Abul Rizvi was a senior official in the Department of Immigration from the early 1990s to 2007 when he left as Deputy Secretary. Rizvi was Chief Finance Officer in the Department of Immigration from 1991 to 1995. He managed policy and delivery of Australia’s migration program from 1995 to 2007. He was awarded the Public Service Medal and the Centenary Medal for services to development and implementation of immigration policy, including the reshaping of Australia’s intake to focus on skilled migration, the growth of temporary skilled migration and development of pathways for highly successful overseas students to permanent residence. He is currently doing a PhD on Australia’s immigration policies at Melbourne University and frequently provides media comment on developments in immigration policy.