Summary Of Australia’s Migration Strategy Roadmap
Australia’s Migration Strategy is a comprehensive initiative aimed at shaping the country’s migration system for the upcoming decades. Five core objectives serve as the foundation for the strategy, and eight key actions are designed to target and achieve these objectives:
Core Objectives:
- Raising the Standard of Living for All Australians
- Ensuring a Fair Workplace/Labor Market
- Strengthening and Building Strong Australian Communities
- Enhancing International Relations
- Improving the System for Fast, Efficient, and Fair Operations.
The outlined 8 key actions will be implemented through a phased approach. This approach prioritises existing commitments, new commitments, and areas earmarked for future reforms. However, it is essential to highlight that the current strategy does not include recommendations with regard to the humanitarian and family visa streams.
The timeline leading up to the release of the strategy, along with estimated rollout times for subsequent stages, is provided below.
Through the execution of these strategic actions, as suggested by the Migration Strategy, Australia aims to construct a migration system that not only addresses current challenges but also positions the country for a successful and sustainable future.
Now, let’s dive into the key actions and what they mean for us. We’ve put the suggested action in a checklist format so we can easily keep track of all the changes as they happen. Let’s get into it!
- Action 1 – Temporary Skilled Migration
In line with Australia’s Migration Strategy, Action 1 focuses on refining the temporary skilled migration program to meet the specific needs of the labour market and foster worker mobility. Existing commitments involve raising the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) to $70,000 from July 1, 2023, and establishing a pathway to Permanent Residence (PR) for all temporary skilled sponsored workers as announced on November 25, 2023. These commitments aim to ensure fair compensation and provide a route to permanency for skilled migrants.
New commitments introduce a Skills in Demand visa, featuring a 4-year term, streamlined application processes, and trailing employer fees. This visa encourages flexibility by allowing employment with any approved employer to contribute towards PR, and it incorporates a points test.
Additionally, the strategy introduces a Specialist Skills Pathway for highly skilled migrants, emphasizing occupations excluding trade workers, machinery operators, and drivers. This pathway sets a salary threshold of at least $135,000, with a swift 7-day processing time, monitoring mechanisms, and a modest intake of around 3000 per year.
A Core Skills Pathway is proposed as another new commitment, targeting specific workforce needs identified in the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) by Jobs and Skills Australia. The occupations on this list, addressing shortages, must meet a salary requirement of at least $70,000. Legislative changes to index income thresholds, the establishment of a formal role for Jobs and Skills Australia to define skills needs, and the streamlining of Labor Market Testing (LMT) processes are also part of the comprehensive strategy.
- Action 2 – Reshape Permanent Skilled Migration to Drive Long-Term Prosperity
In the pursuit of long-term economic prosperity, Action 2 within Australia’s Migration Strategy seeks to revamp the permanent skilled migration stream. The underlying objective is to strengthen the economic impact of skilled migration, acknowledging the pivotal role it plays in driving sustained economic growth. A key area earmarked for future reform involves exploring a reformed points test, aiming to simplify and recalibrate the test. This adjustment intends to allow temporary visa holders to apply while also attracting highly skilled migrants.
The envisioned reformed points test will be evidence-based, incorporating informed judgments on the weightage of work experience both offshore and in Australia, as well as age requirements. Furthermore, it will recognize the potential contribution of partners in the migration process and establish a faster pathway for international students employed in skilled occupations.
Area for Future Reform – Consider Developing New Talent and Innovation Visa
Looking ahead, Australia’s Migration Strategy contemplates the possibility of introducing a new Talent and Innovation visa to further enhance the permanent skilled migration stream. The primary focus of this prospective reform is to more precisely target the existing Global Talent program, channelling it towards a relatively small number of migrants capable of making “outsized” contributions. The envisioned Talent and Innovation visa would aim to attract highly talented migrants, including high-performing entrepreneurs, major investors, and global researchers. This strategic move aligns with Australia’s goal of not only securing its long-term economic prosperity but also positioning itself as a global hub for innovation and talent.
- Action 3 – Strengthen the Integrity and Quality of International Education
Action 3 of the Migration Strategy focuses on fortifying the integrity and quality of international education. The proposed measures aim to curb non-genuine practices, enhance English proficiency requirements, and establish more stringent scrutiny of applications from high-risk providers. Additionally, commitments seek to bolster the integrity unit, reinforce requirements for education providers, and streamline the 485-visa process while outlining potential future reforms to better support international students and graduates in realizing their potential.
