Australia: Survey Shows that Immigrants are Welcome

23/04/2008 by James MacAnally

The current intake of immigrants into Australia is praised by the common citizen; this is according a survey by Prof Andrew Markus of Monash University, published recently.

Australia is a destination of choice for many seeking a brighter future abroad; however the fear of xenophobia has often been a deterrent in relation to any form of immigration. This survey makes Australia an even more attractive choice.

In the survey of 2000 people, 96% of the respondents felt comfortable within the Australian society. There was however less acceptance levels found in areas where the residents had little to no contact with foreigners on a daily basis.

There is a demand for skills in Australia, therefore the Australian government look across borders to curb these shortages. Australian immigration is viewed as a solution to retaining economic and social growth.

Therefore a key reason why applicants are granted Australian visas is due to the abilities of these foreigners to contribute desirable skills to the Australian workforce. It is because of this that the attitude of Australians towards foreigners has shifted toward one of welcome.

According to Erin Ryan of www.globalvisas.com, an international visa and immigration authority, "Immigration to Australia is a consistently popular ambition with people from around the world expressing a wish to live and work in Australia. In the UK alone, one in three British residents articulates a desire to migrate down under."

There has even been an increase of immigrants from New Zealand since 2001. The New Zealand Herald have reported that of the 1 009 New Zealanders leaving since March, Australia was the most popular destination. This newspaper has claimed that this is equivalent to about 121 New Zealanders leaving every day in March for Australian shores.

Visas for Australia migration assess the suitability of candidates against a points system designed to ensure that only those candidates best equipped to make a positive contribution to the economy are favoured.

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