Lost Migrants, Lost Work

Immigration Lawyer Sydney

An estimated half a million skilled migrant workers have left Australia over the last 18 months, since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. This leaves some major labour shortages in some area of the country, noticeably in agriculture and engineering.

The situation looks to get worse, with a further 77 000 migrants expected to leave Australia and return to their own country by the end of the next financial year. This will likely have a major impact on many Australian industries, leaving them understaffed.

The government is looking to have a less constrained approach to migration in the near future, in order to combat this situation. One suggestion is to make permanent residency easier for skilled migrants. Another suggestion is to change the visa conditions for filling short term skills shortage visas.

A recent report to the government recommends an option for permanent residency in all employer-nominated visas. But this same report still emphasises the needs for competent language ability and prioritising migrants under 45.

International student visas are also discussed. The idea is to encourage students to stay in the country and fill persistent skill shortages. This includes reduced time required for the work experience needed to gain permanent residency. Students can will be able to apply for PR after only two years, where the previous requirement was three years.

The migration caps do not look to significantly change. At present there are a reduced number of applicants, and we actually need to encourage immigration because the cpas is not being reached.

This present situation does give us time to review the migration programs. We might expect migration numbers will start to return to in mid 2022.

Immigration Lawyer Sydney

Immigration requirements are always complex, and they are changing rapidly at present. Talk to our Immigration lawyer, Sydney.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. No individual should take, or refrain from taking, any action solely based on the material contained in this article. While we aim to offer accurate and timely information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy on the date of receipt or in the future. If you require more information or seek relevant legal advice specific to your circumstances, please contact our office.