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Month: November 2019

Lure of cities too strong for regional Australia to keep migrants

Over four decades, country towns have mostly failed to retain migrants, according to the most comprehensive snapshot of Australian migration ever collated. And this trend of migrants moving to the cities appears to be increasing, despite repeated government efforts to make life in the regions more appealing. Professor James Raymer, who led a team of …

What it’s like to be an LGBTIQ+ asylum seeker in Australia

Like many refugees, Tina Dixson and her partner Renee’s decision to seek asylum in Australia was a matter of life or death. The couple had been working as LGBTIQ+ advocates in their home country (the location of which they are unable to disclose for safety reasons) and internationally for years before they made the difficult …

Perth and Gold Coast now categorized as ‘regional areas’ to entice skilled migrants

Skilled migrants are now being encouraged to move to Perth and the Gold Coast as the Federal Government grapples with congestion in Australia’s three biggest cities. For the first time, the two destinations will be added to the list of locations migrants can move to on a regional visa. Immigration Minister David Coleman denied it …

Fast-track tech visa is here

The launch of a new fast-tracked visa marks a new era for skilled migration, with the federal government actively seeking tech talent from around the world to live and work in Australia, StartupAus chief executive Alex McCauley said. The Global Talent – Independent Program was unveiled by the Coalition earlier this year as a “major new initiative in …

The high cost of parent visas is leaving migrant families without support

This latest article from the ABC focuses on some of the difficulties that Indian families are having after choosing a new life in Australia. Of course many of the issues that resonate with migrant communities barely register with those born in Australia. The article also outlines the costs associated with some of the much sort-after …

‘Backpacker tax’ overturned by Federal Court

An estimated 75,000 backpackers could receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the tax office after the Federal Court ruled the Government’s so-called backpacker tax invalid. The landmark ruling said the tax was a “form of discrimination based on nationality” and could not be applied to a British woman living in Australia on a working …