered 95,843 skilled places, including 29,261 sponsored by employer.
Nearly 42,000 visas were given for family migration, 37,118 of which were taken by the partners of Australians.
New South Wales took in the most new migrants with 44,182 settlers, followed by 34,189 in Victoria, 18,743 in Queensland, 11,996 in South Australia and 11,377 in WA.
Australian Population Research Institute director Dr Bob Birrell said the federal government at the time of the 2019-20 budget set a maximum of 160,000.
‘But since 2016-17 the program has been regarded as a ceiling, not a target,’ he told The Daily Telegraph.
‘The Coalition has clearly decided that high migration in Covid-19 circumstances was not a good idea, and accordingly have reduced the number of visas issued in both the skill and the family components below the program level. This is a sensible decision.’
Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said two in three permanent visas were granted to people already in Australia who transitioned from a temporary to permanent visa.
‘There were also 13,171 visas granted in the humanitarian program in 2019-20, including 4765 visas (45 per cent) for those who were referred for settlement in regional areas,’ he said.