Editing Immigration to Australia (section)

==Current immigration programs==

=== Migration program ===
{{see also|Australian permanent resident}}
[[File:"Life From A Suitcase" sculpture.jpg|thumb|"Life From A Suitcase" sculpture installed at [[Pyrmont, New South Wales|Pyrmont]] dedicated to immigrants in Australia]]

There are a number of different types of Australian immigration, classed under different categories of visa:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/Visa-listing|title=Visa listing|author=Australian Government. Department of Home Affairs|access-date=23 January 2018|archive-date=23 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190415/https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/Visa-listing|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* '''Skilled Occupation visas''' - Australian working visas are most commonly granted to highly skilled workers. Candidates are assessed against a points-based system, with points allocated for certain standards of education. These visas are often sponsored by individual States, which recruit workers according to specific needs. Visas may also be granted to applicants sponsored by an Australian business. The most popular form of sponsored working visa was the [[457 visa]] set in place in 1996 which has now been abolished by the Turnbull government.
* '''Student visas''' - The Australian Government actively encourages foreign students to study in Australia. There are a number of categories of a student visa, most of which require a confirmed offer from an educational institution.
* '''Family visas''' - Visas are often granted on the basis of family ties in Australia. There are a number of different types of Australian family visas, including Contributory Parent visas, Child Visa and Partner visas.
* '''Working holiday visa''' - This visa is a residence permit allowing travelers to undertake employment (and sometimes study) in the country issuing the visa to supplement education.
* '''Investor visas''' - Foreign investors could invest the business or fund in Australia to acquire the Permanent Residential of Australia, after 4 years (including the year which acquire the visa), they need to take the exam and make a declaration in order to be a citizen of Australia.<ref>{{cite web 
| url = http://www.visabureau.com/australia/default.aspx 
| title = Australia visas 
| date = 22 December 2011 
| access-date = 22 December 2011 
| author = Australian Visa Bureau 
| archive-date = 1 January 2012 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120101134140/http://www.visabureau.com/australia/default.aspx 
| url-status = live 
}}</ref>

Employment and family visas can often lead to Australian citizenship;{{fact|date=May 2025}} however, this requires the applicant to have lived in Australia for at least four years with at least one year as a [[Australian permanent resident|permanent resident]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kolli |first=Srashta |date=10 January 2025 |orig-date=14 September 2021<!-- from HTML --> |title=How to Meet the Australian Citizenship Requirements |url=https://legalvision.com.au/australian-citizenship-requirements/ |website=LegalVision |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250503101149/https://legalvision.com.au/australian-citizenship-requirements/ |archive-date=3 May 2025 |access-date=3 May 2025}}</ref>

Claims have been made that Australia's migration program is in conflict with anti age-discrimination legislation and there have been calls to remove or amend the age limit of 50 for general skilled migrants.<ref>{{cite news |title=How old is too old to become a migrant? |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-old-is-too-old-to-become-a-migrant |access-date=27 April 2020 |agency=SBS News |date=26 August 2013 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309023447/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-old-is-too-old-to-become-a-migrant |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+New permanent migrants to Australia by region (2016–17)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Liddy|first=Matt|date=2018-08-20|title=Chart of the day: Where do migrants to Australia come from?|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-20/where-do-migrants-to-australia-come-from-chart/10133560|access-date=2020-07-22|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|archive-date=11 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411035512/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-20/where-do-migrants-to-australia-come-from-chart/10133560|url-status=live}}</ref>
!Region
!Number of migrants
|-
|Southern and Central Asia
|58,232
|-
|North-East Asia
|37,235
|-
|South-East Asia
|31,488
|-
|North Africa and the Middle East
|28,525
|-
|North-West Europe
|25,174
|-
|Oceania and Antarctica
|16,445
|-
|Sub-Saharan Africa
|11,369
|-
|Americas
|9,687
|-
|Southern and Eastern Europe
|7,306
|-
|Supplementary and Not Stated
|492
|}

===Humanitarian program===
{{Main|Asylum in Australia}}
Australia grants two types of visa under its humanitarian program:<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu/Offs|title= Offshore - Resettlement|website= www.border.gov.au|access-date= 2017-01-02|archive-date= 21 January 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170121133852/http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu/Offs|url-status= live}}</ref>

