September at Nomos
The first month of spring proved to be no less jam-packed than any other this year, with some major changes occurring both domestically and internationally. Here’s the Nomos snapshot of the month:
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- The Jobs and Skills Summit wrapped up earlier this month with the Albanese Government announcing no fewer than 36 immediate initiatives. Amongst these initiatives, the Government resolved to increase the permanent Migration Program ceiling to 195,000 places (an increase of 35,000 places) for the 2022-23 year to help ease some of the ongoing workforce shortages, particularly in critical sectors. Additionally, the Government announced its intention to increase the duration of post-study work rights afforded to Student visa-holders with select degrees in areas suffering from skills shortages so as to strengthen the pipeline of skilled labour. This came in concert with the acknowledgement that international students provide a larger labour market segment within Australia than the permanent migration program. Further, the Government has vowed to devote more than $36 million in additional funding to address the significant visa processing backlog. Much of this will come as good news to many current and prospective skilled migrants, yet time will tell as to precisely what changes are implemented and how far they will reach. Aside from the immediate actions being undertaken in the wake of the Summit, the Government also resolved to conduct a review of the purpose, structure and objectives of Australia’s migration system with the intention of (amongst other objectives) assessing the effectiveness of the current skilled occupations lists, examining the potential for industry sponsorship of skilled migrants and expanding the pathways to permanent residence for temporary skilled sponsored migrants. You can see some of the highlights of the Summit here.
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- In response to the skills shortage and corresponding economic downturn in Australia, the Government temporarily relaxed restrictions in January 2022 on the number of hours Student visa-holders could work. It has since been announced that this temporary relaxation will come to an end on 30 June 2023. In the new financial year, working hours will once again be capped for Student visa holders and secondary visa holders. If these changes might impact you or your workforce, feel free to contact us for advice.
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- Minister of Home Affairs the Hon. Clare O’Neil made some insightful comments to the Sydney Morning Herald a few weeks ago, labelling the current migration system ineffective, overly costly and in need of serious reform lest Australia’s economy bear the brunt of such failings. Minster O’Neil went on to note that such reform is a priority for the Albanese Government, and that the various migration-related initiatives undertaken from the Job and Skills Summit were the opening act of greater changes to come with respect to the immigration program. The Government is expected to receive a detailed report at the end of February 2023 regarding the workings of the current migration program, after which the program may see further (and possibly significant) reform.
That’s the Nomos wrap-up for September. See you next month!
*This is general information only, as at the date of publication, and should not be interpreted as legal advice. For an accurate and current assessment of your circumstances and visa options, please contact us to receive this advice.
