Australia's Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417: Cultural Exchange or an Extension and Adaptation of Preferential Immigration Policy?
BRENNAN, CHRISTOPHER (2009)
BRENNAN, CHRISTOPHER
2009
Sosiologia - Sociology
Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2009-12-11
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-20364
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-20364
Tiivistelmä
The Australian state's present day borders are controlled and protected by a universal visa system in which all non-citizens must be in possession of a categorical visa before entry and while staying within the country; anyone without a visa is illegally within the state and subject to detention or removal. Amongst the visa categories offered by the Australian government that allow foreigners to dwell legally within the state is the Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417. This subclass visa is only available to citizens of Belgium, Canada, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. This visa offers citizens of these countries, if meeting certain requirements, the opportunity to live and work within Australia for a maximum period of 24 months. The Australian government offers a similar type visa to the citizens of Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States of America; the Work And Holiday Visa Subclass 462. This visa offers the citizens of these countries, if meeting certain requirements, the opportunity to live and work within Australia for a maximum period of 12 months. However, certain requirements to obtain this visa are not applied to the similar category Subclass 417 applicants, namely a language proficiency requirement.
The object of this thesis study is to examine why there are two separate subclasses within the working holiday category offered by the Australian government in which different distinct groups of countries belong to, are subjected to different eligibility requirements, and are allotted different lengths of time in Australia. To conduct my analysis of these two subclass visa policies, I have applied sociological and anthropological theory and studies about nation-state formation and administration to the current qualifications and eligibility of these visas, which are deemed as official immigration policy in practice and described on official Australian government web pages. Historical accounts of past immigration policy have been accessed from the National Archives of Australia to demonstrate that preferential treatment toward certain desired immigrants has existed through much of Australia's development into a nation-state and to draw a connection between current cases of preferential treatment within the Working Holiday Maker Program - the collective title for both visas under scrutiny.
My analysis will show that the offering of temporary work and living rights to citizens of particular European and Asian countries which are eligible for the Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417, in comparison to citizens of those countries eligible for the Work and Holiday Visa Subclass 462, is evidence of preferential treatment, and therefore Australian government policy, which is reminiscent of preferential policy that was practiced in the past. Despite claims that these visas are offered under the guise of promoting cultural understanding and good will between nations, this is merely a case of the state enacting policies that allow it to influence population demographics that offer less obstacles of administration to the government and foster perceived national identity.
Asiasanat:Australia, immigration, nation-state administration, working holiday visa, preferential reciprocity, White Australia Policy
The object of this thesis study is to examine why there are two separate subclasses within the working holiday category offered by the Australian government in which different distinct groups of countries belong to, are subjected to different eligibility requirements, and are allotted different lengths of time in Australia. To conduct my analysis of these two subclass visa policies, I have applied sociological and anthropological theory and studies about nation-state formation and administration to the current qualifications and eligibility of these visas, which are deemed as official immigration policy in practice and described on official Australian government web pages. Historical accounts of past immigration policy have been accessed from the National Archives of Australia to demonstrate that preferential treatment toward certain desired immigrants has existed through much of Australia's development into a nation-state and to draw a connection between current cases of preferential treatment within the Working Holiday Maker Program - the collective title for both visas under scrutiny.
My analysis will show that the offering of temporary work and living rights to citizens of particular European and Asian countries which are eligible for the Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417, in comparison to citizens of those countries eligible for the Work and Holiday Visa Subclass 462, is evidence of preferential treatment, and therefore Australian government policy, which is reminiscent of preferential policy that was practiced in the past. Despite claims that these visas are offered under the guise of promoting cultural understanding and good will between nations, this is merely a case of the state enacting policies that allow it to influence population demographics that offer less obstacles of administration to the government and foster perceived national identity.
Asiasanat:Australia, immigration, nation-state administration, working holiday visa, preferential reciprocity, White Australia Policy