Oceania

The latest available international migrant stock data (2020)³⁷⁵ show that almost 8.3 million international migrants from outside Oceania³⁷⁶ were living in the region. As shown in Figure 21, the foreign-born migrant population was primarily composed of people from Asia and Europe. During the last 30 years, the number of migrants in Oceania born in Asia has grown, while the number of those from Europe has remained steady. Out of all of the six global regions, Oceania had the lowest number of migrants outside its region in 2020, partly a reflection of its smaller population size compared with other regions. Migrants from Oceania living outside the region mainly resided in Europe and Northern America.

Source: UN DESA, 2021.
Notes: This is the latest available international migrant stock data at the time of writing. “Migrants to Oceania” refers to migrants residing in the region (i.e. Oceania) who were born in one of the other regions (e.g. Europe or Asia). “Migrants within Oceania” refers to migrants born in the region (i.e. Oceania) and residing outside their country of birth, but still within the Oceania region. “Migrants from Oceania” refers to people born in Oceania who were residing outside the region (e.g. in Europe or Northern America).

The proportion of female and male immigrants in both Australia and New Zealand is about the same with only slight differences. The share of emigrants is also about equal, with the proportion of female emigrants only slightly higher.

Source: UN DESA, 2021.
Notes: This is the latest available international migrant stock data at the time of writing. “Proportion” refers to the share of female or male migrants in the total number of immigrants in destination countries (left) or in the total number of emigrants from origin countries (right).

There were over 156,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Oceania. Most – over 54,000 refugees and nearly 91,000 asylum-seekers – were hosted in Australia. The largest number of refugees in Australia came from countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Papua New Guinea was home to the second largest number of refugees and asylum-seekers in Oceania (Figure 23). Fiji, meanwhile, was the origin of most refugees and asylum-seekers from Oceania (over 3,600).

Source: UNHCR, n.d.a.
Note: “Hosted” refers to those refugees and asylum-seekers from other countries who are residing in the receiving country (right-hand side of the figure); “abroad” refers to refugees and asylum-seekers originating from that country who are outside of their origin country. The figures are based on 2022 data and are calculated by combining refugees and asylum-seekers in and from countries.

The largest internal displacements in Oceania triggered by conflict and violence occurred in Papua New Guinea, where 64,000 movements were recorded in 2022 (Figure 24). This is over eight times the number recorded in 2021 (7,500). The violence that triggered most of these displacements was related to national elections in mid‑2022 and ensuing tensions. Australia recorded the largest disaster displacements in 2022 (17,000), most of these due to floods in the eastern states of New South Wales and Queensland. Papua New Guinea experienced the second largest number of disaster displacements (nearly 10,000). While disaster displacement in Tonga were much fewer than those recorded in countries such as Australia and Papua New Guinea, as a percentage of population, it experienced the largest number (more than 2%).

Source: IDMC, n.d.; UN DESA, 2022.
Notes: The term “displacements” refers to the number of displacement movements that occurred in 2022 not the total accumulated stock of IDPs resulting from displacement over time. New displacement figures include individuals who have been displaced more than once and do not correspond to the number of people displaced during the year.
The population size used to calculate the percentage of new disaster and conflict displacements is based on the total resident population of the country per 2021 UN DESA population estimates, and the percentage is for relative illustrative purposes only.
*This includes territories.

Key features and developments in Oceania³⁷⁷

After a comprehensive review of Australia’s migration system, a government-appointed advisory group recommended major reforms to the country’s immigration system in early 2023, after declaring the current system “not fit for purpose”.³⁷⁸ The review, which started in September 2022 and was presented to the Government in March 2023, is the most significant review of Australia’s immigration system in decades.³⁷⁹ The review found that the current programme not only falls short when it comes to attracting migrants that are highly skilled, but that it also fails to “enable business to efficiently access workers.”³⁸⁰ Among the review’s criticisms is the rise in “permanently temporary migration”, which it said had not only harmed migrants but also confidence in Australia’s programme.³⁸¹ Temporary visas, which have been uncapped for years and have increased faster than permanent visa numbers, have not always provided a clear path to permanent residency, leaving many migrant workers in a permanently temporary state.³⁸² The review also identified migrant exploitation as a key challenge, highlighting aspects linked to temporary migration, such as Temporary Skilled Immigration Income Threshold (TSMIT), which had been frozen since 2013, as playing a role in migrant exploitation.³⁸³ Following the review, the Australian Government announced in April 2023 that it would increase TSMIT from 53,900 Australian dollars (AUD) to AUD 70,000.³⁸⁴ In addition to calling for smooth and predictable migration, the review noted that migration – through a well-designed migration programme – can play a key role in addressing challenges such as an ageing population and stagnating productivity.³⁸⁵

Similar to countries in regions such as Northern America and parts of Europe, Australia and New Zealand are facing a labour squeeze and need immigration to address shortages of workers in key sectors. Both countries have long relied on immigration to fill gaps in their labour markets. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Australia enacted some of the harshest mobility restrictions in the world, resulting in a sharp reduction in the number of migrant workers entering the country. To address current labour needs, Australia announced in 2022 that it would increase the number of permanent migration visas in programme year 2022–23 from 160,000 to 195,000.³⁸⁶ This increase is expected to fill labour gaps in sectors such as health and technology. The Government is also focusing on streamlining visa processing, including providing additional funding of AUD 36.1 million for this purpose.³⁸⁷ New Zealand, meanwhile, announced significant immigration reforms to increase its available pool of labour, including easing residence permits for migrant workers in priority high-skill sectors.³⁸⁸

Relative to their population, small island States, including those in Oceania, have the highest displacement risk due to climate change. Eight of the Pacific Island countries and territories, including Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, the Cook Islands and Niue are among the top 15 countries and territories in the world most at-risk of such disasters.³⁸⁹ Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are ranked as the most vulnerable countries worldwide to the impacts of climate change and disasters.³⁹⁰ Disasters such as tropical cyclones, volcanic eruptions and droughts often wreak havoc and cause displacement across the subregion.³⁹¹ In 2021, two consecutive cyclones – Ana and Bina – hit the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, triggering more 14,000 displacements.³⁹² Since half their population live within 10km of the coast, Pacific small island States are also vulnerable to slow onset events such as rising sea levels and coastal erosion, with potentially significant human impacts, including displacement.³⁹³ Responding to this challenge, governments in the Pacific have declared climate change a critical security issue for the region, and efforts have also been undertaken to advance policy responses to it, including its human mobility implications. Currently, governments across the region are considering the form and content of a regional, rights-based framework on climate mobility – the first of its kind anywhere in the world – under the oversight of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Oceania, particularly Australia, remains a top destination for international students, whose numbers are recovering after a decline in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia has long been a major destination for international students, but as the country closed borders and imposed travel restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19, the number of students entering the country sharply dropped. In 2022, the number of international students in the country seemed to be returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, with more than 619,000 student-visa-holding students, an 8 per cent increase over 2021.³⁹⁴ And in the first quarter of 2023, over 256,000 international students arrived in Australia, a 143 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022.³⁹⁵ While New Zealand receives fewer international students compared to Australia, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also a popular destination. Before the pandemic, New Zealand enrolled around 120,000 international students, but these numbers dramatically declined during the country’s pandemic-related two-year border closure.³⁹⁶ There were signs, however, that the number of international students to New Zealand is recovering, too; since the borders reopened, thousands of students have applied to enter the country for upcoming programmes.³⁹⁷