Summary heading

PP640/2 - British migrant selection documents, alphabetical series 

Function and purpose

This series comprises applications for assisted passage to Australia under the United Kingdom and Australian Government agreement. The form of application is completed by the applicant in the United Kingdom and returned to the Chief Migration Officer, London.  A medical examination is then arranged, and if satisfactory, the applicant is interviewed and a recommendation is made as to the applicant’s suitability as a migrant.  Documents for successful applicants are forwarded to the Immigration Department office in the state in which the migrant intends to reside at their time of departure.

On the form, the applicant is asked to give details of name, address, nationality, date, town and country of birth, marital status, if married, date and place of marriage, particulars of wife and single children under 21, details of next of kin, particulars of all employment since leaving school, including service in the Armed Forces, proposed occupation or profession in Australia, amount of capital for transfer to Australia, name of and relationship to any nominator in Australia, and whether the nominator would be prepared to provide accommodation, whether willing to settle in any Australian State, or State of preference, whether in receipt of a disability pension, details of any criminal record and whether applicant or any member of his family has ever suffered from any of a number of listed infirmities.

Other papers always included on the file are the reports of the medical examination requested of applicants by the Australian authorities, and, if the medical examination is satisfactory, the report of the migration officer who interviews the applicant and his family. This report is normally completed on the selection assessment form (Form M.1791 (1-73) 14), and in addition to reporting the interview gives the migration officer's recommendation as to whether or not the application for assisted passage should be accepted. 

Physical characteristics

The records in the series consist of papers held together with paper binders, but without file covers.

Each migrant’s application documents contain a selection of forms which vary from item to item. However, all applicants have at least a 2 page double sided form which has four main sections – personal and service particulars documenting the personal particulars of the migrant and any dependants and their military service history if applicable; civilian employment history; migrant’s declaration and certification and approval by the Ministry of Labour and National Service. All applications also include form K – Medical Examination form which sets out the applicant’s medical history and approval by the Chief Migration Officer, Australia House. Papers usually but not always included are the Employment Form E (on which the applicant gives a more complete account of his employment history than on the form LEM2), and photocopies of formal educational and technical qualifications. Some files also have a copy of the applicant's marriage certificate, and many include correspondence with the applicant on various matters, such as the details of the arrangements for travel to Australia.

The earlier files in the series generally consist of little more than the form LEM2, the medical reports, and the interview and recommendation report. Later files have both these papers and the others referred to above, and may reach fifty folios or more. Other documents that may also be found include radiologist’s report, clearances for return to the United Kingdom, Document of Identity, various travel documents and an approval letter stating migrant has been selected for a particular occupation in a particular Australian state.

System of arrangement and control

The records were maintained in alphabetical order by surname of the intending migrant while in use within the agency. This has been preserved upon transfer to the Archives.

Relationships with other records

This series is part of a larger group of records that document the permanent migration of individuals to Australia. This group includes medical examination forms, migrant selection documents, nominal rolls and passenger cards. See series links for individual series numbers. 

Provenance

The files are raised and maintained by the Australian migration authorities in Britain, and, at the time of the applicant's departure for Australia, are forwarded to the office of the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in the state in which the applicant intends to settle. Additional papers are very seldom added to the files after they arrive in Australia. 

Finding aids

As all migrant selection documents in this series have been described at item level in the RecordSearch database, a form relating to a particular person(s) can be retrieved by keyword search in RecordSearch (limiting search by Series No PP640/2). 

Additional information

The following data was keyed from the paper transfer documentation:

Form number:              CA 11 and NAS 39P