Immigration issues

A new age cap on a popular graduate visa is leaving many international PhD students in Australia facing uncertain futures. Many say they will be forced to leave the country due to changes set to be made to Temporary Graduate Visa Class 485.

A new study has found children from migrant and refugee backgrounds are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable when starting school, causing repercussions which could carry into adulthood. Researchers say a collaborative response is needed from government, early-education providers and providers of settlement services.

A refugee advocacy service says granting permanent residency to the 'Bollard Man' who risked his life to protect others shows how 'broken' the immigration system is. While those working in the immigration sector support the man being given residency, organisations says its important the thousands of other visa holders who've contributed to the Australian community yet are still waiting for securit...

There are people who show incredible resilience under the most difficult circumstances and Hedayat Osyan is one of them. The 32 year-old fled Afghanistan 15 years ago and has since built a thriving business helping others. Now he's been honoured with the UNHCR Les Murray Award for Refugee Recognition.

For many refugees, starting life in a new country can be overwhelming but a supportive community can help navigate the many challenges. That's the idea behind an innovative pilot program which recruits small groups of volunteers to help and mentor refugees for 12 months after arrival. Now there are calls to expand the program to make it easier for Australians to sponsor family members or refugees...

As Muslims get ready to celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, cultural delicacies are being prepared by a diverse range of food businesses. Among them, several new ventures given a helping hand by a unique a social enterprise.

In Melbourne's outer west, a free basketball clinic has been tapping into the potential of the young African community. The program is aimed at getting children active and engaged, coming from an area with a high migrant and refugee population.

An initiative offering free swimming lessons in some of Australia's diverse communities is hoping to address a critical gap in water skills and safety. The move comes as migrants continue to be over-represented in Australia's drowning statistics.

There are about 9,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Australia over a decade ago and who remain caught in a Coalition-era system designed to 'fast-track' their claims. Thousands of them were children when they first came to Australia; they're now young adults with restrictive six-month bridging visas, living with the fear they could be deported from the country they now call home. A group of crossb...

The United Nations is highlighting the achievements of African diaspora around the world. But underlying the successes are ongoing challenges people of African descent are facing in their own countries. So how can Australia adapt to make the most of its multicultural communities?

Immigration detention is set to dominate Australian politics this week, as the government prepares for another High Court case that could see more than 100 people released. An Iranian man, known as ASF 17, will argue his case in the High Court next month.

Australia's intelligence chief says foreign interference remains at its highest level in the country's history, threatening Australia's social cohesion. Multicultural communities are vulnerable to foreign interference, which involves clandestine, coercive and disruptive operations by foreign actors and their proxies infiltrating the diaspora. The government has previously singled out the Iranian r...

The New South Wales government has announced it's changing the way it communicates with linguistically diverse communities living in the state. But independent media organisations say the moves are inadequate and insufficient to keep them going, and are calling for more support from the state government.

A Melbourne-based small business is producing high-viz ((high visibility)) vests completely sourced from recycled materials - the first project of its kind in Australia. Providing work for migrants and refugees is a core part of its operation, with the social enterprise being recognised with two state government awards.

More than 40 housing, homelessness and community service organisations have signed an open letter to Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton expressing concerns that migrant communities are being scapegoated as the primary reason for the housing crisis. Advocacy group Everybody's Home coordinated the letter, and says it's nonsense to blame a recent increase in overseas migration for a housing crisis tha...

New research out of RMIT university shows highly-skilled migrants are often faced with barriers to employment that leave them doing low-skilled work while skill shortages continue throughout the economy. The study looked at the experiences of 50 Vietnamese skilled migrants who were often subject to discrimination throughout the recruitment process.

Twenty two refugee women are taking part in a 640 kilometre trek from Melbourne all the way to the Parliament House in Canberra. They are seeking to reach permanent visa deals for all refugees living in the country, highlighting the devastating impact of a life in uncertainty.

The government's Intergenerational Report suggests a significant proportion of Australians will age out of the workforce in the coming years. Business groups and economists are urging the government to look to migration as a solution for the job vacancies those retirements will create.

Last year 137,090 temporary visas were granted, adding to the numbers of the estimated more-than 1.6 million temporary migrants already living in Australia. Because of the rules restricting their employment, they can be subject to exploitation by unscrupulous employers - but lack protection if they try to report what's happened to them. Now, a group of migrant support organisations have put togeth...

A new report examining the backlog of more than 137,000 parent visa applications has described the system as "dysfunctional". Commissioned by the Scanlon Foundation, the report found the waiting period of between 30 and 50 years means the probability of successful migration is "virtually non-existent for many applicants". Report author Peter Mares tells SBS's Angelica Waite that the current system...

A Tamil refugee in regional Victoria is planning to walk 1,000 kilometres to Sydney, to raise awareness of plight of thousands of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia still living in limbo after more than a decade. Neil Para says he is among 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees who have no certainty about their futures