Birmingham among top UK cities for emigration 'down under' (From Halesowen News)

Birmingham among top UK cities for emigration 'down under'

7:10am Monday 27th August 2012 in Business Daily

IMMIGRATION figures have revealed the UK is one of the top countries worldwide for emigration down under, with Birmingham being one of the UK’s top emigration hotspots.

Immigration figures from Australia reveal that Brits account for more than 13.7% of all immigrants heading down under, making the UK one of the biggest sources of new immigrants.

Birmingham accounts for a high proportion of those immigrants, with figures from migration advisers putting the city as one of the top three emigration cities in the UK.

Paul Arthur, director of migration advisers The Emigration Group, said: “Birmingham is one of the top hotspots for emigration in the UK. In the last four months the city has generated almost three per cent of the thousands of enquiries we’ve received.”

According to Mr Arthur, the economies of both Australia and New Zealand are booming and there are thousands of vacancies for Brits who might be struggling to find work here.

He said: “Australia and New Zealand are now conducting one of the biggest migration drives in 40 years. There are hundreds of thousands of visa places available in the next 12 months for Brits who have the right skills.

“Immigration authorities have also made the migration process easier. Australia, for example, has reduced the ‘pass mark’ needed to qualify for a visa.”