Summary of future reforms & Impact
The Migration strategy will ensure strong delivery of existing commitments, new commitments to build a system for the future, and identify areas for future reform.
Areas for future reform requiring tripartite consultation which will be consulted on throughout 2024:
- reshaping the permanent skilled migration system to drive long-term prosperity.
- tailoring regional visas and the Working Holiday Maker program to support Australia’s regions and its workers.
- additional measures outlined throughout the Migration Strategy where future reform is needed.
Areas for future reform
Targeting temporary skilled migration to address skills needs and promote worker mobility.
- The Future reform will consider how best to regulate migration for lower paid workers with essential skills.
- The Government will further evaluate how to develop an Essential Skills Pathway—a more regulated pathway for lower paid workers with essential skills—in consultation with state and territory governments, unions, businesses and migrant workers.
- The Government is primarily considering the pathway in the context of the care and support economy, which has become essential to the quality of life of Australians.
- The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement and the pathways for aged care workers through the PALM scheme will provide strong lessons for the Government, unions and employers for any future design of more regulated pathways for lower paid workers with essential skills.
- Within sectors, the distinction between the Core Skills Pathway and Essential Skills Pathway could be defined by occupation and pay.
- The Government will further consult on how best to regulate migration for lower paid workers with essential skills in early to mid-2024.
Reshaping permanent skilled migration to drive long-term prosperity.
- The future reform will explore a reformed points test to better identify migrants who will drive Australia’s long-term prosperity.
- The Government will consider the development of a new analysis-based points test to identify more effectively the independent migrants who will make the greatest contribution to the country.
- The future reform will consider developing a new Talent and Innovation visa to drive growth in sectors of national importance.
- A new Talent and Innovation visa could create a single, streamlined pathway to attract relatively small numbers of highly talented migrants to Australia, such as high performing entrepreneurs, major investors, and global researchers.
Strengthening the integrity and quality of international education
- The future reform will support international students and graduates to realise their potential.
- The Government will partner with education providers, unions, industry and governments to incorporate more work-integrated learning (such as professional workplace placements or industry-partnered projects) into tertiary courses to ensure students are better prepared for Australia’s skilled workforce.
Tackling worker exploitation and the misuse of the visa system
- The future reform will strengthen integrity in the approved sponsor application process
- The Government will look to strengthen the criteria to become an approved sponsor to prevent unscrupulous actors from being able to gain access to the temporary skilled migration system.
- These criteria will be developed through further consultation and will consider, for example, taking account of sponsors’ employment practices and records based on all available evidence, including requiring sponsors to declare any adverse findings by relevant workplace regulators and previous bankruptcies.
- The reform will improve post-arrival monitoring and compliance including through coordination with the tax system.
- These criteria will be developed through further consultation and will consider, for example, taking account of sponsors’ employment practices and records based on all available evidence, including requiring sponsors to declare any adverse findings by relevant workplace regulators and previous bankruptcies.
Tailoring regional visas and the Working Holiday Maker program to support regional Australia and its workers.
- The reform will evaluate regional migration settings and the Working Holiday Maker program to ensure migration supports development objectives in regional Australia and does not contribute to the exploitation of migrant workers.
- The Government will conduct an evaluation of regional migration settings, including regional visas, regional definitions, regional occupation lists and DAMAs. The objective of this work will be to evaluate how migration settings can better support community and workforce needs in regional Australia while not contributing to migrant worker exploitation.
- This evaluation will occur in alignment with other work the Government is doing to support regional Australia, including reform to the Infrastructure Investment Program, the Regional Investment Framework, the refresh of the Northern Australia White Paper and the National Urban Policy.
Contact details
For more information and details about future reforms, please do not hesitate to contact Crystal Migration on (02) 9189 2988 or ross@crystalmigration.net