Early last year the Australian Bureau of Statistics stated that the proportion of the Australian population that were born overseas hit its highest point in 120 years. In particular, residents from India had tripled in the last ten years, and residents born in China had doubled. While the UK and New Zealand still make up the largest proportion of migrants living in Australia, the demographic profile is rapidly changing.
With the number of people migrating to Australia growing, the actual experience of visa holders in Australia needs to be considered.
The Scanlon Foundation published a report in 2016 looking at life for Australian’s Today, including a comparison of the opinions of their life in the country from persons on various visas.
The report – which can be read in its entirety here – looked at what migrants liked most and least in Australia, how they rated their personal satisfaction, their trust in their fellow Australians, their economic situation and a number of other areas.
What was highlighted was that it was the migrants who moved to Australia on a 457 Business Visa that were thriving in the new country.
76% of persons who had migrated to Australia between 2001 and 2015 considered themselves happy over the period of the last year, compared to 64% of persons on a Student (500) Visa and 70% of persons on an Independent Skill (189) Visa. Similarly, 457 Visa migrants also recorded the highest level of life satisfaction, with 90% of those interviewed indicating that they were satisfied with life since migrating to Australia. 78% of those on an Independent Skill Visa and 79% of those on a Student Visa also indicated high life satisfaction.
The report also identified the nationalities of those who recorded the highest satisfaction with general life in Australia, with the top five countries represented being Iraq, UK, Turkey, Iran and India.
The Australian way of life and the countries lifestyle was the aspect that all liked the most about Australia, with the freedom and democracy of the country, our standard of living, the weather and climate and the education and opportunity for children rounding out the top five reasons.
The natural beauty of the country, and the collection of cultures which create a multicultural nation, also garnered a mention as to why people liked living in Australia. On the flipside, negatives included the cost of living and the distance from family.
On average, more than half of the research group indicated that their experience in Australia was more positive than they expected.
Arguments have been made about whether or not Australia actually needs migrants in the workforce. In essence, the ideal solution is a balance of local Australian talent and talent from overseas who can work together. The variety of experience and cultures allows Australian workplaces to progress by making use of the knowledge that may not be readily available within the local workforce.
The statistics above show that people around the world should consider Australia when looking for work, ninety percent of 457 visa holders can’t be wrong when they say they have a high level of life satisfaction. It just affirms what Australian’s already know, that we are lucky to live in a such a beautiful country with endless opportunities, and in the words of the national anthem, ‘for those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share.’
They add to the economy – 457 Visa holders want to succeed and not become parasite. they want to engage and succeed. Also, it’s not all one way, about the same amount of skilled labour workers who are Australian citizens are leaving the country each year. This means those coming into the country are taking jobs but rather filling in gaps in the workforce vacated by those Australian’s who have gone overseas.
To experience Australia, visit https://www.ozmigration.net.au/ and use the ‘Quick Step Qualifier’ to see if you qualify for an Australian visa today.
