Country profile – United Kingdom
Population
At the end of June 2018, almost 1.2 million people who were born in the United Kingdom were living in Australia, 1.7 per cent more than at 30 June 2008. This makes it the largest migrant community in Australia, equivalent to 16.2 per cent of Australia's overseas-born population and 4.8 per cent of Australia's total population.
For Australia's United Kingdom-born migrants:
- Their median age of 56.7 years was 19.4 years above that of the general population.
- Males outnumbered females—50.8 per cent compared with 49.2 per cent.1
1 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Migration Australia (catalogue no. 3412.0)
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 with the skills, qualifications and entrepreneurship most needed in the Australian economy. The Skill stream comprises four components; namely: Points Tested Skilled Migration; Employer Sponsored; Business Innovation and Investment; and Distinguished Talent.
Family and Child stream
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 and composition of Skill stream, Family stream, Special Eligibility and Child visas from the United Kingdom.
Table 1: Permanent migrant places granted, 2015—16 to 2018—19
| Migration category | 2015—16 | 2016—17 | 2017—18 | 2018—19 | Per cent change on 2017—18 | Per cent change since 2015—16 |
|---|
|
Skilled migration (points tested) |
| Skilled Regional | 75 | 69 | 61 | 22 | -63.9 | -70.7 |
| Skilled Independent | 3,947 | 3,074 | 2,320 | 1,811 | -21.9 | -54.1 |
| State/Territory Nominated | 1,611 | 1,176 | 1,192 | 1,390 | 16.6 | -13.7 |
|
Skilled migration (non-points tested) |
| Business Innovation and Investment | 73 | 50 | 48 | 30 | -37.5 | -58.9 |
| Distinguished Talent | 44 | 38 | 42 | 25 | -40.5 | -43.2 |
| Employer Sponsored | 8,420 | 7,955 | 6,335 | 7,256 | 14.5 | -13.8 |
|
Total: Skilled visa places granted |
14,170 |
12,362 |
9,998 |
10,534 |
5.4 |
-25.7 |
| Skilled visas as a proportion of all permanent visas (%) | 74.8 | 72.6 | 73.2 | 77.0 | n/a | n/a |
|
Family and Child migration |
| Child | 192 | 155 | 111 | 104 | -6.3 | -45.8 |
| Partner | 4,055 | 4,064 | 3,175 | 2,659 | -16.3 | -34.4 |
| Parent | 468 | 388 | 320 | 363 | 13.4 | -22.4 |
| Other Family | 30 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 0.0 | -46.7 |
|
Total: Family and Child visa places granted |
4,745 |
4,613 |
3,622 |
3,142 |
-13.3 |
-33.8 |
| Family and Child visas as a proportion of all permanent visas (%) | 25.0 | 27.1 | 26.5 | 23.0 | n/a | n/a |
|
Special Eligibility |
| Special Eligibility | 35 | 63 | 34 | 13 | -61.8 | -62.9 |
|
Total places granted |
18,950 |
17,038 |
13,654 |
13,689 |
0.3 |
-27.8 |
Source: Department of Home Affairs
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.
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).
Not all categories apply to migrants from the United Kingdom. The following table shows the number of visa grants to migrants from the United Kingdom, for the Student visa program, Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa, Working Holiday visa and Visitor visas.
Table 2: Temporary visas granted by selected categories, 2015—16 to 2018—19
| Temporary visa category | 2015—16 | 2016—17 | 2017—18 | 2018—19 | Per cent change on 2017—18 | Per cent change since 2015—16 |
|---|
|
International Students |
| ELICOS
1 | < 5 | 9 | < 5 | 5 | 66.7 | 66.7 |
| Schools | 34 | 29 | 21 | 27 | 28.6 | -20.6 |
| Vocational Education and Training | 1,973 | 1,941 | 2,117 | 2,415 | 14.1 | 22.4 |
