Misplaced Pages

Saudi Australians (Arabic: سُعُودِيُّونْ أُسْتْرَالِيُّونْ‎, romanized: suʿudiyyūn ʼustrāliyyūn) refers to Australian nationals or citizens with origins in Saudi Arabia as well the general Saudi expatriate community in Australia. There are thousands of Saudis living in Australia; they can be found in all major urban centres including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and make up a substantial representation in the Arab Australian community.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has undergone significant cultural and economic reform in the 21st Century; with the introduction of women’s voting rights in 2015 and their right to drive in 2018. In 2016, Saudi Arabia embarked on the Saudi Vision 2030 framework, aiming to expand their international reputation by reducing their economic dependence on oil. It has been said that this cultural development has improved Saudi Arabia’s international standing and transformed foreign relations with Australia from strictly economically based to one grounded in mutual respect.

A significant number of Saudis are international students; each year, hundreds of Saudi students choose to study in Australian universities under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. In 2010, their number was estimated at 10,000. Saudi students were seen in a wide range of fields including health, IT, business and accounting. The increase is almost eightfold since the past few years.

Some Saudi Australians came from Saudi Arabia as refugees; their families or the authorities wanted to persecute or murder them.

Background of Saudi immigration to Australia

Saudi Arabia and Australia uphold peaceful bilateral relations that have maintained a steady increase of Saudi Immigration to Australia. The economic relationship between the two nations also cannot be overlooked. The goods and service trade between Saudi Arabia and Australia reached $1.79 billion in 2019, making it Australia’s 27th largest trade partner. This relationship is strengthened through their shared membership within the G20, chaired by Saudi Arabian King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, along with their mutual economic and trade dependence. A series of changes to Australia’s immigration policy in the latter period of the 20th Century, notably the conclusion of the White Australia policy in 1973, saw a drastic increase in overseas migration to Australia. Australia’s high number of overseas born residents (26%) is second only to Saudi Arabia itself whose overseas born population makes up 32%. Saudi Arabia, however, does not provide citizenship to these people; only working visas. The number of Saudi Arabians who currently reside in Australia is estimated at 14,214: 10,519 by birth and 3,696 by ancestry. Despite Australia’s immigration law changes that took place in the 1970s, Saudi Arabian immigration to Australia did not see a spike until the early 21st Century. According data from the Australian census, 70% of Saudi Arabian immigration to Australia took place between 2006 and 2015. Of these migrants, a majority of them stay for a temporary period of time, usually for study or work purposes, and return to Saudi Arabia with a qualification or work experience. In 2018, there was an estimated 4,500 Saudi Arabian students that attended an education facility in Australia. The increasing number of Saudi students studying in Australia can be attributed to the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, which provides economic stimulus packages to allow and encourage Saudi students to study overseas. Due to the inclusionary nature of this program, the students often come from varying backgrounds, cultures, religions and geographical regions within Saudi Arabia, contributing to the differing experiences of students in Australia. Of these students, over three quarters of them are male and as for a woman wishing to take part in the program must have a male relative accompanying her overseas. This is representative of the overall demographics of Saudi Arabians in Australia, with the majority of immigrants being men. The male majority can be accredited to the laws and legislations surrounding travelling in and out of Saudi Arabia. Women are not permitted to travel around Saudi Arabia (or leave the Kingdom) without the supervision of a male guardian; being a husband, relative or sponsor.

Middle Eastern immigration to Australia

The conclusion of the White Australia Policy saw a spike in immigration (particularly as a result of conflict or humanitarian crises) to Australia. Between the years of 1945 and 1995, 500,000 refugees migrated to Australia, 90,000 of which were from the Middle East. Saudi Arabians do not account for the majority, making up only 1.8% of Middle Eastern immigrants in Australia. Instead, 40% of Middle Eastern immigrants come from Lebanon, followed by 16.8% from Iraq and 15.7% from Turkey. Of these immigrants, over half (58.1%) reside in Sydney, generally congregating in areas where other Middle Eastern Immigrants live. This results in concentration of particular ethnic groups in specific geographically urbanised areas, such as the Middle Eastern population in Auburn, Sydney. The experiences of immigrants differ greatly; with the results of a recent study finding that Middle Easterners in Australia face a much higher proportion of discrimination than their non-Middle Eastern counterparts. The same study found that Middle Eastern males in particular are the subject of this discrimination, specifically within police disputes. This however, is not representative of the experience of all Saudi Arabians.

