Migrant settlement outcomes

Latest release

Insights into economic, education, health, housing, and citizenship outcomes of permanent migrants in Australia

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Reference period
2025

New data in this release:

  • long term health conditions (2021)

Data sources

This release relates to permanent migrants in Australia. The data were sourced from the following:

 For further information, refer to the Methodology.

Arrival periods

In this release, permanent migrants are grouped on the basis of the time since they arrived in Australia. These arrival periods are:

  • arrived within the previous 5 years (migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years)
  • 5 to 10 years since arrival (migrants who lived in Australia for 5 to 10 years)
  • more than 10 years since arrival (migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years).

The arrival periods are dependent on the data sources from which they are produced. For example, the arrival period for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years using 2021 Census data is 2017 to 10 August 2021, whereas using 2019 data, this arrival period is 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019.

Australian citizenship

The following section contains data sourced from ACMID. 

In 2021, more than half (59%) of permanent migrants were Australian citizens. Australian citizenship was:

  • highest for Skilled migrants (64%)
  • lowest for Family migrants (48%).

Citizenship take-up was higher for permanent migrants who had lived in Australia for longer. It was:

  • 4% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 77% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years
  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (89%) who lived in Australia for more than 10 years.
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000.
  2. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  3. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  4. Includes other permanent migrants.

Education

The following section contains data sourced from the Higher Education Information Management System (HEIMS) available in PLIDA. Please refer to the Methodology for more information on the enrolment admissions and course types included in the data presented.

Enrolled in further education

In 2019, for those aged 15-64 years, the proportion of permanent migrants enrolled in further education was 5%, compared with 6% of the total Australian population aged 15-64 years. Enrolment was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (7%)
  • lowest for Family migrants (3%).

Enrolment proportions were higher for permanent migrants who had lived in Australia for longer.  It was:

  • 2% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 7% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years
  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (10%) who lived in Australia for more than 10 years.
  1. Persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later.
  2. Includes migrants with unknown year of arrival.
  3. Includes other and undetermined permanent migrants.

Completed further education qualifications

Of migrants aged 15-64 years and enrolled in further education, 20% completed a qualification in 2019, the same proportion as the total Australian population aged 15-64 years. This was:

  • highest for Skilled migrants (21%)
  • lowest for Humanitarian migrants (15%).

Across all visa streams, this proportion was lowest for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years. The proportions were:

  • 15% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 19% for migrants who lived in Australia for 5 to 10 years
  • 20% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years.
  1. Persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later.
  2. As a proportion of persons aged 15-64 years enrolled in further education.
  3. Includes migrants with unknown year of arrival.
  4. Includes other and undetermined permanent migrants.

Economic participation

The following section contains data sourced from Personal Income Tax and unemployment payments data available in PLIDA. Please refer to the Methodology for more information on sources of income included in these statistics.

Personal income

In the 2019-20 financial year, for those aged 15-64 years, the proportion of permanent migrants who earned personal income was 70%, compared with 76% of the total Australian population aged 15-64 years. This was:

  • highest for Skilled migrants (76%)
  • lowest for Humanitarian migrants (49%).

By visa stream, the proportions of permanent migrants who earned personal income varied by length of time in Australia. It was:

  • lower for Skilled migrants in who lived in Australia for longer
  • higher for Family and Humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for longer. 
  1. Persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later.
  2. Employee income, own unincorporated business income, investment income, superannuation income and other income.
  3. Includes migrants with unknown year of arrival.
  4. Includes other and undetermined permanent migrants.

Own unincorporated business income

In the 2019-20 financial year, for those aged 15-64 years, the proportion of permanent migrants who earned own unincorporated business income was 11%, the same proportion as the total Australian population aged 15-64 years. This was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for 5 to 10 years (16%)
  • lowest for Humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (6%).
  1. Persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later.
  2. Includes migrants with unknown year of arrival.
  3. Includes other and undetermined permanent migrants.

