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Country profiles

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

Country profile - Thailand

Population

At the end of June 2020, 83,450 Thai-born people were living in Australia, 61.8 per cent more than the number (51,570) at 30 June 2010. This makes the Thai-born population the twenty-second largest migrant community in Australia, equivalent to 1.1 per cent of Australia's overseas-born population and 0.3 per cent of Australia's total population.

For Australia's Thai-born migrants:

  • The median age of 36.1 years was 1.7 years below that of the general population.
  • Females outnumbered males—70.1 per cent compared with 29.9 per cent.1

1 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Migration Australia

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 Thailand by migration category.​​

Table 1: Permanent migrant places granted, 2017–18 to 2020–21

Migration category

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

Business Innovation and Investment

< 5

< 5

< 5

< 5

Employer Sponsored

361

245

281

144

Skilled Regional 1

6

< 5

n/a

n/a

Skilled Independent

36

39

34

24

State/Territory Nominated

32

37

21

22

Regional 2

n/a

n/a

76

23

Global Talent (Independent) 3

n/a

n/a

< 5

14

Partner

1,775

1,550

1,340

3,549

All other categories 4

276

249

227

226

Total places granted

2,486

2,120

1,979

4,002

Source: Department of Home Affairs

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

2 The Regional migration category commenced 1 July 2019.

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

4 Data has been perturbed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Note: To protect the privacy of individuals, various data confidentiality techniques have been applied. These techniques include:

  • data masking — using primary and secondary suppression methods for values that are deemed to be a disclosure risk
  • perturbation — a data security technique that allows for random data adjustment to prevent the release of identifiable data.

​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 to migrants from Thailand, for Visitor, Student, Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) and Working Holiday Maker visas.​

Table 2: Temporary visas granted by selected categories, 2017–18 to 2020–21

Temporary visa category

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

Visitor

55,323

50,658

35,957

3,046

Student

9,062

9,111

8,855

4,557

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment)

545

566

394

386

Working Holiday Maker

593

679

745

244

Other temporary visa grants 1

2,041

1,941

1,493

593

Total temporary visa grants

67,564

62,955

47,444

8,826

Source: Department of Home Affairs

1 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 Thailand, based on Skill stream migration outcomes and Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa grants.​

Table 3: Main occupations, 2017–18 to 2020–21

Period

 Temporary Resident  (Skilled Employment) visas

No. of migrants

Skill stream migration

No. of migrants

2020–21

 

Chefs

49

Cafe and restaurant managers

20

 

Cooks

43

Chefs

14

 

Cafe and restaurant managers

34

Software and applications programmers

6

 

Industrial, mechanical and production engineers

7

Cooks

6

 

Electrical engineers

5

Massage therapists

5

 

Software and applications programmers

< 5

Accountants

< 5

 

Mechanical engineering draftspersons and technicians

< 5

General practitioners and resident medical officers

< 5

 

Massage therapists

< 5

Graphic and web designers, and illustrators

< 5

 

Supply and distribution managers

< 5

Civil engineering professionals

< 5

 

Accountants

< 5

Other engineering professionals

< 5

2019–20

 

Cafe and restaurant managers

57

Cafe and restaurant managers

51

 

Cooks

29

Cooks

42

 

Chefs

23

Chefs

12

 

Mechanical engineering draftspersons and technicians

14

Massage therapists

11

 

General practitioners and resident medical officers

6

Software and applications programmers

6

 

Software and applications programmers

< 5

Accountants

5

 

Advertising, public relations and sales managers

< 5

Registered nurses

5

 

Supply and distribution managers

< 5

Advertising and marketing professionals

< 5

 

University lecturers and tutors

< 5

General practitioners and resident medical officers

< 5

 

ICT business and systems analysts

< 5

Bakers and pastrycooks

< 5

2018–19

 

Chefs

75

Cafe and restaurant managers

39

 

Cafe and restaurant managers

51

Cooks

24

 

Cooks

45

Chefs

12

 

Software and applications programmers

11

Accountants

8

 

Electrical engineers

5

Massage therapists

5

 

Mechanical engineering draftspersons and technicians

5

ICT business and systems analysts

< 5

 

Industrial, mechanical and production engineers

< 5

Computer network professionals

< 5

 

Other engineering professionals

< 5

Advertising and marketing professionals

< 5

 

Bakers and pastrycooks

< 5

University lecturers and tutors

< 5

 

ICT business and systems analysts

< 5

Registered nurses

< 5

2017–18

 

Cafe and restaurant managers

105

Cafe and restaurant managers

66

 

Chefs

43

Cooks

31

 

Cooks

41

Massage therapists

19

 

Massage therapists

15

Chefs

11

 

General practitioners and resident medical officers

6

Accountants

6

 

Advertising and marketing professionals

5

Advertising and marketing professionals

6

 

Industrial, mechanical and production engineers

5

Registered nurses

< 5

 

General managers

< 5

Software and applications programmers

< 5

 

Supply and distribution managers

< 5

Bakers and pastrycooks

< 5

 

Other specialist managers

< 5

Advertising, public relations and sales managers

< 5

Source: Department of Home Affairs

Note: To protect the privacy of individuals, various data confidentiality techniques have been applied. These techniques include:

  • data masking — using primary and secondary suppression methods for values that are deemed to be a disclosure risk
  • perturbation — a data security technique that allows for random data adjustment to prevent the release of identifiable data.

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 Thai-born

40

24

15

4

12

1

1

2

Permanent additions - 2020–21 (%)

Skill stream

52

21

10

1

8

5

1

1

Family and Child stream

38

23

18

4

12

1

1

2

Temporary visa grants - 2020–21 (%)

International student visa grants

60

18

16

2

2

0

0

0

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa (primary) grants

45

23

15

3

11

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 Thai migration ​for the past four financial years.​

Table 5: Country ranking, 2017–18 to 2020–21

Ranked position of migrants

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

Population in Australia 1

22

22

22

22

Regional

n/a

n/a

32

36

Employer Sponsored

20

29

20

30

Total Skill stream

31

35

29

38

Total Family and Child stream

7

8

8

6

International students

10

11

9

12

Temporary Resident (Skilled Employment) visa

23

23

23

20

Visitors

19

20

20

13

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; 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

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