- Australian Government announced the permanent Migration Program would up its annual intake to 195,000
- Melbourne was ranked as the most welcoming city for immigrants
- Sydney seen as best for jobs and business
Melbourne was ranked as the most welcoming city for immigrants in a recent study commissioned by an immigration assistance platform, Immigration to Australia.
The independent survey of 1002 Australian residents asked respondents to identify the best cities in Australia based on eight factors of habitability: welcoming to residents, the potential for business success, family-friendly, value, lifestyle, well-paying jobs, climate and safety, with some unexpected city winners coming out on top.
2023 financial year to see more migrants
In a bid to help ease critical worker shortages the Australian Government announced last year that the permanent Migration Program would up its intake to 195,000 placements in the 2023 financial year. This is up from 160,000 in the previous financial year.
Under the arrangement, up to 142,400 skilled via placements are being approved to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skills shortages in the labour market.
In addition, up to 52,500 Partner visas are being approved to reunite people in Australia with family members from overseas. The survey commissioned by Immigration to Australia reveals the top cities Australians believe new immigrants should consider when making their move.
Melbourne most welcoming
Melbourne was ranked as the most welcoming city for immigrants, attracting the highest proportion (36%) of votes. It was followed closely by Sydney which received 27% of the votes.
Residents from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and WA were all most likely to vote for their own capital city as the most welcoming.
Melbourne also topped the charts as the top family-friendly city, chosen by 23%.
In 2021, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that Melbourne received the highest intake of immigrants from 2019-20 (56,100 immigrants).
Sydney tops for jobs and business
Both Sydney and Melbourne came in equal first as the cities for permanent immigrants to start a business, chosen by 31% of respondents.
Sydney was voted best for well-paying jobs, selected by 40%. Melbourne is considered the second best in terms of offering well-paying job opportunities, followed by Perth.
ABS data from 2021 placed Sydney as the second most common city for immigrants to move to (50,100 immigrants)
Brisbane best for lifestyle and climate
Brisbane was selected as the city with the best lifestyle, receiving 24% of votes. Darwin and Canberra came in at the bottom of the list.
The Queensland capital also ranked first, by a significant margin, for best climate, chosen by 37%. Darwin and Canberra also ranked last in terms of climate.
Adelaide best-value and Hobart safest
Australians selected Adelaide as the best value city, where the dollar goes further, chosen by 20% of all respondents.
Adelaide was followed by Brisbane (18%), Melbourne (16%), Perth (12%), Sydney (11%), Hobart (5%) and Canberra (5%) and Darwin (2%).
This ranking is not a reflection of the ‘cheapest’ to live in. Respondents have likely considered what each city offers in infrastructure, opportunities and other factors associated with monetary value.
Hobart was identified as the safest city for immigration in Australia by a significant margin with the city receiving 23% of votes.
