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Brief Guide 30: records relating to Immigration

For a complete list of the records and a history of free immigration and a description of the records to1946 see Guide to the Public Records of Tasmania: Records Relating to Free Immigration. A complete list of all records held can be found by using the search facility of Tasmanian Archives Online

The following agencies had responsibility for Immigration

  • Immigration Agents Department 1841 – 1855
  • Immigration Board 1855 – 1885
  • Chief Secretary’s Department - Immigration Committee 1886 - 1910
  • Immigration Bureaux, which in 1908 were established in Hobart and Launceston took over work from the Immigration Committees and operated in conjunction with the Tourist Associations in each city.
  • Immigration Branch, Agricultural Department 1911 – 24
  • Industrial Department 1924 – 1930
  • Charitable Grants /Social Services – 1930 - 1946
  • State Immigration Office 1946 – 1982

Other related brief guides:

  • Brief Guide No. 5 Records relating to Child Migrants
  • Brief Guide No 10 Records relating to Naturalisations
  • Brief Guide No 13 Records most frequently used for personal information about Convicts

Records most frequently used for information on immigrant arrivals:

MB2/39 Marine Board of Hobart – Reports of ships arrivals with lists of passengers

March 1829 – June 1957

CB7/9

 Immigration Agents Department – Nominal register of arrivals under the Bounty System May 1841 – Dec 1843
CB7/12 Board of Immigration - Descriptive lists of immigrants arriving in Hobart and Launceston Aug 1851 – Aug 1867
July 1883 – Mar 1889
CB7/16 Board of Immigration – Register of the hiring and disposal of immigrants July 1853 – Jan 1862

CB7/23

Board of Immigration - Lists of Bounty Immigrants who arrived in Tasmania via Melbourne

 Jan 1867 – Jan 1884

CB7/28

 Immigration Board – Register of immigrants arriving from Germany  Aug 1870 – May 1872

SWD4

Industrial Department/Social Welfare Department - Correspondence of the Immigration Office concerning the nomination, arrival and settlement of migrants.

 1920 - 1943

AA59

 State Immigration Office – Migrant files (M1 – M7371) Files of British migrants arriving under the Joint Agreement between the United Kingdom and the Australian Government 1946 - 1981

AA344

 State Immigration Office – Index to Migrant files 1946 – 1982

AA78

 Index to Swiss Migrants 1965 – 1966