A Turnbull government minister has flagged a further tightening of visas that grant permanent residency in Australia, claiming too many are granted to migrants before they ever step foot in the country.
Australia accepted around 162,000 permanent migrants last year – well below the annual cap of 190,000 places and the lowest intake in 10 years.
The Turnbull government has attributed the drop to tougher vetting procedures at the Department of Home Affairs, although a former Immigration official has questioned the explanation.
Citizenship minister Alan Tudge said about half of the stream had visas granted after years in Australia on temporary visas, but the other half were “granted full permanent residency before ever stepping foot in Australia”.
Australia's migrant intake has dropped to a 10-year low under Malcolm Turnbull. Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge wants stricter 'values' testing'. Source: AAP
“This is less ideal, and something that requires further consideration,” Mr Tudge said in a speech to UK leaders in London.
The permanent migration stream is around two-thirds skilled visas and one-third family visas for their children, parents and spouses.Mr Tudge said offshore applicants were a “challenge” because “information about individuals is sometimes difficult to obtain from abroad”.
‘Weakness’ in checking Australian values
Migrants are already required to sign a values statement when they become Australian citizens, but the Turnbull government has long advocated a stricter approach.
The government’s controversial citizenship reforms, which were blocked last year in the Senate, would have introduced a new test on Australian values as well as a tougher English exam.
But senior Coalition ministers have consistently promised another attempt at the reforms in 2018.
Earlier this month, Mr Tudge suggested a new spoken English test might be developed for all migrants seeking permanent residency, possibly including refugees, instead of just citizens.
“We place an emphasis on Australian values as the glue that holds the nation together,” Mr Tudge said on Thursday.
“We do this through requiring people to sign a values statement before coming into Australia, satisfy a citizenship test and pledge allegiance before becoming a citizen.
“The weakness of this, however, is that we presently have few mechanisms to assess people against their signed statement.”
Mr Tudge did not comment on what mechanisms might be considered.
“We need muscular ongoing promotion of our values: of freedom of speech and worship, equality between sexes, democracy and the rule of law, a fair go for all, the taking of individual responsibility,” he said.
The government’s first attempt at sweeping citizenship reforms were blocked by Labor, the Greens and key crossbenchers on the now-rebranded Nick Xenophon Team.
