A record number of immigrants arrived in Australia in January this year, amounting to one landing in the country every 45 seconds, new official data shows.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed on Tuesday net permanent and long-term arrivals for the first month of 2026 were 57,270, the highest ever, while the total was 494,540 for the 12 months to January, also a record high.
Home Affairs data shows there were 2.98 million temporary visa holders in Australia as of January 1, another record-breaking figure, up 4.24% from the previous year.
Dr Kevin You, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), said the new statistics shows the federal government’s promises to cut immigration were “in absolute tatters”.
“The number of people coming to settle in Australia reached record highs, as the size of Australia’s migrant population is growing larger than ever. The Albanese government has been unable or unwilling to genuinely reform our migration system,” Dr You said.
“Recent claims that net overseas arrivals are coming down seek to mislead Australians into thinking that there are fewer migrants in the country than before. This is false. The number of migrants in Australia is still growing to record levels month after month.
“The Australian way of life is the envy of people the world over. But Australia’s migration programme must be planned for, have the consent of the community, and be targeted toward areas of economic need. The federal government has been failing on all three counts.”
ABS data from last week showed the number of new homes being constructed is lagging behind population growth and lower than a decade ago, with houses now taking 34% longer on average to build after approval than in 2020.
GDP per capita increased just 0.37% in the December quarter, according to ABS data released at the beginning of March, and is still lower than it was in 2022 after declines in 2023 and 2024.
Growing public anger at mass immigration and its effects on cost-of-living has resulted in One Nation surging in the polls, and Pauline Hanson’s party is now firmly in second place nationwide, topping polls in NSW and Victoria, and ahead of the Liberals in South Australia ahead of Saturday’s state election.
The ABS defines permanent arrivals as travellers who arrive on permanent migrant visas for the first time, New Zealand citizens who indicate for the first time an intention to migrate permanently, and those otherwise eligible to settle, such as the overseas-born children of Australian citizens.
Long-term arrivals are defined as overseas visitors who intend to stay in Australia for more than 12 months, but not permanently.
Net oversea migration (NOM) figures for the same period are yet to be released by the ABS as they take longer to measure, and while the total will differ slightly from net permanent and long-term arrivals they are closely related and the latter can act as a proxy to estimate NOM.
Header image: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pandering to Indian immigrants (PMO).
