Migrants and refugees are taking up Australian citizenship, engaging in educational opportunities, finding employment and opening businesses in large numbers, according to new data.

These are the key insights into the economic, education, health, housing, and citizenship outcomes of permanent migrants in Australia, recently published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The snapshot shows more than half (59 per cent) of permanent migrants were Australian citizens and Australian citizenship was highest for skilled migrants, at 64 per cent and lowest for family migrants, at 48 per cent.

Citizenship take-up was higher for permanent migrants who had lived in Australia for longer, the ABS data showed.

It was four per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for less than five years; it was 77 per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years and highest among humanitarian migrants (refugees) who lived in Australia for more than ten years at 89 per cent.

The proportion of permanent migrants enrolled in further education was five per cent, compared with sic per cent of the total Australian population aged 15-64 years, the data showed.

Enrolment was highest for humanitarian migrants, at seven per cent, and lowest for family migrants, at three per cent.

Enrolment proportions were higher for permanent migrants who had lived in Australia for longer. It was two per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for less than five years, seven per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for more than ten years and highest among humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for more than ten years, at ten per cent.

Of migrants enrolled in further education, 20 per cent completed a qualification in 2019, the same proportion as the total Australian population aged 15-64 years.

This was highest for skilled migrants, at 21 per cent, and lowest for humanitarian migrants, at 15 per cent.

Across all visa streams, this proportion was lowest for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years. The proportions were 15 per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years and 19 per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for 5 to 10 years.

The figure was 20 per cent for migrants who lived in Australia for more than ten years.

The ABS data showed the proportion of permanent migrants who earned personal income was 70 per cent, compared with 76 per cent of the total Australian population aged 15-64 years.

The rate of employment or entrepreneurialism was highest for skilled migrants, at 76 per cent, and lowest for humanitarian migrants, at 49 per cent.

“By visa stream, the proportions of permanent migrants who earned personal income varied by length of time in Australia. It was lower for skilled migrants in who lived in Australia for longer and higher for Family and humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for longer,” the ABS report said. 

The proportion of permanent migrants who earned business income was 11 per cent, the same proportion as the total Australian population aged 15-64 years, the ABS data showed.

But it was highest for humanitarian migrants (or refugees) who lived in Australia for 5 to 10 years, at 16 per cent, and lowest for humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for less than five years, at 6 per cent.

The proportion of permanent migrants who received unemployment payments was 11 per cent, compared with 13 per cent of the total Australian population aged 15-64 years.

“This was highest for humanitarian migrants, at 31 per cent, and lowest for skilled migrants at 8 per cent,” the ABS report said.

“By visa stream, proportions who received unemployment payments varied by length of time in Australia. It was higher for family migrants who had lived in Australia for more than 10 years (13 per cent) compared with those who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (8 per cent).

“It was lower for humanitarian migrants who had lived in Australia for more than 10 years (24 per cent) compared with those who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (49 per cent),” the ABS report said.

Read more: Migrant settlement outcomes, 2025 | Australian Bureau of Statistics