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SCMP Reporter

CHINESE immigrants have the highest divorce rate of any ethnic group in Australia, according to figures released last week.

  The number of broken marriages among immigrants from China is three times higher than among Italian-born immigrants.

  But Chinese community leaders blame the figures on students who divorce after obtaining Australian residency.

  Last year, the divorce rate for mainland-born men was 13.5 per 1,000, while for women it was 17 per 1,000.

  That compares to 4.8 for Australian-born men, 4.9 for Australian-born women, 4.1 for Italian-born men and 2.8 for Italian-born women.

  ''These people came here as students and a lot of them got married to stay in Australia. As soon as they got permanent residency they also got a divorce,'' said Geoffrey Chong, chairman of the Melbourne Chinese Welfare Association.

  But he added: ''Migrants from Hong Kong don't get divorced so easily.''   Between June 1989 and May 1992, 18,000 mainland students came to Australia to study, many of them fleeing the pro-democracy crackdown.

  Immigration rules mean that aliens marrying Australian citizens have to wait a further two years before they are granted permanent residency.

  ''Also, a lot of these people had husbands or wives in China before they came over here. After a few years they find someone they like better and they get a divorce,'' Mr Chong said.

  However, the Chinese community does not believe the high divorce rate will continue. Last year the number of student visas issued dropped to a few hundred.

  Even so, student marriages were still a cause for concern, said Mr Chong.

  ''As far as marriage is concerned, you can never trust a Chinese student out in Australia,'' he said.

  ''I have dozens of friends who have had this sort of trouble. I advise people not to go into a marriage like this.

  ''Some young girls come over here and marry an Australian, some as old as 70, and once they get residency they just divorce.

  ''Others from China pay a girl to get married.''   But Peter Wong, of the New South Wales Australian Chinese Community Association, said there was another reason for the high rate: ''They find divorce in Australia is very common. There's no social pressure.'' 



Chinese in Australia divorce most, says survey