Skilled migration from Europe to Australia

AbstractBritain and many other European countries have been important sources of settler migration to Australia for more than two hundred years. While the sources of settler migration to Australia have diversified in the last thirty years to include non‐European countries, with the current emphasis on skills in Australia's migration policy, many skilled people from Europe are coming to Australia both as settlers and as temporary migrants. This paper examines Europe as a source of both permanent and temporary skilled migration to Australia in recent years. It looks at the trend in migration from European countries to Australia from the 1960s to the present, noting the changes in patterns over time, both in terms of type of migration and source countries. It then focuses on European migration to Australia since the mid‐1990s when Australia's immigration policy became more skill‐oriented and a temporary skilled migration visa program was implemented to simplify the process by which employers could sponsor skilled migrant workers. While Europeans are not a large group among permanent migrants, many come as temporary migrants and then decide to apply for permanent residence. Survey data are used to examine their reasons for migration and residence/return migration intentions, comparing permanent skilled migrants with temporary skilled migrants. European migrants are more likely than other migrants to indicate lifestyle reasons for migrating or coming to Australia to work and then seeking permanent residence, with differences also observed among migrants from different regions in Europe. The implications for ‘brain drain’/‘brain circulation’ are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Siew-Ean Khoo, Graeme Hugo and Peter McDonal

'Genuine' refugees or illegitimate 'boat people': Political constructions of asylum seekers and refugees in the Malaysia Deal debate

Immigration to Australia has long been the focus of negative political interest. In recent times, the proposal of exclusionary policies such as the Malaysia Deal in 2011 has fuelled further debate. In these debates, Federal politicians often describe asylum seekers and refugees as ‘illegal’, ‘queue jumpers’, and ‘boat people’. This article examines the political construction of asylum seekers and refugees during debates surrounding the Malaysia Deal in the Federal Parliament of Australia. Hansard parliamentary debates were analysed to identify the underlying themes and constructions that permeate political discourse about asylum seekers and refugees. We argue that asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat were constructed as threatening to Australia’s national identity and border security, and were labelled as ‘illegitimate’. A dichotomous characterisation of legitimacy pervades the discourse about asylum seekers, with this group constructed either as legitimate humanitarian refugees or as illegitimate ‘boat arrivals’. Parliamentarians apply the label of legitimacy based on implicit criteria concerning the mode of arrival of asylum seekers, their respect for the so-called ‘queue’, and their ability to pay to travel to Australia. These constructions result in the misrepresentation of asylum seekers as illegitimate, undermining their right to protection under Australia’s laws and international obligations

Skilled temporary migration from Asia-Pacific countries to Australia

Migration policy in Australia has always emphasized the permanent settlement of skilled migrants. It is only in the last ten years, since the introduction of the temporary business entry (long-stay) 457 visa in 1996, that skilled temporary migration has become an increasingly important element of international migration to Australia. This paper examines the Asia-Pacific region as a source of skilled temporary migration to Australia. This is based on an examination of trend statistics on visa grants and temporary residents by country of origin published by the Department of Immigration. Following this overview, the paper compares skilled temporary migrants from Asia-Pacific countries with those from non-Asia-Pacific countries to investigate whether the Asia-Pacific migrants are selective of particular demographic or human capital characteristics. This analysis is based on data from a survey of 457 visa holders that was conducted by the authors in 2004. The paper also compares the reasons for migration, employment situation and return migration/permanent residence intentions of migrants from Asia-Pacific countries with those of migrants from non-Asia-Pacific countries. The paper concludes with a discussion of the human resource and policy implications of the findings from these analyses for the Asia-Pacific sending countries and for Australia.Siew-Ean Khoo, Graeme Hugo and Peter McDonal