Changes in Australia’s Immigration Policy: New Visas and Regulations for 2023-24

Highlights: Australia’s Immigration Policy to be revived based on the long awaited review

• Australian government to raise the minimum salary requirement for an immigrant to get an employer sponsorship.
• All the skilled temporary workers in Australia will get an opportunity to apply for PR.
• Australia's immigration system is to be divided into three tiers; for 'light touch' tier, mainstream skilled pathway, and essential industries.
• The review suggests introducing an immediate graduate visa to keep talented students within the country.
• Australia's points system must be reset to achieve the "greatest long-term economic contribution".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LunceUOt9K0

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Changes made in Australia’s Immigration Policy

Australia was waiting for a review of its Immigration Policy, which will revive how it assesses the potential permanent residents and citizens. The Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil called the existing policies "not fit for purpose".

The review was led by Martin Parkinson, the former public service boss who said that the current immigration system is very complex.

However, the review made no hard recommendations for the government and suggested 32 "possible reform directions" to explore.

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Significant takeaways from the review

We have listed out some of the major takeaways from the review:

The Income threshold to be raised

As a part of the major part of the announcement, Ms. O'Neil said that the government would be raising the minimum salary requirement for an immigrant to get an employer sponsorship. The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) will increase the minimum salary to $70,000.

Permanent Residency pathway for skilled temporary workers

All the skilled temporary workers in Australia will get an opportunity to apply for PR. Temporary migration in Australia is rapidly increasing, and currently, the country has 2.1 million temporary migrants.

Immigration to get three tiers

• The Australian Labor Party wants to split the country's immigration system into three tiers; the first one is a 'light touch' tier, the second one is a mainstream skilled pathway, and the third one is for essential industries.
• The light touch tier will be a pathway for high-earning workers. It will be introduced for the speedy turnarounds on highly-skilled worker visas and to end the long wait times. The long wait times impact the country's efforts to fill skills shortages.
• The mainstream skilled pathway will let middle-income earners get a PR.
• For essential industries, the government will focus on restructuring Australia's low-earning immigrant intake.

Reducing the number of visas

The Australian Home Affairs Minister said the immigration system is becoming more complex and slow due to the vast number of Australian visas and visa subclasses. These visas are becoming less attractive for skilled workers in this competitive international market for immigration.

Keeping talented students

As per the review, international students are an essential source of skilled migration in Australia. As the country leaves, the brightest ones become 'permanently temporary.' Also, International students can only apply for a graduate visa after graduation.

The government suggested introducing an immediate graduate visa to keep talented students within the country.

Recalibration of Australia's points system

The current points system in Australian immigration policy is insufficient to distinguish between candidates effectively. Therefore, the suggested solution from the review is to reset Australia's points system, which will lead to the "greatest long-term economic contribution".

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