Immigration to Melbourne at record levels with many settling in inner city and southeastern

IMMIGRATION is at record levels with new figures revealing overseas migration to Victoria hit 90,000 in 2016-17, up from 56,000 just six years ago. See where the migrants are settling.

INNER Melbourne and the city’s outer southeast have been identified as migrant hot spots as a record number of newcomers settle here.

New figures reveal that overseas migration to Victoria hit 90,000 in 2016-17, up from 56,000 just six years ago. The vast majority settle in Melbourne, with the city’s population to pass 5 million soon.

The City of Melbourne, which includes the CBD and inner suburbs such as Carlton and Docklands, had the most migrant arrivals of any municipality last year, 9316.

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Next with 6734 new migrants was the City of Monash, which includes Glen Waverley and Oakleigh. Wyndham City in the city’s outer west gained 4741 migrants, while Whitehorse in the east had 4360 ­foreign arrivals.

Mei Mei and Dennis Dai came from China to pursue study and lifestyle opportunities. Picture: Tony Gough

The City of Greater Dandenong — where only 36 per cent of residents are Australian-born — gained 4048 migrants, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics ­Regional Population Growth Australia report.

In the same period, Greater Dandenong also had a net loss to other council areas of 2311 residents, while Monash had a net loss of 3424.

Dr Ernest Healy of the Australian Population Research Institute said Greater Dandenong’s cheaper housing lured migrants who then formed disadvantaged communities with poor ­English skills and bad job prospects.

“Multiculturalists like to celebrate diversity but then they get upset when some demographer or politician points out that the constant residential churning results in an urban mosaic of different groups of people on an ethnic or cultural basis,” he said. “It’s almost taboo to talk about this process where people choose to live with certain types of people and choose not to live with certain types of people.”

Dr Ernest Healy of the Australian Population Research Institute. Picture: Angie Basdekis

NSW Labor leader Luke Foley was recently criticised for using the 1960s US term “white flight” to describe “Anglo” families being pushed out of Sydney suburbs with high refugee numbers.

The inner city’s high migrant intake mainly comprises Asians on student visas who tend to live in apartment towers.

Young couple Mei Mei and Dennis Dai came from China to pursue study and lifestyle opportunities. “China is so overpopulated. Here the water is clean, the air is fresh and the people are friendly,” said Ms Mei, 25. Mr Dai, 22, added: “We are so happy here.”

State Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott said that Victoria led the nation in the resettlement and integration of migrants. “That’s why the state government has boosted its investment to ensure sure that all Victorians are able to make positive contributions to our dynamic and diverse society,” he said.

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