Overview
“It is a mess … so complicated that if I drew you a diagram it would look like a tangled bowl of spaghetti,” This is how our migration system was described by Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Clare O’Neil MP on 2 September 2022.
The Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Clare O’Neil MP announced there would be a comprehensive review of Australia’s migration system to ensure it better meets existing challenges and sets a clear direction for the coming decades. “Our system is crazily slow and complex,” Ms O’Neil said. Here is the report of the migration review which was conducted by the expert panel.
Australia’s migration program to date has not addressed fundamental underlying issues. It fails to attract the most highly skilled migrants and fails to enable businesses to efficiently access workers. With global competition for highly skilled migrants likely to increase, Australia must update its existing program. “Other developed countries are competing for the same migrants that we need,” Ms O’Neil said.
Many people wish to make Australia home but too often face tangled and lengthy pathways to permanent residence. Currently, more than 1 million people are waiting for visas and currently there are around 100 visa subclasses within an overly complex system.
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia faces many challenges and opportunities where migration can play a role.
Five objectives from the report
- Building Australia’s prosperity by lifting productivity, meeting labour
- supply needs and by supporting exports
- Enabling a fair labour market, including by complementing the jobs, wages
- and conditions of domestic workers
- Building a Community of Australians
- Protecting Australia’s interests in the world.
- Providing a fast, efficient and fair system.
Suggestions from the report
At this stage the report makes no hard recommendations, instead suggesting 32 “possible reform directions” for the government to explore.
1. Adjust the income threshold
- From the 1st July 2023 it will go up from $53,900 to $70,000.
2. All skilled temporary workers will be given the opportunity to apply for permanent residence – (482)
- The Minister said this will come into effect by the end of 2023.
- The review also found that the occupation lists used for visa applications, are outdated and do not reflect the current labour market and economy.
3. Three tiered system for skilled workers
- High-earning workers who are highly skilled
- Middle-income earners
- Low-income migrants who are essential for industries like aged care
4. Encouraging International Students to stay
- Australia is missing out on keeping the most talented international students as skilled migrants.
- Suggestion to provide a graduate visa (485) that can be obtained in a quicker way than the current one.
5. Student program to serve its purpose
- International students are a particularly significant source of income for the higher and vocational education sectors.
- The student visa does a good job of supporting our education sector with our International education being Australia’s fourth largest export. However, does it really address the skills shortage by helping students develop skills Australia needs?
- All applicants for a Student visa must show they are coming to Australia temporarily to gain a quality education; however there are many cheap and poor-quality VET course institutions which are likely to come under review.
- The current Genuine Entrant Criteria (GTE) for a ‘Genuine Student’ (GS) criterion should focus less on the student’s ties to their home country and more on the purpose of the course of study.
6. A reduction in the number of Visa Subclasses
- With a simplified visa application process individuals can more easily understand and apply for the relevant visa.
- Visas cut or revamped include the Business Investment Visa and the Global Talent Visa.
7. Changes to the Points Test
- The criteria used to determine an applicant’s success were considered irrelevant and do not determine long-term success for visa holders and the migration program.
- The government is considering updating the system to select migrants who are most likely to succeed and contribute to Australia’s economy.
Addressing the National Press Club on Thursday the 27th of April, Ms O’Neil said, “What’s important to me is that we’ve got these big national problems facing our country, and we’re not getting the right people here through the migration system to help us address them”.
It appears that our migration policies have been put under the microscope and it’s only a matter of time before we start to see some of these suggestions come into effect.
Ultimately this review is designed to identify the skills Australia needs, identify the regions where the additional workforce is needed, and tailor the migration system so that it benefits those people who come to Australia while equally benefiting the interests of Australia. Major reform is needed to attract the best workers, drive economic growth, and protect against exploitation.
If you are in Australia and would like to know the possibilities for permanent residency in your state, please contact: enquire@visaroos.com
Dario Ishiyama – Principal Registered Migration Agent, Visaroos
MARN: 180046