A culmination of events has aligned to make this coming year the perfect time to migrate to Australia, whether temporarily or on a more permanent basis. With international borders re-opening, a recent change in government, and Australian businesses experiencing chronic labour shortages after the pandemic, the Albanese government will look to increase the migration intake from 160,000 to between 180,000 and 200,000 to bring more skilled migrants to Australia.
At present, 109,900 out of 160,000 places are allocated to skilled visa programs to improve the productive capacity of the Australian economy by introducing skilled migrants to fill skill shortages in the labour market, including those in regional Australia. If the annual migration cap were to increase, this would bring the skilled intake – which is usually about 70 per cent of the total cap – to about 126,000 to 140,000 (maybe more as the focus of the increase is to alleviate skills shortage in Australia).
The Jobs and Skills Summit, to be held on 1 – 2 September 2022 at Parliament House, will see the gathering of unions, employers, industry stakeholders, civil society groups, and government representatives, to address shared economic challenges and secure Australia’s pathway out of the pandemic. In addition to training and upskilling Australians, the discussion will also look at how the migration program can be used to address severe skills shortages across all industry types and help build a strong labour market for Australia’s economic future. The government is expected to set the new migration cap in the second Federal Budget Report, to be released on 25 Oct 2022.
Skilled visa programs include Employer Sponsored, Skilled Independent, Regional, State/Territory Nominated, Business Innovation and Investment, Global Talent (Independent), and Distinguished Talent.
Whether the ear-marked overall increase means more quota for the Global Talent Visa or the proposed increase would be predominantly geared towards the more traditional points-based and employer-driven skilled migration, is yet to be seen.
There is no indication yet, that the GTI program will be cut significantly in the near future. Nevertheless, the GTI program has become, and will continue to be, extremely competitive as it provides the most streamlined pathway for skilled professionals to work and live permanently in Australia.
The GTI program continues to gain traction in and around the world, including Singapore. However, with the possible increase in migration planning levels and the focus on attracting skilled migrants to Australia, skilled professionals in Singapore – who may not necessarily qualify for the GTI program – can look at Australian migration through the General Skilled Migration programme or the Employer Nomination Schemes.
If you’re interested in migrating to Australia and don’t know where to start, please reach out to Ashton Legal Services here.