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Chinese tourists and international students help drive asylum claims up 311 per cent in Australia

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The number of Chinese nationals applying for refugee asylum in Australia has risen by 311 per cent in just one year, according to figures from the Department of Home Affairs.

Onshore protection visa applications from those who arrived by plane from the People's Republic of China jumped from 2,269 in 2016-17 to 9,315 in 2017-18, the data reveals.

Despite the surge in claims, Chinese nationals had one of the lowest success rates for protection visas, with the Department only recognising 10 per cent of those claims as being genuine.

The total number of onshore asylum claims for all nationalities soared 225 per cent from 8,587 in 2014-15 to 27,931 in 2017-18 with Chinese nationals making up a third of all claims over that period.

Refugee Council of Australia director of policy Joyce Chia told the ABC the number of student visas had increased with the booming international student industry in Australia, now worth an estimated $32 billion.

"I think the fact that Chinese people have increasing access [to Australia] is a large factor," she said.

"We are seeing a massive increase in people coming by plane generally, and obviously with the massive increase in international students from places like China, it's now much easier for those students to get to Australia."

'Not an evil cult sect and neither am I a pagan'

Transcripts from hearings at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), which has the power to overturn decisions made by the Department of Home Affairs, reveal a range of reasons applicants claim to be refugees, including being: a love child, Christian, a cult member or LGBT.

One young woman from China told the tribunal that as a child born outside marriage in violation of China's strict family planning laws, commonly known as 'black children', she would have no access to healthcare or education and her parents were required to pay a compensation fee for breaking the rules.

All were rejected by the tribunal.

"I think [it is impossible for] my mother … to take us to China, as the children of a single mother, we could not be registered into the household in China, we will become the black children," she told the tribunal in a statement.

"As a result, we are not able to attend the school. We cannot get the social welfare. My mother does not want us to live in the unfair environment."

Another woman from Fujian province who came to Australia on a student visa said she feared to return to China because her parents had become members of the banned Eastern Lightning Church that became infamous after some of its members beat a woman to death at a McDonald's in China in 2014.

"The Church of Almighty God is not an evil cult sect, and neither am I a pagan," she said.

Many claimants are arriving on temporary migrant visas such as international student visas, of which there are 652,000 currently studying in Australia — including almost 200,000 are from China, according to the federal Department of Education.

Bridging visas surge 330 per cent in a year
Associate professor of law at Murdoch University Mary Anne Kenny said an obvious reason for the spike in questionable protection claims was the bridging visas you could obtain while awaiting a decision.

"Once you are in the country, either as a tourist or a student, if you then apply for a protection visa, you are eligible for a bridging visa," she told the ABC.

"Depending on the type, [it] may give you the right to work and can take some time [to process] depending on how long it takes the department to process the application.

"It doesn't cost very much to make an application and you can then extend your period of stay here, because you will be on the bridging visa while your application is [being] determined."

In August 2018, there were 176,000 people on bridging visas in Australia — a massive jump from 40,000 at the same time last year.

Ms Chia said that while the Department of Home Affairs continued to receive genuine refugees such as Falun Gong members and persecuted minorities such as Uyghurs from Xinjiang province, those cases were comparatively rare.

"In general China is not a refugee producing country, however there are certain groups that would have valid asylum claims because of the repressive government," she said.

"Some of them may qualify under the refugee convention, but to be honest many of them on student visas [are not]."

here has also been a surge in the number of asylum seekers appealing protection visa rejections to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

The Tribunal's 2017-18 report said the number of appeals from Chinese nationals had increased by 135 per cent since the last financial year, now making up 25 per cent of all protection visa appeals.

It added that only 5 per cent of all appeals were successful.

Experts say the significant number of appealing applicants who do not show up to hearings raises further concerns that the process is being abused by fraudulent claims in a bid by some visa holders to extend their stay.

The Department of Home Affairs does not publish processing times for protection visa claims.

The average time the AAT took to decide migration cases was about a year, allowing students who had a visa cancelled or expired to extend their stay by appealing.

If unsuccessful they could then apply for a protection visa, which took an average time of about eight months to be decided.