Receiving unemployment payments

In the 2019-20 financial year, for those aged 15-64 years, the proportion of permanent migrants who received unemployment payments was 11%, compared with 13% of the total Australian population aged 15-64 years. This was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (31%)
  • lowest for Skilled migrants (8%).

By visa stream, proportions who received unemployment payments varied by length of time in Australia. It was:

  • higher for Family migrants who had lived in Australia for more than 10 years (13%) compared with those who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (8%)
  • lower for Humanitarian migrants who had lived in Australia for more than 10 years (24%) compared with those who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (49%).

 

  1. Persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later.
  2. Jobseeker Payment, Jobseeker Allowance, Newstart Mature Age Allowance, and Newstart Allowance.
  3. Includes migrants with unknown year of arrival.
  4. Includes other and undetermined permanent migrants.

Socio-economic index

The following section contains data sourced from ACMID and Census. 

The data in this section relates to quintiles of the Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) at Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) from the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA). Quintiles are constructed from neighbouring deciles. For example, Quintile 1 is constructed from Decile 1 and Decile 2. Lower quintile SA1s have greater levels of disadvantage and a lack of advantage compared with higher quintile SA1s. For more information on how to interpret the presented statistics, refer to Understanding SEIFA.

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrants living in Quintile 1 SA1s for IRSAD was 15% compared with 19% of the Australian population. By visa stream, this was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (44%)
  • lowest for Skilled migrants (8%).

A higher proportion of permanent migrants who arrived within the last five years lived in Quintile 1 SA1s for IRSAD. This was:

  • 19% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 13% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years
  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (55%) who lived in Australia for less than 5 years.
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000.
  2. Refers to Quintile 1 areas of the Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) at Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) from the Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA).
  3. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  4. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  5. Includes other permanent migrants.

English proficiency

The following section contains data sourced from ACMID. 

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrants who were proficient in English, that is they only spoke English or spoke English well or very well, was 89% for migrants overall. English proficiency was:

  • highest for Skilled migrants (96%)
  • lowest for Humanitarian migrants (71%).

Proficiency was higher for permanent migrants who had lived in Australia for longer. It was:

  • 82% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 91% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years
  • lowest for Humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (56%).
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000.
  2. Speaks English not well or not at all.
  3. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  4. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  5. Includes other permanent migrants.

Health

The following section contains data sourced from ACMID and Census.

Age and entry requirements

Age, visa eligibility criteria, the intended field of occupation, and pre-arrival health screening may be associated with differences in incidence of long-term health conditions.  More information about visa eligibility and occupational requirements can be found in Working in Australia. More information about pre-arrival health screening can be found in Meeting our health requirement.

There is a strong link between age and incidence of long-term health conditions, as the proportion of those with a long-term health condition increases with age. For more information refer to the article Long-term health conditions. This data refers to migrants who arrived since 2000 and to a younger population than the overall Australian population. 

Statistical adjustments can be made to health data to account for the effect of age. The data in this release, however, is unadjusted.

Type of long-term health condition

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrants who reported one or more long-term health conditions was 18%. This was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (22% or 61,674 people)
  • lowest for Skilled migrants (16% or 279,660).

The proportion with one or more long-term health conditions was higher for permanent migrants who lived in Australia for longer, in keeping with the strong link between age and incidence of long-term health conditions. The proportions were:

  • 12% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (46,425 people)
  • 21% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years (363,791).

The most commonly reported long-term health condition among permanent migrants was asthma (4%), whereas among the total population of Australia, it was a mental health condition (9%). By visa stream, the most commonly reported conditions were:

  • asthma for Skilled migrants (4% or 67,532 people)
  • diabetes for Family and Humanitarian migrants (4% and 6%, or 37,413 and 16,128 respectively).
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000.
  2. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  3. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  4. Includes other permanent migrants.

Housing

The following section contains data sourced from ACMID and Census. The data relates to people in occupied private dwellings, excluding visitor only and non-classifiable households.

Housing tenure

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrants who owned their home with a mortgage or outright was 62%, compared with 69% for the total population of Australia. Home ownership was:

  • highest for Skilled migrants (65%)
  • lowest for Humanitarian migrants (38%).

