migrants tend to be younger than the existing population, and so they are more likely to work. They tend to be more skilled, and so more productive. Inherently they tend to have a lot of “get up and go” – because by definition they have already got up and gone. And they contribute to Australia’s cultural diversity and resilience.

The benefits of migration have increased over the past 15 years. The Howard government shifted Australia’s migration intake towards younger and more-skilled migrants. There are now fewer family reunion migrants, and most of them today are partners rather than parents. Many of the extra temporary migrants are students who both contribute to Australia’s exports, and then contribute to the economy as relatively well-trained workers.

via Are there hidden costs to high immigration?