'Fraudulent migration agents promising the world'
Ms Chia said cases of migration agents fraudulently lodging asylum claims for protection visas on their client's behalf was also an issue.

"We also have certainly heard of fraudulent migration agents promising the world to people in relation to protection visas," she said.

"This is also what the department has indicated to us in relation to Malaysian claims, as well that there are certain agents who are promoting it as a way to stay in Australia often unregistered or beyond the regulatory regime."

Associate professor Anne Kenny said it was possible the number of false claims was rising because word was spreading among temporary visa arrivals of the success of others in lengthening their stay.

"There may well be fraudulent behaviour with people making false claims because they may very well know that this has been successful for other people in extending the time of their stay even though they are not genuine refugees."

A spokesman from the Department of Home Affairs told the ABC in a statement that "Australia takes its international obligations seriously and provides protection consistent with these obligations, as set out in the Migration Act 1958".

"An assessment of whether an asylum seeker engages Australia's protection obligations is based on the individual merits of each case."

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...ms-up-311-per-cent/ar-BBQIpUF?ocid=spartandhp


But, but China is a superpower yet the want to come to Australia and seek aslym? Deport them all back to their wonderful country China.
 
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Chinese are leaving their country in large numbers but why? What reasons do they cite?
 
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Its your country VISA. Decision is up to you.The article already says China is not a refugee producing country. Didn't you read it?
 
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Chinese are leaving their country in large numbers but why? What reasons do they cite?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-09/if-china-is-on-the-rise-why-do-many-want-to-leave/10214604
If China's on the rise, why do many want out?

For 33-year old Shanghai-resident Lucy Lu, it is her children's education that's driving her towards Australia.

"I feel Chinese education doesn't let people breathe. The pressure is huge," she said.

The mother of two, along with her husband, have employed a migration lawyer to plan a move to Australia, possibly to Melbourne.

They are attracted by the good environment, the more "laid-back" school culture and they have a relative who has lived in Australia for 20 years.



But they are also seeking respite from a country where tremendous economic progress has not always meant improvements in other areas.

"Even though China's economy is very good, there are other aspects where we feel the flaws and holes are still quite large," Ms Lu said.

Ms Lu cites the hyper-competitive education system — known for rote-learning rather than encouraging critical thinking — and air pollution as her major concerns.

But in recent months, a vaccine safety scandalprompted many parents across China to express a profound lack of faith in the ability of authorities to ensure their children receive safe inoculations.

Adding to concerns is a 6 per cent depreciation of the Chinese Yuan since June in the face of the United States tariff challenge.

As China's government restricts citizens from moving more than $US50,000 ($69,700) out of the country each year (without special permission), there is also, anecdotally, growing concern about the long-term health of the economy and the value of people's assets.

"Leaving a very familiar environment with friends and family to move to a completely unfamiliar place is indeed a very big decision," said Zoe Ye, who moved to Australia four years ago after getting married.


"But when I think about the environment in China and educating my young child, I think living in Australia is not a bad choice at all," she said.

PHOTO: Some parents expressed concern about the safety of inoculations in China, file photo. (AP: Chinatopix)
China's government does not publicly release figures for the number of citizens emigrating, but last year reported 130 million people went overseas for tourism while 600,000 students left to study abroad.

A 2017 United Nations report lists the number of Chinese migrants who left after 2000 and are still living outside China at 10 million, while China's government claims there is roughly 50-60 million overseas Chinese — a figure that includes People's Republic of China citizens and foreign citizens of Chinese ancestry.

Last year the Australian government granted more than 28,000 visas to Chinese nationals for permanent migration, down from a peak of more than 29,000 in 2011.

A tightening of visa rules means even if more citizens do seek to start a new life in Australia, it will be more competitive to get a place.

"I believe more people are thinking about moving overseas than taking actual actions", said Tian Li, a migration agent from the Newstone Group in Melbourne.

Another agent, Vicky Chen of Sydney-based agency New Point says inquiries have been picking up consistently in the past two years.

"Every day I'll receive at least four or five inquiries from people in China and roughly the same number from people already in Australia," Ms Chen said.

PHOTO: Two women wear face masks to protect themselves from pollution in Beijing. (ABC News: Zhang Qian)

China does not recognise dual nationality, so many applicants say in the long run they aim to obtain permanent residency rather than to become Australian citizens.

