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Country profiles

Profiles permanent and temporary migration trends and population for Australia's main migrant source countries.

​​​​​​​Country profile - India

Population

At the end of June 2021, 710,380 Indian-born people were living in Australia, more than twice the number (337,120) at 30 June 2011. After the United Kingdom, the Indian-born population is the second largest migrant community in Australia, equivalent to 9.5 per cent of Australia's overseas-born population and 2.8 per cent of Australia's total population.

For Australia's Indian-born migrants:

  • The median age of 35.7 years was 2.6 years below that of the general population.
  • Males outnumbered females—53.7 per cent compared with 46.3 per cent.1

1 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s Population by Country of Birth​

Permanent migration

Australia's permanent Migration Program incorporates economic and family migration and is the main pathway to permanent residence. It includes the Skill stream, Family stream, and Special Eligibility visas. The only other way to obtain permanent residence is on humanitarian grounds.

Skill stream visas

The Skill stream is designed for workers who have the skills, qualifications and entrepreneurship most needed in the Australian economy. There are seven components: 

  1. ​Business Innovation and Investment

  2. Distinguished Talent

  3. ​Employer Sponsored

  4. Global Talent (Independent)

  5. Regional

  6. Skilled Independent

  7. State/Territory Nominated.​

Family and Child stream visas

The Family stream allows the permanent migration of close family members, of Australian citizens, permanent residents, and eligible New Zealand citizens. It focuses on partners and parents, but also provides the opportunity for additional family members, such as aged dependent relatives, carers, remaining relatives and orphan relatives, to join their family in Australia.

Child visas allow the permanent migration of children, of Australian citizens, permanent residents, and eligible New Zealand citizens. The Child visa comprises two categories, namely Child and Adoption visas.

Special Eligibility visas

Special Eligibility visas allow former residents and certain people who served in the Australian Defence Force to live in Australia as permanent residents.

The following table shows the size of permanent migration from India by migration category.

Table 1: Permanent migrant places granted, 2018–19 to 2021–22

Migration category

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

2021–22

Business Innovation and Investment

77

89

168

316

Employer Sponsored

7,224

4,718

4,347

5,845

Skilled Regional 1

234

n/a

n/a

n/a

Skilled Independent

11,741

3,225

1,140

699

State/Territory Nominated

9,465

6,149

4,052

5,386

​​Regional 2

n/a

7,585

4,638

5,931​

Global Talent (Independent) 3

n/a

398

1,116

1,398

Partner

3,803

2,684

5,515

3,954

All other categories

1,067

850

815

795

Total places granted

33,611

25,698

21,791

24,324

Source: Department of Home Affairs

1​ The Skilled Regional category closed to new applications from 1 July 2019.

​The Regional migration category commenced 1 July 2019.

​Global Talent (Independent) category commenced 4 November 2019.

Temporary migration

People can come to Australia for a temporary stay for a range of purposes, for example, visiting Australia for tourism or attending a conference, or for more specific purposes, such as medical treatment, study, skilled work, working holidays or other specialist activities. There are six main categories of temporary residents, which can cover stays of more than three months in Australia.

Note: Not all categories apply to migrants from each country.

Visitor visas

Visitor visas are mostly used by people visiting Australia for holidays, tourism and recreation, or to see family and friends. People may also use Visitor visas for certain short-term business activities that do not entail working in Australia.

Working Holiday Maker Program

The Working Holiday Maker Program allows young adults to have an extended holiday and engage in short-term work and study.

Student visa

The Student visa program enables international students to come to Australia to study full-time in a registered course.

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa

Allows a business to sponsor a skilled overseas worker if they cannot find an appropriately skilled Australian citizen or permanent resident to fill a skilled position.

Other temporary visas

Other temporary visas include visas that allow people to undertake short-term, non-ongoing highly specialised work, enrich social and cultural development, strengthen international relations or provide training opportunities of benefit to Australia.

New Zealand citizens

Under the 1973 Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, New Zealand citizens can enter and leave Australia freely and live in Australia indefinitely on grant of a Special Category visa (subclass 444).

The following table shows the number of visa grants from India, for Visitor, Student and Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visas.

Table 2: Temporary visas granted by selected categories, 2018–19 to 2021–22

Temporary visa category

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

2021–22

Visitor

280,344

222,785

29,502

200,325

Student

66,449​

55,560

47,031

42,627

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment)

22,357

13,434

10,071

18,717

Other temporary visa grants 1

32,613

29,657

19,957

30,980

Total temporary visa grants

401,763

321,436

106,561

292,649

Source: Department of Home Affairs

1Excludes Transit visa (subclass 771), Border visa (subclass 773) and Maritime Crew visa (subclass 988).

