Issues Relating to Migrants and Immigration
Does immigration stimulate the economy?
Are many migrants living on Social Security?
How skilled are migrants?
Does immigration lead to higher unemployment?
How healthy are migrants?
Do migrants want to become Australian citizens?
Do migrants commit more crime?
Does immigration stimulate the economy?
•	68% if all migrants 2011-2012 came under the skilled migrant category
•	Australia benefits from migrant skills and education without having to pay for it.
•	Surveys show that within 12 months of arrival
-	56% of migrants were engaged in business employing an average of 5 staff
-	52% had generated export earnings
-	31% of those in business had turnover of over $1 million
•	Immigration stimulates the economy through:
-	increased tax revenue
-	contribution of funds from overseas
-	participation in employment
-	bringing skills into the Australian workforce
-	increased consumption of food and household goods and services
-	spending on housing
Are many migrants living on Social Security?
•	Research into Australia’s last three recessions shows that migrants are less reliant on social security than people born in Australia.
•	Migrants often do the jobs that the Australian born are reluctant to do.
•	Migrants who are not sponsored by a family member or employer are expected to be able to support themselves and their families for at least their first two years in Australia.
•	All migrants are ineligible to receive social security benefits, including unemployment and sickness benefits and student allowances, for two years after becoming permanent residents.
How skilled are migrants?
•	Migrant workers arriving in Australia in 2012-2013 brought the following skills
-	Professionals	45%
-	Associate professionals	13%
-	Trades persons	11%
-	Managers / administrators	6%
-	Semi skilled	20%
-	Unskilled	5%
•	In 2012, 90% of skilled migrants, 77% of family migrants hold post-school qualifications.
•	In 2011 more than 60% of migrants entering Australia had a high level of English.
Does immigration lead to higher unemployment?
•	Research clearly shows that immigration does not cause higher unemployment in the long term.
•	All migrants are consumers and this stimulates the economy and increases the demand for goods and services, which in turn creates more jobs.
•	In short, migrants create at least as many jobs as they take.
How healthy are migrants?
•	All migrants have to meet stringent health requirements.
•	A waiver is only available in very close relationships, such as a wife or a child, and when the applicant does not pose a risk to public health or safety in Australia.
•	In general, migrants have better health than people born here because of the health criteria for selection as migrants and because people in poor health are less likely to have the ability or economic resources to migrate.
•	Migrants are less likely to bring disease to Australia than Australian residents returning from a trip overseas.
Do migrants want to become Australian citizens?
•	Migrants are generally grateful to have been accepted into Australia and endeavour to contribute to society.
•	Research suggests that about 80% of migrants with more than ten years of residence have Australian citizenship and that people from countries with lower economic or civil opportunities, and refugees in particular, are likely to take-up Australian citizenship.
•	To qualify for Australian citizenship, a migrant must be of good character and reside permanently in Australia for at least two years.
•	The highest citizenship rates in 2013 were among migrants from the UK (16.6%), India (15.6%), the Philippines (7.4%), China (7.3%) and South Africa (6.4%).
Do migrants commit more crime?
•	In 2013, the imprisonment rate for the Australian born population was 170 prisoners for every 100 000 people.
•	For migrants the rate of imprisonment was not higher.
•	All migrants must undergo character and police checks before gaining entry.
•	There is no evidence of a direct link between ethnicity and crime. Social and economic circumstances, however, are significant.