Migrants from the United Kingdom have long been Australia’s primary immigrant group and in 2023 there were roughly 960 thousand English-born people living in Australia. India and China held second and third place respectively with regard to Australia’s foreign-born population. The relative dominance of Asian countries in the list of top ten foreign-born residents of Australia represents a significant shift in Australia’s immigration patterns over the past few decades. Where European-born migrants had previously overshadowed other migrant groups, Australian migration figures are now showing greater migration numbers from neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific. A history of migration Australia is often referred to as an ‘immigrant nation’, alongside the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Before the Second World War, migrants to Australia were almost exclusively from the UK, however after 1945, Australia’s immigration policy was broadened to attract economic migrants and temporary skilled migrants. These policy changes saw and increase in immigrants particularly from Greece and Italy. Today, Australia maintains its status as an ‘’Immigrant nation’’, with almost 30 percent of the population born overseas and around 50 percent of the population having both that were born overseas. Australian visas The Australian immigration program has two main categories of visa, permanent and temporary. The permanent visa category offers three primary pathways: skilled, family and humanitarian. The skilled visa category is by far the most common, with more than a million permanent migrants living in Australia on this visa category at the last Australian census in 2021. Of the temporary visa categories, the higher education visa is the most popular, exceeding 180 thousand arrivals in 2023.

In 2019 there were ********* migrants from the United Kingdom in Australia. The next largest migrant groups were people from China and New Zealand at over ******* migrants each. More recently Australian migration figures are showing greater migration numbers from neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific and reduced numbers of European-born migrants.

The Migration Agents industry assists people coming to Australia with visa applications and provides related information. Some voluntary organisations and non-profit firms provide visa application services at no charge, while most migration agents work for private companies and charge fees. Migration agents can often operate as lawyers and provide additional services, like legal representation in court if a visa is refused. Although migration agents can advise a client whether a visa application is likely to succeed or not, the Department of Home Affairs makes the actual decision. Over recent years, the total number of visa applications for Australia has climbed. Yet, fluctuating economic conditions and government policies have weighed on demand for migration services. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated bordered restrictions wreaked havoc on demand for migration services in 2020-21. While the return of travellers and workers post-lockdowns bolstered demand for migration agencies over the two years through 2022-23, challenging economic conditions coupled with restrictive government policies have weighed on migration agencies over the two years through 2024-25. Overall, industry revenue is expected to slump at an annualised 2.9% over the five years through 2024-25 to $1.1 billion. This trend includes an anticipated drop of 4.8% in 2024-25, as net migration continues to drop from peaks experienced in 2022-23. Despite dwindling industry revenue, migration agencies have seen increased profit margins, as the exit of many agencies in recent years has somewhat reduced price competition within the industry. Industry revenue is forecast to expand at an annualised 2.3% over the five years through 2029-30 to $1.3 billion. The number of visa applications lodged by migration agents is set to increase at a solid pace as net migration climbs, following slumps in recent years. The rising number of visa applicants is likely to be driven by a growing demand for skilled, temporary and seasonal workers to fill labour gaps. The types of visas often require the assistance of migration agents, helping to boost industry revenue over the period.