By Yuko Narushima
Migrants to Australia are expected to drop by a fifth this financial year as changed government policies and economic conditions take effect.
Net overseas migration peaked at 305,900 in March 2009, Bureau of Statistics data showed.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans yesterday said that figure would fall about 20 per cent by June 30 based on recent visa applications and grants.
''By the end of 2009-10, we expect [net overseas migration] to have fallen between 230,000 and 250,000,'' Senator Evans said. Net overseas migration counts permanent migrants and those staying more than a year.
Senator Evans attributed part of the decline to policy changes intended to stop international students becoming permanent residents by completing ''low-value education courses''.
Visas for students were down 25 per cent in the nine months to March compared with a year earlier, spurred further by a high Australian dollar.
Also falling are the number of temporary skilled migrants arriving. They fell 45 per cent in the same period. The government introduced minimum salary levels to hinder Australian employers using foreign labour to undercut local wages and the financial crisis also dampened demand for foreign workers.
Skilled migrants contributed to a ''brain gain'', a report released by the Immigration Department said yesterday.
People Flows Immigration Aspects 2008-2009 showed the number of skilled Australians emigrating was more than offset by skilled foreigners arriving.
Many permanent departures were of working age, with almost half aged between 20 and 39. The bulk of emigrants were skilled professionals, the report said. The most popular destinations for Australian-born emigrants were English-speaking countries, including Britain, New Zealand and the US.
Of Australian residents born overseas, those least likely to return to their countries of origin were from South Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. Britain remained the largest source of Australia's migrants, followed by New Zealand, China, India and Italy.