Australian Migration Rules
June 23rd, 2009 by John Waters, under Travel and Leisure. 2 Comments
Australian immigration rules are what we’ll be looking at in this part our guide to emigrating to Australia…
Nearly one in four of Australia’s population of 22 million was born outside of the country and every year more than 120,000 new migrants enter the country under the Migration Act 1958, the practical application of which is the responsibility of the Department of Immigration and Culture (DIAC).
A universal visa system is in operation, which means that anyone who isn’t an Australian citizen (not including citizens of New Zealand) must possess a visa to enter Australia and that all non-citizens in Australia without a valid visa are unlawful citizens and are liable for detention and removal. To acquire a visa, you should make an application to the DIAC under one of their visa programs, and submit the subsequent fee (which varies from program to program).
The various visa programs on offer (retirement, skilled, employer sponsored, etc.) all have their specific terms and criteria that must be met. If you mistakenly apply for the incorrect one, or you don’t convince the Australian government that you qualify for it, your application will be rejected without refund of the application fee.
Your nationality, ethnic origin, sex, race and religion play no part in determining eligibility, but factors like age, medical history, character and criminal records, previous visa history, and overstay risk, do. It’s an open process though and you’re given a right to lodge an appeal with an independent review tribunal should you feel that you’ve been subject to unfair discrimination.
Separate migration and humanitarian programs are used, so as to offer a balance between the Australian Government’s economic, social and environmental objectives and Australia’s international humanitarian obligations. There are annual limits on each of these and after they’re reached no more immigrants are given entry until the next year.
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