Temporary visa holders in Australia

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Characteristics of selected types of temporary visa holders who were present in Australia on Census Night, 10 August 2021.

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Reference period
2021

Key statistics

In August 2021, there were 1,639,000 temporary visa holders in Australia, made up of 1,614,000 temporary residents and 25,000 overseas visitors.

Of temporary residents:

  • almost four out of five (79%) lived in capital cities
  • almost two out of five (39%) had a Bachelor degree or higher
  • the most common industry of employment was Food and Beverage Services (12%).

The statistics used in this release are from the Australian Census and Temporary Entrants Integrated Dataset (ACTEID) which links data from the 2021 Census of Population and Housing with temporary visa holder data from the Department of Home Affairs.

In this data:

  • Temporary residents are temporary visa holders who either have stayed or intended to stay in Australia for twelve months or more.
  • Overseas visitors are temporary visa holders who indicated in the Census that they usually lived in another country and were visiting Australia for less than one year.

The information in this release mainly focuses on temporary residents.

Previous releases of these statistics were published in: Insights from the Australian Census and Temporary Entrants Integrated Dataset, Australia.

The 2021 Census was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when international borders were closed. This impacted the number and type of temporary visa holders who were present in Australia on 10 August 2021. Please consider this when making comparisons with other data sources.

Temporary visa holders in Australia

In August 2021, there were 1,639,000 temporary visa holders in Australia.

Visa type of temporary visa holders
Visa typePersonsProportion (%)
Temporary skilled95,6005.8
Student363,90022.2
Special Category (New Zealand citizen)654,50039.9
Working Holiday Maker31,3001.9
Other temporary468,20028.6
Total temporary residents1,613,50098.5
Overseas visitors25,3001.5
Total temporary visa holders1,638,800100.0

Temporary residents in Australia

In 2021 there was 1,614,000 temporary residents in Australia.

Of temporary residents:

  • 92% were primary applicants – the remainder were secondary applicants
  • 54% were male
  • 45% arrived in the five years prior to the 2021 Census.

Age

Half (50%) of temporary residents were aged 20-34 years, and their median age was 30 years. Median ages by visa type were:

  • Temporary skilled (31 years)
  • Student (26 years)
  • Special Category (New Zealand citizen) (40 years)
  • Working Holiday Maker (27 years)
  • Other temporary (30 years).

Temporary skilled residents had the highest proportion of children aged 0 to 14 years (17%), while Special Category (New Zealand citizen) residents had the highest proportion of persons aged 65 years or older (15%). 

Location

Of temporary residents:

  • Almost four out of five (79% or 1.3 million) lived in capital cities.
  • Half (50% or 799,400) lived in Sydney and Melbourne.

By visa type:

  • The capital city with the highest share of Temporary skilled residents was Greater Sydney (38%), followed by Greater Melbourne (22%) and Greater Perth (10%).
  • Most Students (90%) lived in capital cities, with 62% living in Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne.
  • Greater Brisbane was the capital city with the highest number of Special Category (New Zealand citizens (139,600 persons). Over one-third (37%) of Australia’s Special Category (New Zealand citizens) lived in Queensland.
  • One in five (20%) Working Holiday Makers lived in Rest of Queensland.
Temporary residents by Greater Capital City Statistics Areas by visa type
 Temporary skilledStudentSpecial Category (New Zealand citizen)Working Holiday MakerOther temporary All temporary residents 
Greater Sydney37.633.617.417.629.925.9
Rest of NSW5.12.95.09.24.74.5
Greater Melbourne22.428.019.29.527.823.7
Rest of VIC3.11.62.75.43.82.9
Greater Brisbane7.59.921.39.26.713.5
Rest of QLD6.04.615.919.55.69.8
Greater Adelaide2.16.41.72.15.13.8
Rest of SA0.50.10.61.30.70.5
Greater Perth10.37.111.19.37.39.0
Rest of WA2.20.12.87.21.11.7
Greater Hobart0.31.70.30.31.71.0
Rest of TAS0.40.50.51.00.90.6
Greater Darwin0.70.90.41.40.90.7
Rest of NT0.30.10.31.40.40.3
ACT1.32.60.60.43.11.8
Australia(a)100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
Australia(a) (persons)95,600363,900654,50031,300468,2001,613,500
  1. Includes Other Territories, no usual address and migratory, offshore and shipping areas.

