She announced Australia On Monday, it announced its intention to tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers, which could lead to a reduction in half of the number of immigrants it will receive over the next two years.
This comes as part of the government’s efforts to reform what has been described as a “broken” immigration system.
According to the new policies, it will become necessary for international students to score higher in English language tests. Vetting processes will also be strengthened when any student submits a visa application for an extension of his or her stay.
Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neill said in a press statement that “our strategy will return the numbers of migrants to normal.”
She added: “It is not just about numbers, and it is not about the current moment and the immigration experience that our country is going through at the present time. Rather, this step is about the future of Australia.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced at the beginning of the week that the number of migrants in Australia needs to return to a “sustainable level,” noting that “the system is in a state of damage.”
This decision comes after expectations that net migration will reach its peak at a record level of 510,000 in the period from 2022 to 2023. Official data indicate that this number is expected to decrease to about 250,000 in the periods 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, close to pre- Covid-19 pandemic.
O’Neill explained that the rise in net outward migration in 2022-2023 was mainly a result of the presence of international students.
Last year, Australia increased the number of annual immigrants, in order to support large companies in recruiting employees to fill the shortage resulting from the tightening of border procedures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as this pandemic led to the closure of borders and the stay of foreign students and workers outside the country for approximately two years.
But a sudden influx of foreign workers and students has increased pressure on the rental market, which was already in short supply, as the country’s homeless population grows.
A new specialized visa will be launched for highly-skilled workers, with application processing time reduced to one week, which will help companies recruit the most distinguished migrants in the face of intense competition with other advanced economies.