The federal government held Jobs and skills summit last week and after two days of meetings, panels and negotiation between employers, industry and business groups, unions and politicians, the summit brought several outcomes in regards to the Australian Migration system.
Amongst the immediate actions the government decided to take are the following:
· Increase the permanent Migration Program planning level to 195,000 in 2022-23 to help ease widespread, critical skills shortages
· Provide $36.1 million in additional funding to accelerate visa processing and resolve the visa backlog
· Increase the duration of post study work rights by allowing two additional years of stay for recent graduates with select degrees in areas of verified skills shortages to strengthen the pipeline of skilled labour in Australia
· Extend the relaxation of work restrictions for student and training visa holders until 30 June 2023 to help ease skills and labour shortages
The Government will also conduct a review of the structure and objectives of Australia’s migration system and some areas of further work were identified:
· Assessing the effectiveness of the skilled migration occupation lists
· Expanding pathways to permanent residency for temporary skilled sponsored workers
· Raising the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT)
· Reforming the current labour market testing process
For more details and to discuss how can these changes affect your situation, contact us today at info@onboardmigration.com.