Chee Min Ng - Emigrating: Going to Australia

Chee Min Ng has lived in Australia for the past 26 years. He has an economics degree and a Masters degree in Business. He is also a professional accountant, having qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Institute of Public Accountants and remains as a member of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants.

His professional career in Malaysia and Australia over four decades includes CFO and CEO roles in private enterprises and advisory roles in Australian government departments and public institutions. He has taught at university and presented at numerous international seminars and conferences.

Through this book, he hopes to share with readers an objective view and detailed information of what Australia has to offer.

2013

Published in Australia September 2013 by CMN & Associates
www.goingtoaustralia.net

This work is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

Copyright Chee Min Ng 2013

Cataloguing in publications data available from the National Library of Australia

Emigrating Going to Australia
ISBN: 9781742983738 (ePub, Mobi)

Digital edition distributed by
Port Campbell Press
www.portcampbellpress.com.au
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What is life like in Australia? How can I migrate to Australia?

I am often asked these questions and many more by visitors to Australia or during my trips overseas. This has motivated me to write this book. I started writing this book a couple of years ago after living in Australia for almost a quarter of a century.

It is hardly surprising that there is so much interest on migration in general and Australia in particular. According to international studies, one in seven adults want to leave their country.

Australia as a modern 21st Century society ranks highly in human development, standard of living and outlook.

Australia is one of the few developed countries with an active and supportive immigration program. Seven million people have migrated to Australia since 1945. Today, more than ever, it is a popular migration destination. Since the 1980s, net immigration has overtaken natural increase to become the main contributor to Australias population growth. Forty-six percent of its population were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas.

Migration is a major life event and requires comprehensive research and assessment prior to any final decision. This book brings together all the essential information about Australia for intending migrants and others who want to know more of what the largest island continent has to offer. It includes chapters on various migration programs, contains 135 tables and factsheets of useful information and a chapter for self-assessing eligibility for migration.

As the saying goes - We cant change our past but we can plan for our future.

Lets explore if Australia offers the bright new frontiers that you wish for yourself and your family.

Chee Min Ng
September 2013
Australia

If you are pondering, you are not alone.

Migrants Are Everywhere

Migrants are 3 % of world population

Of the worlds total population of seven billion, 3% or 214 million live outside their countries of birth, while 740 million moved elsewhere within their countries. This gives a total of almost a billion people who are on the move.

To put this in perspective, the 214 million international migrants would constitute the fifth largest country in the world in numbers.

Very large migrant populations abound

In several countries, a very high percentage of the population are migrants. Qatar, in the Middle East, has the highest proportion of 87%, Luxemburg leads in the OECD with a migrant population of 32%, and 41% of Singapores population are immigrants, which is the highest proportion among Asian countries.

A whole new world of migrant workers

The Middle East has a migrant work force of some 15 million people, spread out in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Of this number, 75% come from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Mexico, Philippines and Turkey are also leading laboursending countries. Eleven million Mexicans work in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and other European countries. Seven million Filipinos are guest workers, mainly in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates. Turkish migrant workers, numbering 3.5 million, are mostly in Europe, with more than half of them in Germany.

Refugee migrants awaiting resettlement

At the end of 2010, there were 27 million internally displaced persons and 15 million international refugees. Of the latter, more than 7 million have been living in exile for longer than five years, and some for more than 30 years.

The majority of refugees will never be resettled in their lifetime. At the current annual intake and resettlement by third countries, it will take over a century to resettle them.

Permanent Migration

Adult population who wish to migrate

A survey conducted between 2008 and 2010 in 146 countries found that 14% of the adult population worldwide, that is, 630 million adults, wish to migrate abroad permanently if they had the chance.

Adding the hopeful 630 million adults to the 214 million people already living outside their countries of origin gives a total of 844 million people, or almost one person in seven worldwide, who desire a future away from their homeland. To put it in perspective, the total of migrant and would be migrant population far exceeds the population of any one country except China and India.

Rich Chinese also looking abroad

A survey reported in 2010 that 520,000 or almost 60% of Chinas wealthiest people want to emigrate.

New Zealand attracts Singaporeans

Even as Singapore continues to be a desired migration destination for many people, some of its citizens are thinking of leaving. A recent pilot project of the New Zealand Immigration aimed at enticing Singaporeans to New Zealand received interest at a rate of more than 1,000 registrations a week. Within three weeks, 3,565 potential immigrants had registered their interest.

Revolving doors for some countries

Some countries are seeing the phenomenon of incoming migrants happening concurrently with an expanding emigrant diaspora of its own citizens. Among them are Malaysia and New Zealand.

Malaysia is home to two million registered foreign workers and also increasing numbers of unregistered migrant workers who are mainly unskilled. At the same time, a large and growing number of its citizens either work in another country or are emigrating permanently. A World Bank report conservatively estimated that, at the end of 2010, one million Malaysians were working overseas with almost 60% of them in Singapore.