Overseas Arrivals and Departures versus Overseas Migration data

Multiple media stories have been published this week using Overseas Arrivals and Departures (OAD) data to make commentary on migration numbers. This data does not reflect the official ABS definition of migration and may lead to inaccurate conclusions on migration.

Overseas Arrivals and Departures (OAD) data is a count of border crossings rather than migration. It is best used to understand patterns in traveller movements, such as tourism trends and seasonal travel. 

Permanent and Long-term movements come from traveller declarations and are not contingent on the traveller’s residency status prior to travel. 

For example, this means a person who has been living in Australia for three years on a temporary visa, and travels overseas multiple times, can count as a long-term visitor arrival many times, even though they only migrated here once. 

This is why OAD data should not be used to measure migration or population change, as it reflects self-declared traveller intentions rather than changes in residency status. 

Accurate insights on migration into Australia are available from our Overseas Migration and National, State and Territory Population publications, which have data for up to the 2023-24 financial year and December 2024 respectively. Migration figures for this year have not been published yet, and the March quarter 2025 data will be published on 18 September. 

Historically, net permanent and long-term movements from Overseas Arrivals and Departures have been consistently higher than actual Net Overseas Migration.