UPDATES ON AUSTRALIA’S VISA AND IMMIGRATION – AUGUST 2022

Employers are waiting for months to hire people to fill skill shortages, while applicants are experiencing delays in their applications to come to Australia. The Department of Home Affairs is working to shorten visa processing times and the number of submitted visa applications. In response to labour shortage and visa processing backlog, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will prioritise 60,000 skilled visa applications from candidates overseas, specifically for aged care, healthcare, and education workers. Wait times for visa processing for some temporary skill shortage streams have been extended up to 15 months due to a surge in demand mixed with an $875 million budget deficit from the previous administration.

As of July, there are nearly 745,000 visa applications completed from the beginning of June to the end of July 2022. This included: 645,000 offshore visa applications (including 388,000 visitor visas) and 9,550 temporary skilled visas.

Prime Minister Albanese said that in addition to temporary migration, the government will also focus on permanent migration options to address the current labour shortage.  He acknowledged that visa pathways for permanent residence should be offered to temporary visa workers as they have contributed a lot to Australia’s skills-building.

Investment in Training

Federal Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor adds that investment in training is also essential to resolve shortages in the labour market. In the medium to long term, it’s important to train Australian workers, and ‘unclog the visa process for skilled migrants.

Job Summit

Mr. Albanese said the upcoming Job Summit in September aims to foster cooperation and understanding among business groups, unions, civil society, and other levels of government in tackling shared economic challenges.

Key topics of discussion include:

• Addressing skill shortages, including having the right combination of available skills in the long term
• Enhancing the Australian migration system to support higher wages and productivity
• Creating jobs and opportunities from renewable energy, addressing climate changes, the digital economy, care economy, and a Future Made in Australia
• Lowering unemployment, boosting productivity and incomes
• Providing secure, well-paid jobs with sustainable increases in wages
• Growing employment opportunities for all Australians
• Equal opportunities and pay for women

The summit will also recommend immediate actions for current, medium, and long-term reforms.