Refugee applications in Australia saw a surge in May, with Chinese applicants coming in second, the latest figures from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs revealed.
Among the nearly 2,000 asylum applications, only 26 visa applications processed in May were determined to show a genuine need of protection, and only seven asylum seekers were deported in the same month after their applications failed.
Of all the asylum applications received in May, the highest number received were from Indian passport holders (262), followed by Chinese (182), Pakistanis and Vietnamese (114 each), Malaysians (95), Thais (73), and Iranians (67).
Despite the high number of applicants, China had the highest rejection rate during the period, with none deemed to be in need of asylum.
The surge of Chinese refugee seekers to Australia started before COVID-19.
Chinese Asylum Seeker: Working Illegally Here Better Than Life in China
According to one Chinese asylum seeker based in Sydney, the high number of Chinese seeking asylum is due to China’s deteriorating economy.“The fake ones are much more than real ones, myriads more than real Falun Gong [practitioners] or religious people [being persecuted], than [those who have] political [reasons].” Zhang told The Epoch Times on June 20.
“Most came here because they could not make a living there [in China].”
“They prefer working illegally here. Even if they are only paid $20 (US$13.58) or $15 per hour, it’s still better than staying in China.
Asylum Seekers Taking Advantage of Waiting Time
Zhang said many of these fake Chinese asylum seekers, who were usually not well-educated and did not have better alternatives in China, do not care if their asylum applications can be granted in the end.“They don’t care if they can be granted [asylums]… Even if they are denied, they can stay here… They can work [here] for several years... and they can enjoy the Medicare.”
What Zhang said was corroborated by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA)’s document to the government in January, which warned that the backlog of applications has created a circumstance where it is possible “to lodge asylum applications even when they may not have meritorious claims for protection as they can stay in Australia while their application slowly passes through the system.”
John Sweeney, an asylum seeker advocate and Case Officer with a local law firm, referred to these Chinese asylum seekers who escaped China due to economic reasons as “economic migrants,” different from political refugees.
“The reality of the matter is that those two areas overlap extraordinarily. People who are very poor [are] much more vulnerable to the sorts of repressive repression and threatening and persecuting activities of those who are in power in many countries,” Sweeney said.
“The reality of the situation means that when they come to work, when those poor people come to us to seek protection from a very inhuman life, they are forced to exaggerate the political work. There’s a lot of pressure on them to exaggerate, to blow up the political aspects of what they have suffered.”
Refugee Community Calls for Government Action
In June, the Council further called the Albanese Government to act on Labor’s pledge to increase Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program as global displacement reaches a new high.Power accused the Australian government of leading the world in policies designed to turn refugees away.
“The offshore detention policy is now being copied by the United Kingdom. If every other nation followed suit, the international refugee protection system would collapse, and millions of people would be at grave risk of persecution and death.”
The Home Affairs Department said Australia provides protection consistent with its international obligations.
Migrants and Refugees Could Boost Economy: Report
Meanwhile, a new report found that Australia’s economy could benefit up to over $1 billion if the skills of migrants and refugees can be better used.It lists barriers that limit the potential of the migrant and refugee workforce and recommends five solutions to unlock their skills by 2025:
* Australia has 350,000 job vacancies, including 80,000 in regional areas
* About 290 occupations face shortages
* There are more than 7.6 million migrants, including 60,000 refugees and 80,000 people seeking asylum
* Refugees are twice as likely to start a business than the wider Australian population, and one-in-four work below their skill level
* 80 percent of migrants are of working age, compared with 65 percent of the broader population
* The report found $1.25 billion in lost wages across five years from the underuse of skilled migrants
* Easing occupational licensing would deliver a potential economic benefit of $5 billion a year
* 57 percent of people seeking asylum in Australia are not allowed to work
* Only 33 percent of permanent arrivals have their post-school qualifications recognised in Australia
SOLUTIONS
* Fix the skills and qualifications recognition system
* Strengthen protections for migrant workers
* Review the right to work for people on temporary visas
* Partnerships between organisations
* Reform English language requirements