- Action 4 – Tackling Worker Exploitation and Misuse of the Visa System
Action 4 of the Migration Strategy is aimed at addressing worker exploitation and the misuse of the visa system. Existing commitments involve legislative changes, support for exploited workers, better-regulated migration agents, and efforts to enhance migrants’ understanding of workplace rights. New commitments include the development of a public registry of approved sponsors, with potential extension to all businesses employing temporary migrants. Future reforms target the strengthening of integrity in the approved sponsor application process and the improvement of post-arrival monitoring through ATO systems.
- Action 5 – Planning Migration to Get the Right Skills in the Right Places
In redefining Australia’s migration strategy, Action 5 focuses on addressing the deficiencies of the current short-term migration approach by introducing a more strategic, long-term plan. The commitment includes developing a multi-year planning model for permanent migration, collaborating with states and territories for effective population planning, and designating Jobs and Skills Australia as a key advisory body. The strategy aims to improve skills recognition and assessment, enhance accessibility through a streamlined outreach program, and ensure evidence-based evaluation and monitoring for the successful implementation of the new migration strategy. This action underscores a shift towards a more skill-focused and sustainable migration system.
- Action 6 – Tailoring Regional Visas and the Working Holiday Maker Program to Support Regional Australia and Its Workers
Addressing the inefficiencies of existing regional programs and the susceptibility to exploitation, Action 6 aims to revamp regional visas and the Working Holiday Maker (WHV) program for better support of long-term regional development. The commitment involves prioritizing visa processing for regional Australia through alterations to Ministerial Direction. Additionally, a future reform area focuses on evaluating regional migration settings and the WHV program to ensure alignment with development objectives and prevent worker exploitation.
- Action 7 – Deepening Our People-to-People Ties in the Indo-Pacific
Addressing the unique demographic of New Zealand citizens and the imperative to strengthen connections in the Indo-Pacific, Action 7 encompasses various commitments. These include maintaining a direct pathway to citizenship for NZ citizens, consolidating seasonal worker and Pacific labour schemes into the PALM scheme with improved conditions, and exploring a Pacific Engagement Visa. Additional commitments involve providing special visas for Tuvalu citizens and facilitating easier travel for Southeast Asian businesses and eminent individuals.
Action 8 : Simplifying the Migration System for Enhanced Experience
Action 8 is focused on Building on existing efforts to reduce visa backlog and modernising the current , this action introduces two key commitments.
The first commitment focuses on the abolition of unnecessary and duplicate visas. It involves reducing the number of visa subclasses by 20, merging offshore and onshore visas, closing obsolete temporary visas, and merging others with similar purposes.
The second commitment aims to embed simplification as a fundamental objective across all actions in the Migration Strategy. This includes introducing a single occupation list for Core Skills, creating clear pathways to permanent residence, streamlining Labor Market Testing, enhancing skills assessments, providing clearer guidelines for labour agreements, improving processes for Designated Area Migration Agreements, and refining visa descriptions.
In summary, Action 8 seeks to streamline the migration system, reduce complexity, and enhance the experience for both migrants and employers by addressing inefficiencies and promoting simplification as a central theme in migration strategy actions.
Conclusion:
Australia’s Migration Strategy represents a forward-thinking approach to address current challenges and position the country for sustained growth. The emphasis on strategic shifts in temporary and permanent skilled migration, coupled with measures to strengthen international education and tackle worker exploitation, reflects a comprehensive vision for a responsive and ethical migration system.
The proposed Essential Skills Pathway and potential Talent and Innovation visa underscore a commitment to aligning migration with Australia’s economic needs and attracting high-calibre talent. The strategy recognizes the importance of work-integrated learning in tertiary education to prepare international students for the workforce effectively.
Moreover, the focus on integrity measures, such as strengthening the sponsor application process and post-arrival monitoring, demonstrates a dedication to preventing worker exploitation and ensuring the system’s fairness.
As Australia moves forward, the Migration Strategy sets the stage for a more regulated, skill-focused, and regionally supportive migration system, signalling a commitment to the nation’s long-term prosperity and the well-being of its residents.
Ensuring the successful implementation of the proposed changes outlined in the Migration Strategy is crucial for maintaining transparency and accountability. Our comprehensive checklist system is designed to monitor the progress of these recommendations as they transition into legislation. While the Migration Strategy introduces a visionary roadmap, it’s important to note that, currently, only a few of the recommended changes have been incorporated into legislation.
As we navigate the legislative process and changes, our commitment is to keep all our clients well-informed about the developments. The checklist system will serve as a dynamic tool to track each proposed action, noting its status, this ensures that our clients stay UpToDate with the evolving migration landscape, with timely updates on how these changes may impact them.
For more information or any inquiries send us message at reply@mmmigration.com.au
