Overseas migration to Australia hits record high

Canberra, Dec 15 (IANS) Overseas migration to Australia hit a record high in the 2022-23 financial year due to a surge in temporary visa holders entering the country, official data revealed on Friday.

According to the data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), net overseas migration to Australia in the 12 months to the end of June was 518,000 -- the highest figure on record, reports Xinhua news agency.

Net overseas migration is calculated by subtracting migrant departures from migrant arrivals.

In 2022-23, a record-high 737,000 migrants arrived in Australia -- up from 427,00 in the previous 12 months -- and 219,000 departed -- the lowest figure since 2006-07.

Jenny Dobak, head of migration statistics at the ABS, said the fall in departures could be attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Due to the impact of travel restrictions during the pandemic, many temporary migrants currently living in Australia have only arrived relatively recently and are not yet required to leave. This has resulted in the smaller number of migrant departures in 2022-23," she said in a media release.

"Before the pandemic there was a constant flow of temporary migrants arriving and departing. This cycle hasn't returned to a regular pattern and has had an upward impact on net overseas migration in 2022-23."

Of the migrant arrivals in 2022-23, 554,000 or 75 per cent were on temporary visas, including 283,000 international students.

India was the most prominent country of birth for arrivals in 2022-23, accounting for 14.3 per cent of the total, followed by China, the Philippines, Australia and the UK.

The median age of migrant arrivals was 27 years and for departures it was 33.