Australia to tighten requirements to become an Australian subject

[-:Undertaker:-]

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...an-citizenship

Australia to add hurdles for 'privilege' of Australian citizenship

Citizenship requirements include new English language test and asks migrants to demonstrate how they have integrated

The bar for Australian citizenship will be dramatically raised by requiring migrants to pass a new English language test and to reside in Australia for four years as permanent residents, as part of sweeping changes announced by the Turnbull government.

The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, says Australia’s citizenship test will also be revamped by purporting to assess “Australian values”, with migrants now expected to show steps they have taken to integrate into the community.

The changes, announced on Thursday, follow moves to tighten the regime for temporary skilled migration on Tuesday and were foreshadowed in a speech by Malcolm Turnbull promising to put “Australian values first”.

Under the changes, aspiring citizens will have to pass a standalone English test, involving reading, writing and listening, which Turnbull said would “ensure applicants speak competent English”.

Applicants will have to demonstrate an “understanding of and commitment to shared values” in the citizenship test, as well as “steps they have taken to integrate into and contribute to the Australian community”. That could include evidence of employment, membership of community organisations or enrolling their children in school.

The current requirement for applicants to live in Australia as a permanent resident for one year will be raised to four years.

The replacement of the 457 visa system with new temporary skilled work visas has been accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of occupations that qualify for a four-year visa.

The Immigration Miniter noted on Tuesday that workers on two-year temporary skilled work visas are not able to apply for permanent residency, in effect closing off a pathway to citizenship.
Citizenship applicants will only be allowed to sit the citizenship test three times, compared with the status quo in which there is no limit, and will automatically fail if they cheat the test.

“Membership of the Australian family is a privilege and should be afforded to those who support our values, respect our laws and want to work hard by integrating and contributing to an even better Australia,” Turnbull said. “We must ensure that our citizenship program is conducted in our national interest.”

In November a leaked government document revealed a plan to create the new visa class with less access to social services. It showed the Department of Social Services was concerned the plan would undermine the resettlement of refugees, reduce social cohesion and increase the risk of violent extremism.

Well done Australia. Britain will be following shortly once we've left the EU.

In effect these changes make it harder for third worlders, often uneducated, to gain access to Australia - without the controversy that an outright quota would mean with screeches of racism from the usual lot. It's clever. British, Canadians, New Zealanders, white South Africans and anyone who is of value to Australia will have no problem passing these tests but the guy who arrived on a boat from Africa will. Perfect.

Thoughts?

[Landon]

This is awesome. I definitely wish the US was more strict on this, we'd be a lot better off.

[scottish]

I skimmed your post but I'm not seeing how it's harder for third worlders, often uneducated, to gain access to Australia?

It's saying for you to gain permanent citizenship you need to be there for 4 years instead of the current 1, and pass a English test?

The same third worlder, uneducated people will still be able to gain access to Australia, just not obtain permanent citizenship?

Am I missing something?

[-:Undertaker:-]

I skimmed your post but I'm not seeing how it's harder for third worlders, often uneducated, to gain access to Australia?

It's saying for you to gain permanent citizenship you need to be there for 4 years instead of the current 1, and pass a English test?

The same third worlder, uneducated people will still be able to gain access to Australia, just not obtain permanent citizenship?

Am I missing something?

De facto it'll be harder for them to pass the tests to become an Australian subject given poor education/lack of English.

It'll become harder in that they won't be able to apply anymore based on already having worked there. In other words, going there and working and then trying to get their feet in the door has become much harder with extra restrictions on temporary work visas.

The Immigration Miniter noted on Tuesday that workers on two-year temporary skilled work visas are not able to apply for permanent residency, in effect closing off a pathway to citizenship.

Hopefully steps towards a UK-CA-AUS-NZ Freedom of Movement Zone will bear some fruit in the near future.

[scottish]

It'll be harder for them to pass tests to become a permanent Australian citizen, not to get temp/visa access like they already have? So essentially still have as many new migrants but after 2 years they won't be able to stick about under permanent citizenship. Can they not apply for

Your quote mentions skilled work visas too, surely they want skilled workers?

[Myself]

The same applies to the UK. If you want to get the British citizenship you have to prove a certain level of English and you have to pass an exam about British history and facts. You can have a go here. I bet there are loads of applicants at the moment with the current situation.

[dbgtz]

De facto it'll be harder for them to pass the tests to become an Australian subject given poor education/lack of English.

It'll become harder in that they won't be able to apply anymore based on already having worked there. In other words, going there and working and then trying to get their feet in the door has become much harder with extra restrictions on temporary work visas.



Hopefully steps towards a UK-CA-AUS-NZ Freedom of Movement Zone will bear some fruit in the near future.

