‼️BREAKING: Government Announces Migration Strategy for 2024‼️
Christmas has come early for skilled workers, as the Federal Government introduces its new Migration Strategy.
The strategy seeks to reduce the overall migration intake by drastically cutting the number of student visa holders, and by making the process easier and more accessible for skilled visa applicants and local employers, to assist in the current critical skills shortage.
Not to blow my own horn, but I’ve been talking about this for months and it’s about time the Government recognised this growing issue!
The strategy aims to lure skilled migrants to Australia, whilst cracking down on non-genuine international students and migrant worker exploitation.
The strategy’s signature action is the creation of a three-tiered temporary skilled migration program that will offer drastically faster processing times for employers to help Australia compete in the global race for talent.
At the top end is a “specialist skills pathway” for employers bringing in foreign workers earning at least $135,000, whose visas will be approved in a median time of just seven days.
Very importantly, the strategy commits to reforming the points test, which is used by self-nominated temporary migrants to apply for permanent residence.
After the migration review found the current points test rewarded people for attributes that had little bearing on the economic dividend they would provide to Australia, the strategy flags a reformed version that would clearly reward skill over perseverance. The exact nature of the changes will likely be introduced next year.
Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black has welcomed the release of the migration strategy, saying business has long called for an approach that prioritises sourcing the skills the country requires.
“We’re pleased to see in this strategy, all the matters are being attended to. We believe this strategy gets the balance right”, says Black.
This is a developing story which I will keep posting about this week, as more unfolds, but so far this is an amazing Christmas gift 🎁 for prospective skilled migrants.
