Indians beat Chinese to become top migrants to Australia during 2013-14

NEW DELHI: Australia could be next destination of an active Indian diaspora on the lines of USA, Canada and UK with increasing number from here choosing the country down under as home as migration figures show that Indians have beaten Chinese to become number one in the migrant category during 2013-14.

Over 207,900 migrants settled permanently in Australia during 2013– 14. New Australian government figures released on Wednesday show that nearly one in five of the 207,900 migrants who settled permanently in Australia in 2013-14 came from India.

Australia’s Migration Trends 2013– 14 report shows that India remained the main source country for migrants with almost 40,000 Indian nationals migrating to Australia in 2013–14. In the same year almost 30,000 people born in India chose to become Australian citizens, according to the Australian government.

Indians have left immigrants from China, the United Kingdom and New Zealand in choosing Australia as home. This is a key reason behind the success of Narendra Modi’s public event with Indian diaspora last November. A key aspect of BJP government’s foreign policy is diaspora outreach for connecting with the community which left India as various points of time in history both old and recent.

Migration continues to be the major component of population growth in Australia. Between June 1996 and June 2013, Australia’s overseas-born population grew by 51.2% to 6.4 m. The substantial growth in overseasborn residents is changing Australia’s ethnic composition. In the past 17 years, the number of Chinaborn Australian residents has more than tripled to 427,590 people.