Migration Strategy – At a Glance
The Government’s vision is to get migration working for the nation, helping deliver a prosperous and secure Australia.
Getting migration working for the nation Migration is central to Australia’s national story and in times of change, migration has helped Australia tackle national challenges and build long periods of prosperity and security.
Migration can once again play a critical role for Australia to seize the opportunities of the coming decades. The problem is that our current system is broken.
The first comprehensive review of the migration system in a generation, the 2023 Review of the Migration System (the Migration Review), found ‘a lack of clarity on what Australia has been trying to achieve through migration is at the heart of the problems the system faces today’.
Five key objectives
Five core objectives will underpin Australia’s migration system, getting migration working for the nation to help deliver a prosperous and secure Australia.
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Raising living standards for Australians by boosting productivity, meeting skills shortages and supporting exports.
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Ensuring a fair go in the workplace by complementing the jobs, wages and conditions of all workers and preventing migrant worker exploitation.
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Building stronger Australian communities by better planning the migration intake, and giving migrants the opportunity to invest in their lives in Australia through permanent residence and citizenship.
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Strengthening international relationships by building stronger economic and social connections with our region and international partners.
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Making the system work by being fast, efficient and fair for migrants and employers.
Roadmap to realize our vision
The 8 key actions in the Government’s Migration Strategy roadmap have been developed through extensive consultation with business, unions, international education, civil society and many Australians.
1. Targeting temporary skilled migration to address skills needs and promote worker mobility
A new Skills in Demand visa with three targeted pathways, and visa settings that encourage migrant worker mobility in the labour market.
New commitments include:
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A new Specialist Skills Pathway to make it easier for Australia to attract highly skilled workers, for example in the technology or green energy industries
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A Core Skills Pathway to meet targeted workforce needs, with a simpler, regularly updated occupation list for the skills Australia needs
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New visa settings that give migrant workers more mobility in the labour market to help tackle worker exploitation and drive productivity
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Streamlined labour market testing and visa processing.
2. Reshaping permanent skilled migration to drive long-term prosperity
A commitment to explore a reformed points test for permanent skilled migration, and a new Talent and Innovation visa for migrants who can drive growth in sectors of national importance.
3. Strengthening the integrity and quality of international education
A package of integrity measures to lift the standards for international students and education providers, while ensuring graduates.
New commitments include:
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Higher English language requirements for international students and graduates (6.5 for IELTS or equivalent PTE score)
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More scrutiny of high-risk student visa applications and a $19m investment into the Home Affairs student visa integrity unit. Rejection rate for student visa reached it's peak for this decade with an overall rejection rate of 18%. Read more on the latest student visa situation: https://www.racc.net.au/student-visa-aplication-australia-onshore-offshore-scholarship
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Restrictions on onshore visa hopping that undermines system integrity and drives ‘permanent temporariness’
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Strengthened and simplified Temporary Graduate visa settings (2 Years for eligible Bachelor/Master courses). Read more on the latest update about Temporary Graduate Visa 9TR 485): https://www.racc.net.au/temporary-graduate-visa-tr-485
4. Tackling worker exploitation and the misuse of the visa system
A comprehensive suite of legislation, powers, penalties and policies to combat worker exploitation and restore integrity to the migration system.
5. Planning migration to get the right skills in the right places
A longer-term, evidence-based approach to planning migration that closely collaborates with states and territories and ensures population planning is based on the best available population data and forecasts.
6. Tailoring regional visas and the Working Holiday Maker Program to support regional Australia and its workers
A new direction to ensure visas for regional Australia are prioritized first, and a commitment to evaluating regional migration settings and the Working Holiday Maker program to ensure migration supports development objectives in regional Australia and does not contribute to worker exploitation.
New commitments include:
• A new direction to ensure regional visas receive the highest priority visa processing.
7. Deepening people-to-people ties in the Indo-Pacific
A new approach to developing people-to-people links with our region, including through a direct pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders and increased mobility with Pacific Island and Southeast Asian countries.
8. Simplifying the migration system to improve the experience for migrants and employers
A system-wide simplification agenda that will streamline visa settings, reduce visa classes and make the system easier to use. New commitments include, the removal of 20+ unnecessary and duplicative visas to simplify the visa system is soon to be implemented.
Migration Overhaul - Policy Implementation Timeframe
