Lately, Australia has made its visa laws pretty severe and resultantly a noticeable fall in the number of visas issued has come to light.
It is pretty strange that while the government of the country agrees that the migrants have done wonders to the growth and expansion of the Australian economy, it also seems to lament and worry about the alleged increased rates of migration to the country.
Maybe, this is the reason why while it wants to benefit from the expertise and contributions made by the skilled migrants, it has no hesitations whatsoever to come-up with stricter visa rules, to curtail and stifle the growth of migration and check the entry of migrants to the country.
Coming back to the report, as per an official from the Australian Home Affairs, the nation’s migration figures are heading south further and further from the 190,000 Annual Limit, as they impose more severe visa checks employing linked security databases.
He stated that while the intake for the period of 2016-2017 had been 183,608 individuals, the figure for 2017-2018 stood at 138,086. It, allegedly, denotes that this financial year’s intake is likely to fall close-to 20,000 short of the yearly limit.
Allegedly, it’s perhaps down on where the country was this time the previous year.
According to Michael Pezzullo the chief of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) the figures come as the administration made “checking mechanisms” for migrants better, via linking security databases.
Still, the administration also reportedly boasted that immigration is a major driver in the making of jobs. As per Pezzullo, migration was behind more than 50% of the nation’s population rise. He went on to add that it would be strange to think that while population is being driven to a certain extent by migration, jobs growth isn’t.
According to a new study on the subject, migrants were behind 66% of the net jobs made created over the preceding five years, with the ratio even more marked for permanent employment. The report also discovered that migrants were not substituting the local manpower, as alleged by some people.
Actually, the study reportedly did not come across any proof that immigration had hurt the people born in Oz, in any way.
Now this is again strange! Migration does not harm the country. Still, the government bows down to certain vested interests and makes the visa laws tougher, perhaps to cater to its own petty interests with an eye on the looming elections.
The government and the country want to have the best of the both worlds while it does not want more migrants, it also wants to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But how can that be possible? It’s time the government and those who matter in Oz became realistic and gave the migrants their rightful dues, lest the rivals nations exploit the situation, and lure the cream of the migrant community that has made Australia what it is today a top global economy.