Although it is no great secret that a lot of people move to Australia, the rate of increase in the numbers of migrants is a little known fact. The number of Immigration in Australia has increased sevenfold, rising from thirty thousand between 1992 and 1993 to almost two hundred thousand between 2006 and 2007.

Since the beginning of 2008 and by the end of 2009 it is thought that another three hundred thousand will have joined us here.

With its sunny beaches, nice people and abundant opportunities, Australia has always been a destination for migrants. Immigration in Australia shows a steady increase as a result of this. Immigration in Australia has always had a huge part to play in the countrys history, and judging by the current statistics, it is quite safe to assume that it will always continue to do so.

Most temporary Australian visas do not last very long ' from the tourist visa which will allow you to stay in the country for up to three months for general sightseeing purposes, to the working holiday visa ' a longer term version of the tourist visa, in that it comes with the expectation that after three months sightseeing you will have run out of money and will need to do some work in order to be able to resume your travels, and the Australian student visa, which will allow the holder to remain in the country for the duration of their university course. But where do the more permanent visas come into it?

Moving From Temporary To Permanent
If you have entered Australia on an Australian student visa, you are not going to be classed as a permanent resident of the country. You will be permitted to pursue full-time education, but you will find that your chances of employment during this time are heavily restricted, and you will not be able to obtain any social benefits.

If you have spent a certain amount of time as a student under these conditions, you may find that, once you have graduated, you do not want to leave your new home, your new life and your new friends. You might want to have a crack at full time employment in Australia and find out what the country truly has to offer you.

What you might be able to do, depending on what you have graduated or qualified in, is apply for a skilled migrant visa ' this visa was set up in order to allow Australia to encourage more skilled migrants to move. If Australia is suffering from a deficit of skilled individuals in a certain trade ' lets use the example of hairdressers ' then a skilled and qualified hairdresser would have a good chance of being approved for a skilled migrant visa.

If you have managed to obtain a skilled migrant visa, you will be allowed to stay in Australia on a more permanent (albeit still temporary) basis, with the years you live their counting towards the amount necessary to apply for the holy grail of all Australian residency statuses, that of being a permanent resident. This would entitle you to become a fully fledged Australian citizen, with access to all of the rights and benefits which come with this.

New Wave Or Constant Tide?
In the last fifteen years, the number of immigrants to Australia has shown a regular rate of increase, as mentioned previously. With new countries emerging from the former eastern block, more people from these areas are finding it more possible, both financially and politically, to migrate. There has also been an almost uniform increase in the number of immigrants from the United Kingdom and New Zealand, who are both among the usual suspects when it comes to contributors to Immigration in Australia.

Every year, more people come ' but this does not necessarily mean there is a wave of them ' more a simple sign of things to come - there are more people in the world now than ever before ' should we really be surprised if more of them end up in Australia?