Country of birth

  • New Zealand was the top country of birth for temporary residents (29%).
  • India was the top country of birth for Temporary skilled residents (16%) and Students (20%).
Top 10 countries of birth of temporary residents by selected visa types
 Temporary skilledStudentSpecial Category (New Zealand citizen)Working Holiday MakerAll temporary residents
1India15,500India72,300New Zealand471,000England4,600New Zealand471,300
2England10,400China(a)53,100Australia(b)42,300Taiwan3,600India193,200
3Philippines8,600Nepal41,000Samoa24,700Ireland3,200China(a)112,500
4South Africa4,800Brazil13,600England17,900France2,400Nepal76,600
5Ireland4,200Colombia13,200India10,800Korea, Republic of (South)2,000Australia(b)71,300
6China(a)4,000Vietnam13,100South Africa9,700Argentina1,700England48,500
7Australia(b)3,300Malaysia11,600Cook Islands9,000China(a)1,500Philippines42,400
8Japan3,000Philippines11,600Philippines6,900Italy1,400Malaysia41,000
9United States of America2,900Indonesia10,400Fiji6,500Japan1,200Vietnam34,300
10Korea, Republic of (South)2,800Korea, Republic of (South)10,000China(a)4,700Germany1,000Sri Lanka27,800
  1. Excludes Taiwan and Special Administrative Regions (SARs) which comprise 'Hong Kong (SAR of China)' and 'Macau (SAR of China)'.
  2. People born in Australia to parents who were temporary visa holders. Includes 'Australia, (includes External Territories), nfd', 'Norfolk Island' and 'Australian External Territories, nec'.

Proficiency in English

  • Most temporary residents (92% or 1.5 million) reported being proficient in English, that is they only spoke English or spoke English very well or well. For all visa types, most temporary residents were proficient in English.
  • More than half (59% or 945,600) of temporary residents used a language other than English at home.
  • Students were the most likely to use another language at home (91%), and Special Category (New Zealand citizens) were least likely (21%).
  1. Spoke English not well or not at all. Language not stated and English proficiency not stated have been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.
  • Over one quarter (28% or 31,900) of temporary residents born in China were not proficient in English, the highest number of persons of all countries of birth.
  • While the second highest number of persons who were not proficient in English was India (10,600), this only represented 6% of all temporary residents born in India.
Top 10 countries of birth(a) of temporary residents not proficient in English(b)
 Country of birthPersonsProportion (%)(c)
1China(d)31,90028.5
2India10,6005.5
3Malaysia9,90024.4
4Australia(e)9,00013.3
5Vietnam8,20023.9
6Korea, Republic of (South)7,90032.3
7Thailand6,20031.4
8Taiwan6,00036.1
9Samoa3,00011.5
10Iran2,80020.6
  1. Ordered from highest to lowest number of temporary residents who were not proficient in English.
  2. Spoke another language and spoke English not well or not at all.
  3. As a proportion of temporary residents who were born in each country. Language not stated and English proficiency not stated have been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.
  4. Excludes Taiwan and Special Administrative Regions (SARs) which comprise 'Hong Kong (SAR of China)' and 'Macau (SAR of China)'.
  5. People born in 'Australia, (includes External Territories), nfd', 'Norfolk Island' and 'Australian External Territories, nec' to parents who were temporary visa holders. Most of this group (94% or 8,500) were aged under 5 years.

Education level

  • Most (92% or 1.3 million) temporary residents aged 15 years and over had an education level of Year 10 or above. This was slightly higher than people aged 15 years and over in the Australian population (89%) as reported in the 2021 Census.

