How many people do you think are migrants?
If you watch the news, you might think it’s a large share
In fact migrants make up only around 3.5% of the world’s population
Of these, 10% are refugees
The vast majority are economic migrants
If more people migrated the world would be a lot richer
The best estimate says that...
...if people were allowed to work where they wanted...
...the world GDP would be roughly double
But many people in rich countries...
...don’t want to let more people in
And the debate veers between fearmongering...
We have people coming into the country...
...you wouldn’t believe how bad these people are
These are animals
...and moralising
We have a president who is a racist...
...xenophobe...a religious bigot
So what should governments do to get migration right?
These people are migrants living in Australia
Next year I will have my citizenship; I’m sitting my exam next month
Almost a third of people in Australia were born somewhere else
It has the highest migrant share of population...
...of all the big OECD countries and almost double that of America
Migration has hugely benefited Australia
Australia’s population has doubled since the 1970s...
...and the economy has grown 22-fold
And it’s also become a more exciting and interesting country
Australia has not had a recession for 28 years...
...thanks partly to its openness to foreign talent
You can go to neighbourhoods of Sydney where...
...you hear a variety of different languages spoken...
...and you get ideas from everywhere
And it makes it easier for them to have trading connections...
...with the rest of the world
Anna has been a Sydneysider for almost two years
I know the definition is that I moved here as a migrant...
...but I wouldn’t call myself a migrant
Being non-white, I think people like me...
...get the impression that that word’s used in a very negative way
I want to call myself a global person...
...because I believe I can live and work anywhere in the world
She moved here with her family from India
We were looking at an option out of India
We’d lived in India all our lives
I’d been here on holiday in 2008 and I love the country...
...and that was at that point that I started thinking about it
I was very excited
Until the 1970s Australia had immigration rules...
...that strongly favoured Europeans
People called it the “white Australia” policy
But since then the system has been colour-blind...
...and the number of migrants coming from China and India...
...has rapidly increased
In the 12 months leading up to June 2018...
...Australia gave out just over 160,000 permanent work visas
Anna received one of them
Australia gives out far more visas...
...relative to its population than Britain or America
It shows that a country can be very open to immigration...
...and very successful
But it has to be done the right way
You wouldn’t want to have such a big influx so suddenly...
...that you ended up undermining the institutions...
...that make rich countries rich in the first place
But what we do know is that you can manage a much higher level...
...of migration than is normal at the moment
And how do we know that? Because it’s happened
You look at somewhere like Australia, any rich country could manage...
...that level of migration
And then if that works, open the gates a bit more
You could design a policy that was better both for the native born...
...and for the rest of the world
Australia has found a formula that works
Anna came on a Skilled Independent Visa...
...which allows her and her family to live in Australia permanently...
...and without needing a job in advance
The advantage is they value your previous work experience in Australia...
...which is a good thing, because they’re not just looking...
...for entry-level professions
Anna’s application was accepted because she scored highly...
...on Australia’s points-based system
Here’s how it works
People who want to move to Australia can put forward...
...an expression of interest
They are then awarded points based on their qualifications...
...their age...
...how well they speak English...
...and what skills and work experience they have
Those with the highest number of points...
...are invited to apply to the Australian government
Madeleine Sumption is a migration-policy expert
A points-based system is used in Australia, Canada, New Zealand...
...and a handful of other countries
Generally in order to increase immigration
The points-based system puts the government in the driving seat
They decide what characteristics they think are important
The Australian government decides which industries...
...it thinks most need migrants
It doesn’t always get it right
Some migrants get visas but can’t find a job
I think getting your first job in Australia is a big challenge...
...and I think it depends on where you come from
As an experienced project manager, Anna got a job quickly
Most migrants in Australia find work within 18 months
But critics say the government should give more say to employers...
...when deciding whom to let into the country
In most other rich countries the rules are very different
If you come from a poor country...
...it is extremely hard to migrate legally to a rich one...
...unless you already have a well-paid job offer...
...or you are a close relative of a citizen
The rules in America are particularly baffling
America’s current system is more restrictive than Australia...
...and less selective
A large majority of the people who get permanent residence there...
...do so via family reunification. So because they have a relative there
Only a smaller portion get in because they have skills
They have a system that was designed quite a long time ago
And politically it has been very difficult for them to change anything
And so they have a number of quite rigid caps...
...which means that they’ve generated big backlogs
The demand for visas is so high they’re simply allocating visas by lottery
Another issue in the United States is that it borders Latin America...
...so a lot of immigrants can enter illegally simply by dodging the border guards
Clearly not a problem shared by Australia
It’s an island, so you can’t just walk in
Anyone who comes without permission will be spotted by the Coast Guard
They control their borders very closely
The fact that they’re ruthlessly selective...
...makes it easier for them to be generous...
...because Australians really do feel that they are in control of who comes
Australia’s migration success story has made...
...public opinion generally positive towards immigrants
Everyone at school was very welcoming
My workplace was amazing
The everyday Australian has been really nice and warm
So it’s been a great experience
But even here, there is still a sizeable number of people...
...who want to slow the pace of migration
I think the attitude to migration is not just Australian...
...it’s everywhere in the world now
It’s usually apprehension...
...from a very personal point of view that people think...
...there’s possibly a loss of their own lifestyle
In a democracy no migration policy can succeed...
...unless it wins and retains the consent of voters
Some natives strongly object to newcomers
They argue that immigrants drag down wages for the locals...
...and take more out of the welfare state than they put in
Both charges are usually false
But governments could adopt policies that make it absolutely clear...
...that migrants pay their way
If you said to migrants coming to rich countries, yes, you can come...
...but you’re going to have to pay a little bit of extra tax to do that...
...they would be extremely willing
And then suddenly that might change the picture of how people see it
People would see it as more of an opportunity and less of a hassle
A migrant tax could be spent on things that voters like...
...such as pensions or public health
Or the government could simply send the money to voters
They could also restrict migrants’ access to the welfare state
This could be for a set number of years, as in Britain...
...or permanently like in the Gulf countries
That would answer the economic complaints about migration
But what of the cultural ones?
Some voters fear the disruption that rapid migration can cause
Refugees do not assimilate
It’s destroyed the spirit of community
Where is the work for them? Where are you going to stay?
Migrants tend to cluster, which means that some neighbourhoods...
...really do change uncomfortably fast
Governments can encourage immigrants to learn the local language...
...and understand the culture
But many natives prefer their societies the way they are
Overcoming all these objections will be hard
But Australia shows that a country can be...
...twice as open to immigration as America...
...and the result is not a disaster, as nativists predict...
...but decades of peace and rising prosperity
Governments need to show voters two things...
...that they get to choose who comes...
...and that migrants put more in than they take out
When they see this, voters might be happy to open the door wider