Focusing solely on your point poor education here since Scott has basically said anything else I would say, but I just want to point out some irony here. You seem to be discontent with people of poor education going into Australia and presumably the rest of the countries you mentioned, yet in the past you have actively ignored the speakings of people who have spent years becoming education in a subject (environment, economics, other sciences you name it), claiming they are wrong despite you not being educated in the subject. So, what gives you this high ground you seem to have but immigrants don't seem to?

[-:Undertaker:-]

It'll be harder for them to pass tests to become a permanent Australian citizen, not to get temp/visa access like they already have? So essentially still have as many new migrants but after 2 years they won't be able to stick about under permanent citizenship. Can they not apply for

Your quote mentions skilled work visas too, surely they want skilled workers?

That would depend on how many visas they hand out. Temporary workers and students aren't as much a problem as those intending to stay for life as they're not entitled to the same rights, at least in Australia. Unlike Britain's situation with EU Law.

I know from my family's experience they'll only take you if they need you.

Focusing solely on your point poor education here since Scott has basically said anything else I would say, but I just want to point out some irony here. You seem to be discontent with people of poor education going into Australia and presumably the rest of the countries you mentioned, yet in the past you have actively ignored the speakings of people who have spent years becoming education in a subject (environment, economics, other sciences you name it), claiming they are wrong despite you not being educated in the subject. So, what gives you this high ground you seem to have but immigrants don't seem to?

Well to cite just one example I am no expert in macro economics but I was still right in that all the claims of economic doom that your wonderful 'experts' pushed out during the EU referendum campaign were a load of horseshit.

As the 1st Earl of Stockton once said, we did not overthrow the divine right of Kings to fall down for the divine right of experts.

But here's a question. Why would you not be discontented with people of poor education coming to a country? They'll work in very low wage jobs, compress wage growth, not integrate if there's a lack of language skill and be entitled to benefits.

[dbgtz]

Well to cite just one example I am no expert in macro economics but I was still right in that all the claims of economic doom that your wonderful 'experts' pushed out during the EU referendum campaign were a load of horseshit.

As the 1st Earl of Stockton once said, we did not overthrow the divine right of Kings to fall down for the divine right of experts.

But here's a question. Why would you not be discontented with people of poor education coming to a country? They'll work in very low wage jobs, compress wage growth, not integrate if there's a lack of language skill and be entitled to benefits.

A sharp drop in the pound with increasing inflation, with EU-funded institutions beginning to pull out of the UK and banks & other companies preparing to, at the very least, set up satellite companies in other EU countries both of which are taking talent out of the country, with 40% of game dev companies considering relocation also. And we haven't even left yet so I don't know why you're assuming those who predicted bad things are wrong?

Diving right of experts is a slight oxymoron. Stupid quote. They spend their life working on something; their right of greater assumed knowledge is not inherent to who they are but rather what they do. You wouldn't trust a software developer to fix your boiler.

And I never said I was content. If anything, I implied something far greater and that's distaste towards poor education and (self-imposed) ignorance by anyone.

[-:Undertaker:-]

A sharp drop in the pound with increasing inflation, with EU-funded institutions beginning to pull out of the UK and banks & other companies preparing to, at the very least, set up satellite companies in other EU countries both of which are taking talent out of the country, with 40% of game dev companies considering relocation also. And we haven't even left yet so I don't know why you're assuming those who predicted bad things are wrong?

The economy has grown and so has employment. The country is doing fine. The scare mongering and predicted recession following a Leave vote didn't materalise and you pointing out more companies threatening to leave the country if X happens is just what they said during the campaign if Y happened. They're going nowhere because at the end of the day if they're making a profit here and it is easy doing business they'll stay. End of story.

Even my two avidly pro-EU friends, one who was very much so, who genuinely feared economic calamity prior to the vote have said to me they now realise it was a load of lies and scaremongering. The reason George Osborne isn't Prime Minister right now and is leaving Parliament in a months time is because of this. His credibility in making those forecasts of doom has been so destroyed he'll never be taken seriously again and he knows this.

Diving right of experts is a slight oxymoron. Stupid quote. They spend their life working on something; their right of greater assumed knowledge is not inherent to who they are but rather what they do. You wouldn't trust a software developer to fix your boiler.

The experts told us we should join the Euro and helped design the monumental **** up that is the Eurozone. The man on the street was right by gut instinct and simple logic and the oh so clever political classes and economists were wrong just as in the referendum when the public rightly calculated that the economic forecasts of doom were complete horseshit and a fabrication.

History has, and history will continue to prove everything I said on this before the referendum right. No doubt in my mind about it.