VPRS 5975 Personal Nomination Files

Background The series has its origin in agreements reached between the Commonwealth and British Governments in March 1946 for free and assisted passage for British residents wishing to migrate to Australia. Under the agreements residents of the Australian states could nominate residents of the United Kingdom for assisted passage to Australia, or in the case of British ex-Service men and women and their families, free passage. Nominations were of two types: personal and group. Personal nominations were made by residents of Victoria who were friends or relatives of the nominee, or an employer seeking a particular worker. Group nominations were usually made by employers seeking to recruit particular categories of workers, though groups such as religious organisations also participated. This series contains papers relating to personal nominations. The States agreed at the Premiers Conference of 1946 to take responsibility for verifying nominations and arranging for reception, transit accommodation, travel to final destination and aftercare. Nominations were forwarded to the Commonwealth for approval. The end of the States role in immigration matters came in early 1983, when the Commonwealth (VRG 87) took over its remaining functions relating to administering both assisted and unassisted British sponsorship schemes and associated services. The recording agencies for this series are as follows: Immigration Branch/State Immigration Office, VA 475 Chief Secretarys Department, 1946-1971; Immigration Division, VA 552 Department of State Development and Decentralisation, 1971-1977; VA 1042 Ministry of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, 1977-1983. Contents include The Commonwealth Free and Assisted Passage Agreements completed by the nominator, these appear to have served both as the formal application form and the agreement specifying the terms and conditions of the passage. They contain personal details of both nominator and nominee and the nominees accommodation and employment arrangements upon arrival in Victoria. Forms completed by nominators providing information on their personal circumstances with respect to their willingness and capacity to support the nomination, their intentions and plans for the immediate reception of the nominee upon arrival, and arrangements for providing accommodation and employment for the nominee upon arrival. These were submitted to the State Office presumably to verify or clarify details supplied in the agreements above and to provide more detailed information on which the State Office could make its recommendation. Correspondence between nominators and the State Immigration Office on various aspects of the process. correspondence between nominators and nominees included by the applicant to point out their particular circumstances and lend support to the application. Summary sheets at the front of the papers summarising the nomination and indicating the Immigration Offices recommendation. Summary sheets may also show the name of the vessel and date of arrival of the nominee. Information in the series includes the personal details of nominators and nominees (sometimes including immediate family members), the nominees accommodation and employment arrangements once arrived in Victoria, the name of the vessel on which the nominee would travel and the expected date of arrival. Details of war service, employment history and qualifications, financial matters, any previous residencies in Australia, and so forth, may also be found depending on the application.