Migration Australia Outcomes of Jobs and Skills Summit 2022
As the Jobs Summit 2022 wraps up in Canberra, Australia there are some fantastic initiatives being proposed to address Australia’s skills shortage.
Over the last two years it has been evident that companies and employers are struggling to fill skilled roles within their organisations.
Australia urgently needs the skilled work visa processing backlog cleared, prioritising skilled migrants under the Migration Program and incentivising study in critical fields and professions.
Migration Australia program planning levels 2022-23
Increase in the permanent migration program numbers for this financial year to:
- 195,000 places in total (up 35,000)
- 34,000 regional places (up 9,000)
- 31,000 state and territory places (up 20,000)
Increased funding
- $36.1 million dollars will be invested in visa processing to increase staff capacity by 500 people in the next nine months.
Priorities, areas for immediate action
- Increasing the migration program numbers
- Improving the visa processing timeframes
- A proposal for international graduates of Australian universities to be able work longer in Australia, post graduation
- Extending the COVID concessions on student visa holder work rights until 2023, when they will cease
Areas for urgent further actions
- Moving away from temporary migration to permanency and citizenship, by developing these pathways
- Reassessing the occupation lists to ensure they are fit for purpose
- Raising Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT)
- Addressing worker exploitation (2023 priority)
- Examining industry sponsorship
- Addressing regional labour shortages.
Outcomes of the Summit Media Release link
Many of these changes require substantial legislative change and may take time to be implemented.
Given the uncertainty surrounding these changes, organisations should seek professional advice before starting a visa application process to ensure they are selecting the visa strategy best suited to their business objectives.
In the fast-paced landscape of immigration and global mobility, rules and guidelines are constantly changing and it can sometimes be difficult to keep up. At VISA LOUNGE, our aim is to keep our clients informed of all the latest developments in Australia and global immigration as they happen.
Contact VISA LOUNGE today to discuss your migration plan.