Saudi students in Australia

The vast majority of Saudi Arabian migration to Australia is temporary and for study purposes. In 2018, there was an estimated 4,500 students studying at Australian universities. This number is accredited to the aforementioned King Abdullah Scholarship Program which was launched in 2005. The program provides financial assistance to students in order to encourage overseas study. Since 2005, the King Abdullah Scholarship Program has facilitated over 130,000 students to pursue studies overseas, costing the Saudi Arabian government 9 Billion Saudi Riyals (approximately 3.3 billion AUD) per year. The courses of which the program funds are dependent upon what the professional sector, namely governmental organisations and ministries, require in order to boost their industry. In 2020, the available undergraduate areas of study are medicine, medical science and health science. The aim of the program is to provide Saudi Arabian students with the best opportunity to acquire qualifications that will benefit the Saudi Arabian workforce and contribute to the development of the nation. The program, which accepts people from all across Saudi Arabia, has facilitated the move of thousands of Saudi Arabians with vastly different backgrounds to Australia. It has also strengthened the diplomatic relationship between Australia and Saudi Arabia, after the signing of the Memorandum of Co-operation in Higher Education in 2010. This agreement is a bond of mutual respect between the two nations, facilitating the ease at which students from the respective states are able to study within the other.

Experience of Saudi Students in Australia

The huge difference in culture and social norms between Saudi Arabia and Australia contributes largely to the experience of Saudi Arabian Students. The literature surrounding international students clearly shows that there is a difficult adjustment period that student must undertake when studying in a new country, including finding accommodation, financial burdens, language barriers and cultural shifts. As the official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic, students not only have to face a new language, but also a new alphabetic script. It is shown that students with high proficiency in the language of their host country succeed academically at a much higher rate than those who do not. A lack of ability for students to speak in English also impacts their socio-cultural adjustment and ability to make friends. There have been reports of Saudi women, in particular, who experience social isolation or exclusion in Australia. This is often due to popular culture driven understandings of Saudi culture, stereotyping women as oppressed. Women who report this social ostracisation generally accredit it to their choice of wearing a Hijab. It has been observed that when there is a large cultural difference between the two countries, students find cultural adjustment much more difficult. As such, the huge gulf between Saudi Arabian culture and Australian culture contributes to the elongated transition period facing Saudi students in Australia. The Saudi Ministry of Higher Education encourage Saudi students to partake in a course prior to their departure to overseas study. This course urges students to maintain their cultural identity and norms upon arrival to their host country. This has led to the formation of Saudi student clubs across Australia, allowing for Saudi students to socialise with each other. These clubs are maintained by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission.  

Gender segregation

The cultural adjustment of Saudi students is also made difficult by the differing social norms surrounding gender relations. In Saudi Arabia, the cultural norm is a strictly defined segregation between the males and females, specifically in schools, universities and the professional workplace. In Australia, the genders function alongside one another in educational facilities, workplaces and society as a whole. As a result, it has been observed that in professional environments, Saudi Arabian students are generally more reserved around those of the opposite sex. The nature of the relationship between the sexes in Saudi Arabia also contributes to the ratio of temporary stays versus those who apply for long-term visas. There is great cultural significance surrounding the institution of marriage in Saudi Arabia. As cited by the World Bank Development Indicators, the mean age that women get married in Saudi Arabia is 26.6, while according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average age in Australia is 30.4. The cultural pressure to get married at a younger age in Saudi Arabia results in many students returning straight home after completing their studies in Australia in order to get engaged. Despite this, according to the SBS Cultural Atlas, “Many Saudis enjoy their lifestyle in Australia, commenting that they gain a greater sense of self-confidence and independence.”

Saudi Arabian refugees

The Middle East has become a peninsula characterised by conflict in the past five decades. As a result, 40% of the world’s 60 million displaced people emerge from the Arab world. This number has deemed the Middle Eastern refugee situation as a major humanitarian crisis. These statistics however, refer to the Middle East as a whole and the numbers are largely accounted for by Syrian and Palestinian refugees. The exact number of refugees emerging from Saudi Arabia are unknown. What is known is that the majority of those fleeing Saudi Arabia are women. In the past decade, there has been large cultural development in the rights of Saudi Arabian women, such as their right to access healthcare without a male guardian. Whilst there have been some developments, Saudi Arabia is still ranked 141 out of 149 on the Gender Gap Index. Restrictions are placed on women’s ability to travel without a male guardian, making it difficult for them to seek refuge in other nations. Of the women who do flee, little choose to come to Australia. A recent report found that Australian border forces have been turning away Saudi Arabian women who arrive at the border without male guardianship.

