Treasury are assuming net migration will be 235,000 but I think it is on track for well over 300,000 this year,” Rizvi said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in 30 years – it’s out of the realm of anything we’ve seen before,” he added, referring to the excess of arrivals over departures.
The exact figure is unknown because the final net migration figure will not be determined until next financial year and it is still unclear what portion of temporary visits will be extended by further visa grants.
In the 11 months to November 2022, Rizvi said there was an “unprecedented excess of visitor arrivals over departures of 340,000” and this was “likely to grow further in December 2022” when the latest ABS figures are released next week.
