Australia has a long and proud tradition of resettling migrants and refugees and vulnerable people in humanitarian need. Refugees are seeking protection from conflict and trauma the likes of which are hard to imagine.
With the right support, migrants and refugees can make extraordinary contributions and become outstanding members of society. There are lots of ways you can help our newest arrivals build their lives in Australia.
The Skilled stream of the Migration Program is designed to attract migrants who make a significant contribution to the Australian economy and fill positions where no Australian workers are available. Skilled migrants have very high participation rates in the workforce, helping to stimulate economic growth, which results in more jobs.
The Skilled stream also plays an important role in regional development by providing skills and labour which can’t be sourced locally, as well as encouraging investment and promoting local spending in regional areas.
2023-24 Permanent Migration Program
On 9 May 2023, the Australian Government announced that the planning level for the 2023-24 Permanent Migration Program will be set at 190,000 places.
The Government has designed the 2023-24 Permanent Migration Program to address persistent and emerging skills shortages and to attract people with specialist skillsets that are difficult to find or develop in Australia.
While Australia is building the domestic pipeline of highly skilled workers, the Permanent Migration Program will help:
- build resilience
- boost productivity and
- support our economy as it transitions to net-zero emissions.
The 2023-24 Permanent Migration Program also recognises the strong contribution all migrants make to social cohesion. It focuses on strengthening family and community bonds in Australia. It also demonstrates the Government’s commitment to family reunification.
The Permanent Migration Program will help address the challenges of an ageing population. Migration reduces the average age of the population and slows the rate of population ageing. This is because migrants are, on average, younger than the existing Australian population.
A well-targeted, skills focussed Migration Program supplements the cohort of working-age people. It helps boost participation rates and the size of the labour force.
The 2023-24 Permanent Migration Program has the following composition:
Skill stream (137,100 places, approximately 72% of the program)
This stream has been designed to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, including those in regional Australia.
Family stream (52,500 places, approximately 28% of the program)
This stream is predominantly made up of Partner visas, enabling Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship. Of this stream:
- 40,500 Partner visas are estimated for 2023-24 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand-driven and not subject to a ceiling.
- 3,000 Child visas are estimated for 2023-24 for planning purposes, noting this category is demand-driven and not subject to a ceiling.
Special Eligibility stream (400 places)
This stream covers visas for those in special circumstances, including permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.
Migration Program Planning Levels as announced as part of the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 Federal Budgets:
| Visa Stream | Visa Category | 2022-23 Planning levels | 2023-24 Planning levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill | Employer Sponsored | 35,000 | 36,825 |
| Skilled Independent | 32,100 | 30,375 | |
| Regional | 34,000 | 32,300 | |
| State/Territory Nominated | 31,000 | 30,400 | |
| Business Innovation & Investment | 5,000 | 1,900 | |
| Global Talent (Independent) | 5,000 | 5,000 | |
| Distinguished Talent | 300 | 300 | |
| Skill Total | 142,400 | 137,100 | |
| Family | Partner1 | 40,500 | 40,500 |
| Parent | 8,500 | 8,500 | |
| Child1 | 3,000 | 3,000 | |
| Other Family | 500 | 500 | |
| Family Total | 52,500 | 52,500 | |
| Special Eligibility | 100 | 400 | |
| Total Migration Program | 195,000 | 190,000 |
1. Delivery of the Partner and Child visa categories are demand-driven, with indicative planning levels only.
Delivery of the 2023-2024 Migration Program
The Government will continue efforts to manage the number of visas on-hand by extending funding for 500 visa processing officers. It will provide an additional $48.1 million over 12 months.
The efforts of a large number of additional trained visa processing staff that commenced in 2022 and early 2023 have significantly increased visa processing capacity. In 2023-24, the Government is also investing $27.8 million over two years to upgrade existing visa ICT systems. This will improve visa service delivery efficiency and increase Australia’s attractiveness in the global race for talent, students, and tourists.
To explore visas for permanent residence, go to Permanent Resident Visa Options
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