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Eastern European Wave
Immigrants arrived in Australia after the eastern European countries of Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia and Lithuania were taken over by the Soviet Union -
Federal Department of Immigration is founded
Arthur Calwell, the first Minister for Immigration, established the Federal Department of Immigration -
Assisted Immigration for British & Polish
Australia signed an agreement to provide free, assisted passage for British and Polish ex-servicemen and their dependents, as well as for other selected British migrants -
The Aliens Act 1947
The Aliens Act 1947 came into force. It meant that all Aliens 16 years of age or older had to register and notify any change of
name, address or occupation -
Japanese-Australian Migration
The Australian Government allows Japanese wives of Australian servicemen to be admitted, under permits valid for five years. It also allowed entry for 800 non-European refugees. These were the first elements of immigration policy not focused on Europe. -
General Assisted Passage Schemes
General Assisted Passage Schemes were established between Australia and USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. -
First agrrement for non-european immigration
The Australian Government announced that applications from those wishing to settle in Australia from outside of Europe would be considered on the basis of their suitability as settlers, their ability to integrate readily and possession of qualifications useful to Australia -
Post Vietnam War Wave
After the Vietnam War in the late 1970s when communists gained controlled of Vietnam, thousands of people who were afraid of the Government left in small boats. In 1978, the first boats reached Australia at Darwin. -
Vietnam Government agreement
In 1982, the Vietnamese Government agreed to let refugees leave Vietnam without persecution, freeing people to come to Australia to be with their families who had fled earlier. By 1985, 70,000 refugees from Southeast Asia, mostly Vietnam, had settled in Australia. -
End of the Gulf War
Many Iraqi immigrants had to flee their homeland due to the damage caused by the war. Since 1991 arrivals have ranged from 825 to about 2,600 Iraqi people per year.
