During last night’s Federal Budget announcement, the Morrison government set a ceiling of 160,000 places for its permanent migration program over the next financial year.
The focus will be on skilled migration, with an expected return to a pre-pandemic composition of roughly two-thirds skilled and one-third family streams.
Skilled stream visas will account for 70% of the program with a total of 109,900 places.
This represents an increase of approximately 30,000 places over the 2021-22 program comprising employer-sponsored (30,000 places), skilled independent (16,652 places) and state and territory nominated (20,000 places).
Regional visas will more than double to 25,000 places.
Most importantly of all the budget papers showed net overseas migration is forecast to increase from -89,900 people in COVID-affected 2020/21 to 41,000 2021/22, before increasing to 213,000 in 2023/24.
I have said it many times before, and I will say it again, immigration to Australia for skilled migrants is going to get better and better over the coming months and years and the above is just the start of that eventuality.
But you cannot sit on your hands until it does, places will fill, and there is a lot to be done before a prospective migrant is eligible for a skilled visa, so to beat the herd, it is best to get started on those initial processes as soon as possible.
For a free review of your eligibly and prospects for a skilled visa, please send your CV to me at david@pathwaylawyers.com