See also

• Australia–Saudi Arabia relations
• Australians in Saudi Arabia

References

1. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Saudi Arabia country brief, Government of Australia
2. Thompson, Mark (2017). "Saudi Vision 2030: A Viable Response to Youth Aspirations and Concerns?". Asian Affairs. 48 (2): 205–221. doi:10.1080/03068374.2017.1313598. S2CID 165110252 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
3. ^ "Saudi-Australian Relationships". Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission: Ministry of Education. 2020.
4. The Australian
5. Saudi Arabia still trying to coax dissidents home, says report
6. The women who make it and the ones who don’t
7. "Australia's Top Trading Partners". World's Top Exports. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
8. Statistics, c=AU; o=Commonwealth of Australia; ou=Australian Bureau of. "2016 Census". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 1 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
9. ^ "Saudi Arabian Culture - Saudi Arabians in Australia". Cultural Atlas. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
10. Alqahtani, Abdullah; Lu, Haiyan; Lu, Jie (2010). "Towards Semantic-Aware and Ontology-Based e-Government Service Integration – an Applicative Case Study of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Scholarship Program". Advances in Intelligent Decision Technologies. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies. Vol. 4. pp. 403–411. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-14616-9_39. hdl:10453/16296. ISBN 978-3-642-14615-2 – via Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
11. Australian Government. Department of Immigration and Border Protection. (2017). Managing Migration in a dynamic and complex world in A History of the Department of Immigration. (Revised Edition pp. 68-85). Commonwealth of Australia.
12. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). 2016 Australian Census. https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/2016
13. Graeme, H. (1995). Understanding Where Immigrants Live. Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research. Canberra. Australian Government Publishing Service
14. Prejudice and Discrimination From Two Sides: How Do Middle-Eastern Australians Experience It and How Do Other Australians Explain It? (2012). Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 6(1), 18-26.
15. ^ "Education". Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission | SACM. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
16. Alsahafi, Nisreen; Shin, Seong-Chul (2017). "Factors Affecting the Academic and Cultural Adjustment of Saudi International Students in Australian Universities" (PDF). Journal of International Students. 7: 53–72. doi:10.32674/jis.v7i1.245.
17. Stoynoff, Steve (1997). "Factors associated with international students' academic achievement". Journal of Instructional Psychology. 24: 56–68.
18. ^ Alhazmi, Ahmed (2010), Saudi International Students in Australia and Intercultural Engagement: A Study of Transitioning From a Gender Segregated Culture to a Mixed Gender Environment
19. Thomson, G. Rosenthal, D. Russell, J. 2006. Cultural Stress Among International Students at an Australian University. Paper Presented at the Australian International Education Conference, Australia.
20. "Gender Statistics | DataBank". databank.worldbank.org. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
21. "Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2018 | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
22. Muasher, Maha Yahya, Marwan; Muasher, Maha Yahya, Marwan. "Refugee Crises in the Arab World". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 16 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
23. Prejudice and Discrimination From Two Sides: How Do Middle-Eastern Australians Experience It and How Do Other Australians Explain It? (2012). Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 6(1), 18-26.
24. The Global Gender Gap Report 2018" (PDF). World Economic Forum. pp. 10–11.
25. Davidson, Helen (5 February 2019). "Home Affairs defends border policies after Australia accused of abandoning Saudi women". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 November 2020.

External links

• Saudi Australia Online
• Saudi International Students in Australia and Intercultural Engagement: A Study of Transitioning From a Gender Segregated Culture to a Mixed Gender Environment

v t e Saudi Arabia articles
History	Pre-Islamic Arabia Early Islamic State Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate Emirate of Diriyah Emirate of Nejd Kingdom of Hejaz Unification Modern history
Geography	Borders Cities and towns Climate Earthquakes Governorates Mountains Provinces Wadis Wildlife
Politics	Allegiance Council Cabinet Consultative Assembly Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Foreign relations King Crown Prince Mabahith (secret police) National Security Council Nuclear program Prime Minister Law Basic Law Capital punishment Elections Freedom of religion Human rights LGBT Rape Women Judiciary Mutaween (religious police) Passport Visa policy Military Army Navy Air Force Air Defense Strategic Missile Force National Guard Chairman of the General Staff General Staff Presidency General Intelligence Presidency Military ranks
Economy	Agriculture Companies Capital Market Authority Council of Economic and Development Affairs Energy Oil reserves History of the oil industry Foreign workers Irrigation OPEC Riyal (currency) Saudi Central Bank Supreme Economic Council Tadawul (stock exchange) Telecommunications Tourism Transport rail
Society	Abortion Censorship Crime Demographics youth Discrimination Education libraries universities Health care Human trafficking Obesity Polygamy Prostitution Terrorism response to ISIL Water supply and sanitation Culture Art Visual arts Cinema Cuisine Language Media television Music Public holidays Religion Islam Sport football Theatre Heritage Symbols Anthem Dance Emblem Flag Motto
Outline Index Category Portal