Noting that many temporary visas are associated with tertiary study, or specific skills that require tertiary qualifications:

  • 39% (or 544,900) of temporary residents aged 15 years and over had a Bachelor degree or higher. This was higher compared to the Australian population (29% of people aged 15 years and over had a Bachelor degree or higher).
  • almost two-thirds (65% or 50,200) of Temporary skilled residents aged 15 years and over had a Bachelor degree or higher.
  1. Includes Bachelor degree, Graduate diploma and graduate certificate and Postgraduate degree.
  2. Educational attainment not stated has been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.

Employment and income

Of temporary residents aged 15 years or over:

  • almost three quarters (73%) were in the labour force (that is, either employed or unemployed)
  • the most likely to be in the labour force were Working Holiday Makers (91%)
  • the least likely to be in the labour force were Students (71%).
  1. Labour force status not stated has been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.

For employed temporary residents, the most common occupation was Carers and Aides (7%). By visa type the most common occupations were:

  • Temporary skilled – ICT Professionals (12%)
  • Student – Carers and Aides (11%)
  • Special Category (New Zealand citizen) – Specialist Managers (6%)
  • Working Holiday Maker – Factory Process Workers (15%)
  • Other temporary – Carers and Aides (7%).
Top 10 occupations(a) of employed temporary residents
 OccupationPersonsProportion (%)(b)
1Carers and Aides66,0006.8
2Road and Rail Drivers53,1005.5
3Cleaners and Laundry Workers52,5005.4
4Sales Assistants and Salespersons47,6004.9
5Food Trades Workers47,4004.9
6Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals45,6004.7
7Specialist Managers40,0004.1
8Hospitality Workers38,2003.9
9Factory Process Workers38,0003.9
10Health Professionals34,9003.6
  1. Top 10 by number of persons.
  2. Occupation not stated has been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.

For employed temporary residents, the most common industry of employment was Food and Beverage Services (12%). By visa type the most common industries were:

  • Temporary skilled – Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (except Computer System Design and Related Services) (11%)
  • Student – Food and Beverage Services (23%)
  • Special Category (New Zealand citizen) – Construction Services (6%)
  • Working Holiday Maker – Agriculture (18%)
  • Other temporary – Food and Beverage Services (13%).
Top 10 industry of employment(a) of employed temporary residents
 IndustryPersonsProportion (%)(b)
1Food and Beverage Services112,70011.7
2Construction Services44,3004.6
3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services(c) 43,2004.5
4Residential Care Services39,7004.1
5Building Cleaning, Pest Control and Other Support Services38,6004.0
6Food Retailing38,1004.0
7Social Assistance Services33,2003.5
8Other Store-Based Retailing31,7003.3
9Food Product Manufacturing31,2003.2
10Road Transport27,1002.8
  1. Top 10 by number of persons.
  2. Industry not stated has been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.
  3. Excludes Computer System Design and Related Services.

In the week prior to Census Night:

  • More than half (54%) of employed temporary residents worked full-time hours (35 hours or more).
  • The visa type most likely to work full-time hours was Temporary skilled (82%).
  • Over three quarters (76%) of employed Students worked part-time hours (1-34 hours).
  1. Hours worked in all jobs during the week prior to Census Night. Hours worked not stated has been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.

  2. Had a job in the week prior to Census Night but worked nil hours in that week, for example were on leave or temporarily stood down.

The median individual weekly income of temporary residents aged 15 years and over was $790.

Median individual weekly incomes by visa type were:

  • Temporary skilled ($1,416)
  • Student ($568)
  • Special Category (New Zealand citizen) ($924)
  • Working Holiday Maker ($949)
  • Other temporary ($807).
  1. Income not stated has been excluded from totals when calculating proportions.
  2. Negative income in the Census includes people who own their own business and report negative income due to losses or negative gearing of rentals.

Data downloads

Temporary visa holders in Australia 2021 Datacube

Data files
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Methodology

Temporary visa holders in Australia methodology, 2021

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