How a radical new visa change could see the number of people deported from Australia skyrocket
- The Morrison government has reintroduced bill to change the Migration Act
- Visa would be cancelled if convicted of a crime punishable by two years prison
- Migration experts have warned the number of cancelled visas would skyrocket
Thousands of migrants could be deported from Australia under the government’s radical plan to change its character test.
The Morrison government has reintroduced bill aimed at changing the Migration Act to strength its character test.
Under the proposal, a visa can be cancelled or refused if a non-citizen has been convicted of a serious crime punishable by two years in prison – even if they are not sent to jail.
Migration experts have warned the proposed changes could see the number of cancelled visas and deportations increase five-fold, The Guardian reported.
The Morrison government (Pictured prime minister Scott Morrison) reintroduced the bill that would see the Migration Act changed, allowing the government to deport a non-citizen has been convicted of a serious crime punishable by two years in prison
‘While difficult to compare, this may be one of the most significant retrospective applications of new legislation in recent parliamentary history, particularly for a bill with negative consequences for people,’ a joint submission to the Senate committee read.
‘Given the retrospective application … there will likely be a step-change in the number and rate of visa cancellations and deportations from Australia.’
The legislation was introduced last month by Immigration Minister David Coleman.
He said changes would send a clear message that an Australian visa was a privilege.
‘We make absolutely no apologies for protecting the Australian community from these harmful people, and we will act decisively whenever we are made aware of that.’
The proposed changes to the bill come five years after the Migration Act was tweaked to allow the government to deport non-citizens if they have been sentenced to at least 12 months behind bars.
Migration experts have warned the proposed changes could see the number of cancelled visas and deportations skyrocket
The legislation was introduced last month by Immigration Minister David Coleman. The changes would send a clear message that an Australian visa was a privilege, he said
As a result of those changes, 1,000 New Zealanders were deported between 2016 and 2018.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Adern has warned of the ‘corrosive’ effect the changes would have on the relationship between the two countries.
As New Zealanders are the largest group of non-citizens, any changes to the character test will have a massive impact on them.
‘We have seen cases where there is also almost no connection of an individual to New Zealand who have been deported,’ Ardern previously said.