Indian citizens have become the top migrant source for Australia, replacing the once-dominant British expats, with six other Asian nations reported to make up the top ten, a report says.
The statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that over a period of seven years there has been a 46.6 per cent increase in the number of people becoming Australian citizens.
Studies conducted by the Migration Policy Institute indicate that Australia’s strong economy, world class higher education system, multicultural society and stable governance makes it a highly attractive destination for migrants.
Most of the immigrants from the Indian sub-continent were skilled professionals, with accountants, chefs and software engineers topping the list. The Australian Migration Programme has also witnessed an increase of Chinese, Philippines, South Korean and Vietnamese citizens applying to migrate during 2014-15.
The growing trend of Indian and Chinese citizens seeking Australian citizenship is a reflection of worldwide integration and greater global movement. According to the Director of Visa Solutions Australia Dan Engles, the travel benefits that are attached to holding an Australian passport greatly appeal to the citizens from these countries. “India and China are the leading source countries for pursuing visas and ultimately citizenship,” he said “…. an Australia passport, this opens up greater travel access globally.”
Although the Australian government’s top priority is always to secure employment for Australians, skilled migration is an important pillar that continues to support our robust economy and helps address complex issues such as an ageing population.
Australia plans to increase the number of permanent migrants for 2015-16 to 190, 000. Just over 128, 000 places are allocated for skilled migrants. The demand for skilled migrants to fill in shortages in the communication, health and construction industries remains high.
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