VPRS 5980 Air Flight Nominal Rolls

BackgroundThe 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. 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. 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, 1954-1971;Immigration Division, VA 552 Department of State Development and Decentralisation, 1971-1977;VA 1042 Ministry of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, 1977-1979.In essence, this series provided a means for checking that those people expected to arrive on a particular flight did, in fact, arrive.Contents includeNominal roles of migrants expected to arrive on a particular air flight.Correspondence between the various authorities regarding expected times of arrival, changes to rolls, and travel arrangements.Correspondence to the nominator informing them of the nominees expected time and place of arrival.Summary lists at the front of files showing names, flight numbers, and dates of arrival for those people listed on the roles within the file.Information in the series includesNominee name, date of birth, occupation and religious persuasion;Flight number, destination within Australia, and accommodation requirements upon arrival.Name of nominator and relationship to nominee (provision of these details varies throughout the series).