v t e Arab diaspora
Africa	Ghana Ivory Coast Kenya Senegal Sierra Leone
Asia	Afghanistan Afghan Arabs India Indonesia Iran Khorasan Khuzestan Japan Malaysia Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Turkey Caucasus
Europe	North Denmark Finland Sweden United Kingdom Southeast Bulgaria Dobruja Romania Serbia South Greece Italy Malta Spain West Austria Belgium France Beur Paris Germany Berlin Netherlands Switzerland
North America	Canada Cuba El Salvador Haiti Honduras Mexico United States Detroit
Oceania	Australia New Zealand
South America	Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador El Salvador Paraguay Uruguay Venezuela

v t e Overseas Asians and Asian diasporas
By origin in Asia	Central Kazakh Mongolians Uzbeks East Chinese Japanese Koreans Ryukyuans Taiwanese South Country Afghans Bangladeshis Indians Maldivians Nepalis Pakistanis Sri Lankans Tibetans Ethnicity Baloch Bengali Hindu Gujaratis Odia Kashmiri Mirpuri Mizos Pashtuns Punjabis Roma Saraikis Sikhs Sindhis South Indians Malayalis In the Gulf Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils Telugus Southeast Country Indonesians Malaysians Singaporeans Ethnicity Acehnese Burmese Filipinos Hmong Javanese Laotians Malays Minangkabau Moluccans Thais Vietnamese West Arabs Emirati Iraqi Lebanese Palestinian Syrian Yemeni Armenian Assyrians Azerbaijani Iranian Israeli (Jews) Kurds Turkish
By residence	Africa Nigeria South Africa Americas Canada East Asians South Asians Southeast Asians West Asians Latin America Argentina Brazil Colombia Mexico Peru Caribbean Chinese Dougla Indian Marabou Suriname United States Hispanic and Latino East Asians South Asians Southeast Asians Europe France Germany Netherlands South Asians Sweden United Kingdom Central Asians East Asians South Asians Southeast Asians Oceania Australia New Zealand

v t e Ancestry of Australians
Ancestral background of Australian citizens
Indigenous	Aboriginal Australians Torres Strait Islanders
Africa	Angolan Beninese Burundian Cameroonian Congolese Eritrean Ethiopian Gabonese Gambian Ghanaian Guinean Ivorian Kenyan Liberian Malawian Malian Mauritian Nigerian Rwandan Senegalese Sierra Leonean South African Tanzanian Togolese Ugandan Zambian Zimbabwean
Americas	American Canadian Caribbean and West Indian Australian Hispanic and Latin American Argentine Bolivian Brazilian Chilean Colombian Cuban Ecuadorian Guatemalan Honduran Mexican Panamanian Paraguayan Peruvian Puerto Rican Salvadoran Uruguayan Venezuelan Jamaican Trinidadian and Tobagonian
Asia	Afghan Hazara Pashtun Armenian Azerbaijani Bangladeshi Bengali Bhutanese Burmese Chin Karen Mon Cambodian Chinese Hmong Hong Kong Cantonese Mien Taiwanese Hakka Fuzhou/Hokchiu Hoklo Tibetan Uyghur East Timorese Filipino Georgian Indian Bengali Gujarati Indo-Fijian Malayali Punjabi Sindhi Tamil Telugu Indonesian Acehnese Balinese Javanese Madurese Sundanese Japanese Kazakh Korean Kyrgyz Laotian Malaysian Bruneian Kadazan Temoq Maldivian Mongolian Nepali Pakistani Baloch Hazara Pashtun Punjabi Sindhi Pathan Singaporean Sri Lankan Tamil Tajik Tatar Thai Turkmen Uzbek Vietnamese Hmong Mien
Europe	Albanian Anglo-Celtic Cornish English Irish Northern Irish Scottish Welsh Austrian Belgian Belarusian Bosnian Bulgarian Croatian Cypriot Czech Danish Dutch Estonian French Finnish German Greek Hungarian Icelandic Italian Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Maltese Montenegrin Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romani Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovene Spanish Swedish Swiss Ukrainian
Middle East and North Africa	Arab Algerian Bahraini Egyptian Emirati Iraqi Jordanian Kuwaiti Lebanese Libyan Moroccan Palestinian Saudi Somali Syrian Tunisian Assyrian Bari Berber Coptic Chaldean Darfur Dinka Iranian Israeli/Jewish Kurdish Mandaean Nubian Nuer South Sudanese Sudanese Turkish Yezidi
Oceania	Fijian Indo-Fijian Niuean Ni-Vanuatu New Zealander Māori Papua New Guinean Samoan South Sea Islander Tongan
according to Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012–2013 and Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016

• Australian people of Saudi Arabian descent
• Arab diaspora in Australia
• Saudi Arabian diaspora
• Australia–Saudi Arabia relations