Immigrants Voice Growing Unease as Australia Tightens Net Overseas Migration Targets
Refugees and migrants say the heated debate over net overseas migration makes them feel unwelcome, as the government moves to lower the migration ceiling.
When Shamsullah Sadey arrived in Melbourne as a refugee, he dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon, but the recent debate on net overseas migration has left him feeling unwelcome. The federal government has pledged to lower the Nom ceiling to 245,000, a move echoed by One Nation’s proposal for an even lower cap. Scholars such as Laurie Berg and Kobra Sayyadi warn that reducing migrants to a statistic fuels anti-migrant sentiment and overlooks their social contributions.
Community voices like Saad Khalid describe heightened anxiety about belonging, while Ogy Simic of the Asylum Seeker Research Centre reports a rise in racist incidents linked to the politicised discourse. Officials, including Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, assert a commitment to a mature debate, yet migrants remain concerned about the personal impact of the policy shift.
Why it matters
The debate shapes how migrants are perceived and treated, affecting social cohesion and Australia's reputation as a refuge.
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