Australia grants permanent residency to 680 Hongkongers in second year of bespoke migration scheme, nearly double first intake
- More than 1,000 Hongkongers have applied since scheme’s 2022 introduction following implementation of national security law by Beijing
- Australia has exempted Hongkongers in the country from tightened language requirements for graduate work visas, but some worry over new age rules
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs told the Post the visas were granted between March 2023 and February 2024, reaching nearly double the 370 offers in the scheme’s first year.
The Australian government has also said that Hongkongers applying for temporary graduate work visas leading to permanent residence will be exempted from tougher new English-language requirements that came into effect for all other applicants from March 23.
Since March 5, 2022, the country has received 1,184 applications and some are still being processed, according to the department. Fewer than five were rejected in the second year, but the reasons were not revealed.
Under the scheme, foreigners graduating from Australian universities have to secure temporary graduate visas to remain in the country for three or four years before becoming eligible to apply for permanent residency.