* Refugee-category visas for refugees under the [[Convention relating to the Status of Refugees]]
* Special Humanitarian Programme (SHP) visas for persons who are subject to substantial discrimination amounting to gross violation of their human rights in their home country

The cap for visas granted under the humanitarian program was 13,750 for 2015–16,<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu/Offs/The-Special-Humanitarian-Programme-(SHP)|title= The Special Humanitarian Programme (SHP)|website= www.border.gov.au|access-date= 2017-01-02|archive-date= 3 January 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170103002531/https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu/Offs/The-Special-Humanitarian-Programme-(SHP)|url-status= live}}</ref> plus an additional 12,000 visas available for refugees from the [[List of modern conflicts in the Middle East|conflicts in Syria and Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite web
|url= https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu/response-syrian-humanitarian-crisis
|title= Australia's response to the Syrian and Iraqi humanitarian crisis
|website= www.border.gov.au
|access-date= 2017-01-02
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170321233214/https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Refu/response-syrian-humanitarian-crisis
|archive-date= 21 March 2017
|url-status= dead
}}</ref>

===Migration and settlement services===

The Australian Government and the community{{which|date=January 2019}} provide a number of migration-assistance and settlement-support services: 
* The [[Adult Migrant English Program]], available to eligible migrants from the humanitarian, family and skilled-visa streams, provides free English-language courses for those who do not have functional English. Up to 510 hours of English language courses are provided during the first five years of settlement in Australia.
* The Department of Home Affairs operates a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week telephone-based interpreting service called the Translating and Interpreting Service National, which facilitates contact between non-English speakers and interpreters, enabling access to government and community services.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.directory.gov.au/portfolios/home-affairs/department-home-affairs|title=Department of Home Affairs|date=25 May 2017|website=www.directory.gov.au|access-date=27 June 2018|archive-date=27 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627183123/https://www.directory.gov.au/portfolios/home-affairs/department-home-affairs|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Settlement Grants Program provides funding to assist humanitarian entrants and migrants settle in Australia and to participate equitably in Australian society as soon as possible after arrival. The program is targeted to deliver settlement services to humanitarian entrants, family migrants with low levels of English proficiency and dependants of skilled migrants in rural and regional areas with low English-proficiency.
* The Australian Cultural Orientation program provides practical advice and the opportunity to ask questions about travel to and life in Australia to refugee and humanitarian visa holders who are preparing to settle in Australia. The program is delivered overseas over five days before the visa holder begins his or her journey.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/lega/lega/form/immi-faqs/what-is-the-australian-cultural-orientation-program |title=What is the Australian Cultural Orientation program? |access-date=1 April 2018 |archive-date=1 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401144744/https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/lega/lega/form/immi-faqs/what-is-the-australian-cultural-orientation-program |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Refugee and humanitarian visa holders are also eligible to receive on-arrival settlement support through the Humanitarian Settlement Services program, which provides intensive settlement-support and equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to independently access services beyond the initial settlement period.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.dss.gov.au/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/settlement-services/humanitarian-settlement-program| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180323030656/https://www.dss.gov.au/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/settlement-services/humanitarian-settlement-program| archive-date = 2018-03-23| title = Humanitarian Settlement Program {{!}} Department of Social Services, Australian Government}}</ref>
* The Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme provides professional assistance, free of charge, to disadvantaged visa-applicants, to help with the completion and submission of visa applications, liaison with the department,{{which|date=January 2019}} and advice on complex immigration matters. It also provides migration advice to prospective visa-applicants and sponsors.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/63advice| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180211013740/http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/63advice| archive-date = 2018-02-11| title = Fact sheet - Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS)}}</ref>
* In response to the needs of asylum seekers, the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme was established{{by whom|date=January 2019}} in 1992 to address Australia's obligations under the [[Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees|Convention relating to the Status of Refugees]]. The Australian Red Cross administers the scheme under contract to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. It provides financial assistance to asylum seekers in the community who satisfy specific eligibility criteria, and also facilitates access to casework assistance and to other support services for asylum seekers through the Australian Red Cross.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/66hss.htm |title=Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 66. Humanitarian Settlement Services<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=23 October 2012 |archive-date=3 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103235036/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/66hss.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* A variety of community-based services cater to the needs of newly-arrived migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Some of these services, such as Migrant Resource Centres, receive funding from the Commonwealth Government.