Australia has proposed an overhaul to its immigration system to expedite bringing in highly skilled workers into the country and make the path to permanent residency smoother.
Proposed changes
The federal Labor government said the current system will be modified to identify people with the correct skill sets the Australian economy needs.
Currently, the points test is used to choose people with the correct skill sets which will be amended so that candidates who are better for the Australian economy are included.
Issues with current system
“Our migration system … is broken. It is failing our businesses, it is failing migrants themselves.
And most importantly, it is failing Australians. That cannot continue,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said.
The country has been competing with countries, like Canada and Germany, to lure more skilled migrants, with the surge in demand exacerbated by an aging population.
Taking steps to keep highly skilled intl students
The government said the visa process for high-skilled professionals will be made quicker and easier.
Steps will also be taken to retain international students.
Temporary skilled visa holders, who had been denied the opportunity to apply for permanent residency, will be able to do so by the end of this year.
But it will not add to Australia’s annual intake of permanent migrants, O’Neil said.
Raising cap of permanent migrants
In September, Australia raised its intake of permanent migrants to 195,000 this financial year, up by 35,000 to help businesses battling widespread staff shortages.
It also pledged more staff and funds to speed up visa processing.
Raising wage threshold
From July 1, the government said it would raise the migrant wage threshold of temporary skilled workers from A$53,900, stuck at the same level since 2013, to A$70,000 ($46,250).
Around 90% of all full-time jobs in Australia are now paid more than the current threshold, leading to the exploitation of migrant workers, the government said.
