Immigration drops to lowest level in ten years... where???

Where, oh where, has the government cut the number of immigrant visas handed out to the lowest level in a decade? America? Britain? Canada? Surely you jest, especially about Canada, where immigration levels are at an all-time high! No, dear reader, it's Australia, the only country where the politicians have listened to the people who have demanded that the welcome mat be rolled up, especially as regards bogus refuees, asylum-seekers, and the old, sick and halt of the "family class".

Polling done in January by the Australian National University showed soaring house prices and crowded cities have combined to convince a clear majority of Australians that the country's immigration push must end. (The USA, UK and Canada do not have such problems, of course.) Less than a third (30.4%) of Aussies polled said they believed Oz needs more people. More than two-thirds (69.6%) felt Australia did not need more people, almost a 180-degree turn from the results of a similar poll done in 2010.

Apparently the Australian government (unlike those of the UK and Canada... especially Canada) has taken note of the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the country's citizens. SBS News reports that tough qualification rules and a preference for skilled workers has seen the number of migrants granted permanent residency in Australia fall dramatically.

Figures released today show just over 160,300 individuals were given permanent resident visas in 2018-19, slightly down from 162,417 the previous year. The number is nearly 30,000 fewer than the annual migration cap of 190,000. By comparison, the three major political parties are all for "welcoming" over 300,000 immigrants, while only Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada has called for a cap of less than half that number.

Another big difference between the Australian and Canadian policies on immigration is that the bulk of those admitted to Australia were skilled workers, with 109,713 immigrant visas -- about 70% -- granted under the skilled stream. And Aussie Immigration Minister David Coleman boasted of a 44% percent increase in visas granted to those willing to move outside big cities into regional centres. "Our population plan will ease the pressure on the big capitals," he said, "while supporting the growth of those smaller cities and regions that want more people."

The Australian government's reduced cap on annual permanent migration to 160,000 comes into effect this financial year, as it tries to address concerns about high numbers of foreign entries to the country. "NO to mass immigration", say the people of Australia. (OK, the signs pictured, which have sprung up across Oz, put it a little more bluntly!) Put up a sign saying the same thing in Canada and it gets torn down.

Further reading: "Poll: Increasing Immigration, Giving Illegals Right to Vote Most Unpopular 2020 Political Positions", Breitbart News, 5/9/19. I suspect that if a poll were taken in Canada, with a general election just six weeks away, the result would be the same.