New Immigrants To Face More Scrutiny
July 31, 2007
MIGRANTS seeking to live permanently in Australia will face extra questions over their ‘adaptability and resourcefulness’ under changes outlined by Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.
Mr Andrews told an audience in Sydney on Tuesday night the assessment changes, including an applicant’s capacity to integrate into Australia’s way of life, would affect all new applicants for permanent visas and provisional visas that lead to permanent residency.
Addressing the Sydney Institute, he also detailed the Howard government’s work to roll out new citizenship test and values statement requirements for new migrants, from later this year.
‘In addition to the citizenship test and the values statement, the government has decided to put greater emphasis on the capacity of potential migrants to integrate into our community,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘The (nation’s) Migration Regulations already make provision for assessing the capacity of visa applicants to settle in Australia.
‘I have decided that greater emphasis should be placed on this criterion.’
The new focus includes quizzing migrants over their ability to cope with problems associated with resettlement, their capacity to ‘integrate into Australian society’ and, where families are involved, whether all members are ‘cohesive and united’ in the decision to move to Australia.
‘Factors taken into account in making an assessment include an applicant’s adaptability and resourcefulness, their knowledge of Australia and their expectations about living in Australia, their attitude towards learning English and their English language skills,’ Mr Andrews said.
He said migrants seeking partner, child or temporary skilled worker visas would be exempt from the changes.
Mr Andrews said the new citizenship test requirement for all migrants aged 18-60 would be in place in September.
New migrants would also be required to sign a values statement, in which they pledge to obey the law, from October.
Mr Andrews said the ‘central principle’ of both the test and the values statement was for migrants to demonstrate a ‘commitment to Australia and our way of life’.
‘This way of life is influenced by a history that includes the Judeo Christian beliefs and traditions brought by British settlers,’ he said.
Mr Andrews said Australia was following both England and Holland in moves to tighten visa requirements for those seeking to enter the country.
‘The contribution that migrants have made to Australia extends well beyond pizzas, kebabs and spring rolls,’ he also said.
The Age, July 31 2007