Main occupations

The following table shows the main occupations for nationals of India, based on Skill stream migration outcomes and Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa grants.

Table 3: Main occupations, 2018–19 to 2021–22

Period

 Temporary Resident  (Skilled Employment) visas

No. of migrants

Skill stream migration

No. of migrants

2021–22

 

Software and applications programmers

4,124

Software and applications programmers

1,925

 

ICT business and systems analysts

971

Registered nurses

1,093

 

ICT support and ​test engineers​

628

ICT business and systems analysts

811

 

Chefs

388

Accountants​

510

 ICT managers

228

Chefs

464

 ​Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists​228​

Industrial, mechanical and production engineers​

441

 

Accountants​

213

Computer network professionals

298​​

 

Registered nurses

194

Enrolled and mothercraft nurses​

253

 

Computer network professionals​

166

Civil engineering professionals​

234

 

Management and organisation analysts

106

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

224

2020–21

 

Software and applications programmers

2,281

Software and applications programmers

1,530

 

ICT support and test engineers

616

Registered nurses

929

 

ICT business and systems analysts

429

ICT business and systems analysts

525

 

ICT managers

144

Industrial, mechanical and production engineers

379

 

Registered nurses

143

Accountants

314

 

Chefs

109

Computer network professionals

258

 

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

93

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

212

 

Cooks

84

Other engineering professionals

204

 

General practitioners and resident medical officers

81

Cooks

170

 

Management and organisation analysts

78

Civil engineering professionals

153

2019–20

 

Software and applications programmers

2,225

Software and applications programmers

1,672

 

ICT business and systems analysts

1,020

Registered nurses

1,025

 

ICT support and test engineers

658

Cooks

743

 

ICT managers

282

Accountants

737

 

Registered nurses

192

ICT business and systems analysts

574

 

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

175

Chefs

314

 

Management and organisation analysts

163

Cafe and restaurant managers

313

 

Cooks

129

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

278

 

Computer network professionals

128

Other engineering professionals

274

 

Chefs

111

Computer network professionals

269

2018–19

 

Software and applications programmers

4,060

Software and applications programmers

3,733

 

ICT business and systems analysts

1,596

ICT business and systems analysts

1,011

 

ICT support and test engineers

876

Cooks

781

 

ICT managers

489

Registered nurses

728

 

Registered nurses

337

Computer network professionals

625

 

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

268

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

495

 

Computer network professionals

233

Accountants

485

 

Cooks

228

Industrial, mechanical and production engineers

439

 

Management and organisation analysts

213

Cafe and restaurant managers

278

 

Chefs

140

Chefs

270​

Source: Department of Home Affairs

Note: Occupation level information is available for primary applicants only, and is based on Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations unit level data.

Geographic distribution

The following table shows the geographic distribution of migrants, based on permanent additions for the Skill and Family streams, international student visa grants, and Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa grants.

Table 4: Geographic distribution

Population

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT

Census 2021 (%)

Of all persons

32

26

20

7

10

2

1

2

Of Indian-born

31

38

11

7

9

1

1

3

Permanent additions - 2021–22 (%)

Skill stream

33

26

9

12

9

5

2

4

Family and Child stream

31

43

11

4

7

0

1

2

Temporary visa grants - 2021–22 (%)

International student visa grants

25

33

16

15

6

1

1

2

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa (primary) grants

50

37

5

1

5

0

1

1

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics and Department of Home Affairs

Note: Permanent additions consist of two components; those persons who, while already in Australia on a temporary basis, are granted permanent residence status or those persons who have subsequently arrived from overseas during the reporting period and are entitled to stay permanently in Australia.

Country ranking

This table uses rankings to show the significance of Indian migration for the past four financial years.

Table 5: Country ranking, 2018–19 to 2021–22

Ranked position of migrants

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

2021–22

Population in Australia 1

3

3

2

2

Regional

n/a

1

1

1

Employer Sponsored

2

1

1

1

Total Skill stream

1

1

1

1

Total Family and Child stream

2

2

4

2

International students

2

2

2

2

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa

1

1

1

1

Visitors

6

5

2

1

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics and Department of Home Affairs

1Population level data is by country of birth and lags one year behind the financial year specified. Data based on the estimated residential population at 30 June; 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

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