"Refugee Firesale Auction" . In other words, is our humanity market basedlike "what's in it for us?"
OMG! Blast from the past.
You just described a one moment from my past.
It was just before internet and online forms.
I used to live in refugee camp and in a first few years foreign agents would visit us.
Usually from USA and Scandinavian countries but mostly from Australia and Canada.
Everybody with medical certificate and police check could apply for visa but they preferred families from mixed marriages, with lots of kids or certain occupations.
From memory, to be plumber was almost like ticket for better life.
Some older people considered them like traders on meat market, were shouting at them, calling them hyenas and scavengers and accusing their countries for our wars.
Little bit crazy but some of their arguments made point.
On example, USA didn't invest a single cent in their education and took all of them for free. They took the best of our sons and our kids/futuretax payers/.Banks, state companies and mines as well.
During my time there hundreds of healthy people left with " humanitarian" visa, sarcastically, people without arm didn't have chance.
It would be emotional, we would buy a bottle of cheap alcohol, drink for last time with our friends and escort them to airport next day.
First month we would receive a postcard with Sydney opera house or Montreal tower,
second month it would be emotional nostalgic letter and third month photo with big smile and second hand car.
Eight years after war mostly old, sick or wounded remained there. One night in big fire we lost everything for second time and second morning we were homeless once again.
230 of us, including me, applied for all possible visas. 12 positive.
I got lucky and now Melbourne is my home but l have friends in 27 countries.
Fast forward: almost all migrants from ex Yugoslavia are hardworking, law-abiding and good citizens. Therefore, your post about new migrants make sense except in a few exemptions.
In some cases, they created nothing but burden to our tax system and even lowered property prices in certain areas. Eg. with strong Sudanese communities etc..
Ukrainians and Russians are lovely, nice and hardworking people.
Bad news:
1. to some degree they will lower price of our work, especially in IT, medical and building industries. Actually, our wages will stagnate but inflation will not.
2. Also, in a 4 or 5 years they will become citizens, some of them will come with money, some of them will take mortgage.
However, like Croats or Serbs, they will not be renters but property owners.They will create next property cycle in 5 years.
3. More traffic in Melbourne and Sydney.
Good news:
1.They are hard workers and will not be burden to our tax system.
2. Once they start earning money they will invest.
3.We will have more taxpayers to fund our retired baby boomers.
4. They will stimulate building industry. With more properties there will be more need for carpenters, kitchen makers, tilers etc...
Overall, we will benefit, nothing to worry about.
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