The former Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has recently tabled its 2012-13 annual report, detailing a busy year of activity, Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) secretary Martin Bowles said.
Mr. Bowles said the department’s work in 2012-13 included granting almost 4.7 million permanent and temporary visas; managing more than 33 million border movements.
Among the achievements highlighted in the annual report was a second successive year of growth in citizenship applications, with more 120 000 people becoming Australian citizens at ceremonies, including a record 17 059 on Australia Day alone.
Mr. Bowles said compliance with Australia's migration system also remained high, with more than 99 percent of the more than 5.1 million temporary entrants during the year complying with their visa conditions.
The migration program grew to a record of a total of 190 000 places in 2012-13, attributed largely to the implementation of the department’s innovative skilled migration selection system.
A number of initiatives were also launched in the temporary migration visas, including Business Innovation and Investment program, which aims to benefit the Australian economy by increasing the entrepreneurial and innovative talent entering Australia, and the Significant Investor visa introduced to attract foreign investment by high net worth individuals.
“The department has been instrumental in shaping the future of a prosperous, inclusive Australia,â€_x009d_ Mr. Bowles said. “I commend the continued efforts of the staff who work tirelessly in our offices around the world.â€_x009d_
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