"I'll need to hear the perspectives of others who have gone over to Australia, and experience life there first", Ms Lu said.

"As to whether I'd want to get an Australian passport — it's not easy to answer that question now."
 
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-09/if-china-is-on-the-rise-why-do-many-want-to-leave/10214604
If China's on the rise, why do many want out?

For 33-year old Shanghai-resident Lucy Lu, it is her children's education that's driving her towards Australia.

"I feel Chinese education doesn't let people breathe. The pressure is huge," she said.

The mother of two, along with her husband, have employed a migration lawyer to plan a move to Australia, possibly to Melbourne.

They are attracted by the good environment, the more "laid-back" school culture and they have a relative who has lived in Australia for 20 years.



But they are also seeking respite from a country where tremendous economic progress has not always meant improvements in other areas.

"Even though China's economy is very good, there are other aspects where we feel the flaws and holes are still quite large," Ms Lu said.

Ms Lu cites the hyper-competitive education system — known for rote-learning rather than encouraging critical thinking — and air pollution as her major concerns.

But in recent months, a vaccine safety scandalprompted many parents across China to express a profound lack of faith in the ability of authorities to ensure their children receive safe inoculations.

Adding to concerns is a 6 per cent depreciation of the Chinese Yuan since June in the face of the United States tariff challenge.

As China's government restricts citizens from moving more than $US50,000 ($69,700) out of the country each year (without special permission), there is also, anecdotally, growing concern about the long-term health of the economy and the value of people's assets.

"Leaving a very familiar environment with friends and family to move to a completely unfamiliar place is indeed a very big decision," said Zoe Ye, who moved to Australia four years ago after getting married.


"But when I think about the environment in China and educating my young child, I think living in Australia is not a bad choice at all," she said.

PHOTO: Some parents expressed concern about the safety of inoculations in China, file photo. (AP: Chinatopix)
China's government does not publicly release figures for the number of citizens emigrating, but last year reported 130 million people went overseas for tourism while 600,000 students left to study abroad.

A 2017 United Nations report lists the number of Chinese migrants who left after 2000 and are still living outside China at 10 million, while China's government claims there is roughly 50-60 million overseas Chinese — a figure that includes People's Republic of China citizens and foreign citizens of Chinese ancestry.

Last year the Australian government granted more than 28,000 visas to Chinese nationals for permanent migration, down from a peak of more than 29,000 in 2011.

A tightening of visa rules means even if more citizens do seek to start a new life in Australia, it will be more competitive to get a place.

"I believe more people are thinking about moving overseas than taking actual actions", said Tian Li, a migration agent from the Newstone Group in Melbourne.

Another agent, Vicky Chen of Sydney-based agency New Point says inquiries have been picking up consistently in the past two years.

"Every day I'll receive at least four or five inquiries from people in China and roughly the same number from people already in Australia," Ms Chen said.

PHOTO: Two women wear face masks to protect themselves from pollution in Beijing. (ABC News: Zhang Qian)

China does not recognise dual nationality, so many applicants say in the long run they aim to obtain permanent residency rather than to become Australian citizens.

"I'll need to hear the perspectives of others who have gone over to Australia, and experience life there first", Ms Lu said.

"As to whether I'd want to get an Australian passport — it's not easy to answer that question now."

But China is a rich, superpower.
 
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Love how china is getting rid of these low class bottom feeders and dump them in Australia, love it.
 
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They commit crimes in China and then try to flee overseas. Let Australia keep the criminals. Birds of a flock.
 
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I wouldn't know but certainly better than India and probably better than Australia.

lol, Chinese dreams again? Or should I say in Chinese wet dreams, China steals baby formula from us, yes we want to try and illegally rush to China like Chinese queuing up to get into Australia illegally and legally.
 
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lol, Chinese dreams again? Or should I say in Chinese wet dreams, China steals baby formula from us, yes we want to try and illegally rush to China like Chinese queuing up to get into Australia illegally and legally.
There is even one Chinese guy called the Dalai Lama who prefers to live in a shithole called India. It doesn't mean all Chinese would do the same.
 
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