As a leader in the industry, the past year has marked our 20th anniversary of facilitating migration to Australia and New Zealand, a milestone that fills us with immense pride and gratitude. Personally, I am entering my 20th year as a registered migration agent for Australia in 2024. With this standing in the industry and the recent announced changes, I'd like to share some details and thoughts on the migration program direction. For this article I've selected some of the key details that I believe are most relevant or significant to a broader audience. As we get more information I will provide further updates.

In 2023, we've seen the following developments:

  • The Australian Government's migration system review commenced late in 2022 and was presented in April 2023, focusing predominantly on skilled and student visas.
  • In December 2023 we have the final unveiling of a strategy shaped by the review's outcomes, setting the stage for ongoing enhancements into 2024 and beyond.

A series of changes have already occurred including:

  • The Subclass 482 - Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa now requires a minimum salary of AUD$70,000, indexed annually, with the next increase due on July 1, 2024.
  • From November 2023 we also saw the opening up of a pathway to permanent residence after 2 years for all occupations under this visa (previously limited to high demand occupations only).

New Skills in Demand Visa in 2024

We are anticipating the introduction of a new Skills in Demand Visa to replace the Subclass 482 - Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa, which will offer greater flexibility (including up to 6 months to remain in Australia to find a new employer), a 4-year validity, and a clear path to permanent residency. This will be implemented in late 2024. This new visa comprises three distinct streams, catering to specialists, core skills, and essential skills, each designed to address specific needs and talents. This will be implemented in late 2024.

The first stream, the specialist skills pathway, will be for highly skilled employees with a salary offer of at least AUD$135,000, and open to all occupations except trades, machinery operations and drivers. The government has committed to process these applications within 1 week.

The second stream, the core skills pathway, will be the general pathway for the majority of applicants, open to identified occupations in skills shortage (based upon a new skills occupation list) with a salary offer of at least AUD$70,000.

The third stream, the essential skills pathway will be for lower paid workers with essential skills needed in Australia.

General Skilled Migration (points test) in 2024

The general skilled migration will undergo simplification, with a re-calibrated points test aiming to attract migrants poised to make a substantial economic impact. This is likely to include points for a job offer, additional points for partner skills, and a small gradual points decrease for age adjustment (sliding scale). A discussion paper will be issued early 2024 to commence looking at these reforms.

Business and Investment Migration in 2024

The government has confirmed there will be no more places for the Subclass 188 Business innovation and Investment program (BIIP). This is likely to be replaced by a single visa with 3 streams covering major investors, global researchers, and high performing entrepreneurs. Consultations for the new program will start in mid 2024. It appears likely we will see the re-emergence of a pathway similar to the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) requiring a AUD$5,000,000 investment. It is unlikely we will see any business owner (the "business innovation" stream) pathways. We will know more based upon the discussion paper and consultations for this new program later in 2024. Realistically at this stage I would expect implementation to be in mid 2025.

Global Talent Visa in 2024

The government has made no secret of its concerns with the current global talent program but also recognises the need for a talent based pathway. A new talent pathway is likely to be implemented in late 2024 and it's likely this will no longer require a nominator.

This will likely focus on applicants with top skills in high demand globally, applicants with particularly desirable human capital attributes that are not necessarily related to specific skills needs, and other "exceptions" that do not 'fit the mould' across many standard attributes but have specific exceptional characteristics.

Other changes in 2024

The government intends shifting towards multi-year planning, a greater focus with options for regional migration, and significant student visa reforms.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.