Getting migration working for the nation

Migration is central to Australia’s national story and in times of change, migration has helped  Australia tackle national challenges and build  long periods of prosperity and security.  

Migration can once again play a critical role  for Australia to seize the opportunities of the  coming decades. The problem is that our  current system is broken.  

The first comprehensive review of the migration  system in a generation, the 2023 Review of the  Migration System (the Migration Review), found  ‘a lack of clarity on what Australia has been  trying to achieve through migration is at the  heart of the problems the system faces today’.¹  Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM led the Migration Review and noted that the system was ‘so badly  broken’ that it required a ‘10-year rebuild’. It is  not delivering for workers, for businesses, or for  Australians. And ultimately, the success of our  migration system relies on the backing of the  Australian people

Our task is to get migration working for the  nation. Reorienting the program to address our  national challenges. Rebuilding social license  by returning migration levels back to normal.  And building better planning in the system  so we can get the skills we need, where we need them.

If you are a worker, whether local or migrant, this Strategy means stronger protections of  your wages and conditions. For businesses,  it means getting the skills you need to grow and  be more productive, particularly in critical areas  like healthcare, the net zero transition, and the  digital economy. For all Australians, it means  a better-planned migration system, aiming to  strengthen the community you live in and to  improve your living standards. 

This Strategy sets Australia on a course to  confidently tackle future challenges. It’s about  building a more prosperous and secure Australia  for our citizens, and laying a strong foundation  for the generations to follow.

Five objectives to realise this vision

Five core objectives will underpin Australia’s  migration system, getting migration working for the nation to help deliver a prosperous and  secure Australia. 

• Raising living standards for Australians by boosting productivity, meeting skills shortages and supporting exports.

• Ensuring a fair go in the workplace by complementing the jobs, wages and conditions of all workers and preventing migrant worker exploitation.

• Building stronger Australian communities by better planning the migration intake, and giving migrants the opportunity to invest in their lives in Australia through permanent residence and citizenship.

• Strengthening international relationships by building stronger economic and social connections with our region and international partners.

• Making the system work by being fast, efficient and fair for migrants and employers

Roadmap to realise our vision 

To realise the new vision and objectives of  Australia’s migration system, an ambitious roadmap for migration reform is needed.  

The 8 key actions in the Government’s  Migration Strategy roadmap have been  developed through extensive consultation with  business, unions, international education, civil  society and many Australians. This draws on the  key findings of the Migration Review, and  the 483 public submissions it received.² These actions are supported by existing  commitments, over 25 new commitments  and areas for future reform.

In addition to the actions taken by the  Government to date, the 8 key actions in the  Migration Strategy deliver a better managed  migration system and are expected to help  return migration to near pre-pandemic levels  by next financial year, through: 

• Closing COVID concessions 

• Strengthening integrity and lifting the  standards in international education 

• Ending settings that drive long-term  temporary stays 

• Tackling exploitation of the visa system 

• Targeting skilled migration to genuine  shortages. ​​​​​

8 key actions

1. Targeting temporary skilled migration to address skills needs and promote worker mobility 

A new Skills in Demand visa with three targeted  pathways, and visa settings that encourage  migrant worker mobility in the labour market.

New commitments include:  

• A new Specialist Skills Pathway to make it  easier for Australia to attract highly skilled  workers, for example in the technology or  green energy industries  
• A Core Skills Pathway to meet targeted  workforce needs, with a simpler, regularly  updated occupation list for the skills  Australia needs 
• New visa settings that give migrant workers  more mobility in the labour market to  help tackle worker exploitation and drive  productivity  
• Streamlined labour market testing and visa  processing.

2. Reshaping permanent skilled migration  to drive long-term prosperity  

A commitment to explore a reformed points  test for permanent skilled migration, and a new  Talent and Innovation visa for migrants who can  drive growth in sectors of national importance.

3. Strengthening the integrity and quality of international education

A package of integrity measures to lift the  standards for international students and  education providers, while ensuring graduates  help meet skills shortages and do not become  ‘permanently temporary’.  

New commitments include:  

• Higher English language requirements for  international students and graduates  
• More scrutiny of high-risk student visa  applications and a $19m investment into  the Home Affairs student visa integrity unit  
• Restrictions on onshore visa hopping that  undermines system integrity and drives ‘permanent temporariness’  
• Strengthened and simplified Temporary Graduate visa settings 
• Measures to support international students  and graduates to realise their potential.

4. Tackling worker exploitation and the misuse  of the visa system 

A comprehensive suite of legislation, powers,  penalties and policies to combat worker  exploitation and restore integrity to the migration system. 

New commitments include:  

• A new public register of employer sponsors  to improve integrity and support migrant worker mobility. 

This commitment complements other strong measures outlined in the Migration Strategy to  design migrant worker exploitation out of the migration system.

5. Planning migration to get the right skills  in the right places 

A longer-term, evidence-based approach to  planning migration that closely collaborates  with states and territories and ensures  population planning is based on the best  available population data and forecasts. 

New commitments include:  

• A new approach to planning permanent  migration over the long-term and greater  state and territory collaboration on net overseas migration forecasts. 

6. Tailoring regional visas and the Working  Holiday Maker Program to support regional  Australia and its workers 

A new direction to ensure visas for regional  Australia are prioritised first, and a commitment  to evaluating regional migration settings and the Working Holiday Maker program to ensure  migration supports development objectives in  regional Australia and does not contribute to  worker exploitation. 

New commitments include:  

• A new direction to ensure regional visas  receive the highest priority visa processing. 

7. Deepening our people-to-people ties in  the Indo-Pacific 

A new approach to developing people-to-people links with our region, including through a direct  pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders  and increased mobility with Pacific Island and  Southeast Asian countries. 

8. Simplifying the migration system to improve  the experience for migrants and employers 

A system-wide simplification agenda that will  streamline visa settings, reduce visa classes and  make the system easier to use.  

New commitments include:  

• The removal of 20+ unnecessary and  duplicative visas to simplify the visa system. 

 

Note: New commitments listed above are not exhaustive. ¹Commonwealth of Australia (2023) Review of the Migration System, p.21 ²The report and submissions are available at A Migration System for Australia’s Future