Australia’s migration system needs to build social cohesion and multiculturalism, offer support to all kinds of migrants and provide clear pathways to permanency, according to migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia.

In a submission to the federal government’s review of the migration system, AMES also argues that rural and regional locations should be supported to be able to welcome and support migrants settling in their communities.

A migration system that builds social cohesion and multiculturalism.

The Scanlon Foundation’s latest report identified that social cohesion in Australia increased during the pandemic but is now declining. This decline may indicate a return to a pre-COVID normal. But levels of national pride, sense of belonging and social justice are now lower than before the pandemic.

There are, however, also positive outcomes reported, such as the proportion of people who agree that ‘accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger’ has increased from 63 per cent to 78 per cent since 2018.

And support for the idea that migrants are good for our economy has also increased from 74 per cent to 87 per cent.

“This high and growing support for multiculturalism in Australia is a sound platform for a future migration system and can be the driver for strengthening opportunities to build social cohesion by creating a sense of belonging and trust,” said AMES CEO Cath Scarth.

“Successful integration and increased social cohesion do not solely rely on government policies and programs; but a migration system that prioritises positive dialogue around migration and its social, economic and cultural contribution and facilitates environments where opportunities for connections and friendship can flourish can contribute to a socially cohesive Australia,” Ms Scarth said.

A migration system that supports all migrants

Currently, migrants who arrive on non-humanitarian visas – for example skilled, temporary labour and family visa holders – have access to limited support to navigate Australian systems, understand their rights, and be sufficiently informed when entering employment. Without this knowledge workplace exploitation can result while also creating barriers to settling.

There is evidence that migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in numerous industries across Australia. The vast majority of unlawful employer conduct goes undetected because migrant workers will not report it for fear of losing their visa or jeopardising a future visa.

A national migration strategy needs to embrace all migrants, and services calibrated for their needs, from welcome to successful settlement.

“There is currently limited capacity for coordination and harmonisation between settlement services, English learning, employment, and health services, due to different contract funding models, compliance measures and key performance indicator reporting requirements,” Ms Scarth said.

“We believe specialist settlement services should be designed to support migrants and facilitate connection to mainstream services, not duplicate them,’ she said.

A migration system that is transparent and provides pathways to permanent residency.

Australia’s migration system is overly complex. The varying and changing visa conditions, costs and unclear pathways to permanency do not serve migrants, employers, regions, or communities well.

This complexity hinders attracting and retaining talent. In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, it is important to ensure Australia remains a destination of choice.

“A clear pathway to permanency will contribute to Australia’s attractiveness as a destination for migrants with critical skills who are willing to fill an immediate gap in the labour market, alongside continuing to offer safe haven to those in need of refuge. Pathways to permanency will not only be a benefit to the individual but will provide a benefit to Australia’s economic position and social fabric,” Ms Scarth said.

A migration system that focuses on rural and regional communities and prepares them to support migrants and refugees settle in their communities.

In recent years, Australian migration policies have targeted rural and regional locations as primary and secondary settlement sites, partly as a means to address population decline and labour shortages.

While there are many documented benefits of regional re-settlement, primary settlement has not proven to be as successful.

There is evidence that the things that enable successful settlement and retention of migrants in regional and rural areas include: family connections, job opportunities, adequate housing and service provision – including health care, places of worship and access to familiar goods.

A generally welcoming community is also vital as is leadership driven by local and state governments.

Other key elements are collaboration including between representatives of the migrating and host communities and service providers, and the sharing good practice models between regional areas.

Regional settlement is key to regional development to realise long-term sustainable outcomes for regions and their communities. Realising these outcomes can change the narrative to promote the positive social and economic benefits migration can have in revitalising rural and regional communities.

“Finally, we need a migration system that recognises and respects the vulnerabilities of various migrant cohorts,” Ms Scarth said.

“We need changes to the system and their implications to be communicated clearly. We need streamlined visa processing times and adequate resourcing of the visa process.

“These things will shift the mindset from ‘barrier’ to ‘opportunity’ for prospective new migrants while also allowing Australia to reap the benefits of the social and economic contributions they make,” Ms Scarth said.

AMES Australia has been supporting migrants and refugees settle in Australia for more than 70 years and has developed some insights into what a successful migration system looks like.