The Morrison Government is
focusing Australia’s permanent Migration Program for 2020-21 on supporting our
economic recovery, growing Australian businesses and creating jobs for
Australians.
The permanent Migration
Program will remain at a cap of 160,000 places for 2020-21, with planning
levels of 79,600 places allocated in the Skill stream and 77,300 places in the
Family stream. Child and Special Eligibility visas will make up the remaining
3,100 places.
Approximately two thirds of
permanent visas in the 2020-21 program are expected to go to people already in
Australia. Of the remaining visas, it is anticipated that approximately two
thirds will be granted under the Skill stream and one third under the Family
stream.
Migration Program –
Skill stream
Innovators, investors and job
creators – those who are going to grow Australian businesses, create Australian
jobs and supercharge our economic recovery – will be the target of our skilled
visas.
Priority within the Skill
stream will be given to Global Talent, the Business Innovation and Investment
Program (BIIP) and Employer Sponsored visas.
After a successful launch in
late 2019, the Global Talent Visa will be expanded from 5,000 to 15,000 places.
It will continue to target the best minds from around the world in key sectors
including advanced manufacturing, financial services and Fintech and health.
The program will be enhanced by the whole of Government Global Business and
Talent Attraction Taskforce announced in September.
Australia
is strategically well placed to attract the global talent given our relative
health and economic success during the pandemic.
We will also double the
number of places available for business investors to 13,500 places. The
BIIP program will be streamlined and there will be changes to investment and
residency requirements, ensuring the program is targeted at Australian venture
capitals and emerging small and medium size businesses to support the economic
recovery. Further details on these changes will be announced in coming weeks.
Employer Sponsored visas, for
those migrants coming to fill a specific skills gap where an Australian worker
is not available, will be prioritised over non-sponsored visas with a focus on
occupations on the Priority Migration Skills Occupation List. This list will be
regularly reviewed and updated based on advice from the National Skills
Commission.
Migration Program – Family
stream
The majority of visas within
the Family stream will go to partners, with 72,300 places allocated, an
increase from 37,118 last year. This will give more certainty to those wanting
to settle in Australia with their partners and plan for their futures.
It will address nearly all
the present applicants awaiting finalisation of their visa.
It is expected that 75 per
cent of Partner visas will go to those already in Australia.
Humanitarian Program
The Humanitarian Program will
be set at 13,750 places and the number of allocated places will be a cap rather
than a target – in line with the approach taken to the Migration Program.
This cap of 13,750 is in line
with last year’s outcome of 13,171 and reflects the global impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic which will continue to present challenges to delivery in
2020-21.
The Government will continue
to focus on settlement and integration support for humanitarian entrants. This
will include prioritising supporting people in work and improving English
language skills.
In absolute numbers,
Australia remains the third most generous humanitarian resettlement country in
the world, maintaining our long-term commitment to people who cannot return to
their home country because of persecution.
