Migration Strategy

The government released its Migration Strategy, along with an action plan, on Monday.  ACCI welcomed the strategy, noting it will overall reduce complexity in the system. Concerns remain about the ability of the government to deliver on its new service guarantee timelines as no additional funding has been set aside. See the media release

There will three temporary visa pathways under the new four-year Skills in Demand visa:

  • Specialist, for occupations above $135,000 – not eligible to tradespeople, machinery operators, drivers and laborers (seven day visa processing).
  • Core Skills, for occupations $70,000 – $135,000 – the occupation will need to be on the Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) core skills list.
  • Essential Skills, for occupations below $70,000, for care and aged care industries.

No new funding was allocated to fast-track processing, rather a ‘reprioritisation’ will occur. See more here

Other key points to note: 

Regional visas will be prioritised first above all others.   

The immediate removal of the need to advertise positions through Workforce Australia.

There will be a formal role for Jobs and Skills Australia in defining Australia’s skills needs using evidence, including advice from tripartite mechanisms.

In relation to the Skills Australians Fund Levy, the government has not landed on a final position and will  explore a model for trailing fees and charges, they have yet to clearly identify which of the fees they would change nor what time period to make it for – weekly, monthly, quarterly,  they will consult before the launch of the new Skills in Demand Visa.   

It appears the government has for the time being decided for an initial small scope in introducing unrestricted mobility but there will be the creation of a public register of approved sponsors to help workers find new potential employers. 

 The government decided to not remove the second year of the Working Holiday Maker program as the Parkinson review recommended, instead they will conduct a review into the program. This is a win for the time being. 

There are a range of new changes for international Students: the English test for graduate students will increase from 6.0 to 6.5, student visa will increase from 5.5 to 6.0, creation of a new Genuine Student Test, $19 million to the student visa integrity unit, restrict visa hopping, additional requirements for international education providers. The Temporary Graduate Visa will be changed, and extensions will depend if the study occurred in a regional area. 

The Migration Strategy can be found here and a three-page summary of the strategy is here.

Want to hear more from us?

    NewsletterMedia Releases