‘Cross-border Life’: Immigrants mourn Australian funeral | Business and Economic Affairs

When Chase Arnesen decided to move to Australia from Singapore in 2019, he hoped to be part of a free and open society, even if it meant higher taxes. After nearly two years of facing epidemics in the country, a 32-year-old lawyer is about to pack up and leave.

Since Australia closed its borders in March 2020, Chase, a Canadian citizen, has not been able to leave the country in anticipation of his return, which has left him separated from his friends and relatives and seems unlikely.

“Extraordinary life is hell,” Arnesen, who came to Australia on a four-year visa that provides a way to settle down, told Al Jazeera.

“Leaving just does not mean leaving my job and the house I built here, but my friend and my friends here. Still, living with a roommate means being permanently separated from the family. I can’t say I didn’t see my parents grow old with their sons and grandsons, some of whom I never saw in their lifetime. My life is divided and I feel like it has been suspended forever. ”

When Arnesen agreed to the initial border closure and “release” within 262 days of his closure in Melbourne, he lost faith as the government began allowing citizens and permanent residents to go on vacation overseas with professional visas before seeing their loved ones.

Arnesen doubts that the border will end soon or that he will not face the threat of being abroad even if he does.

Following the appearance of the Omicron brand last month, the Australian government announced it would “suspend” it. plans to host the return of immigrants and international students from December 1 after two weeks. The Prime Minister’s Office has said the move will allow government officials to see what has changed and the government will continue to do “evidence” so that the country “can be more open, and more open as we learn to live with the virus.”

“The implication for me is that if we see any future delays or closures in the future, especially not in line with what is seen in other countries, I should leave,” Arnesen said. “Not because of anger, but because of the uncontrollable and violent nature. It is also wrong, and that is when I begin to question my commitment to this world.

Tens of thousands of other migrants, graduates and international students will not be able to enter Australia for the first time though they have spent thousands of dollars on visas, relocation fees and tuition fees.

Saad Ahmed, who has been in Pakistan for 21 months on a long-term visa, told Al Jazeera he felt his life was deteriorating.

“We have a big problem with insanity, anti-anxiety, we can’t even sleep well,” said Ahmed, who studied technology in Melbourne. “Our families and parents are suffering with us together because they are worried about our graduation visa.”

Ahmed, who is one of about 14,000 immigrant visasants, said it was unfair for the government to “wait” until July to register a replacement visa for an initial $ 1,680 ($ 1,206). ).

“We are just asking the government to bring the date to give us visas to return because three years is a long time,” he said. And many are considering relocating because they do not want to wait three years. I, personally, am looking for alternatives such as the UK because I need to plan my life. “

The slowdown in migration has had a profound impact on Australia’s economy, which prior to the epidemic relied on population growth to increase 30 years of uninterrupted growth. With a complete exit of 96,000 people in the last financial year, Treasury predicts that population growth will fall to 0.2 percent in 2020-21 and 0.4 percent in 2021-22 – the lowest prices in more than a century.

In October, Fitch Ratings predicted that migration would not return to the epidemic by 2023, with a reduction in the epidemic leading to a median decline of 2 percent by 2026.

The country is already struggling with a lack of skills, prompting some companies to offer sign-up bonuses for the first time in years.

‘Source of tax revenue’

In a survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics last December, 1 in 5 businesses said they had difficulty finding suitable employees.

The shortage of workers has led some trade unions, including the Chamber of Commerce in Australia, to call for an increase in the number of migrants each year when the borders are reopened.

In October, New South Wales Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet announced his belief in a “great NSW”, after a newspaper article published his office urging Australia to accept two million immigrants over the next five years.

Gabriela D’Souza, an economist at Monash University in Melbourne, told Al Jazeera that it was difficult to say how Australia would be able to relocate migrants before the economic downturn, but said the country’s policies were “unsafe”. The vaccine was close to 80 percent.

“Moving to Australia at random seems less and less like a happy prospect,” said D’Souza. “I ‘m also a foreigner and I have a lot of friends who are thinking about moving here. As for those who want to come here, they can choose to go to Canada and the UK. ”

For migrants like Arnesen, there is a bitter feeling that immigration benefits are “a source of tax, but not appreciated”.

“The government is insisting that migrants to other talented countries need to return to this country, and in that case, they are right,” he said. “Yet their actions show that, in spite of this, they do not see – without respect – the humanity of people like me who are more supportive than we are. There is no benefit, except politics, and even that is permanent.”