Home ownership was higher for permanent migrants who had lived in Australia for longer. The proportions were:

  • 38% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 71% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years.
  1. Owned outright, owned with a mortgage, or purchased under a shared equity scheme.
  2. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000.
  3. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  4. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  5. Includes other permanent migrants.

Housing affordability

One way of examining housing affordability is to look at households whose spending on housing is likely to impact on their ability to afford other living costs such as food, clothing, transport and utilities. A common threshold applied is the proportion of households spending greater than 30% of their income on housing costs. For more information on housing affordability, refer to Rent affordability indicator or Mortgage affordability indicator.

Rent affordability

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrants in rented housing who spent more than 30% of their household income on rent was 28%, compared with 30% of all renters in Australia. This was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (46%)
  • lowest for Skilled migrants (19%).

Overall, a slightly higher proportion of permanent migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years were paying more than 30% of their household income on rent. The proportions were:

  • 27% for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 30% for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years.

However, for Humanitarian migrants a lower proportion of permanent migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years were paying more than 30% of their household income on rent. The proportions were:

  • 55% for Humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years
  • 40% for Humanitarian migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years.
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000, and who lived in rented dwellings.
  2. As defined by the Census variable Rent affordability indicator (RAID).
  3. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  4. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  5. Includes other permanent migrants.

Mortgage affordability

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrant homeowners with a mortgage who paid more than 30% of their household income on mortgage repayments for their dwelling was 21%, compared with 14% of people in Australia who owned their home with a mortgage. This was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (33%)
  • lowest for Skilled migrants (18%)
  • similar regardless of time since migrants arrived in Australia.
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000, and who lived in dwellings owned with a mortgage or purchased under a shared equity scheme.
  2. As defined by the Census variable Mortgage affordability indicator (MAID).
  3. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  4. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  5. Includes other permanent migrants.

Housing suitability

This section presents data on people in dwellings where one or more extra bedrooms are needed to accommodate the people who usually live there, as defined by the Census variable Housing suitability (HOSD), based on the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS). However, CNOS does not take into consideration that for many cultures, living in multi‑generational extended families is a cultural norm.

In 2021, the proportion of permanent migrants who lived in dwellings that required one or more extra bedrooms was higher for migrants (11%) than the total population of Australia (7%). This was:

  • highest for Humanitarian migrants (34%)
  • lowest for Skilled migrants (8%).

The proportions of permanent migrants living in dwellings that required one or more extra bedrooms were lower for those who had who lived in Australia for longer. It was:

  • highest for migrants who lived in Australia for less than 5 years (17%)
  • lowest for migrants who lived in Australia for more than 10 years (9%).
  1. Includes persons whose Settlement Data date of arrival was 1st January 2000 or later, but who reported a Census year of arrival in Australia prior to 2000.
  2. Housing that required one or more extra bedrooms to accommodate the people who usually lived there, as defined by the Census variable Housing suitability (HOSD), based on the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS).
  3. Arrived 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2021 (Census Night).
  4. Includes migrants with year of arrival not stated and not applicable.
  5. Includes other permanent migrants.

Data download

Migrant settlement outcomes, 2025

Data files
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Methodology

Scope

Migrants who arrived in Australia from 1 January 2000 to 2021.

Geography

Data published at national level.

Source

  • Administrative data sourced from Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA)
  • Census of Population and Housing
  • Australian Census and Migrants Integrated Dataset (ACMID)

Collection method

Data are compiled from:

  • Census data collected from the Australian population every 5 years
  • data from the Census and Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) linked with the Department of Home Affairs Settlement Database.

Concepts, sources and methods

Permanent migrants include:

  • Skilled migrants
  • Family migrants
  • Humanitarian migrants
  • Other and undetermined migrants.

History of changes

  • Addition of type of long-term health condition
  • Addition of 2016 socio-economic index data  
  • Change of terminology from 'Crowded housing' to 'Housing suitability'
View full methodology