Proposal to let migrants buy their way into Australia

A proposal has been drawn that may be implemented to let migrants buy their way into Australia has been slammed as a backwards step that will not address any skills shortages or allow for the right skill set to be added to our work force.

Federal government agencies and many other parties have panned the notion of an immigration system that is being examined, under which whoever would pay, would determine who comes to Australia.

Advocates say it would create government income, take into account tax breaks and bring down the expense to citizens of managing the migration framework as it stands.

In a submission, the Department of Social Services said imposing a cost, rather than a certain criteria, such as family connections, work skills, or humanitarian needs, risks undermining public confidence that migration was is managed “in Australia’s best economic and social interests”.

A skills-based approach in fact does meet the needs of Australian industry and employers. International competition for skilled migrants is a high and a hefty charge meant that very highly skilled people “are likely to look to migration to competitor countries, to our detriment”, the department has warned.

This would certainly mean that those who cannot pay; may have no means of being reunited with family members in Australia, which is a very concerning fact. This proposal to let migrants buy their way into Australia is fast becoming a very heated topic.

This would also reduce any capacity to spend once they settled in Australia. The national interest is most definitely served best by selecting a varied mix of young and skilled family, workers and humanitarian migrants “to meet our long-term economic and population needs”.

Migration Council Australia said a price-based system would be “a retrograde step” and create a “bidding war” that would completely not only undermine the economic contribution of migration programs, however leave many in the dark with regards to their chance of migrating to Australia.

It is mentioned in this proposal that the government could pay or provide a loan for the fee, for migrants that they were keen to attract. It has also been said that family reunions should be selected firstly, if this is according to a person’s willingness to pay.

While some may find this “unpleasant … the accumulation of money is not an indication that a person is less worthy”. We are waiting to see if this proposal is going to see the light of day.

Please contact us for advice at any time, please get in touch with us by email visa@phillipsilver.com.au or phone on (02) 97085954