Migrants who come to Australia on regional skilled visas may be forced or compelled to stay in rural areas even after they secure permanent residency rights, under a reported Turnbull government plan.
Multiculturalism minister Alan Tudge told the Daily Telegraph “many migrants” did not “stay long in the region once they have their permanent visa”.
The problem was contributing to labour shortages in regional areas, the minister reportedly said.
Australia has a handful of visas specifically on offer to those who want to work in a regional area, including the Skilled Regional (887) and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (187).
Last year, out of the 184,000 migrants given permanent places in Australia, there were nearly 12,000 regional visas granted under those schemes.
Those visas require the applicant to work in Australia for a number of years or to be sponsored by a regional employer, but both also offer pathways to permanent residency, partly as an incentive to get workers to come.
Once permanent residency is granted, there is no ongoing obligation to stay in a regional area.
“Many migrants are sponsored for permanent residence on the basis of an intent to live and work in regional Australia but don’t stay long in the region once they have their permanent visa,” Mr Tudge said.
The plan is reportedly being drawn up by the Home Affairs department.
The head of the department, Michael Pezzullo, told a Senate committee there could be “legal” challenges in restricting long-term freedom of movement, but said it would not be a “fatal flaw or concern”.
Nationals MP and assistant minister for families David Gillespie said it was "very frustrating” for companies who sponsored regional migrants when they later “hightailed it” to the cities.
Regional employers often felt "shortchanged" when they paid for a migrant's airfares, only for them to leave the area a short time later.
"We do have freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of movement," Mr Gillespie told SBS News on Tuesday.
"But it leaves a sour taste if someone sponsors someone to come here on the basis that they're going to work in a regional centre and then they skip town at the first opportunity."