| Higher Education | 638 | 566 | 542 | 538 | -0.7 | -15.7 |
| Postgraduate Research | 102 | 133 | 149 | 132 | -11.4 | 29.4 |
| Non-Award | 1,338 | 1,293 | 1,292 | 1,120 | -13.3 | -16.3 |
| Foreign Affairs or Defence | 0 | < 5 | < 5 | < 5 | 0.0 | n/a |
|
Total: International Student visa grants |
4,088 |
3,974 |
4,126 |
4,239 |
2.7 |
3.7 |
| Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) |
| Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa grants
2 | 12,821 | 13,600 | 9,791 | 11,398 | 16.4 | -11.1 |
|
Visitors |
| Tourist | 550,748 | 585,532 | 592,254 | 553,013 | -6.6 | 0.4 |
| Business visitor | 35,426 | 37,337 | 38,507 | 38,158 | -0.9 | 7.7 |
|
Total: Visitor visa grants |
586,174 |
622,869 |
630,761 |
591,171 |
-6.3 |
0.9 |
|
Working Holiday visa |
| Initial | 34,097 | 32,571 | 30,036 | 27,355 | -8.9 | -19.8 |
| Extension | 8,078 | 7,811 | 7,716 | 8,593 | 11.4 | 6.4 |
|
Total Working Holiday visa grants |
42,175 |
40,382 |
37,752 |
35,948 |
-4.8 |
-14.8 |
| Other temporary |
| Other temporary visa grants
3 | 9,858 | 10,241 | 15,214 | 11,694 | -23.1 | 18.6 |
|
Total temporary visa grants |
655,116 |
691,066 |
697,644 |
654,450 |
-6.2 |
-0.1 |
Source: Department of Home Affairs
1 English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS).
2 Data excludes Temporary Work (Skilled) (Independent Executive) visa.
3 Excludes 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 the United Kingdom, based on Skill stream migration outcomes and Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa grants.
Table 3: Main occupations, 2015—16 to 2018—19
| Period | Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa
1 | No. of migrants | Skill stream migration | No. of migrants |
|---|
|
2018–19 |
| General practitioners and resident medical officers | 619 | Advertising and marketing professionals | 431 |
| Advertising and marketing professionals | 446 | Human resource professionals | 380 |
| Management and organisation analysts | 271 | Registered nurses | 251 |
| Human resource professionals | 267 | Other medical practitioners | 212 |
| Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 207 | General practitioners and resident medical officers | 188 |
| Carpenters and joiners | 199 | Carpenters and joiners | 147 |
| Registered nurses | 161 | Management and organisation analysts | 146 |
| Civil engineering professionals | 152 | Cafe and restaurant managers | 125 |
| General managers | 147 | Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 119 |
| Accountants | 142 | Motor mechanics | 117 |
|
2017–18 |
| General practitioners and resident medical officers | 804 | Human resource professionals | 279 |
| Human resource professionals | 391 | Registered nurses | 264 |
| Advertising and marketing professionals | 336 | Advertising and marketing professionals | 233 |
| Management and organisation analysts | 186 | Other medical practitioners | 169 |
| Registered nurses | 181 | General practitioners and resident medical officers | 142 |
| University lecturers and tutors | 137 | Management and organisation analysts | 116 |
| Accountants | 130 | Secondary school teachers | 114 |
| Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 127 | Electricians | 113 |
| Civil engineering professionals | 122 | Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 106 |
| Mechanical engineering draftspersons and technicians | 117 | Motor mechanics | 106 |
|
2016–17 |
| General practitioners and resident medical officers | 957 | Advertising and marketing professionals | 42 |
| Human resource professionals | 601 | Management and organisation analysts | 36 |
| Advertising and marketing professionals | 516 | Registered nurses | 31 |
| Management and organisation analysts | 258 | Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 25 |
| Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 221 | Accountants | 17 |
| Registered nurses | 195 | Other specialist managers | 15 |
| Carpenters and joiners | 184 | Secondary school teachers | 15 |
| University lecturers and tutors | 170 | ICT sales professionals | 14 |
| Accountants | 165 | Industrial, mechanical and production engineers | 14 |
| Cafe and restaurant managers | 146 | Other medical practitioners | 14 |
|
2015–16 |
| General practitioners and resident medical officers | 892 | Registered nurses | 564 |
| Advertising and marketing professionals | 524 | Human resource professionals | 266 |
| Human resource professionals | 506 | Advertising and marketing professionals | 227 |
| Advertising, public relations and sales managers | 288 | Motor mechanics | 205 |
| Management and organisation analysts | 227 | Electricians | 202 |
| Registered nurses | 174 | Accountants | 186 |
| Carpenters and joiners | 169 | Contract, program and project administrators | 186 |
| University lecturers and tutors | 161 | Secondary school teachers | 176 |
| Cafe and restaurant managers | 159 | Other medical practitioners | 175 |
| Accountants | 148 | Carpenters and joiners | 173 |
Source: Department of Home Affairs
1 Data excludes Temporary Work (Skilled) (Independent Executive) visa.
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 2016 (%) |
| Of all persons | 32 | 25 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Of United Kingdom-born | 25 | 19 | 20 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
|
Permanent additions - 2018–19 (%) |
| Skill stream | 41 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Family and Child stream | 27 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
|
Temporary visa grants - 2018–19 (%) |
| International student visa grants | 44 | 22 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa (primary) grants
1 | 51 | 23 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics and Department of Home Affairs
1 Data excludes Temporary Work (Skilled) (Independent Executive) visa.
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 migration from the United Kingdom for the past four financial years.
Table 5: Country ranking, 2015—16 to 2018—19
| Ranked position of migrants | 2015—16 | 2016—17 | 2017—18 | 2018—19 |
|---|
| Population in Australia
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Points Tested Skilled Migration | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Employer Sponsored | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Total Skill stream | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total Family and Child stream | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| International students | 19 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Visitors | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics and Department of Home Affairs
1 Population 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; 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
2 Data excludes Temporary Work (Skilled) (Independent Executive) visa.
