Future immigrants to Australia may need a temporary visa to stay in Australia for a certain period of time before applying for permanent residency (PR), according to SBS Broadcasting. At present, such length of residence is required only for people who have been converted from PR to naturalized citizens, rather than for visa transfers to PR..
The Immigration Department has published a discussion paper on visa conversion to explore the feasibility of this approach and is now advising the public on the motion.
One of the main questions raised in the discussion paper is whether future immigrants should live in Australia for a certain period of time before acquiring the right of permanent abode. What factors should be taken into account?
PR's former residence in Australia is in the national interest.
As early as last November, there were reports that the federal government would discuss the matter. The discussion paper, published on July 31 last year, said: over the past 20 years, the number of people applying for the right of permanent abode in Australia has soared. In 2015-16, nearly half of the PR was issued to those who have already held temporary visas to stay in Australia. This shows that temporary stay in Australia is increasingly necessary for permanent residency.
The document also said that providing "the best and brightest" international students and technicians with easy access to the right of permanent residence, requiring some permanent right of abode applicants to meet a certain period of time of residence in Australia, These measures are in Australia's national interest.
Currently, in most PR categories, immigrants do not need a specific time frame for Australian life to have direct access to PR.
According to existing regulations, only the conversion from PR to naturalized citizenship requires an applicant to stay in Australia for a period of not less than four years, during which he or she holds an PR for at least one year, and within four years, the cumulative period of time to leave Australia shall not exceed one year. The departure time of the year of application for naturalization shall not exceed 90 days.
The much-watched naturalization reform in April tightened the naturalisation rule: applicants need to stay in Australia for more than four years with an PR. Still, April's reforms do not cover the length of time a visa holder has applied for an PR.
The discussion paper, published by the Immigration Department, said it was not consistent with other "similar" countries such as the UK, the Netherlands and the United States, which have a more formal assessment process and duration for people applying for permanent residence.
Causing discrimination between immigrants and citizens?
While the introduction of the PR probationary period is likely to result in a budget surplus for the government, there are concerns that it will split Australian society.
"this reform could undermine Australia's social cohesion, increase the risk of Australia becoming a polarised society, and expose immigrants and Australian citizens to unequal treatment," the Department of Social Services said in a discussion on the matter last year.
Burra (Maninder Singh Bhullar) just got Australia's PR, two years earlier this year after holding only a temporary visa. A mandatory deadline for migrants to apply for an PR would leave migrants in unnecessary straits, Bra said. "as long as I hold a temporary visa, most employers will not want to hire me. And it's a lot harder for me to apply for a loan myself than it is now with PR. "
Mr. Bra said that as an immigrant who had just arrived on a temporary visa, he had to spend hundreds of Australian dollars on health insurance because he had no access to national health care at the time. For those of them who are just beginning to live in Australia, with no stable income, they can only make ends meet.
"it is still not a pleasant experience to recall these things."
On-line form to express views
The government's discussion paper will revolutionize Australia's visa system and modernize it. The document says the current system "is an artifact of the past" and "does not apply to the future."
Other major discussions include cutting 99 visa categories to around 10, making the visa system more flexible and allowing the government to respond more quickly to domestic and international trends.
People can submit their submissions to the Immigration and Border Protection Department's (Department of Immigration and Border Protection) by Sept. 15 this year by submitting online forms.
Dear readers, will you object or approve of this PR "probationary period"?
