How the Government will Deliver the Migration Strategy in 8 Key Actions | Changes to expect in 2024 and Beyond
Sheila Woods
Managing Director | Registered Migration Agent - Business Migration at Interstaff
The Government’s Migration Strategy has revealed how Australia’s Skilled Visa and Migration System will change in 2024 and beyond to better support the nation’s skills needs for decades to come.
8 Key Actions have been identified to deliver strategic outcomes outlined on the Government’s roadmap. Here’s a summary of what is expected to change for Businesses and Skilled Visa Applicants/Holders.
Action 1 – Targeting temporary skilled migration
What has recently been implemented:
New Commitments – planned for 2024:
Areas for future reform:
It is also encouraging to see Labour Market Testing requirements have already been partly streamlined with the removal of requirements to advertise a position on the Government employment service, Workforce Australia before sponsoring a worker on a Subclass 482 or 494 Visa – read our article on this here. Over a year ago at the Jobs and Skills Summit, nearly all business stakeholders agreed that current LMT arrangements are onerous and limiting, especially at a time of skills shortages.
Action 2 – Reshaping permanent skilled migration
Areas for future reform:
As per our previous article, Australia’s state and territory nominated visa options to migrate without an employer sponsor have become more competitive for migrants. Unfortunately, the Federal Government has refused to issue extra allocations to WA in the way that it had the previous year for the Subclass 190 Visa. WA has now closed its state nominations for independent visas until July 2024.
For Subclass 189 Independent Visas, the Government had only issued two invitation rounds in the last calendar year, and these invitations were limited to applicants with occupations in healthcare and education.
It is possible that placements for the independent skilled migration program are being reduced while changes to the points test are being considered. Given that the reformed points test has not been slated for change in 2024, it is likely that the Independent Skilled Migration program may continue to be limited this year.
Action 3 – Strengthening the integrity of the international education system
What has recently been implemented:
New commitments – planned for 2024:
Areas for future reform:
It appears greater scrutiny is already being applied to international Student Visas. According to the Australian Financial Review, Student Visa approvals have been running at well over 90 per cent for the past 15 years but recently hit a low of 82 per cent in the six months to December 2023.
Visa refusals for Student Visas are also expected to increase in the second half of 2024. This is in light of recent media attention on Australia’s rising Net Overseas Migration levels – you can read our article on this here.
Action 4 – Tackling worker exploitation and misuse of the visa system
What has already been implemented/ongoing:
New commitments – planned for 2024:
Areas for future reform:
Throughout the past year, our team as well as the migration industry in general, has noticed an increase in the number of migration compliance audit requests for company sponsors – read more here. We expect this trend to continue as monitoring compliance continues to be a major Government focus to protect workers from exploitation.
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Action 5 – Planning migration to get the right skills in the right places
New commitments – planned for 2024:
The current Skilled Occupation Lists that determine the eligible occupations for skilled migration to Australia are very limiting. We are hopeful that the new Core Skills Occupations List that will be developed for the Skills in Demand Visa will be flexible enough to accommodate emerging roles required by employers.
Action 6 – Tailoring regional visas and the Working Holiday Maker program
What has already been implemented/ongoing:
New commitments – planned for 2024:
Areas for future reform:
The Government is going through a consultation process to reform Working Holiday Maker Visa program settings in line with its recently released Migration Strategy.
Action 7 – Deepening ties in the Indo-Pacific
What has already been implemented:
It will be interesting to see how migration will be used to deepen ties in the Indo-Pacific region, possibly through the Essential Skills Pathway under the new Skills in Demand Visa.
Action 8 – Simplifying the migration system
What has already been implemented:
New commitments – planned for 2024:
With the visa system being labelled ‘broken’ in independent reviews, we are hopeful that the changes planned for 2024 will result in a more efficient visa and migration program that enables employers to engage global talent more quickly and easily.
This article is part of Interstaff's series, 'Embarking on a Migration Strategy'. Established in 1988, Interstaff has over 35 years of Australian visa and migration experience and is an Australian-owned and operated business providing strategic migration advice to businesses and individuals Australia-wide and internationally.
About the Author | Sheila Woods is a Registered Migration Agent (MARN: 0533879) and the Managing Director of Interstaff and has over 15 years experience in Australian migration matters for businesses and skilled visa holders.
Connect with Sheila and follow Interstaff for more migration insights, or get in touch to discuss your business' visa and sponsorship options.
Interstaff | 1800 449 858 | visa@interstaff.com | Head Office: Ground Floor, 20 Clive St, West Perth
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