Multicultural Australian nation swells with immigration pride
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by: Rochelle van der Merwe
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The report, called, “The Population Flows – Immigration Aspects”, and which has been released by the Immigration Department has confirmed that record numbers – 50,000 to be exact - of skilled workers migrating to Australia have helped make immigration account for more than half of the country's latest population growth. About 50,000 skilled workers migrated here in the past financial year,
Last year June, Australia’s population has grown to a whopping 21 million.
It found that a vast majority of foreign-born Australians were born in the UK, and that immigrants from African nations such as Sudan, Liberia and Sierra Leone are on the increase.
An interesting factor also making its appearance on this report is the number of languages spoken at home, which has increased. Today, more than 3.2 million Australians speak a language other than English.
The most common language spoken in Australia, other than English, is Italian. Other languages that are also common are Greek, Cantonese and Arabic.
A vast majority of bilingual or multilingual Australians say that they can speak and comprehend English to a high degree, while only 17.5% say that they can't speak English well or at all.
In a statement, Immigration Minister Chris Evans says that immigration is vital for Australia's economy: “Fifty-six% of the growth that's occurring in our population is coming from immigration, that's largely driven by the demand for skills, filling the needs of the economy."
"That's a good thing because they're allowing our economy to grow as they contribute to that growth and development."
He added that Australia’s migration program had 148 200 places, the most since the late 1980s, and 3.7% more than in 2005-06. The program plans to place up to 158 800 migrants in 2007-08.
"The temporary skilled migration program is playing a vital role in addressing the current skills crisis, left by the previous government," said the Immigration Minister.
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About the Author
Rochelle works for Migration Expert Australia, a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on our Australian Immigration Services & Australian Visas, visit www.MigrationExpert.com today.
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